EGMONT COUNTY COUNCIL.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 March 1919, Page 7

EGMONT COUNTY COUNCIL.

MONTHLY MEETING. The ordinary meeting of the Egmont County Council was held at Ojmnake on Tuesday, when there were present Crs. W. It. Wright (chairman), s. m. Cornish, T. Harvey, T. H. H. Sinclair, W. C. Green, T. A ltowe, Jt. O'Brien, A. W. Holder, and S. Campbell. ENGINEER'S REPORT.

Mr. Pease, county engineer, reported: Oeo Hiding (northern).—As a considerable amount of money lias been spent on (lie Ellham Boat! and in tlie riding generally, I think we Shall ho able to manage through the winter months with only llie foreman as a permanent hand, am! ohiain casual labor as required. A line ui j-Jlii .-..ji.-ivti.' pipes has been put across the Kivi i;.....i ;-,t Hie wi) end and a lo'. of large boulder slums have been blasted troin the surface opposite Mr. Coupe's gateway. Oeo Biding (southern) -The stair, with additional hands, have been engaged on contract works, contract No. a2O having been completed, this work consisting of scarifying the Main South lioad from just we3t of the Watino Road to Mr. A. Allan's gateway, a distance of about <i(i chains, on which length was laid down and rolled in 800 cubic yards of crushed metal, and 114 yds of screenings, at a cost of 13s sy.d per cubic yard, and £3 (is 6;id per chain. No. 2 crushing plant was moved from here into the Opua Riding, but the Austin roller was retained for a couple of days to proceed to the boundary at Oeo and scarify a portion of the Alain doutli Koad for contract Wo. 321. This i eontraei cc.ered a lent'tl. of i.!,out IS chains of .vad between Mr. loi.-m -alu and Hikaka'3 '■ Boundary, on which wm: -oread im cubic yards ! '•■' travel from the pit opposite llie kaupokonui t-raoch .Factory, at a cost o: is 1,0 per cub'c yaru, and £ij lis feJ.u pp. i-:.aio. in-, completion o? the above v.i-.m, [lk; same eon,rector then proceeded with ;hf ,iork on contract Ss.j. oid at the bottom end of the Oeo Koad, where, afler being scarified, a length of about it chains received a coating of 4110 eubic yards of pit gravel, the cost of *hich cannot be given until next month's time-sheets arc returned. A considerable amount of side banking was done to Hie pit gravel on contrac- .No. in, as th:> roller could not be spared to pack tne .>«■;-: at once At the request of Mr. A AlcK<so».-i;, i h»-.-e examined an open drain in the Hone Ko'.td at Mhama and fljid it to be dangerous to wit tie iiid pedestrians using the road, and it, piped and Ailed in. instructions have Wo won to the ruling foreman to proceed -viva the i =S ;airs to the TUahi Road at Hhanu. We .atwide,; u. proceed with the work on contract No Wi. Skaet Road this month, but the contractor wtu unable to make arrangements for teams when the No t Plant was available, so it has fceeu sent to the Mthain Road to crush for contract No. 542, after which we shall tlien be able ;o proceed to Skeet

