MAIN HIGHWAYS.

Shannon News, 14 May 1929, Page 4

MAIN HIGHWAYS.

COUNTY’S ESTIMATES TO BE CONSIDERED THIS MONTH.

VARIOUS QUESTIONS AT ISSUE,

, Several communications having reference to Main Highways were received by the Horowhenua County Council at its meeting on Saturday. The district Engineer (Mr. R. 11. P. Rouagnc) wrote in regard to road estimates; stating that applications for grants in. connection with road works would close on June Bth. Forms of application were not so far available, but he suggested that the Council proceed to prepare the applications, which should be set out in order of urgency, indicated by the numbers I, 2 and 3. All balances of authorities in the Council’s hands at March 31st would require to be re-voted, if those balances were required. Th'e chairman (Mr. G. A. Monk) moved that the letter be referred to the County Engineer, who would bring down a return of the grants applied for and not spent and the grants which the Council should' apply for this year. This would be considered at the Council’s .annual meeting, to be held on May ’22nd.

The motion was carried. Claim for Overseer’s Manual Work. A letter was received from Mr. A. R. Aeheson, assistant engineer Public Works Department, with regard to claims on account of Main Highways work, staling that he noticed that the Council had been including the Overseer’s time in claims for subsidy. It was definitely laid down by the Board that, where a County employed a general overseer, his wages .were not sub-

sidised. The writer also stated that in construction camps where a regular cook was employed, the men were expected to pay the cook’s wages, particularly where they were being paid the standard rate of wages. An item for tents had been cut out of the JanuaryFcbruary claims. It had now been decided to subsidise these tents in the usual way. . Other more permanent types of camp buildings were not to be charged' direct to any job. He would discuss this matter with the Council’s representatives later. The chairman stated that the charge made for the Overseer’s time was for actual manual labour done on a job of highway work; otherwise the Council would not be asking for a subsidy on it. The Council had made the charge, and the Board had refused to pay it. With regard to the cook’s wages, the Council had been quite open and aboveboard. They had paid their men Is 9d an hour, and had paid the cook’s wages where there had been a central camp. The Council could .have overcome the difficulty by giving the men Is a day more, to pay the cook; but the Council had not done that. He dk. not know why the Board should object because ,the charges jhad been made direct. Never once had the Council’s officers tried to cover anything up so that it would not be quite plain to the Department and everyone else.

Cr. Giniblett: Did they stipulate what rate we were to pay the men? The chairman: No. They pay 14s 8d a day, and we pay Is 9d an hour, which is 14s a day. , In answer , to a question by Cr. Kilsby, the chairman said that the Board had stated that if the Council employed a whole-time overseer for highways work, they would pay half his wages. The Board made the objection that Mr. Goldsmith was a general overseer and not a highways overseer. The time charged for, however, was for manual work, and not for his services as overseer.

The County engineer reported that ho had explained the matter fully to Mr. Aeheson, who would see what he could do about it.-

’ Insurance Chargeable to Highway Costs. Advice was received from the Board that it had been decided that in future any payments made by local authorities as premiums on account of insurance policies, covering workmen and other risks in connection with any work on Main Highways, would be regarded as part of the cost of the .work and .would be subsidised by the Board on the basis ruling for each work. In cases where local authorities elected to take their own risks and did not insure, the Board would not accept any liability and would not recognise any claims for subsidies on any' compensation paid by or damages awarded against any such local authorities. Local authorities not effecting insurances would bo presumed to be carrying their own risks entirely. The Board's subsidy would not ,be payable on premiums or policies covering staff whose salaries were not in the usual course subsidised by the Board; nor would it be payable on any premiums or policies covering items not usually regarded by the (Board as incidental to the work. This would be retrospective to April 16th, 1928, and the local authorities who had incurred expense of workmen's insurance might forward claims —if not already done — giving particulars of amounts paid and the rates and the proportion claimed from April 10th to the end of the period of the last claims paid.

