TARANAKI COUNTY ROADS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 117, 7 November 1911, Page 7

TARANAKI COUNTY ROADS.

j CIJAI UMAX'S AXWAL rkvi kw. f Councillor .1, llrown. chairman of the ' Taranaki County Couiu-il, gave his ani niial report yesterday, dealing with the i maintenance of county roads, etc.. dnr- ■ in#-the viar. The report was as follows:—■ ,J Roads.- I have travelled over the whole of the ridings throughout the | county during t.ln> year, some of them ■■many times, and. I am .pleased to say j they are in very fair order. The exceptionally fine winter doubtless helped j us considerably; in fact, it was as good as a farthing rate. I .Metal.—There was deposited on tho roads during tlx: year ' 15,32(5vd5. as against 12,053yd5. for the preceding year, and il22(iyds. for 1009. So it is quite evident on these figures that our ""-I a I requirements are increasing at the ' rate of .'iUOOyds. per annum. This metal ■ was distributed over the various ridings as follows:--Moa riding, -1204yd5.; Wai- | tarn, 5150yd5.; Omata riding. 883.vd5.; Oka to, 4287yd5.; llurworth, TfHJvds.; a total of 15,32(>y-ds. The average costs | Moa Riding, (Is 3d per v,l„ as [against (is 2d last year; Waitara'riding, 5s «'/sd, as against 4s .3d; Omata, fis (M/.d, against, 7s 3d; Okato, 4s 7d, as .against 0s 3d; llurworth, 7s 7(1, as against (is Bd. The mamixum and mini- . mum prices tipped on the road were: I Moa riding, maximum 9s lOtl yd., minii mum, 4s 3d; Waitara 7s. 3s; Omata 7s Bd. 3s 9d; Okato, (>s, 3s 3d; llurworth, & paid in "the Moa riding at <)s lOd. and the lowest in the Waitara riding at 3S i per yard, the . average" cosj;-ove»v the whole of the county being as 5(1 per ! as against fis 2d last year, and 4s lid the previous year, j CASUAL LATSOR. ! The casual labor employed by fore I men was scheduled as follows: | Moa Ridng.—Foreman Jones: Length lof road under supervision, about 13 I miles; total cost of labor employed. | .€lOl lis 4d; average cost per mile of ! road, £7 Mis. (In Iltlll the cost was | €l4 7s 8d per iniie.) Foreman Bennett: i Length of road under supervision, about 15 miles. Total cost of casual labor employed, £BS Is !)d; average cost per mile of road,. £3_l4s Dd. (In 1010, .Co I2s 3d.) Foreman Chetling-: Lcnglli of road under supervision, about 14 miles; ! total cost of casual labor employed, £8!) •7s 2d; average' cost per mile'of road, j ,€0 8s 4d. (In 1910, £4 17s (Id.) 1 j Waitara Riding. Foreman , John i Holmes: Length of :ri<ad under superj vision, about 18 miles: total cost of , casual labor employed: £175 4s 6d; I average cost per mile of: road. £9 14s I Bd. (In 1010. £l4 2s 8(1:1' i Omata Riding.—Foreman' O. Ituse: , Length of Main road under supervision, about seven miles; total cost.-6? casual labor employed. £3B 1 fis i)d;''average cost per mile of road, £5 10s'lid. (In MO, £6.) • Okato. Riding. Foreman Brosnaii: road under supervision, about 14 miles; total cost of casual labor eiiI ployed. £lB2 (Is 3d: average cost ncr , mile of road, ,£13... (In 1010, £5 0s.) ! j Waitara,' Riding ami Omata Riding.