EGMONT COUNTY COUNCIL.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 November 1915, Page 3

EGMONT COUNTY COUNCIL.

ORDINARY MEETING. The monthly meeting of the Egmont County Council was held at Opunake yesterday. Present: Crs. M. Fleming '(chairman), H. RawelifTo, R. J. McNeill, S. Campbell, M. J. Meßeynolds, J. Young, T. Harvey, and W. C. Dudley. FOREMEN'S REPORTS. Reports from the various foremen on work during the past month were read as follows: Oeo Riding (Northern).—The staff had been engaged in general surface work, spreading metal and carting out maintenance metal. He had received 910 yards of crushed metal from ,1. Munro for the Elthani Road and also 20 yards for the Patiki Road. He had also obtained 124 yards of screening at 3s t!d per yard and had used this for binding. The roads treated were the Eltham, Patiki, Oeo, Auroa, Stratford, Watino, and Wiremu. Pipes had been put in on the Patiki and Wiremu Roads. A slight accident had happened to T. J. Coxhead on the latter road, and he was at present unable to work. He had repaired the Punehu bridge. He recommended that a dangerous stump at the Awatuna Hall entrance should be removed and tbi culvert lengthened lfift. Oeo Riding (Southern Division).—-The staff had been engaged principally on contracts in progress. The Oeo Road contract was completed. Wet weather had delayed contract No. 278, but meanwhile the staff had cleaned out water tables on Main South and Sheet Roads. In company with Cr. Campbell, he had inspected culvert on Hone Road, complained of at last meeting, and could find nothing wrong with it. He recommended that £6 be expended in fencing and repairing the filling. Rahocu Riding (Southern) and Opunake Riding.—The staff had been engaged in repairing bridge approaches, raking; patcbing'snd banking up on Eltham and Main South Roads. Seventeen new joists had been put in the Maungahume bridge, Eltham Road, also a little new decking. The approach to Maungahume bridge, Eltham Road, being very narrow, he recommended extending approach fences, both ends, with posts and wire. Rahotu Riding (Northern).—The staff had had rather a busy time attending to road work in general, maintenance and water-tabling having taken up the first part of the month. The latter part the staff were engaged putting in a double row of 3ft. pipes in the Tangihapu Stream, The work of concreting the two eud pipes and stone facings and the filling had been completed, making a very satisfactory piece of work. The staff would ,be employed in a few days' time putting in other two sets of 3Cin. pipes north of Pungarehu. OAONUI DEVIATION. Mr. C. A. Wilkinson, M.P., wrote that he had had several conferences over the question of the closed road at the Oaonui bridge deviation. The Public Trustee had no power to transfer the road to the Council. This could have been done had the matter been taken in hand prior to transfer to the Public Trustee. He had suggested to the Public Trustee that the closed road should be leased to the Council and thought that the Council might be able to lease for a term of 20 years at a nominal rental of £1 per annum.

Councillors were of opinion that it would be to the advantage of the Council to secure the land using the machinery of the Public Works Act, but no action was taken.

ROAD ROLLING. Cr. Dudley expressed the opinion that the roads were not being rolled in a proper manner. He considered that the fore-and-aft rolling was responsible for the "wavy" nature of the roads. From visits to other counties, he thought that the extra time required would be well spent. Cr. Meßeynolds considered that the road at Te Kiri was exceptionally good. The chairman said that where good gravel was used the road held up well. MOTOR BY-LAWS. The Christchurch City Council notified that the Council had adopted regulations fixing identification marks on motors. This included numbers in front as well as in the rear of motor cycles. The clerk said that the Council had some by-laws re motors, but they were made before motors came into general use. Cr. Dudley considered that the speed at which some motor cyclists travelled was a disgrace and would cause a serious accident. A motor cyclist had "got all he wanted" the other day, when he ran over a dog, but it might have been a child. WAIWERANUI BRIDGE CONTRACTS. Mr. E. Cave wrote declining to take up his contract for erection of Waiweranui bridge, as his tender was for the erection of two bridges, viz., Oeo and Waiweranui. As the Council had decided to do the former by day labor, it would not pay him to undertake the latter, as his tender provided for the one lot of carting, etc., being utilised for both bridges. , It was stated that the Council's bridge foreman could complete the Oeo bridge at considerably under the estimate, and would then be available to carry on the Waiweranui bridge if considered desirable. It was resolved to refund the contractor his deposit, and the carrying out of the work was deferred, pending the completion of the Oeo bridge.

GENERAL, The Opunake Racing Club was granted the use of the county roller for two days. The Under-Secretary of Public Works notified that votes for money this year would not be available until satisfactory arrangements had been made for the raising of the loan, and it had been decided to what extent the funds then available would be sufficient to justify the prosecution of new works.

The Commissioner of Crown Lands notified that "thirds" to the amount of 6s had accrued on section at Te Kiri.

It was resolved to expend £0 on Hone. Mr. E. C. Robinson, engineer, notified that owing to great pressure of work, he had been unable to lay off the, Wiremu Road work, but would do so in. a few days.

The Parihaka Road Board asked. for the return of 48 yards of gravel used for the Main Road, Opunake.—Agreed to. A committee consisting of the ehairand Cr. Dudley was appointed, with power to act, to interview the architect and arrange re commission on erection of a new building.