TARANAKI COUNTY COUNCIL.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 April 1919, Page 7

TARANAKI COUNTY COUNCIL.

MONTHLY MEETING) , The monthly meeting'of the Taranaki County Council waa held yesterday, there being present Cra. J. S. Connett (chairman), A. E. Laurence, J. B. Simpson, J. Wooldridge, C. Andrews, A. Morton, G. Capper, J. Andrews and D. McAllum. CHAIRMAN'S REPORT. The chairman reported that all preliminary arrangements had been made for the expenditure of the Government's grant on the Hill road, but owing to the recent, break in the weather and the lateness of the season, it had been decided, with the concurrence of the settlers interested, to defer carrying out the work until next year. Mr. Marsh had agreed to contribute the amount stipulated towards the concrete culvert on the Mutton Track, and the work will be proceeded with immediately. A Ford truck had been purchased and was at work. The car offered to the Council had been taken over for the use of the inspector (Mr. Branch) and the County motor Bhed would be moved to his residence. Requests had been made that the Council should continue to supply metal for concreting \\ ork from the areas recently taken over in connection with the acquisition by the Council of the plant and rights of Mr. R. Parkin, and the chairman suggested the matter should be considered at once so that those who had been receiving such supplies would know what the position was. The chairman's notions were endorsed and the report ad; 1.

OVERSEER'S REPORT. The overseer (Mr. Branch) reported'.—l took up my duties on February 28, 1919. Accompanied by the .chairman I have been over a considerable number of the County roads and, taking the general shortage of labor and the greatly increased costs into consideration, consider the roads generally to be in very fair order. Crushing Plant.—The Oakura contract was completed on the 4th and the Koru on the 14th. The plant then went to Korito, where there is about 500 yards left to complete this depot. 1212 yards have been crushed for the month. Tho Kent itoad stone will be crushed ivhen the Koru Is completed, The small roller is now wllh the crushing plant. Driver Stewart, with the big roller, is now scarifying and rolling the South Road. About a week will complete the work. The roller will then come to the WaiUra Riding to roll in the metal out of the Sentry Hill pit. The new dump truck Is doing good work on the Hursthouse road. The whole of Mr. Parkin's plant has been taken over. We have also secured two of Mr. Parkin's drivers, Mr. r. Jury and Mr. Julian, also Mr. Ardern (enginedriver). Two teams are now engaged hauling gravel off the beach when the tide is suitable, filling in their time when the beach is not workable hauling stone at the Waiw&kalho depot. Mr. L Olson haß been appointed to drive the third team, and it is now working on the Korito job. The lorry is under slight repairs and when completed and a driver appointed it will Join the plant. Moa Riding—The big drain on the Tarlki road, 32 chains In length, has been cleaned out at a cost of £l2 2s, of which Mr. H. Symonds lias agreed to pay half Ratepayers have also helped to clean a further 25 chains on the Tariki road. The boulders dumped on the Tariki road have been removed. The filling on the new Mangaone bridge Is completed so far, the baiitnco will have to be dono when the metalling is done; that will be In a week or so. The metal has been carted out from the Maketawa depot by motor lorry for this work. The slips on the Zlg Zag are now being attended to. I intend driving ra'lway rails In some of the narrow places to hold up the road. A new set of pipes, will have to be put in. The Tarata pit has been inspected and has been left in a very bad way and will cost a good deal to open out and strip. Contractors Julian and Grylls have just about completed their contract on the Bgmont road. The depot is also ready for crushing. Water tabling, blinding and ditching is now being carried out. 1 would recommend an authorisation of metal from the Tarlki pit for the Tarlki road.

Mangorei Riding—Tho maintenance of roads in this riding has gone back owing to the foremen having to get their supplies of stone, labor aga»'i being unobtainable. The crushing plant is now in this riding crushing at the Korito depot.

