REPORT ON COUNTY- ROADS AND BRIDGES.

Patea Mail, Volume IV, Issue 373, 13 November 1878, Page 2

REPORT ON COUNTY - ROADS AND BRIDGES.

The Report by the newly appointed Foreman of Works (Mr George Rogers) presented at the Inst meeting of the Patea Comity 'Council, was a tolerably exhaustive one. The following is a summary The main road from Taungatara to Oeo was in fair condition, the gravel used being of superior quality. The culverts are partly built of stone, and a wood called Puriri, which lasts much better than Matai. The sheeting of most of the bridges all

along tlie line require looking to, which will necessitate tiie removal of the ballast. Before this jean be clone planking will require to be on the ground to replace those which are deficient. Most of the bridges have front nine to, one foot of gravel baked hard by traffic. Some of the Large bridges, such as Punehu, Kapokonni, and Kapune have been built with wooden blocks, and in some instances the blocks are rotetn. .The bridges want scre wing up, and the rotten blocks should be replaced with some, better wood, as iron bark, or rata. Matai was used in the first case. On the blocks depends the whole, or nearly the whole, strength of the bridge, and thev should be looked to at once.

From Oeo to Moteirata the road is in very bad-condition, lu some parts pigs have turned it up one foot deep from sides to centre.' A. man should bo kept on this part of the road to keep it in passable order. There are 38 culverts between Oeo and Molenjata. Some are good, but all want cleaning out, and the inlets and outlets widened. Ten of them require replacing altogether. Most of the bad culverts are small, and are not much below the formation level. It would be throwing money away to replace them with earthenware pipes; as sufficient ballast could not be laid on the top of the pipe to preserve it. Earthenware pipes ought to be Set at least four feet deep to preserve them from the pressure of heavy traffic. Earthenware pipes are brittle in frosty weather, and on changes of weather, or slight oscillation, they break like glass. It would l)e best to patcli up these culverts temporarily with wood. Tiie spring on tile bill hear In ah a has been cleaned out, and a drain put through. The bottom has been paved with boulders, it being very bad, and the top gravelled, so it will be passable for some time.

A horse and cart lias been working most of the month between Manawapoa Hill and Tongahoe Hill on what is commonly known as Mason’s Flat. Most of the holes 1 have had lillad up. Sami from the top of the Manawapoa Hill was formerly used for this purpose, but during the last fortnight I have had gravel laid from the south side of the Tongahoe. bridge from a jilt on Mr Bysaght’s land. Ido .not consider the gravel first rate, but it is easy to get. The road not measured off for contracts is being repaired. A man to strip and fill at the pit with a man and horse bring out eight or nine loads a day. No. ’3l contract can be - done at about the same rate with this description of gravel. Since the contracts have been measured off I have not allowed the day carts to put down gravel, but have kept them repairing the parts where there arc no contracts, Dehunore’s cart, at Kakarainea, which was employed filling up holes out of a sand pit, has Been engaged the last eight days in carting very fair gravel from a pit on his own property at the hack of the Wharncliffe Hotel, to lili up the ruts between the sand hills and Burke’s Hill.

Johnston’s cart has been engaged repairing road between the Council Buildings and the Patea Bridge. He can bring out five loads a day with a nian in the pit at top of the hill south of the Patea Bridge. The line weather has improved the road very much between Whenuakura and Waitotara, between which places I have measured out six miles and tea chains of contracts. Young Mr Wright has been repairing the places between those contracts, so this part, of the road is likely to be in good order for next winter. An estimate was submitted for the various contracts, some of which, if the actual contract price exceeded the funds available, the Foreman suggested could Bo allowed to stand over for a lime.

The Foreman also suggested that the day carts should be stopped for the present

ntontJj, but tUnt sis. cltxj uio2l should ho left on the road, each iliau to he furnished wild a barrow, pick, spade, and shovel, to dress the sides, and clean out the water tables and culverts where required—No. 1, from Waved ey to Waitotara ; No. 2, from Wavedey to Patea ; No. 3, from Patea to Burke’s Hill ; No. 4, from Burke’s Hill to Hawera ; No. 0, from Waingongoro to Kapurii ; and No. 6, front Kapuni to Oeo, the men to live somewhere on the lengths of road which chey had to look after. A diary to he kept of each day’s work, to be produced to the Foreman when required. , , . .Mountain Road contracts, Nos. 2, 5, and G, were reported as progressing, and would probably be completed before the end of the month.