WORK IN MATAMATA COUNTY.

Putaruru Press, Volume II, Issue 18, 14 February 1924, Page 3

WORK IN MATAMATA COUNTY.

ENGINEEU’S R EPOKT. The engineer to the County Council. Mr. M. E. Fitzgerald, reported to the monthly meeting on Friday:— “ On the day cf the last Council meeting* one of the lorries, while carting metal from Tirau to Waiomou, was damaged while crossing* the Craka bridge. One rear wheel broke through Tie decking and traffic was held tip for an hour and a-half. One spring cf the lorry was broken and the machine suffered one or two minor injuries, not of a serious nature. The pife. s reports of the oci srrronce \ me. to say the least of them, highly coloured. The tractors have been hold up a good deal during ■he month for repair work. The horsed grader i = still at the northern end of the county. No. X tractor is at Pairero. and will work its way via Hinuera towards Te Poi. ?io. 2 outfit is at Maungatautari and will move to Puketurua in the course of a few days. •‘* The metal supplies have been very disappointing lately, the total quantify obtained during* the month being 758 yards from To Aroha and 63 yards from Tir.ohia, all for Waioraou. This shortage .is seriously handicapping progress with works dependent upon imported metal and renders it quite impossible to complete Public Works grant jobs within the financial, year. “ Te Whetu road culvert has been constructed and the road is open for all traffic, though not yet lifted to its proper level. “ Rothery has collected a good supply of boulders and expects to com mence delivery of stone to the Hin-uera-Te Poi road next Monday under contract No. 2. It will, unfortunately* be impossible to roll this metal as' laid unless another road roller is obtained. Henderson has nearly completed the reforming' of the Putaruru length of the Tirau-Putaruru road under contract 136. Hart and Brown continue to make steady progress with, the Putaruru-Arapuni road and have carted 632 yards of shingle under contract 140 during the month. Cole has completed contract 149 for reforming Maraetai and Peach roads. Kinnear has made good progress with the metalling* of Okovoirc to Springs , road under contract No. 3, but would have done much more work had metal been available. He has also done the bulk of the earthwork on HitmeraTirau road under contract No. Spraggs is npw making* headway with Puketurua contract No. 4. Hayes is still working* on the Kaimai road under contract 128.

Arrangements -have been made with Kinnear and Gardner for carting* respectively shingle and sand to Totman’s road. Amoore’s road was inspected and arrangements were made with O’Connell for metalling* and re pairs to cost about £25.” As regards the use of sledges., etc., on the roads, the engineer verbally reported specific instances of the breach of the by-law concerned, which

stated that unless permission had been obtained beforehand sledges, etc., should not be taken on the roads, the maximum penalty for a breach of the by-law to be £5 per day. It was agreed to enforce the bylaw, but county councillors were to have authority to give permission under the by-law where such was deemed warranted.