MANAWATU COUNTY COUNCIL

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 2198, 4 November 1920, Page 3

MANAWATU COUNTY COUNCIL

The monthly meeting of the Manawatu County Council was held at Saudoii on Monday, the following being present: —Sir Janies Wilson (chairman) and Crs ; W T . J. Phillips, 11. H. Hunt, W. S. Penny, J. Boyce, and W T . E, Barber. CORRESPONDENCE.

From the Minister of Public Works, intimating that lie would give the Council’s application .for a permit to distribute electric power ids careful consideration. —Received.

From the Railways Department, forwarding the Government inspector’s report in connection with the Council’s tramway. The report suggested that several repairs be made, hut stated that the tracks generally were jn good order. —Left with engineer to have the repairs •attended to. Frofn the Department of Internal Affairs, stating that the matter of cutting the goatsrue on the station, yard at Kakayiki would be attended jo.—Received. From the Palmerston North Hospital Board, stating that it had been resolved to make a supplementary capita! levy of Is 9d per £I,OOO on the capital values of the contributing authorities in the Board’s district for the purpose of providing £2,005 13s to be expended in hospital additions. The Council’s quota was £316 4s 8d. —Received.

From the Rangiotu Farmers’ Union, protesting against the Council’s grant of £4OO towards the Feilding Teel mical School, as it was considered that the grant was excessive in view of-.the amount needed within the County. —No aelioiVlo be taken. From the Oroua Bridge Hall Society, forwarding £5 towards (lie cost of the removal of the hill from Foxton line. —Received. '

From Mr P. Robert, asking that Keffow’s Line be patched up where required—Left to the engineer.

From Mrs F, J. Reay, complaining of entile straying on the roads at Oroua Downs. —No aid ion taken.

, From Mr A. Lancaster, asking the Council’s permission to install pipes in the water-table in front of his property "mi (he Kopane Road. — Agreed to. From Mr W. Field, asking that the Mangaone road in front of his properly he put in a proper state of repair.—Left in hands of engineer, ll was resolved lo grant an allround increase of wages to the men employed by the county at the rate of Is nor dav.

It was further decided Unit Ihe clerk he instructed to apply again for the Government grant in connection with the erection of workers' dwellings within the county.

TRAMWAY MANAGER’S REPORT The tramway manage* reported us follows;—The accounts show a debit: balance of £22 10s 10d for the month’s ■ working. The chief items traffic were: Merchandise! 1144

I mis, batter and cheese 14-71 tons, immure and minerals 12!) 1 tons, timber 50,200 feet. l''aros amounted to £4 Its 7(1. Repairs are al |iri;senl being effected to the firebox at' the loeuinolivo Manawatu, and. a brink arch is being lit led, ( During I lie present month the C. class locomotive Avill be laid up for minor repairs.

HM.iIXKKIPS b’MI’OHT

Awahou hiding. —Repair,-, have been earried out on Spring's road and Whirokino road in (be shape ol; lllling in nils, and I rimming up these roads. The reeen! Hood in the Ai:i nawatn river has undermined the approach to the Shannon bridge over (lie Mamnvatu river, on the Shannon side, of the river, and it will be necessary to build a no! her land span to make the bridge safe for IraHic, and also extensive protective works to prevent further erosion and dama.gr to (he bridge. Den era). —Owing to (he unsettled slate of the weather throughout the last .moatlt (lie work on the new siding and hopper was somewhat retarded. The foundation of (he hopper is now laid in concrete, and we hope to make heller progress during the present month. On my way to the Thames I stopped at Ohakunc and made enquiries about timber for building the new hopper. I went out into the bush to two mills, but could not make any arrangement with either of the mills to supply the heavy timber required in rirtui, raatai or birch. I next paid a visit to Messrs A. and G. Price’s, engineers, at the Thames, with reference to aerial ropeways, but was informed that they could not undertake or give any information about the construction of aerial ropeways, as they have (lone nothing in that line for 20 years. They advised me to see another gentleman, who lias had a considerable amount of experience with ropeways in connection with mining, and is an engineer by profession, and he recommends the “Plying Fox’’ system, that is, one loaded bucket up, and an empty one down, but I do not think that this system would keep us supplied with the quantity' of stone we would require each day. ’ I went ,t°v Wailu and made an inspection of the Grand Junction Gold Mining Co.vs aerial ropeway. They have an up-to-date plant, but it was not working at the time of my visit, being held up on account of the coal strike. I understand from information I could gather that the ropeway7 they 7 have in use is the Bleichert system, which carries 500 tons of quartz per day, and this amount could be-inereased up to 1,000 tons a clay by employing more buckets. This load is hauled up an average of 1 in 10, but first section or span is about 1 in G. This company hauled 750,000 tons of stone over the one rope before it showed any’ signs of wear. They work about 20 buckets, aud each bucket carries

half a yard of stone, winch is Upped automatically into a Riopper, * The main fixed rope is two inches in diameter, and the endless hauling rope is jin. flexible steel rope. While at the Thames I approached Messrs Price Bros, with reference to building some ballast waggons, but: they were tpo busy building 20 locomotives, and could not undertake the work at., present. I also made an inspection of several stone quarries, and found most of these works were using the rotary crusher, and were turning out much coarser stone than what we have in the past.