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THE COUNTY'S REQUESTS.

TWC UNFINISHED SECTIONS; ADVANCE PAYMENTS; BURDEN OF ADMIN STRATI VE COSTS. POINTS TO BE CONSIDERED BY BOARD. The County Chairman (All- G. A. Monk) said he would like to add to the welcome given by the Mayor. It would be l-Bmembcred by members of ■the Board that, during reec-nt negotiations between ' the Council and the Board, there were two small sections of highways left for which no provision had been made. One was from the Waoku Stream to the north boundary of the Wirokino riding, and the other from the Mukerua railway station to the Tokomaru River. In a letter from the Board in reply to the Council’s request that i’ should have a free grant, it-was suggested that the matter be raised at a later date. The opportunity had now arisen. It was generally recognised that the No 1 Highway (via Foxton) was really tlu* Alain Highway through the Island, but die Conn cil* would like to draw attention to the fact that there were periods when a portion of that road could not be negotiated owing to floods, which might block it for a fortnight or-three weeks. Even supposing that No. 1 route was complete, when such happenings occurred •it was necessary te use the other road (No. 60, via Shannon). Alost people at present travelling from -Welling!on to Palmerston or Napier preferred to take the latter, the hill road. He did not -think that any part, of the roads in the whole county had more dangerous places on them than the two sections lie had mentioned; and the Council desired to draw the Board’s atention to.that fact. Although no traffic tallies had been taken, councillors know that ilia traffic on the Shannon route was increasing daily. They felt that those links would in the near future have to be cohmeqted, an;d they suggested that the Board should this year make a sum available, to be- spent by the Council or the Board, to ensure that those two lengths should at least be gone on with. It might be said that fatal accidents would happen anywhere, but since the Council had adopted the agreement with the Board. There had been, one fatal accident and a good many other mishaps on that road. One particularly bad'portion was the Ihakara Ilill. The Council proposed immediate]}' to go on with the section from the Wirokino North boundary to Shannon, but that did not include the whole length of the Ihakara Hill, and the Cot licit suggested that sufficient money be made available to continue that road to the top of the hill. ' n h.it was essential.

INTEREST PAYMENTS A HANDICAP. The next subject presented by the County chaiiman was a question ol administrative finance in highway construction. He stated that the Council found that, now that it was getting towards the end of its loan money, it was having greater difficulty to finance payments for the work that had been done before receiving payment from the Board. Particularly did this apply in the early portion or the financial year. If the matter had to come on to the County Fund account cr the Council’s overdraft, the Council would not be able to finance it, because it would iiot be able to get. sufficient money from the bank to do it. Ihe Council could not borrow £20,000 and work on it as it. had done in the past, and lie suggested that the Board take into consideration the making of advance payments on works already commenced. This did not mean .progress payments; these had been offered before, .representing 75 per cent, cn the works completed. flic Council suggested that it was a reliable enough local authority; and that it could'carry on work "sufficiently well to ensure that the money would be spent. The matter was a very serious one to a locgl body that had committed the ratepayers to a £IOO,OOO loan and now found itself practically at the end ob tlia: loan. The question was of vital interest to other local bociies as well, but particularly- to this Council. Some time ago the Council had had to cany £ll,ooo° for thro months, which it. had been able.to do out of'loan; but if it had not the loan money fo carry on with, then the work had to be done out of overdraft, and the bank would not give the Council £II,OOO. There was the general administration of the county to be considered, which called for some of the overdraft.

RESPONSIBILITY' FOR SURVEY'S. Mr Monk also brought forward the question of a refund of administrative cost on the Highways scheme. He stated that the amount involved was £659 7s IHI, less £9 18s Bd. which had ,bec-n refunded. This was chiefly for survey data and plans. The matter ■was brought befoie the Board two or three years ago by a resolution passed by the District Council suggesting that the Board should subsidise that work after charging part to the Highways scheme. The administration ot this scheme had cost the Council, on a conservative basis, £4802. During the interval between the departure of the late County Engineer and the appointment of his successor, an outside surveyor had to be engaged for, certain work on the sclioml, and the Board subsidised the Council by £1 for £1 on

the scale charge of the surveyor. However, when the work was done by the .Council’s own officer, the only, charge was his salary, and the proportion of administrative costs to cover that had been less than i per cent., yet the Board refused to pay that. .Whether there was anything in the Act to prevent such payment lie did not know. COST OB SUPERVISION.

