ROAD WORKS IN FRANKLIN

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 9, Issue 511, 5 March 1920, Page 3

ROAD WORKS IN FRANKLIN

COUNTY ENGINEER'S REPORT. At Thursday's meeting of the Franklin... County Council the engineer.i Mr. .J. T. McArthur, reported as follows: Government Grants and Subsidies.— A numoer of proposals have been forwarded during the month to the Public Works Department for road construction and metalling works under £1 for £1 subsidies. The proposals submitted are as follows: Tramway Road, Puni; Bombay to Paparata, Helvetia Station Road, Patumahoe to Drury via Woodhouse Hill, Pukekohe Borough Boundary to WaiRoad via Paerata, Drury to Waiuku via Karaka, Mauku Bridge I to No. 2 School, Helvetia to Paerata, Patumahoe to Waiau, Mission Bush Road, Kahawai Road? Taurangaruru to Waipipi Main Road. Proposals for the expenditure of other grants and subsidies are being prepared and will be submitted for approval at the earliest possible date. Out of grants and subsidies appearing on the Public Works Estimates 1919-1930 your council have been offered for expenditure, £1 for El, subsidies £12,325, and free money grants £2950, making a total of £15,275. This when expended will mean a total exnenditure of £27,600. Proposals have been returned approved for forming and metalling portion of the Maioro Top Road, the estimated cost being £436. All claims for payments of works done under grants and subsidies have been sent in up to date. Before the money will be paid over to council an inspection will require to be made by an officer of the Public,' Works Department of works completed. This will necessitate several days' travelling, as the works in question are fairly well distributed over the county. Contracts Advertised. Tenders were invited for two contracts, returnable on the 21st day of February, 1920, viz: Contract No. 411: For gravelling 120 chains of the Mangatangi to Kaiaua Road. Contract No. 412: For quarrying and spawling 500 cubic yards of stone at Grimmer's Quarry", Waiuku. One tender was received for Contract No. 411, Contractor G. H. Stubbs' amount of tender« 1 £462. I would recommend that this tender be accepted. There were no tenders received for Contract No. 412. Tenders are invited, returnable up to 12 noon on Wednesday, the 10th hrtt., for the following works: Contract No. 413: For gravelling 81) chains of the Ma-ngatangi-Miranda Road. Contract No. 415: For forming. Iv chains of the Taurangaruqi to Waipipi Main Road, and supply and laying four feet diameter concrete pipe culvert (>6ft long. Contract No. 416: For forming and culverting 45% chains of the Paerata to Waiuku/Drury. Road.-Stubbs' tender accepted. Contracts Let and Previously Advertised. —Since last meeting contracts have been let for the following works: Contract No. 389: For forming and culverting two miles of i the Waiuku to Drury Road from junction with Batty's Road. Contractor, A. H. Moore; contract price, £lO7l 17s 4d. Contract No. 398: For forming and culverting Paerata to Helvetia Road and Helvetia to Pukekohe Road. Contractor, T. M-. Short; contract price, £332., Abandoned contract: A contiract for quarrying, spawling, winding and stacking 500 cubic yards of stone at the Karaka Quarry, previously let, has been abandoned by the contractors, • and is re-let to Mr. C. Olsen, the contract price being 6s per cubic yard. J| Completed Contracts Final payments appeal' in the list of amounts presented to your council for payment at to-day's meeting, viz: Contract No. 337: For the supply and delivery of 4500 cubic yards of spawls on the Patumahoe to Waiau Road. Contractors, McSheen Bros, and party. Contract No. ii-15: For forming "and culverting 0 3-4 miles of the Mangatangi-Kaiftua Road. Contractor, C. R. Stanley. Contiact No. 304: For the supply of spawls, Ramarama Road. Contractor, W. Bremner. Contract No. 373: For the supply of spawls, Appleby s Road, Drury. Contractor, J. M. Cossev. Proposed Alteration to Waiau Pa Wharf .—During the month Cr Montgomerie and myself, at the request of interested ratepayers, visited the Waiau Pa Wharf with the object of making some improvements. We would recommend that the shed be lengthened and suitable sliding doors be put at the ends to enable vehicles to back up and load at the door, also to allow vessels to unload direct into the shad. The wharf at irear of shed requires to be widen{«d to enable vehicles to back into '"the proposed new door. It is also suggested that boat steps erected in a suitable position. Proposed New Road.—At a meetin£r of Vf>ur council held on November 26," 1919, a letter was received from the secretary of the Farmers' Union Waiau Pa, asking that steps be taken to open up a new road from Clark's Road through Norman Clark's property to a deep-water landing. After inspection it was found that the road in question would be approximately one mile in length, and to acquire the necessary innd and fence the road would necessitate an expenditure of 1.560. This could only be done by a special loan A rating area has been defined, and it is found that the valuation of same is £33/100. A rate of >,d in the pound would pay interest and sinking fund on amount required to be borrowed. Unused Road, Mauku.- Mr. A. Smvth of Mauku, wrote requesting that'a'wad adjoining his property be rlMed. After inspection it was considered inadvisable to dose the road as it may at some future date be re uired. Mr. Smyth has however been •liven permission, under the usual conditions, to shift his fence sufficiently out on to road to enable the