Opua Hiding —Contract No. 328 on the Eltnam Road was completed on the Bth of the month (cost given lust meeting), when No 1 plant was removed to the Opua fiat to crush Tor contract No. 320, which yielded 298 cubic yards or crushed metal and 48 yards or screen Ings, this was laid down on 27 chains of road ?' » , u , os , t of v i s IKd Per cubic yard, and £8 Us 6%d per chain. No. 1 plant was then seat forward to the Kahotu Riding, and the Opua Riding staff took over No. 2 plant to crush paddock stone on the Malu South Itoad near Mr M Krophy's; two lengths of road between the Walteika and Taungatara bridges, totalling S4 chains, were scarified, and were coated with 508 cubic yards of crushed metal and 72 yards of screenings, averaging about 1!) yards to the chain at a total eost of 10s l%d per cubic yard and £9 IDs 9%d per chain. Kahotu Biding—The decking on the Okahu bridge has been repaired. A 22ft x 12i» x i)ln stringer under the Waitahn bridge has been broken by a motor lorry travelling at an exeossiie speed; tills had to be repaired with a temporary lilted stringer with a strut and sta'ys On the 20th of this month, No. 2 plant was moved to llahotu and set up for contract No 34a, where she crushed 614 cubic yards of metal and screenings in 5% days, when unfortunately the head of the wedge bolt holding the jaw face in the surlnglng jaw stock snapped off and passed through the machine, the jaw slipped lrom its seat, and the next blow of the jaw stock shattered the dovetailed seat of the paw; the law stock, weighing about two tons, has been sent to New Plymouth to have a new seat planed out. When the above accident occurred we put togetlior the "Collett" crusher belonging to the Parihaka Road Board, but the elovator chain and buckets went to pieces directly. I have ordered a new chain and set of buckets for this crusher, but it will take two weeks tor the buckets to bo made, aud in the meantime the contractor is proceeding to get out stone for his other contracts. I would recommend that in ail future contracts none but the council's own employees are engaged to feed the crushers and that they be under the control of the engine driver. Bridges.—Work on the Matanehunhu bridge is being proceeded with; a temporary bridge has been erected on the west sido of it, and the vorth. and south abutments have been put in up to the springing line; the men are now engaged on the work of erecting the centreing for the arch. The I'unehu bridge, on the Elthani Road, has been Inspected by the assistant resident engineer, who found the work satisfactory, the spandril walls are completed, also the string course and bottom rail of tho parapet and the boxing for the balustxading is being fitted. The haunches are being filled in with boulder stone from the river bed in readiness for the earth BU on top. when the cutting and filling for the deviation of the road at both approaches will be proceeded with. The final consignment of cement to complete the work has been delivered. f understand that only £3OO remains of the No. 3 bridge loan, which will only carry us to the end of March. 1 am expecting £OOO from the Public Works Department at the end of this month as a progress payment on the Punehu bridge, leaving £350 to be received on completion of the work, but unless the council obtaLn a further loan wo shall hare to cease bridge work in the Kahotu Hiding on completion of the Matanebunehune bridge. Plant. —The Austin rolier lias had the piston removed and cleaned out. A new set of jaws will be required for the Collett crasher when she Is taken up the by-roads. The scarifier on the Garrett roller is being fitted with new hardwood packing blocks, the old kauri blocks having shaken and allowed the bolts to draw the tank plates and start a leak. I have not been successful in obtaining a Penberthy Injector suitable for the Avellng & Porter engine, and sliall have to use a different pattern and have the position of the feed pipes altered. It was resolved not io do any work on the Hone Road until It was thrown open for traffic

DEPUTATION TO MINISTER OP PUBLIC WORKS. Mr. P. Skoglund, secretary of the Taranakl Hydro-Electric League, invited the council to send a delegate to join with other local bodies i'i «r.iting upon the Minister of Public Works on his forthcoming visit to Taranakl and urging upon bbn the necessity for a more vigorous policy in connection with the Stratford-Okabu-fcuvn railway mid the hydro-electric development. The chairman stated that he had interviewed Sir William i'raser, who stated that he would be pleased to visit the district in a couple of months' time, to open the Punehu bridge,, when a deputation would wait on him and urge the opening of the Wircuua road. The following deputation was appointed: The chairman, Crs. Campbell, Green, Holder, and Sinclair. It was resolved to suggest Stratford as the puace for the deputation, but in this matter the council will fall in with the majority. The need for pushing on the Opunake railway will be pressed on the minister. UNIFORM BY-LAWS. The Elthani Counties Conference notified that the cost of framing uniform by-laws would be £350, divided in equal proportions by nine county councils and the Moa Road Boards, leas any contributions from borough councils. Or. O'Brien questioned if they should incur the expense. The chairman said that it was a matter of urgency to obtain regulations to deal with heavy traflie. It was resolved to contribute to the cost of the conference by-laws, and Cr. Green gave notice of motion in the direction of rescinding the resolution re obtaining heavy traffic by-laiis.

