TARANAKI COUNTY AFFAIRS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 233, 6 November 1909, Page 6

TARANAKI COUNTY AFFAIRS

CHAIRMAN'S ANNUAL REVIEW.

At yesterday's meeting of the County Council the following report was presented by the chairman, -Mr.,). Brown: As this is the last meeting of the Council previous to the election of the diainnau on the 24th instant, 1 take iliio opportunity of laying before you a synopsis of the transactions uf the Council for the vast year.

I have gone'through tile whole of tiie J v'dings during the year, and the roads are in splendid order. We have had a lot of wet. weather which, ha> entailed considerable expenditure by the Council and attention by the foremen. Then* hay been actually deposited on the roads during the year 9220 yards of metal, compared with 12,132 yards for the -proceding year. This amount was distributed over various ridings a* follows: Moa Billing, 11)40 yards, compared with ill) 4 yards in 11)08.

Waitara Riding, 1443 yard?, compared v.'it-h 32<>2 yards. Omuta Riding. 58411 vard>, compared with 4731> yards. (Xote.~lncluded in .the Omata Riding U an amount of 1884 yard* used in metalling the Oakura deviation.)

The average costs were—Moa Riding, tfs per yard, compared with 7s Id iu itlOS; Waitara Riding, -is 2d per yard, compared with 4s 8d; Omata Riding, 'is Sd per yard, compared with ds 2d. No were delivered from Omnia <.Upot, which was let at 8s per yard.

The maximum and' minimum prices paid were—Moa Riding, maximum 10s per yard, minimum 5s per yard; Waitara Riding, maximum us per yard, minimum 3s lOd per yard; Omata Riding, maximum 7s (id per yard, minimum 3s Cd per

;.«rd. Thus the maximum price wan paid iu the Moa Riding and the minimum price in the Omata Riding. The average cost over the whole of the county was 4s lid, as against fis Id last year. There was expended on roads for the vear. £5207 8s Od.

It will be noticed tlwt I have not included the Hurworth Riding in the foregoing. As the riding was only constituted On the Ist April. 190!), I deemed it inadvisable to include it; however, there have been 780 yards of metal put on the roads in this riding, irrespective of Henrickeon's and Kyngdon's contracts, at an average price of 7s 3d per yard. The maximum price was for metal on the Elliot road at 8s per yard, and the minimum fis !)d on the Carriugton road.

BRIDGES.

We have been unable lo proceed with further reconstructions (hiring tile year, i there being no funds available for the I purpose. There are several bridges demanding immediate nltention, particularly oil the Junction road between New and Inglewood, and as our bridge loan is exhausted it is difficult tc devise ail equitable scheme to create a 'bridge building fund. I have considered the matter carefully, and it seems lome that it is practically impossible to construct the bridges that are immediately required out of ordinary revenue, and the only other mentis l. ,f t to the Council are—(l) raise a further bridge loan; (2) levy a separate rate fo r bridge construction fund: (3) erection of i tollgate in the area specially benefited !by the construction of the bridges, and i tl.e revenue to be used exclusively for I that purpose. I The corrosion of the steel bridges reI eently erected by the Council is going io prove rather a serious item to cot.tend with. The corrosion of the Waipuku boundary steel bridge has been referred for it joint report from the Stratford county engineer and Mr. Orbell, but the Waiongona bridge near the Hour-mill at, Sentry Hill T have authorised to W painted with "Arco elastic carbon paint." This £aint was brought under my notice a? specially suited for thU clans of work, mid as it is being used by the leading linns throughout the Dominion. 1 deemed it advisable to give it a trial, seeing tint oxides have proved an ntlor failure as regards preventing corrosion. FOREMEN'S CASUAL LAIiOR.

