COUNTY WORK.

Shannon News, 20 November 1925, Page 3

COUNTY WORK.

ENGINEER'S REPORT ON MONTH. At Saturday's meeting of the Horowlienua County-Council, the Engineer reported as follows; / "During the period just ended work throughout the County has been carried out in a satisfactory manner. Tokomaru Riding.—The Main Koad metalling contract in the northern end of this Riding has been completed and the contract in the southern end is nearing completion. Although both these sections are much improved, further metal will be required to put them in good order. A quantity of metal was also put out on the Shannon-Foxton Road. Attention will now be given to the district roads. The Fordson tractor with number two grader is at present working in this Riding. Good progress is being made with, the AsiileaTemukanui*Koad construction work. Wirokino Riding.—The roads'm this Riding arc all in fair order. 400 cubic yards of crushed "metal has been put out on the district roads in the southern end. The Koputaroa-Foxton Road, in the vicinity, of the flax loading bank, has-been badly knocked about by the heavy flax carting. The holes and nils made by these lorries have been filled with bundles of flax thus causing a danger to traffic": Steps will have to be takerf to have this practice stopped. Otaki Riding.—The roads in, this Riding are in fair order and there is.nothing of importance to report on. Te'Horo Riding.—Number one crushing plant has been at work in this Riding during the period and has crushed 1100 cubic yards of metal most of which has been put out on the mam road. The Otaki Gorge Road has also been'maintained. The extension of Te Waka Road to Mr. Lethbridge's property has been ploughed in readiness for grading. I will endeavour to send a grader to do this work sometime next week. One of the small graders is at present working on the main roads. The big ditch on the main, road from Eraser's Road northwards has been cleaned out in a very satisfactory manner. "

1 Tokomaru Riding, Cr. Barber asked if anything would be clone to Pretoria Road this season. • The engineer said ho was up there on Wednesday and the road was not fit to work on yet. . Cr. Whyte said there were complaints of the" fence being down on the Toko* niaru Bridge allowing stock to go down to the river bed. ■The engineer undertook to.have this attended to. - Cr. Barber asked if the engineer was satisfied thai the bridge at Spiers' null was safe. Heavy loads of cement were being taken over it. The erigineer said he had inspected the bridge and wondered why the heavy loads were taken that way. Cr. Barber said that was because-of other roads being in bad order. ■ The engineer said he would liot say that the bridge was safe for heavy loads and they would have to close the bridge. . ' ' . . " ,' Cr. Barber agreed that this should bo done if necessary as the Council was responsible for accidents if it allowed the heavy loads to cross. Wirokino Riding. Cr. Broadbelt said the sub-committee had found that the condition of Potts' Road was not satisfactory ' and they would have to take action—what they had not decided at present. Cr. Broadbelt drew attention. to the fences on some of the cuttings in the Wirokino Riding, which were m bad repair. In some cases settlers had been given the right to use the land and lie thought perhaps they might be expected to assist with the maintenance. The engineer said he thought this was a matter that the Highways Board . would, take up. Cr. Broadbelt said fences were neec : ed on a cutting in the Paiaka Road, where die cattle had made a track and four beasts had fallen over the bank and been killed. ,-,- Cr. Catley asked whether anything had been donejn regard to Mr. Law's • request, about the Heights Road. The engineer said there was a clillic'ulty in getting men to go up there and he wanted the Council to say whether it wouTd pay the wages demanded. Cl Bryant said he was asked by the Manakau school committee to have notices erected on the road because or the danger to school children from speeding motorists. - Cr Harkness said there had been a lot of trouble with the heavy flax work on the Foxton-Koputaroa Road. ■ A new surface the Council had put on the beach road was crushed through by five-ton lorries. It was unfortunate 'that this particular firm had treated the County Council in this way. bteps ■should certainly be taken to remedy this, and ask the firm to fulfil their obligations. Otaki Riding. Cr. Bryant said one or two more lights were also required in Manakau township. The chairman said these could be pur in before the winter. Cr Bryant asked whether, where the main* road ran through townships such us Manakau, the bitumen would be widened out more than IS teet to "cover the whole street. The engineer said .it was proposed to widen out the formation in ttie towns to make a better job. Cr Ryder asked whether tto Waitohu Bridge could not be repaired. It had evidently been broken by another m said it was continually being broken by motorists. Southern Requirement. Cr. Jensen's Enquiries. • Cr. Ryder asked whether anything had been done in regard to the wjuhoanga Bridge. * ««„;« The chairman said plans and s P e £ lJl " cations for alternative had been forwarded to the Public works Department and during the month W had written again for a reply but fi.au not received one. ** Cr Ryder said the matter had gonw o,n long -enough and they should write ag Cr n ' Jensen asked that when the grader wa» in Te Horo, some a tte^ n|

