PIAKO COUNTY COUNCIL.

Putaruru Press, Volume VII, Issue 315, 21 November 1929, Page 3

PIAKO COUNTY COUNCIL.

NOVEMBER MEETING. General Business. The November meeting of the Piako County Council was held on Monday, Cr. W. R. Lowry (Kiwitahi) presiding. Those present were : Crs. W. McLean (Walton), W. F. Stark (Morrinsville),' J. M. Stewart (Tahuna), F. W. Walters (Waitoa), W. C. Kennedy (Waihou), W. Magill (Te Aroha) and W. H. Emmett (Manawaru). Hospital Board Levy.

The Waikato Hospital Board informed the council that, subsequent to the notice given to contributing local bodies to the board of the levy required to meet the net estimated expenditure for the current financial year, capital expenditure totalling £3500 for additions to the infectious diseases ward was decided upon. It was proposed to meet the cost by overdraft. Cr. Kennedy : I take it they are not increasing the levy? The Chairman : Not for the present. Repairs to Waiti Road. Mr. E. A. Campbell wrote asking the council to have repairs carried out to the portion of Waiti road, Tahuna, leading to his property, so that he could get access by lorry. He had been at a big disadvantage for the last four or five years in getting manure, as he had to use private property. The stretch was less than a mile long. The matter was left in the hands of the engineer and the riding member.

Thirst for Information. Mr. F. W. Page, Tahuna, wrote that from time to time the council had supplied him with information with regard to the Tahuna road loan. The information had been more or less clear, but in order to get to the bottom of the matter there were further details required. A loan of £2OOO was lifted by the council in May, 1921, and a subsidy of £2500 was paid out by the Puhlic Works Department in two sums of £IOOO and £ISOO respectively. The fullest information regarding the expenditure of the total sum of £4500 was asked for, also the date of each item of expenditure and the person to whom and the purpose for which it was paid, in such a way that the whole amount was accounted for. The clerk said he had replied that figures had been supplied to Mr. Page in the past which should thoroughly satisfy him concerning the expenditure on the Tahuna road. It had been pointed out that the ground had been gone over thoroughly so many times and that all that was revealed was that the road had had more than its share of expenditure out of the county fund. The chairman said the council wished to give all information to ratepayers concerning 'loans, but in this instance all available information had been handed on. He moved that the matter be now closed.

Cr. Kennedy : Is he concerned in the loan? The Chairman : Yes. The Clerk : We have given him all the information we can. The chairman’s motion was carried. Waitoa-Maukoro Highway. Referring to the Waitoa-Maukoro main highway, the Public Works Department pointed out that the unmetalled portion had not yet been covered with a coating of chips as approved by the Main Highways Board. It was understood that the difficulty was largely one of finance for the Tahuna riding, but this work should be carried out before the advent of the dry weather, as considerable damage was done during the summer, due to the combined effects of sun and wind. The road referred to is No. 1 to the bridge along the West road, Paeroa-Tahqna road and • East road. The clerk was ■ instructed to go ahead with the loan.

Shoulders to Concrete Road. The Public Works Department wrote drawing attention to the condition of the shoulders alongside the concrete strip between le Arolia and Te Arolia Vvest and pointing our that it was very consiuerabiy cueaper to repair tnein than 1 o repair Uainage to tne concrete. The engineer said that if proper attention was paid to the road it would be the equivalent to laying a bitumen penetration road eight feet wide the whole length of the road. Cr. Emmett said the road was not half as bad as the letter indicated. There was only a short stretch that was in bad condition. Cr. Kennedy : That is correct.

The matter was referred to the engineer and riding members to have repairs .carried out. Motumaoho Bridge. Advice was received from the Public Works Department that the proposals for the erection of a new Jbridge on the Morrinsville-Hamilton highway near the Motumaoho school had been approved, with the amendment that the width be increased to 18 feet and traffic planking extended to the full >§vidth to provide for two lines of traffic, or else replaced by a bitumenous carpet. It was decided to make formal application for a subsidy.

Cr. Stark said it would be unwise to carry out the work until the holiday season was over. The bridge should stand for another three months, and the work could then be put in hand in February or March. The level of the bridge was to be raised, and considerable filling would be necessary. Quine’s Road.

Replying to a letter from the council, the Lands and Survey Department advised that sections had been allotted on Quine’s road to two Mangateparu settlers, Messrs. R. Bland and T. Beck, to provide a run-off for stock during the wet season and to relieve congestion. As these sections were to be used merely for grazing and pastoral purposes for the convenience of these farmers the proposal to expend a large amount of money to provide improved road access was not contemplated. It was considered that the road would be utilised for stock-driving purposes and' therefore no expenditure would be required. No provision had been made to provide formed road access. Cr. Stewart said the settlers at the other end of the road were in a similar position and there would probably be a petition from them at the next council meeting. The engineer was instructed to furnish the department with an estimate of the minimum expenditure that would be required to give access for stock.

General. The Main Highways Board drew attention to the necessity for maintenance of main highways carrying heavy holiday traffic during the Christmas .period. It was suggested that surfacemen and graders be kept at work. In fact, in some cases, to keep the roads satisfactorily maintained, extra labour and graders would no doubt be required and should be utilised.

Particulars of the model set of bylaws which it proposed to publish were forwarded by the executive committee of the New Zealand Counties’ Association. It was considered that adoption of these by-laws, making them universal, would reduce ambiguity and assure easy understanding to all ratepayers and the public generally. The Chairman : That is just what we want.

Cr. Stark was appointed classifier of the Norfolk Downs drainage district.