Waltara Riding—The metalling on'the Hursthouse road is being proceeded with, 228 yards having been put on out of Pitt's pit. It will' require a further 160 to 200 yards to complete the worst places on this road. The filling for the new bridge on the Richmond road has been so far completed. It will require a little more "'ling after settling and before the metal is put on. The grader is now at work on the Richmond road, having completed the Wortley road. The metal in the Sentry Hill pit will be carted out as soon as the motor truck Is available. The hew bridge on the Manutahl road has beon opened for traffic. u ''' be necessary to get on with the rrankley road pit supply of metal, stripping will also have to be done Foreman Seamark has about 300 yards of stone ready to cart from the rivers. This will be done as soon as teams are available. It will be necessary to have some broken stono for maintaining the roads in this riding. Okato Riding.—The crushing In this riding un™ '?n°?, mP i ete 'i' T , he grading of Pitone road Is now in hand, also the grading on the Surrey ™ on Brophy a road. Contractor Hill Is getting on well with his contract for boulders oil PiLrS* ?. nd has n J ow about 800 Wd.' <>"«• Mr. hilej has agreed to give six feet of his property to Improve the corner of !■« Ttaara road which In Its present state is rather dan?™°rt U li ? , trafflC ' . Ttle Bradl "C the Tlmaru Tho ,h Li ""i n hand as 3000 as possible. The shingle and tar is now to hand for the Km"/ °I f ) the tilrrea Portlon of tho Maln th« wJJ i m" 6 arran S ed with Mr. Cook for win hi' g sraal ! ar plant for thl » work. It Hoi of "ST 7 t0 PUsh on w " h »"> oration of buildings, more especially a garage for the motor waggons, whereby most ot our mvn repairs and overhauling can be carried tag tho C h°or'fa d "ii? n l , for staWln S nnd raddocksoon as possible h,M '° be PUt h <"»> " It was resolved to thank Messrs. C. Thurkleson, H. Sims, Putt Bros, for asf! ! n f/ U^', ork , 0n the Tariki also that Mr Riley be thanked for his grant of six feet of land for the purpose of improving the corner of the Timaru and South roads. A hew set if pipes was authorised for the Zig Zag. Foreman Laurence was authorised to procure metal irom the Manganui pit for the Tariki road, the inspector to arrange for the quantity to be quarried. It was decided that the grading, metalling and cutting on the Manutahi road west be put in hand when convenient. The inspector and bridge carpenter were asked to report .on the question of buildings at VV anvakaiho for plant and stables.

SUPPLEMENTARY REPORT. In a supplementary report the inspector stated he had prepared plans and estimates for the grading of the Hurford road hill. He recommended the purchase ot two small whares for the drivers of the dump tracks. The timber facings on the Waiwakaiho depot needed reconstruction and he strongly recommended they be leeiccted in concrete. Endeavors to get a gang of men to get stone from tlie rivers had not so far been successful. The inspector stated he M'ould like to set up the crusker and cart direct from the place to the machine, in order to reduce the amount of handling. He also stated *jt to see a depot near the Mangorei factory. Thousands of yards could be obtained from there with a very short horse haulage. If a suitable depot could be arranged a good site would be the three-cornered piece of land at the foot of the hill betwen the factory buildings and the road. A lot of metal* will be required for this road in the near future, and he strongly recommended this site, lhe chain bridge will be redecked shortly 8 i n sufficient old decking timber could be obtained to erect the depot, which would reduce the cost of erection. Foreman Meredith has been put in charge of the Pitone road, and is pushing on, the work most satisfactorily. The Public Trustee has arranged that Die woi'k on the drain 011 the Potroz estate be done to the satisfaction of the Council and charged up to his department. It was resolved that a copy of the estimate for grading the Hurford road be forwarded to the settlers concerned. The inspector was authorised to secure a traction whare for the motor drivers. The matter of the crushing depot *t Wftk

