EGMONT COUNTY COUNCIL.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 October 1916, Page 7

EGMONT COUNTY COUNCIL.

MONTHLY MEETING. ■•■ / Tile ordinary meeting of the Egrnont County Council Was held at Dpunalio yesterday, when there were present: Crs. M. Fleming (chairman), T. Harvey, J. Young, N. J. McKeynolds, S. Forsyth, R. J. W. McNeill, W. C. Dudley, and W. R. Wright. FOREMEN'S REPORT.; Oeo Riding (Northern .Division).—The staff had ibeen employed at general surface work, carting out maintenance metal, .putting in culverts, cleaning out watertables, and widening cutting, etc., on the Eltliam, OpunakeStratford, iPatiki, and Kiri roads. He had put in a line of 2ft. pipe.? on the Qpunake-Stratford Road, and also a line of 2ft. and another of Ift. on the Eltliam Road. Re complaint of Weka Street, Te Kiri, Councillor Forsyth and himself had inspected the road, and the Council's employees had not interfered with any watercourse that crossed property. They had only cleaned the ditch on the opposite side of th; road, to save the road from being washed away by flood water.

Oeo Hiding (Southern Division). —The hands have been engaged at general surface work, clearing water-tables, and maintenance work. He had removed a good slice off the Oeo hill, which would make it less dangerous to traffic. Hilcaka had commenced contract No. "289, Oeo Road, and was making good progress. •He recommended rolling the same. Rahotu Riding (Southern) and Opunake Riding.—The staff had been engaged at water-tabling, patching, and attending to bridge approaches on Main South and Eltham Roads. A culvert by Mr. Wilson's gateway had been put in, using four 12in. pipes. A culvert on Main Soutb,-Road, Opunake Riding, had been attended to, using l'2in. pipes. The following pipes had been made, thirtyeight 12in. and thirty 2ft. Mr. Hussen'buttle wished to. hire from the county tlie grader and a man for a day or so. Mr. C. Malcolm offered to the county 40 or <>o yards of good paddock, stone at 3s per yard, delivered on the side of the road, and he recommended the same for maintenance.

Rahotu Siding (Xorthern Division).— The staff in this division had been principally engaged at road work in general, maintenance work having' taken up tlio greater part of their time. The whole of the Hiding had been attended to from Oaonui to Puniho. Through not being able to get men at the county wage to carry out Work on that portion of the Wiremu Road, between Kahui and Ngariki roads, he had been obliged to increase the staff to three, so that he could carry out the work required on this road. They had cut the scrub and cleared some of the worst places. The draining would be attended to when the weather was more settled. By the time the £2O granted for this road had been expended it would be in very fair order. The work authorised to be done by the county staff in front of i' y :e Oaonai store, on condition that the parties concerned found the necessary pipes, had been accomplished. He had made an inspection of the crossing over the Oaonui river along the Wiremu 'Road, and found that since the settlers had fenced in tlieir sections along this road it was completely blocked at this crossing, there 'being an j abrupt bank of 16 feet on the northern side of the river, and to put a 12ft. cutting from the river, witli a grade of 1 in 4, would cost about £11) 10s. lie mentioned that it would a pity to interfere ,vith this bank, for at some time in the future there might be a bridge built over the river at this spot and then the bank would be very handy. The most convenient deviation would be that Mr. S. Coonibe allow his fence for 2'/o chains on the top side of the AVireinu Road, on the banks of the Oaonui river, to be shifted "back 18 feet, and 2 chains of fencing carried from the end of this fence to the. post that he had his wooden gate hung on. By giving about or.e-oighth of an acre of land on this corner of his section a very good right-of-way could bo effected at a cost of £7. The two bog holes between the Arawhata Road and the Oaonui river could be drained by putting in a 3ft. 6in. drain, 2 chains long, on the lower side of the Wiremu Road, at a cost of £1 per chain. While looking over this work he was not able to see Mr. G. Holmes, but located the deviation offered by Mm and found it would not be very convenient to make a rightaway through the corner of his section to be of any satisfaction, being liable to block with the first flood. To clear, stump, and form the deviation would cost about :£lO. BRIDGES, The bridge foreman reported that Kopoaiaia bridge would be completed in about a week's time, with the exception of stripping off the casing. Punelui bridge, Eltham Road, was in a very dangerous condition. The principal parts were very badly decayed and one of the stringers was broken in half. To repair this bridge it was thought vould tost approximately £55. Tf this were thought too much to spend in repairs, he would submit plans and estimate of the cost of a ferro-concrete bridge. Taungatara bridge, Eltham Road, was in a dangerous and decayed condition throughout. The whole structure and also one of the horizontal sections was broken in half of the over truss. To strengthen the bridge to a carrying capacity of ."> tons would cost approximately .£2O. Taungatara bridge, Main South Road, was in a dangerous and decayed condition. The horizontal sections of the over-trusses were completely decayed, as was one of the stringers. The approximate cost of repairs would bo £25. lie strongly recommended rebuilding this bridge in ferro-concrete. To re-bnild the two Taungatara bridges would cost approximately £IGOO. The three above bridges 1 after being repaired would require to be re-built in about two years, as it would be useless putting new timber with the decayed portions after that time. He had prepared estimates of the following bridges, as' it would be useless to repair them: Umeuroa and Oka wen ibridges, Main South Road, estimate £2OO the two. Mill Stream 'bridge, Oeo Road, estimate £125. Ohio bridge, up- ■ per Oeo Road, estimate £S1(). Warea bridge, Main South Road, estimate £OIO. He considered that the steel bridge at Opunake badly required scalding and painting, as it was a pity to let such a well-constructed bridge corrode. He advised that notices be put on the two Taungatara bridges as soon as possible. Cr. McNeil moved that the foreman be instructed to prepare plans and specifies tions for the Pimehu bridge. The chairman considered this was a big/order. It was decided to instruct the foreman to at once repair the Punelui bridge. The two Taungatara bridges will also be put in repair and • the Waia.li »nd Waiteaka 'bridges painted.