be paid to the Te Horo Soldiers' Road. The engineer • said the grader was only intended to be there a day or two. Cr. Jensen said the matter was discussed and it was agreed that the grader should be used there. The road was in a disgraceful state and.it had very little done on it for years. _ The engineer and the chairman said that was not so. Cr. Jensen: Well, any work done hasn't been of the slightest benefit. The engineer: I don't think the o-rader would be very much good now —it would have to be ploughed. The last time I was dofrn there the road wasn't in a very bad state, except in a few places. You will never get that road properly solid because it is a beach road. ,When the main road is finished the metal will be placed on the other roads. ~ Cr. Jensen said promises had been made that this work would be done and he had also made promises to ihe settlers but it seeme,d as if they were no good and would be broken. Cr. Jensen then referred to other matters in the Te Horo Riding. He asked what was the position in rcga/d to the Waihoanga Bridge. "Are we foing to keep on waiting and waiting? We approached the Public Works Department severn 1 years ago," he said. Cr. Ryder had mentioned this matter so that it seemed as if some, of the settler-* mu3t have been to him to n:jt I more pressure on the Council in order to get things done. The reason he was bringing these matters up was to show the ratepayers that they'were doing all ■in their power to have the matters attended to and that the Council was not in any way to blame for the delay. Cr. Jensen also asked when something would bo done by the Railway Department in regard to the drainage at Te Horo. He suggested that letters bewrittcn to the Railway Department and the Public Works Department asking when something would be done. The chairman said the engineer had written the Public Works Department, asking them what they were going to about the bridge and they must 'give them a reasonable time in which to report. This was not the matter the Department had to deal with, and it must take its turn. "We can't expect them to drop everything they have in hand, and take up our little troubles. The Department has acted in a very fair manner towards us and in thendefence I would like to 'say so,'' added the chairman. The chairman, in further reply to Cr. Jensen, said the Soldiers' Road perhaps was not in very good order but it was not. as bad as he made out. If it was, it was very much worse than when he saw it recently. The..arrange' ment made was that the crown should be ploughed off and metal put on to fill up the ruts. That would be done as soon as the plant was available. As regards the-drainage at Te Horo, said the chairman, they had decided that they must have an inspection by the Railway engineer and as soon as he could do that, progress would be possible. The engineer was a new man, but. he had promised to make an inspection. It was agreed to again get into communication" with . the Departments over the bridge and drainage. Works' Committee's Report. The recently appointed Works' Committee reported as follows: — " "Your committee have to report that at their first meeting Councillor F. J. Ryder was elected chairman. "After consideration of various matters concerning public works within the County an inspection of the new depot and crushing plant was made and it was found that satisfactory progress was being made. ."In regard to the. request of Mr. Nicholas, of Ohau,to cut a drain alongside the fence, Councillor Catley has viewed the position and permission has been given for the work to be undertaken by Mr. Nicholas. "With reference to Mr. A. McLeavey's complaint regarding waterrace trouble your committee have to report that they arc investigating the position and a' further report will be made on the matter.

"After due consideration your committee recommend that the concrete pipe culvert on the main road near the Te Horo factory be removed. "Where settlers desire to place boulders on the roadside your committee recommend that permission be first obtained from the County engineer and the same be placed where, directed. "Your committee haveing ; been informed that whey is being tipped on the main and district roads within the County steps are being taken to abate the nuisance." Cr. Harkness congratulated the com mittec on having started operations. He was pleased to see the Works Committee was taking up questions very relevant to its work, but almost everybody was disappointed in the crushing plant, being so long before it was installed, though he realised that it was through no fault of the Council or its officers. The report was adopted.