— , Owipg to the foremen's, length" l)eingrreadjlisted during i.hV year I could not' make an equitable- comparison in the Wai Lira.' and Omitta j-idings./. . - llurworth Riding". Fflrfenfon' KvA: | Length' of' metalled road' tinder control, j about 12 miles; total cost of casual laWor ; employed. £47 19s Sd; average, cost per i mile (if road. -£4. (In 1910. £2 15s 9,1.) Foreman Xorris; Length of metalled ) I road under control, about 15 miles:"total | cost of casual labor employed.'"4sl'O js: « ityeraste'cost' pC»r in-ile of road, '£l Is ad. | (In 1910, "£1 4s Thus it will be seen (hat the casi al ! labor has/.lieeli' reduced; in the Moa and ; Omata ridings, and increased in the Wii- ■ tara, Ofeitciviml Tltirvvortfi ridings: Vcno- ; •'ian Ifiyn.'of the Oina.fti'fiilTii",'"is the I first as' regards employing'the .Je'aat amount nf racial labor, viz., £3 4s 9d. | per moivli. and -Foreman-■■■'Rennet, Moa, .next. with -CI 1.3s- fid. Both foremen fare to be I thev considered the heavy traffic b'ntli have to I'ontend with. OF -CTH'SIIIXO. During'' the year t!ie""c.ni J liin:r nlant worked ,','o'n 'l4(i ,d:us. crashing Il.jotl yards o ,*"\vhicii \vorKod.~jjjit at an average.. of; 7(j.- yards' for caid-i'- crushiiig day. Th.e'Pos't'was 11.88(1. or nearly is ■ i per yard," /oj' crushing throughout t,he year, 2'/ 2 d th£" pi;cyriMi's'''year. \ .VKRO'EIi RQADR. '" ! We ai',e our. best to improve the conditio))/rif, recently brought under (Aii - ' jurisdiction ~bv the merging ■of a number of tile" road _boards. The i improvement;" if any, I will leave to the ! representatives districts to dekl with —Cr. Hill and Cr. MeAllum. However, 1 may be-'permitted to say that it witt. jie inv .constant aim to do our. best towards making.tJiesn l eowrtty roads something approaching the condition of the main roads! At the same time, ratepayers' th'tTe nnist Hot expect-' the roads to Ito iviHinallwl--and impicvcd in one koi.I.KU.. ■ lJunng t lie vear. as you are all well ;.v,';fN';Sve v finV:'h:lscd a steam road rolleV. and, I tliiftk d am-justified a": this stage i"jVttyiH,u'tlli:)t,.it.'is. goin« io .pvnve. ,a l gaily' gimd.Jnye.s'ment for.t)ie 'JpjmcJl. .J" ' ' x)FFrCK TiUILDIXfIS. 'These have been. purchased since my i last annlial review, ahd' are going to prove a good investment for the ratepayers,l Theiproperty as if stands with all ils.jbuildings has cost the Council £l9BS*lfi-i 3d. The interest per annum on which is OKI Ss; the rates, ,t;l2 li2s: insiirancps,. £3 10s Sd: a. tcfil'of , £lls ,'ltk jS;].,';; The,.r.nnts received amount' to" £95 l!)s. leaving the Coitn- ' cil's annual rental £l9 17s 8d; against which wo" have the increase in the value of (he ])ropcrty. The Council's animal rental previously was £4B per - annum, 'aild very inferior accommodation. -I feel very proud of havin,-; been instrumental in .persuading the Council to acquire property of its own. COXC'RI'T.E RRIDI'IKS. The construction of these in the Moa Riding 'is being vigorously pushed on. We commenced operations last April, and have completed the Mau<riovaka. Mangamahoe, and Mani'orei bridges on the Junction road. The bridge on. (Jie Ilursthoii-!' road will lie completed 'to-morrow or Wednesday. Te Ileijiti bridge is being done by contract. and I understand from the engineer that satisfactory progress is being made with this work. The work of the Council has considerably increased since I had the honor to be appointed your chairman in lilOti. There were then six foremen in Ihe Council's employ. There are now eleven constantly employed on the road-. In ID-Ofi there .were 72'fd yards of metal ) deposited on .-Hie roads, as against 15.32(1 this year. This has necessarily lengthened the duration of the meetings, j However. I think a considerable amount of time can be saved in discussing the 1 foremen's reports. T Ihink we elaliori ate on them just: a little more than is 1 absolutely necessary. I would ask the i councillors to make themselves conver- , saiit withithe niatdcvs-contaiiie'd in their ? riding foreman's report, so as to be 1 able to deal with the same right away, e instead of having to peruse the whole renort as.is done now.