"SWAT THAT PLY." Mr. S. Smith, District Health Officer, ■ asked the co-operation of local Authorities in an effort- to combat the fly pest in the district. Cr. Dudley said lie had always held strong vieu-.s on the subject. He eon- | sidercd if the Government passed legis- , iation compelling every householder to poison flies at certain months of the year, as had been done in the case of 1 rabbits, in a couple of years the nuisance would considerably decrease. The chairman considered every householder -and settler in the County tried their utmost to kill fyes. Rome years the pest wiu< worse than others. He hud not (seen a fly in his own house, and he thought the majority of people were alive to the danger. Cr. McKoynolds pointed out that if a person went into the bush 50 miles from any human habitation they would find flies. On the motion of Cr. Dudley and the chairman, it was resolved that the Council will do all in its power to assist. NOXIOUS WEEDS. The Wairoa County Council wrots re combating the spread of blackberry. The chairman said there was no doubt that the Native! lands in the county were getting covered with blackberry and gorse, and he moved that the attention of the Noxious Weeds Inspector be drawn to the noxious weeds on Native land in the Pungarehu district. This was seconded by Cr. McNeill and carried. • GOVERNMENT GRANTS. The Public Works Department forwarded a list of unauthorised balances 011 rates for road, etc., works in the County: Carrington (Saunders Road to Newall Road), i £300; Okahu (Ngauki Road to Newall Road), £343; Wiremu (Kiri Road to Ngauki Road), .-C4lO. The Minister of Public Works wrote, stating he would be in New Plymouth on Saturday, 14th hist., and be. pre- | pared to meet the chairman and the County engineer if they desired to have any unexpended authorised votes now on Estimates transferred to some other work or works. Discussion took place over the Wiremu road grant, and it was resolved that the chairman. Cr. Young and the County Clerk be appointed to interview -the Minister of Public Works on the question. TENDERS. Tenders Were accepted as follow*: 700 yards crushed boulders on Eltham Road, Oeo Riding Northern, H. Munro, 7s; 200 yards maintenance metal, Eltham Road, H. Munro, 4s; Qeo Riding Southern, 450 yards crushed boulder stone, Putiki Road, H. Munro, fls; Bahotu Northern, 500 vards, crushed boulders, M. Coffey, 8s 3d; Main South Road, 850 yards of crushed boulders, M. Coffey, 7s Sd; no tenders were accepted for 920 yards crushed boulder stone, Oaonui River Southern and gravel for bridges at Opua Road. Tenders for the latter w : H be called for nc\'t meeting as will alsc tenders for several metal contracts in the Rahotu Riding Northern. GENERAL. Mr. Orcenhill's application tor tne hire of the Council's traction engine for removing a small building was acceded to, as was also Mr. Heisenhille's application for the hire of the Council's grader. the Town Board, to return pipes borrowed by the Council's late engineer. James Rothery wrote offering to lease gravel reserve at Pihama for Is per year, and to keep the gorse down, conditonally on the Council refunding him £5 of the £lO received for the stones taken away from the reserve fence. The offer was refused, and the foreman will be instructed to clear the gorse off the reserve. The letting of reserve at Oaonui was left in the hands of Cr. Young. The clerk notified lie had arranged to secure tar from Eltham. The cost landed in Opunake would be fld per gallon. From Wanganui, the cost would be IOJd, Wellington IOJd, Auckland lHd. Messrs Leece (Farmers' Co-operative Organisation Co.), and Barrell (Booth, McDonald and Co.), waited on the Council in support of the claims of the Austin Road Roller. The Council decided to defer the question of a roller, and in the meantime tliev will inspect the Austin roller ordered by the Clifton County Council. Cr. Young was appointed to interview Mr. Coombes, with power to aet. in connection with the Wiremu Road ford deviation. The county clerk notified the riding balance,s at the 30th September were as follows (the position as to March 31st being given in parenthesis), all the balances are debits: Oeo .-£534 (£85!)); Opunake, £O9 (£SG); Rahotu South, £OB4 ( £518); Rahotu North, £2280 (£1100). Twenty-two applications were received for the poistion of engine driver, and Crs. Mcßeynokls, Young, Dudley, and the county clerk were appointed a selection committee, with power to aet. The foreman was instructed to fence the approaches to the Ouri bridge. Accounts amounting to £355 17s 9d (general), and £lll2 15s 2d (bridge) were passed for payment.