Further particulars of the fiancial side of the Council’s operations were supplied by the County Clerk (Mr F. 11. Hudson). In the course of his statement ho explained that the sum of £659 7s lid claimed by the Department practically covered all survey work, which was thought to be part of the cost of the undertaking. In addition there were the salaries of the administrative .staff and the various costs of administering the scheme, and these in all amounted to £4802 up to March 31st, 1928, on £110,911, or 4.3 per cent, of the expenditure. If the Council carried on with the scheme, these costs would reach £IO,OOO, and that amount would not be subject to subsidy. The whole of the work had to be supervised by the County. A claim for a contribution had been submitted to the Board, but it had not made a decision. In 1927 the Board suHised the Council that the , matter had been referred to a committee.

C.T. Ryder, on being invited by the County chairman to spealc, said it was not necessary for him to say anything, because the Council had such good advocates ir. the chairman and the clerk; but lie would like to remind the Board of the Scriptural adage, “The Lord helps those who help themselves.’ ’ He did not think that any county in New Zealand had set the example that Horowhonua had. If 1 his Council had gone slow, it \yould have received a much different subsidy.

COLLABORATION OF ENGINEERS Cr. Catlcy said there were several small bridges south of Levin to be rebuilt, and lie would like to see some collaboration between the Board’s engineers and the County Engineer as to the class of bridges that were wanted. Collaboration should also apply in regard to deviations on the Highways. In the case of the Foxton route, the Board’s engineers and the County Engineer did go over the road. Whether they had come to any unanimity as to the deviations he did not know; they were only minor deviations. It was proposed by the Council to start work on the Foxton Road directly; he believed that the Board had approved three .miles. It was recessary that the Council should get on with this work as soon as possible, so as to have a full year’s sealing operations next year., Cr. Gimblett suggested that the County Engineer accompany the Board over Die Shannon Road to point out the dangerous corners that should be widened.

DEVIATION ESTIMATES REQUIRED

Mr McKenzie, in replying, expressed his thanks for the welcome accorded the Board. With regard to the first •subject raised by the chairman, the Board would like to see an estimati of the cost of the deviations. The Board was out tc- assist in all these •matters. This County was deserving of all credit for what it had done in the paving of the Main Highway, and it would find the Board Avilling to take the attitude suggested by Cr. Ryder. When it received the estimates asked for, it would consider what it could do.

ADVANCE PAYMENTS TO BE DIS

CUSSED

With regard to finance, said Mr McKenzie, the Council had put up a proposition with which, under the present circumstances, he could not do anything; but it would be discussed in full Board. It meant advancing money before work was started, which war against the law as it at present stood. However, the Board would discuss th.‘ whole matter.

The Chairman: Perhaps you can find some other way. Mr McKenzie: There may be some other methods. I can your difficulty. ■

‘ ‘PARTNERS IN "ROAD-MAKING. ’ ’ As to the engineers collaborating with reference to bridges and deviations, said Mr McKenzie, the Board hoped that they would always do so. There might be times when plans had to be sent back for details; but the"' Board thought that its engineers and county engineers should collaborate, so that there 'would be no scrapping of plans and ' so on. They were partners in road-making, and should work together. DELIBERATION ON ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS. Concerning the question of a '•efiind of administration costs, Air McKenzie said he was not quite au fait with llio £659, but the Board would consider if on the trip. The whole question of administration costs had to be raised, and the Board was going into that. 'this concluding tins business, tin County Cha.iiman moved a very hearty vo.te of thanks to the Board for having met the Council. He trusted that the members of the Board would go away cognizant of some of the County’s little difficulties; and if these could bo removed he thought that the geed relations that had existed Tn the past between the two bodies in regard to administration would continue. The motion was carried by acclamation and the conference dispersed, the Board proceeding to Shannon en route to Palmerston North—the first day’s stage -of its tour.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/SNEWS19290416.2.17.2

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Shannon News, 16 April 1929, Page 3

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,767

THE COUNTY'S REQUESTS. Shannon News, 16 April 1929, Page 3

THE COUNTY'S REQUESTS. Shannon News, 16 April 1929, Page 3

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