noxious weeds to be eradicated. Pilgrim Road, Mauku.-Requests «t different times have been received hv vour council to improve the portioii Of this road between the lu lekohe-Waiuku Road and bridge over the Mauku Creek. It is now considered advisable t<> make ani engineering survev of this section of road Whichever portion is undertaken could then be formed to perronnent grades ftn<l line. The whole section could not be undertaken this season. „„ Teams Plant. I lie No. 1 count\ , plant has I.e. n .recently formLMmr the Patumahoe-VV aiau h->ad W and the Wai.<ku-I;r,.rv Road. Wo,k on the latter road had to bo abandoned temporarily, the teams hi »n.u required to assist with the carting of metal from the crusher to the Waiau Road. The teams are at pre-, sent engaged at I bi:• w<iik. rho I 2 county teams plant has / r >»»i|> «'t'<d , the re-formation ol 1 ratt s (fill deand the metalling of about of -road. The plant is now eas'ern access into the raUr Railway Station at Dairy. Other countv teams and hired teams in the different ridings hav- been engaged forming and metalling a ""crushing and Hauling Plants. The Road This work will keen the srsssM vi an stm 'msnged conveying gr«fi on to the Manjratangi, Kaiaua Miranda Roads. The wet weather lately experienced haa interfer-

Ed greatly with this class of work. The crushing plant hired for crushing at Glenbrook has now completed the work on McElwain's Road, and i.now operating on Mission Bush Rd. Plant and Machinery.'—l would respectfully ur«e upon your council the necessity of pushing on with th. proposed loan of £IB,OOO ior j>l ant and machinery, so that some of th< nn st important machinery can be pro cured in time to undertake necessary works next summer. In mv opinioiit i-i important, that an order b< o'.'ced at once fc a Hadlield crusher The under carriage, elevator, etc. could then be made in the councils own yard whilst the crushing an Jvnilintr iil'ints are idle during tlv. winter months. The Austin grader: previously ordered have now arrived, and will shortly be available for us". The council decided to push on with the machine! y loan proposal, and also to order ,i Haddlield c.'iishei tin'ht away. Engineering Surveys. During the month engineering surveys for construction works have been carried out on the following roads, viz:-P",-.ir>n of Ostrich Farm Road (Ostrich Farm Estate), portion of Hunua to Clevedon Road, portion of Moumoukai Valley Road, portion of Paerata to Waiuku-Drury Road, portion of VViri Wiri Road.' OtL'.v matters left to me for attention and report will be attended to at the earliest possible date. The report was adopted, the various recommendations being approved.