HOROWHENUA COUNTY COUNCIL.

Shannon News, 22 September 1925, Page 4

HOROWHENUA COUNTY COUNCIL.

ENGINEER’S REPORT. The engineer reported at Saturday’s meeting:— The weather during the period just ended has again been very wet and unsettled and it has been a very difficult matter to keep the roads throughout the County in proper repair. The majority of the district roads are in fair order but the main roads have suffered considerably. Tokomaru.-—Two contracts were let at a satisfactory price for the supply and delivery of maintenance metal for the main roads in the Tokomaru Riding: A Webb was the successful tenderer for the northern contract, and J. Bresnch for the southern end. Both the contracts are under way. ,In the Wirokino Riding the maintenance metalling' for the season is practically completed and all roads are in fair order. It is my intention to shift number one crushing plant, which is at present working in the Wirokino Riding, into the Te Horo Riding sometime next week. Owing to the continued wet weather it has been practically impossible to carry on with the metalling of Waitarere Road and this work will be discontinued iu the meantime or until the crusher returns from Te Horo. 75 chains of this road has been metalled, flie following roads have received metal: Kimberley Road-Waikawa bridge Levin-Wirokino bridge, Levin-Shannon, Otarua, Kawiu-Foxton, Roslyn, Hokio Beach, Mako Mako, Heatherlea-Kopu-taroa, Waitarere, Arapaepae and Muhunoa East. One of the big graders has also been at work in this riding during the period. Otaki Riding.—The roads in this Riding are all in fair order and a quantity of maintenance metal has been put out. The grader has also been at work in this Riding. During the very heavy rains several culverts on the. Waitoliu Valley Road became blocked and caused water to flow over the road. These have been attended to. A new culvert is required on the South Manakau Road and this will be attended to when pipes come to hand. Te Horo. —I have very little to report on in the Te Horo Riding. Several of the roads are in need of repair but this work will be put in hand when number one crushing plant arrives in the district. Repairs to the Roaring Meg bridge are nearing completion. This work hag been delayed owing to the wet weather. The offer of Mr. Campbell for repairs to Mangaone Road has been accepted. Cr. Barber said the metal being put on at the southern end was rather roqgh, and he asked that a roller be sent there. Some bridges on the Otauru and Kara roads also needed attention. The engineer said a roller would be sent very shortly. Cr. Whyte referred to a request made at the previous meeting to have grass removed from the road in the Tokomaru Riding. The grader would soon remove this, but when it was sent up it was only there a day. It should be there a week at least. The engineer said that if Cr. Whyte arranged for a team of horses he would send a grader up at once. Cr. Darkness mentioned a complaint he had received about water on the Waitarere Road. The grader was doing good work, but Ire considered a man with a shovel should follow it up. It was satisfactory, to see in the report that the Main Highways scheme had been started.

The engineer said there was not a great deal to complain of in regard to Waitarere Road and a shovel man was following up the grader. Cr. Broadbelt was pleas'ed to see that some work was being done in Wirokino, but it seemed a pity that when metal was put on, it could not be given a little attention in the way of rolling. Cr. Jensen expressed pleasure that the plant was to arrive in Te Horo next week and he hoped something would be done in regard to the road mentioned by Mr. Trembath. There should not be a road in the County that was no fc gone over by the grader at least once a year. The Council should provide the necessary power for £he grader.