POHANGINA COUNTY

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 44, 20 January 1938, Page 11

POHANGINA COUNTY

MEETING OF COUNCIL. ACTIVITIES DURING MONTH. The monthly meeting of the Pohangina County Council was held yesterday, Cr. S. J. Strahan presiding. Others present werq Crs. W. Howell, G. M. Arbon, J. Mackenzie, W. McKay and J. T. Montgomery. Leave of absence was granted Cr. T. E. Craine. CORRESPONDENCE. The Commissioner of Transport wrote stating that the Minister had expressed appreciation of the offers made by local authorities to display road safety campaign material in their areas, and advised that supplies would be forwarded. —Cr. McKay expressed the opinion that the council should do everything possible to cooperate in this connection, and the arrangements were left in tlie hands of the engineer. Advice was received from the Otaki Borough Council that through the operator of a school bus having been charged for a passenger vehicle when only a goods license should have been paid, a rebate of £35 14s w'as due. The excess payments were not legally recoverable from the local authority but, in the circumstances, no objection would be raised by the Auditor-General to the amount of the refund being debited to the heavy traffic fees pool if the councils were agreeable, their respective shares of the amount so refunded being charged to their ‘'unauthorised expenditure.” —The council signified its agreement with the rebate.

Notification was received from the Department of Labour that it would he necessary, under the Shops and Office Act, to hold a special meeting this month to decide what working day of the week should be the statutory half-holiday for shops in the district, failing which the Minister himself would appoint a day, which was usually that at present being observed. — It was resolved to advise the Minister that the council considered Wednesday the most suitable day for the observance of the half-holiday in its district. The Feilding Aero Club forwarded an invitation to the council to attend the official opening of its new aerodrome at Taonui. —Accepted with thanks. There was a lengthy discussion on the purchase of a multiple road-making unit, but eventually the matter was held over.

The treasurer (Mr A. E. Orgias) reported that bank credits were £34 Is 4d in the cemetery account, £443 Is 6d in the loan account, and £ll7 12s 3d in the plant account. The county fund account had a debit of £2123 16s 7d. Rates levied for the year totalled £7914 6s lid, and £902 6s lOd had been collected, leaving £7012 Os Id outstanding. Accounts totalling £1839 13s 3d were passed for payment. ENGINEER’S REPORT. The engineer (Mr D. Watson) submitted his monthly report as follows: General: As the motor traffic this year was expected to exceed that of former years, a few men were detained over the holiday period to maintain in decent repair the surface of the main highways. During the last week of the current month a traffic tally will again be taken in order to determine the difference between the winter and summer vehicular traffic. Awabou: A pit of very fine gravel on Hunt s Hill, Awahou South Road, was opened out and a start has been made to improve roads in that direction. Most of the heavy growth of fennel and other scrub on the roadside has been cut down. A short length of fence was erected on No. 3 Line. Grading and gravel repairs were done on No. 439 highway. Coal Creek: One of the surfacemen was employed during the month on Ridge and London s Roads, benching and widening the roads at some of the sharp bends. Gravel was raked in by the grading machine on No. 53 highway and Makoura Road. Watertables on No. 53 highway are being cleaned out. Mangaone: Several projecting corners on No. 438' highway were cut back and the road in places metalled and shaped up with the heavy grader. A sharp bend on Finnis’s Road was also improved. The grader was run over No. 439 and No. 78 highways. Some repair gravel was also carted and spread out. Mangapikopiko: About 20 decking planks on Marton Block bridge were taken up and replaced with new timber. Gravel on a length of No. 439 highway was raked in by the grader. No- 53 highway, Makoura and Marton, Block Roads were also trimmed up. Pohangina: Pohangina Valley Hoad and No. fa highway were shaped up with the heavy grader. About 96 yards of fine gravel were put out by the motor trucks The roadman situated at Waiata has been employed full time widening out narrow places on Ridge Road Tamaki and Pniutoi: Only the usual maintenance work such as cleaning out, watertables, overhanging scrub, ete lias been observed.'