.wakaiho was referred to the inspector! to attend to. The matter of a crusher site at Mangorei was referred to Cr. Morton to confer with the inspector. The matter of metalling the Komene road was referred to the chairman and riding councillors to deal with. The inspector's reports were then adopted. BRIDGE CARPENTER'S REPORT, Tarurutangi bridge.—This bridge is completed and all the plant transferred to the Waiongona bridge, .Main road, and at this bridge all repairs have been completed, including a new pier in the centre of the river. Tills, I may state, will add considerably to the life of this bridge, and has made the structure safe for all heavy traffic. Richmond road bridge, Lepperton.—The old structure has been dismantled and ail the sound timber will be distributed to some of the Waitara West bridges to which repairs are now being carried out. Korito bridge.—This bridge has been temporarily strengthened and the crushing plant taken across on the 18th instant. Mutton Track culvert. —Nearly all the boxing timber for this work has been transferred to site and I hope to make a beginning with the erection of the culvert in a few days. Benzine store, Smart road.—As instructed, I have transferred the shed which was used for the bridge works and erected same at Smart road for storage of benzine, etc., and I am building a lighter and more suitable one for the bridge works. Metal bin, Pitt's pit.—Some of the old timber from Tarurutangi and Waiongona bridges was transferred to the above pit for a melnl bin. Some timber has already been sent to the Sentry Hill pit a'nd a metal bin will be erected at the pit in the course of a few days. Ngatoro bridge. Junction road. —All repairs have been completed to this bridge. Saunders, Carrlngton road bridges—A start has been made with No. 1 bridge and the foundations for the two piers are now In course of preparation. 1 have taken over the new Ford truck and it is now conveying timber, Iron, cement, etc., to the various works. I beg to state that it Is going to be a good asset to the bridge department and save the Council a considerable sum of money each month in cartage and will enable the gang to proceed a fair distance to do any small requirements to a bridge. Kelly road and steel bridges, Sentry Hill.— The decking and wheel guards have been ordered for these bridges and are expected at an early date. BRIDGE LOAN PROPOSALS. The County solicitors (Messrs Govett and Quilliam) wrote in respect to the proposal to re-submit the Moa Riding bridge loan to the ratepayers, pointing out that while generally such could not be done, circumstances might modify that view and if the Council believed the vote did not represent the opinion of the ratepayers, or if there should be any material alteration of the conditions the Council could proceed with a second poll. It was pointed out that if the Commission on the proposed Inglewood County reported against its constitution that would probably bring about such a change in the conditions as would justify the taking of a second poll. It was decided to do nothing until the decison of the commission in regard to the proposed Inglewood County was made known.

WAIWAKAIHO BRIDGE WEIR. The town clerk of New Plymouth wrote to the effect that his Council, viewed with considerable anxiety the in-' tenton to raise the bed of the Waiwakaiho river to the extent contemplated and could not sec its way to be party thereto. The following resolution carried T>y the Council was forwarded: "That the Taranaki County Council be informed that this Council disapproves of any further blocks being placed on the weir at the Waiwakaiho bridge and declines to accept any liability for damage which may be caused to properties in the vicinity in the event of the weir causing the river to overflow its banks in times of flood."

The chairman intimated that it was satisfactory to note that the Borough Council was of the same opinion as the County on the matter, and that the engineer-in-chief had been asked to come to New Plymouth in order to have the matter discussed, with a view to discontinuing the placing of any more blocks on the weir, but that no reply had been received. The chairman also pointed out that the weir was agreed upon for the purpose of protecting the foundations of the old bridge, but that since the new bridge had had to be built, it was thought the weir was unnecessary.

It_ was decided to telegraph to the Engineer-in-Chief pointing out that if anything was to be done in the matter it should be done immediately. UNIFORM BY-LAWS.

The secretary of the Taranaki Counties' Conference wrote expressing regret that the Council could not see its way to contribute towards the cost of uniform by-laws for the county. He pointed out that the amount was arrived at as follows; Legal expenses, advertising, and printing, including supply for eaoh contributing body, £300; conference expenses, including postage and secretary's salary, £SO. Eltham, Hawera, Egmont and Stratford Counties had already agreed to contribute their proportion of the cost, and the letter expressed the hope that the Council would reconsider the attitude taken up. It was resolved that as the Council had recently had their by-laws revised they did not feel justified in incurring the additional expenditure.

