MANAWATU COUNTY COUNCIL

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 3790, 10 May 1928, Page 3

MANAWATU COUNTY COUNCIL

MONTHLY MEETING. The monthly meeting of the Manawatu, County Council was held in Sanson on Tuesday, Cr. Barber being in the chair. Also presept were Crs. Boyce, McKelvie, Perrett, Hunt, Pearce and Reid. BRIDGE MAINTENANCE. The Public Works Department wrote asking that, when this year’s estimates were being prepared, sufficient funds be set aside for more extensive maintenance of wooden and steel bridges. The letter further stated that there were numerous bridges the steel work of which required painting.: — Referred to the engineer to report on the condition of the Whirokino bridge and others. OLD SHANNON BRIDGE. The Horowhenua County Council wrote stating that it had received an offer of £IOO for the old Shannon bridge as it stands and £350 for the dismantling and stacking of it on the shore. —The council considered that this offer was inadequate considering the excellent state of the timber and decided that the question of the disposal of the bridge should be left in the hands of the chairman and the county clerk to endeavour to obtain a more satisfactory return to the Council. MAIN HIGHWIAYS. Mr. H. Bond, acting-engineer, reported on the month’s work as under:— Main Highways.—Bull-Sanson: A little draining has been carried out on this length. The Bulls bridge is now under repair by the Rangitikei County Council staff. .Sanson-Awahuri road had has been graded, .patched ann rolled. A length of 43 chains has been ploughed in from the sides and flattened out at a cost of £2 5s Gd per chain or £lB2 per mile. AwahuriFeilding: Bridges and culverts have

been cleaned and the road graded and patched. Stewart’s Line: With the coming of the rain this road cut up badly but has now been patched. Sanson-Himatangi: Grading and patching have been carried out. With fresh supplies of metal a great deal more patching

will be undertaken. HimatangiRangiotu: Grading and patching > have been carried out. With fresh supplies of metal a great deal more patching will be undertaken. Hi-matangi-Rangiotu: This road became very rough after the recent heavy rains. Patching is now being carried out, both from the Himatangi and the Rangiotu ends. This road has been graded. Hima-tangi-Foxton: Grading has been the chief item on this road. A little metal has been spread and the big stones raked off to the sides for building up. Foxton-Shannon and Wbirokino Roads: Patching and grading have been carried out and culverts cleaned. A contract has been let for carting out metal from the Whirokino pit to the road. Forty chains of fencing and sixteen chains of road formation have been completed on the new Shannon bridge approach road. The recent wet weather held this work up considerably. The Highways Board’s engineer. advises that a floodgate is required in the' stopbank by the new bridge. Rongo-tea-Longburn: Culverts and brid- . ges have been cleaned and grading and patching carried out TRAMWAY REPORT.

The tramway manager, Mr. A. K. Drew, made the following report on the working of the Sandon tramway:—The chief items of traffijc for the month were: —Grain 19 tons, minerals and manure 349 tons, general merchandise 464 tons, stock 41 trucks, timber 2800 sup. feet, eggs 64 crates and metal 112 trucks. Fares amounted to 14/3. The accounts show a debit balance of £44 3s 3d for the month’s working.—Adopted. RATE ROLL ALTERATIONS. The following alterations to the county rate roll were authorised: — A. E. Fowles to F. L. Stephens, lot 96, Awahuri; T. A. Grammer to J. and M. iGibbs, lot 13, Oroua district; Wtm. Brookie to E. N. Rowe, part sec. 230, Carnarvon; estate W. Port to L. Thompson, lots 3-4, sec. 346, Carnarvon. SHANNON BRIDGE..

The chairman stated that the Shannon bridge was just about completed and gave every indication that it would meet present day requirements. It was a two-way bridge and ample view could be obtained of all traffic that would be on it. The approaches were well advanced towards completion, but some time would elapse before this work would be finished and the bridge opened for traffic.

COUNTY ROADS CRITICISM. In commenting on the Palmerston North Chamber of Commerce criticism of the County roads, the chairman said, the road complained of was sealed under the direction and superintendence of the Public Works Department’s engineer who stated that the work would not be allowed to proceed without a diversion of traffic. Reference to the Bulls Bridge was absolutely out of place as this council has had nothing to do with its construction or maintenance except the paying of its share of the cost. Thirdly, this council is the body best able to judge what its ratepayers are able to pay towards the main highways,” the speaker added. “I think your remarks are quito appropriate,” stated Cr. J. H. Perrett. “Cr. Boyce and myself met

Mr. Eliott in Feilding last week and when we spoke to him about his remarks he said that ‘it was only a joke.’ If it is only a joke all round, of course, it is quite alright, but it was not much of a joke' to us and I consider that those remarks about the Bulls Bridge were quite out of place,” the speaker concluded. BY-ROADS AND MAIN HIGHWAYS.

Considerable discussion arose when a letter was received from the Public Works Department, giving official notification of the classification of the Longburn-Rongo-tea Road as a main highway and stating that the subsidy for maintenance oh this road would be at the same rate as that being paid at present for other roads, viz., 30s for £l. Cr. Perrett considered that it was construction work that the department ought to subsidise and suggested that a minimum subsidy on a 60-40 basis be requested for construction work.

The county clerk (Mr. A. K. Drew) pointed out that the whole question was the classification of the highways. Most of these subsidiary highways were classified as the same, yet there was no comparison between the traffic on a road connecting two main centres and a road in an outlying rural district.

Cr. Boyce claimed that the* side roads in the counties were being neglected for the purpose of providing good roads for the travelling public, but Cr. Perrett pointed out that the sooner the council tarseated the main roads, and saved maintenance costs on them, the sooner it would have money to spend on the side roads.

Cr. Boyce thought that the roads could not be sealed without a loan and by the time the loan was raised and the roads sealed the side roads would be beyond repair or the ratepayers would be bankrupt. “There is no doubt that the time has arrived when we will have to seal the main roads,” observed the chairman (Cr. W l . E. Barber). “When this work is done money for maintenance will be released and we will be able to attend to the side roads,” he added. |Cr. Perrett stated that the onus for main road Avork was on the Highway Board, but it Avas the council’s duty to look after the side roads and protect its ratepayers’ interests.

The chairman stated that no finality could be reached on the point at present and the Avhole matter would be thrashed out Avhen the estimates Avere being considered at the annual metting of the council.