APPLICATION FOII SEVERANCE. A deputation, cnmprisin; thirteen ratepayers of the 000 riding, for whom Mr. P. Muggerldge acted as spokesman, waited on the council and asked that the council agree to their propevMoi being severed from the Kirniout County and •'i»n;ed with the Waimate West County. The ciialrraan stated that the council could not agree to the proposal. He pointed out that they were already llnblo for a share of the Egmtmt County Council's liahilities In regard to bridge loan, special loans, and hospital expend lure, etc. Moreover, the council had entered into certain financial arrangements, which would be affected if that, area was severed. It would moreover he unfair to allow an area consisting of the most highly valued land in the county t'j sever and to retain in the same riding the lowvalued land, such as that at Te Kirl. He a'.so pointed nut that the council was now considering .1 comprehensive .ending scheme, under which the ratepayers of that area would obtain tarscaled roads as cheaply as they could obtain .hem from Wainiatc. They had that day carried (lie limit resolution, merging the Parihaka Head Uistrict into the county, ami those who signed the petition asking for the merger would certainly not have signed had tlicv km.mi that a portion of Die Oeo riding was going out. Mr. Muggcrldge thanked the council for their courtesy in receiving them. WIKEKUI KOAD. O. Holder stated that he had seen the settles between the Kii-i and Ihara roads, who pointed out that it:>.-,o of the £llitn> had been allocated o ,helr portion of the ro.id. They asked that the council now allocate £230 to be expended oetwoen the Taungatara and Mnngahunie rivers He understood tha' tile council had ■i<Te»d to his proposal The resident engineer'had' also v.rmui uuu, aiutini; that ha hoped to send cue

of his overseers along in.the course of,«a>week| or so and lay off the work so as to let the bush | falling. He moved that the engineer be author-1 Ised to assist the local overseer, and help to get the work started from the Taungatara to the Kaw&roa Itoad. This'was seconded by Cr.i Campbell and carried. ERECTION OF BRIDGES. The State Advances Department notified that £IOOO had been remitted on account of No. 3 bridge loan of £4OOO. Discussion took place over the bridge building, and the chairman stated that after finishing in Hahotu riding, bridges would ho built over the Taungatara on the Main South Road and ElIhara Road, also the Mangahume. I! was stated that in view of the increased prices, the £15,000 bridge loan would not carry out all the bridges, and the balance would have to be done out of overdraft. It was finally decided to leave the erection of the most urgent bridges to the engineer. It was also resolved to apply for another £SOO on account of the £15,000 bridge loan. GENERA!,. The Ashburton County Council forwarded copy nf resolution urging Ihe abolition of territorial training—Received. Cr. Greeu stated that the contractor for the council was damaging ihe Kahul Road. It was resolved that the council bavo the work done. The Tauranga Hospital and Charitable Aid Board forwarded copy of resolution urging upon the Government the necessity of improving the sanitary conditions of Maori pahs.—Received. The tVafpa County Council forwarded resolution re urging on liie Government the necessity for laying down permanent roads.—Received. The Eketahuna County Council forwarded copy of resolution urging that the Land for Settlements Act should be amended so. that v;hen the Crown purchases land for settlement the Crown shall pay general rates for the period of it 3 occupation. The council resolved to support til's Mr. Martin, solicitor to the Counties Association, notified that the comity had power to pay the doctor's salary anil collect fees, !>ut had no powar to buy out Ihe nood-wii: • ■■( Hit practice Dr. Valintino Hiked f.i; ■-.■!'«!iirs regarding those who hart rendered '»!,;•■«.&■• voluntary service in conoeciion with loj epidemic; In order that certificates should ■:■* forwarded them. He also asked for the names at organisations, societies, or persons who had rendered outstanding service which should be the subject of special recognition. The chairman said that If anyone wished to TOi-ur* the certificate and advised the council, names would be sent on. >lessi-s. Roy and Nicholson forwarded particu''Vt of firocoduro to be adopted In connection with noxious weeds on roads. They also forwarded copy of by-laws dealing with heavy motor traffic. The chairman was authorised to sign the council's approval of the Opunake Town Board's hydro-electric scheme.