CORRESPONDENCE.

H. Huse, Omata, wrote as follows: "Kindly clear the course of the Waireka creek as the pipes under the road are now buried to a depth of six inches beneath the surface of the water. 1 have drained and sown my land next to the road, and as the course of the water is checked the water is heaping up, filling up my drains, and making them dangerous to cattle. * Prompt attention to this matter will greatly oblige."— Referred to the inspector with power to act.

W. Barnett, on behalf of the settlers on the Ngamotu road, Spotswood, asked for some information re the metalling of the road. It was understood that the Government had granted £IOO for the work, but as that would not be suflicient, the settlers asked if the Council would contribute the balance and do the road before the winter.—lt was decided to ask the inspector to prepare estimates for the proposed work. W. Goodwin, Tariki, asked the Council if they could do away witli tho drain which they put through his property some years ago on the corner of Ross and Tariki roads, when Mr. Stephenson owned the property. Ev going a little deeper, he suggested the water could be carried round the corner on to the Ross road.—Referred to Cr. Laurence and the engineer. Twenty-one ratepayers on the Mangorei road between the Junction and Devon roads, petitioned the Council to take steps to raise a loan of £l5O for forming and metalling the hill known as Castle's 'Hill, they undertaking to sign the consent and other documents required in connection with the raising of the loan.

The opinion was expressed that in view of the number of signatures to the petition it would be better to have the road. completed between the present two metalled portions. It was resolved that the inspector should prepare an estimate of the cost of the work and that the same be submitted to the settlers with a view to the adoption of the larger scheme.

W. Russell and himself, wrote asking for permission to take plaster sand from the river bed recently taken over by the Council from Mr. R. Parkin.— Referred to the chairman and the overseer, with power to act. MISCELLANEOUS. A deputation representing settlers on the Plymouth rood waited on the Council to ask what amount of help the Council would give towards metalling about a mile of the roadway, in addition to the work at present contemplated in regard to cutting away the hill and grading. The speakers stated that it would probably be possible then to include a much larger area in the proposed special loan area, and raise a larger loan. It was pointed out that the cost of the work would probably be about £IOOO. It was decided to ask the inspector to make an estimate of the cost of the work, the same to be submitted to the settlers concerned for their consideration. A letter was read from the resident engineer (Mr. H. H. Sharp) in reference to the Momona bridge, stating that under present conditions it would take about £2OO, in addition to the amount available, to complete the erection of the bridge.—lt was resolved to make application for an additional £2OO. . Notice was received of the gazetting of the vesting in the Council of section 62 Hua Village; section 101, Oakura township and section 34 Okato township, in trust for gravel depots. The Taranaki Hospital and Charitable Aid Board forwarded estimates of receipts and expenditure for the current year, intimating that the rate to be struck over the contributing local bodies was Is 6d in he £IOO capital value, to meet the deficiency for Hospital and Charitable Aid maintenance, and 2 ]-5d iu the £IOO for interest and sinking fund on the loan raised for building the new nurses' home. C. Sorensen was granted 45 yards of crushed metal on the usual terms. It was moved, on the information furnished by Ilie Commissioner of Lands, that notice be given to rescind the resolution previously passed legalising the Upper Smart road. Mr. W. 11. Holmes wrote resigning his position as road foreman for the County in the Waitara Riding, the resignation being accepted. The dog tax for the current year was fixed at 2s 6d for working dogs and 10s for sporting dogs. Accounts were passed for payment as follows: General expenses £2053 14s 3d; Ridings: Moa £325 lis 4il, Mangoroi £213 17s 4d, Waitara £239 Ss Od, Omata £251 15s 2d, Okato £726 11a 7d; total, £4473 3a 2d,