The casual labor employed by each foreman on the various lengths is as follows:

Moa Riding.—Foreman -Jones—Lunula of road under buperviniou, about 13 miles; total cost of labor employed, Ji27 10s; average cost, of extra labor per month, £2 3s lOd. Foreman DennettLength of road under supervision, about 1." miles; total cost of cahiial labor employed, JJ3I 0s *>d: average cost of extra nabor per month, JC-t 3s lUd, Foreman 'Talker —Length of road under supervision. about 1-1 miles; total eo»l, of casual labor employed. Cll 126 (id; average u>st of extra labor per month, 4" 10 8s Id. (Foreman Wnlker was only four .mouths on the road, and the whole of the metal was spread on the road during that period.) Foreman JJuffings—'Total cost of casual labor employed, i' 32 Its fid; average cost of ex-:r.i labor per month. 11l 0s 7d. (Only in charge eight month*; all metal spreul with the exception of 30 yards by ).rev'ous foreman.) Waitara Riding,—Foreman Holmes— L-iigth of road under supervision, about K* miles; total cost of casual labor employed, .C2l 13s 3d; average cost of r*tV;i labor per month, £1 10s Id. (This length is scarcely a fair comparison with ft'c others. a« there is, in addition u> the foreman, a permanent hand on the road a l the year round.) Omata Riding. Foreman Iluse Length of road under supervision, aooitt 12 mile?: total cost of casual labor vnii»N»yed, XIBB .'ls 3d; average cost of extra Filor per month, Xl 5 13s 7d. (Included ia I hit? is extraordinary expenditure in 'netalling and formation at Oakura deviation.) Foreman Krosnan - -Length of road under supervision, about 13 mile*; t"tal cost of casual labor employed, AM 10 lis lid; average cost of casuaMabo" per month, X 0 4s (Id. Oil a mileage tlii-s work> out its follows:—Foreman Jones' length, X2 *~s 3d per mile; Foreman Dennett's, X.> «Ss "d; Foreman Chellings', C 3 3s fid; For-?-Man Holmes', X2 8s 2d; Foreman Hume's, <M3 13s 7d; Foreman Drosnan's, £a 2s Bd. Foreman Jones and Foreman Holmes are to lie congratulated on the manner in which they have kept the casual labor df-wn during (ho year. 'Perfionallv, I I ''ink the casual labor is far 100 high in Foreman Chellings' length, and particularly Tn thethnata Killing, Jn Foreman I]fuse's; length there was something like t CIO!) I.k extraordinary expenditure ir.- ! ; cured in formation and metalling at the i Oakura deviation. If we deduct llrs from the amount of his carnal labor it v'!) Him cos( approximately CO 10s 8d I'" 1 mile. Foreman Drosnan's easnil ial.or at CM 2s Sd per mile i«-. n< T said ''l'forc. i:\r too high. Foreman Chellings was not in charge of his lenglh tho whole ef the year, but T might be permitted l<> remark that this length formerly was iirder control of Foreman Walker'for a number of years, and wa< always first a- r : ; ar-!> the employment of the least omoiinl of casual labor.

The average cost of casual labor per month his been C.I!) t\<-. the avera"C cost of en-ii:il labor per mile of road has been C-1 lis -I.!. COST OF CRrSIIINTi.

During the year there wa- crushed MSSyarN for ihe Council. ami 4M yard* foi other local bodies. The various items of ('NjH'iiditure in connection thereMitll are :u follows:—Wages, C2SI Us; coal, C«SI 12i*: Mindry. carting. wool, plank*. etc.. CM S* 7d : oil for online, CK lis tid: rent, of crusher sites, I'M: boihr certificate. CI: engine snpJiiit*. C 7 IU lid: renewal* of plant (concave*. , te.), t!2O Os ;{il: depreciation of plant. ton .h Id: niw-ellaneou-. CI2 2s Ivi; hardwood crusher frame ami plal. jform, O) H* - total. C.">4ti IU '2d. Froui | t nis >uni we may deduct recoveries: l Crusliins* -130 yards at is. C2I 10s; work •m roads and bridges. Cl 7 2s—a total j of £3B IS*-making the espi'iiditnvc , ■CSO7 lfi« 2d: S-I.IS yard* crn-Oied at a j eost 0 f e.107 His 2.1 ei|iiaK U 2.1 hi per cnbir yard. Tu the year under review we have charged up renewal- of planl, j C2fi fls fid. some of wllich will not, r' » oulre renewing for several years. The] whoV of tlio hardwood purchased "or was charged against this rear; tlii- will not he an annually recurring j

| fn the discussion -which followed I fje>entalion of the report, the cmirnnn i«reed with Or. Hopson's protest 'hat Foreman Bennett was entitled lo groat credit, seeing that on his road t here w>.s the Zig-Xag. where landslips frequently occurred, necessitating the einp'ovinent of t a-siini Inlior to reopen the road.