COUNTY COUNCIL

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 400, 8 December 1932, Page 6

COUNTY COUNCIL

Our Own Correspondent.)

BAD CONDITION OF TE TEKO-ROTORUA ROAD DRAINAGE TROUBLE .

(From

Referenee was made at the Whakatane County meeting on Tuesday to the bad state of the Te Teko-Roto-rua main highway. The engineer expressed the opinion that the pot itoles . had f ormed as a result of the drain- j age of the -Onepu lands fronting the road, assisted by the continued dry | weather. The original fascines were showing through in places and these rendered grading impossible. The only course open was to place maintenance gravel where required and thus obviate the collapse of the surface. This, was being done.

Mr. Walter Reid, chairman, presided over the following: — Councillors A. Peebles, J. G. Cliff-McCullough C. Smith, J. L. Burnett, R. Fleming, F. Burt, W. McCracken and G. Murray. Apologies were received from Crs. J. Grant and L. W. Luxton. Galatea Estate Correspondence dealt with included a letter from the Hon. Minister of Lands declining to open for immediate selection portion of the Galatea estate. The Minister expressed tbe opinion that the exploratory and development work at present being carried out would enable him to determine, at an early date, as to the final subdivision and settlement of* the estate; and as to whether the whole area should be offered for settlement or whether the area should be offered piecemeal.

Advice was also received from the Acting Minister of Public Worlcs (Ilon. C. E. Macmillan) to the effect that it is not proposed to confme the metalling of the Te Teko-Waiohau-Galatea Road to one eontin- , uou's slretch, but that a camp was being established near tbe Waihua Stream, to enable a commencement with the metalling of the stretch of the long liill extending from the Rangitaiki Valley. Higbways Maintenance An interesting comparison of the expenditure by way of maintenance on the main higbways of the whole Bay of Plenty was furnished in a letter from the distriet engineer in reply to a request from the county for further assistance. The letter set forth that the Opotiki County, excluding the hilly Waioeka and Motu roads, has 6-9.20 miles of main highway for the maintenance of which the department provides £2656 or £38.35 per mile. With tho County Council's share the expenditure is £51.13 per mile. The Whakatane County has 98.70 miles. The department provides £3499 or £35.30 per mile. With the county's share the total expenditure is £47.06 per mile. If the- further £600 applied for by the distriet engineer for expenditure on the Whakatane County main highways is granted the total will be £55.16 per m'le. The Rotorua and Taupo Counties have 297.20 miles of main highways m-actically all of which are maintained by the Public Works Depaitment. fhe total alloeation — department's and counties' — is £16,819 or £56.57 per mile. It is pointed out that these u*e all pumice roads and the wastage on them very great. Further the- distriet engineer points out that the Ro-toiua-Cambridge Road carried con•liderably more traftic than any other road in the distriet, and that the Ito-toiua-Taupo Road carries very heavy dmber and post traffic. The royalcies received for this are included in ii c above expenditure. The Tauranga County has 125.40 miles of main highways on which the department's expenditure is £3046 or £24.27 per mile. With the county's share added the expenditure is £32.36 per mile. In eoncluding his letter the distriet engineer points out that in the four years ended March 31, 1932, the county was aliocated £18,363 and only spcnt £15,239. To this failure Lo avail thcnisclves of the money v:hen it was offered, he attributed the council's present trouble in keeping the highways up to a reasonable staniard, Ile a'so points out that a comarison of the figures clearly shows hat the Whakatane County has been vTell treatcul as regards subsidies. Noxioius Weeds The noxious weeds inspector reported that he had instituted proceedings against ten property owners for oot tah'ng stcps to eradicate ragwort. In four of these convictions, but no fines, were recorded. One man was iined 10s, four charges were dismissed and tbe other was v/ithdrav/n by the inspector. In his report the inspector complains of the great difficulty experienced in securing convictions on account of the niultiplicity of ov/ners in native blocks. Even in cases where individuals "on their own admission, were utilising blocks, the magistrate refused to convict and the inspector could not proye individual ownership.. Again the magistrate stated that although the notice by publication in a local paper was quite legal, he was not prepared to penalise natives unless they had been served with personal notice. Dsstrict Roads The county engineer reported that owing to tho dry weather it had been found neccssary to apply maintenance metal on the following roads: — Whakatane-Matata main highway, 1500 cubic yards; Te Teko-Rotoma as may be required; Omeheu Road, 300 yards to date and recommended that further supply be made available; Taneatua-Opouriao Road, 450 cubic yards ; Whakatane- Awakeri main highway, 100 cubic yards; Awa-keri-Edgecumbe main highway, 1000 cubic yards. The report states that the Rewatu Road construction at the Pelcatahi end has been completed and excellent access provided. The plans and estimates for the road through the native settlement block and leading on to the Ohope beach road have been completed and that the Native Department will shortly call tenders for the construction of this road. It was also reported that the timber has been ordered for the Omeheu adjunet bridge and that the Main Highways Board had authorised

a subsidy for the Wainui Stream bridge. The construction of this bridge has been long delayed on account of the board previously refusing a subsidy on the grounds of lack of money.