MATAMATA HIGHWAYS.

Putaruru Press, Volume IV, Issue 136, 10 June 1926, Page 5

MATAMATA HIGHWAYS.

METALLED MILEAGE INCREASED. Surveying roading operations for the past year, the engineer to the Matamata County Council (Mr. M. E. Fitzgerald), reporting to his council at Tirau at the last meeting, stated that altogether 101 miles of main roads had been declared main highways in June, 1924. Hinuera-Te Poi road had its gap of 21 miles metalled from Hinuera No. 2 and Oma-hine No. 2 loans. This work was rushed; at Die time and a considerable amount of work on side tracks has yet to be done. .The rebuilding of the Waihou bridge on this road will probably be undertaken at an early date. Waotu main road has been reformed and metalled with rhyolite for 23 miles since Christmas and it is hoped to get a further length, if not the whole eight miles, dealt with be- j fore the close of next summer. It is probable that some top coat work will be done during the coming summer. The Matamata-Hinuera West road will be metalled for a length of about a mile and this will probably commence forthwith. About a-quarter of a mile of the Matamata-Hinuera East road from the railway crossing to its junction with No. 19 main highway was metalled a year ago. Tire metalling of the Waiomo main road, which has been going forward in fits and starts for several years, is now practically completed for the whole length of 48 miles. The rebuilding of the Waihou bridge on this road will probably be undertaken during next summer. Okauia main road has been metalled for its length of 18 miles except for a short length at the Okauia end, which will be finished off as soon as the weather permits. The short gap in the metal on Peria main road will probably he filled in shortly, and it is likely that the old metal on the road will be put in order during the winter, making 1 i miles of road ready for top course work.

The probable expenditure upon the above works has been carried into the estimates summarised below. These estimates also take account of the fact that a large amount of material wall have to be purchased during the latter part of the winter in readiness for the work of putting on. top courses next summer. Bitumen and chips will have to be obtained and Maku creek metal is already being stored at Putaruru. It is at present rather early to forecast in any detail and with any degree of accuracy the whole of next summer’s programme, but within the next three months it will certainly be necessary to come to closer grips with the matter. The expenditure on county road construction from April 1, 1924, to the end of last, month, was £35,230, and after allowing for Main Highways Board share, £10,885, Public Works Department-g-rants £429.3, and various other adjustments, the net cost to the county loan is £19,952. A forecast of the probable rate of expenditure from now to the middle of next summer on the lines indicated is given below. The first figures are probably gross cost of works up to *hat date, the second figures will be the net cost after deducting grants, subsidies, etc.., and the third figures show the cash which should be available to allow for costs of raising money and carrying on with a proportion of subsidies and grants due but not yet paid.

The fund's so far arranged amount to £60,009. The metalling' works referred to above represent about 52 miles of roads, of which 9 miles had inferior narrow surfaces prior to April, 1924, and 43 mi'es were unmetalled. Of *h:s total of 52 miles, about 58 mileare unsurfaced to-day. The amount of meal used during the period has been 50,713 yards, of wh'eh 33.665 yards were handled from December, 1925. to the end' of last month. V/lvlst the foregoing- refers wholly to operations on main highways it will be of interest to note here that considerab’e metalling* work has been done on other roads during .the past ■few months and that the total metal handled from December, 1925., to Anrll, 1926, was 42,620 yards, which d->es not include sand and other in-fe-**or local surfacing materials. 1 The report was adopted. \ The engineer commented' that Putaruru main south road had been receiving frightful treatment from | motor lorry traffic and cars with chains. He was pleased to say that (Continued in Next Column.)

much cf the heavy traffic would in future be carried by rail. Cr. Allen said it was currently reported that certain engineers in the city were being induced to favour bitumen. He hoped the Matamata engineer would be quite sure of the value of bitumen before he used it. Cr. Darby said many ratepayers complained l that the new metal was sinking and working into holes. They did not understand that this was part of the process of consolidation, and that these places had to be built up until they were firm. Cr. Judd said he had held a meeting of his ratepayers and explained the whole process to them, after which they were satisfied.

To Gross Cost. Net Cost. Cash Reqd. April 30/26 . £ 35,230 £ 19.952 £ 25,000 •Tune 30/26 . . 48,130 29.852 34.000 Sep. 30/26 . . 60.430 45.652 48.000 Dec. 31/26 . . 89,330 60,052 64,000