The chairman said he did not know why this particular letter had been

sent out. A similar letter was forwarded last year, in which it was stated that the claims would be retrospective to April Ist, 1928. He did not know why the term had bden altered. He moved that the letter be received. The motion was carried. Percolation near Manakau.

The District Engineer wrote stating it had bedn noticed on several occasions that water w T as percolating through the bitumen work on the hilly portion of road just south of the Mauakau overbridge and between telephone poles 663 and 690. This was a matter which required immediate attention; otherwise there would be a failure in the paving. The remedy was to deepen the water-tables on each side and .place stone drains at jlqast ;evqry |hlalli|-cjhain between the pavement and. the wator-tables and diagonally to the pavement. Another very important matter which required immediate attention was the gradingoff of the grass and weeds 'that had grown on the 3ft shoulders each side of the pavement. At present the -water could not properly drain off the pavement, and if it were allowed to remain on the pavement for any length of time failures were bound to occur. The chairman stated that the first matter had been dealt with. In regard to the second, the grader was on the road and would deal with the trouble in the coming week. Or. Catlcy: Is it not rather a remarkable thing, that water coming up? The chairman: Ires, but it has been there all the time, apparently. We shall, probably have to do quite a lot of that. Otaki Deviation. Replying to a question ,by Or. Cat ley, the chairman stated that it -was not the present intention ..to go on with the deviation ,at Otaki. Early in the ensuing year the Board would carry out penetration to join up with the Council’s work. There were one or tiro small deviations on that road, but the Board was not now going on with the major deviation. Waikawa Bridge. *Cr. Catlcy asked what was the . position in regard to the Waikawa Bridge. The engineer stated that the plan for the new bridge w;as returned by the Department for amendment, was amended, ancl it -would probably be received again in the County office, with the Board’s approval, some time in the coming week. A 3 soon as he .<■ the authority of the plan, he would call tenders for the work. BOARD’S MONTHLY REPORT.

The following are the more important works carried out in the southern half of the North Island as detailed in the Main Highways Board’s monthly report: — Akataraiwa Junction-Summit, Rimutaka: The Maungaroa stream bridge has been completed, with the exception of the bituminous deck surface, 'this work is in hand, and the b'A. .a-, and approach road will be open for traffic shortly. Several chains of the Mungaroa Hill have been widened to 24 feet, widening operations are in hand on the Rimutaka Hill at the . worst bends. .

i Upper Hiitt-Waikanae.—Hutt County: From the summit to 3m/five small corners have .been taken back. Six chains of. narrow straights are being widened. A bad corner 60 chains from foot of the hill is being removed. The whole of this road has been considerably improved. Wellington-Auckland, via Tai'anaki (No. 9 Highway District).—Johnsonville Town Board: Preparation work for sealing is in progress on the southern approach to overhead bridge. Tawu Flat-Porirua: 68 chains of bituminous concrete has been laid. ParemataHorokiwi Valley: 42 chains of preparation work has been completed and 54 chains sealed. Pahautanui deviation: Metal is being spread on this section and rolled in. Horokiwi ValleyPaekakariki: Widening is in progress at several points.

! PaekakarikiiWaJikanae:} (7/0 .chairs has been prepared and 4S chains has been sealed. Waikanae-Manakau: A start has been made with Otaki bridge overflow culvert, the floor and side walls bein,g completed for half the length..

Manakau-Levin: The formation at D'Ath'sand Bcvan’s deviations has been completed, and the foundation metal spread. Fox’ton 'Borough /Boundary,-Bangith kei River Bridge, via Sanson. —The reconstruction of the Foxton-Himitangi length is progressing. 100 chains of formation and 120 chains of foundation metal being completed, making a total of 270 chains of formation and 260 chains of foundation metalling to date.

Levin-Palmerston North,' via Shannon. —Progress has been made with the penetration macadam .work on the Tokomaru section, 130 chains being completed. Levin-Palmerston North, via Shannon. —County Boundary, TokomaruPalmerston North Borough: The construction of Lynch's bridge is practically complete. The formation of the approaches has been started.