TARANAKI COUNTY COUNCIL.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 March 1920, Page 6

TARANAKI COUNTY COUNCIL.

MONTHLY MEETING. The monthly meeting of the Tar.inak! County Council was held yesterday, there beinj? present: Crs. J. S. Connett (chairman) A. E. Laurence, .T. B. Simpson, ,T. Woolrid"c' C. Andrews, a. Vlckera, A. Morton, G Capper, and J. Andrews. ENGINEER'S REPORT. The engineer (Mr. K. D. CUrale) submitted the following report:— Moa Hiding—A start has been made with the construction of a groyne-In the TVawnlkaiho River at Kaimiro Bridge, and the groyne Is now sufficiently advanced to withstand any rise in Uie rivet. Given line weather the whole work should be completed by tine end of the month. Most of the roads In this riding are in very fair order. This week the motor waggons are employed carting out all the available (maintenance metal from the T.irlk! Road pit. On the average the roads and bridges in this riding are in as good order as In any other portion of the county. Jlangorel Riding.—A start was made on the 16th. Inst, with the small formation job on Hill Road, and good progress is being made Mr. Henrlclssen has been put In chargo ol' this work as Foreman Iveast had hla hands full attending to his length. As Instructed a supply of maintenance metal was delivered on Junction Road, a total of B4 cubic yards was dumped between the three mile peg and the chain bridge. Foreman Spencer has made good progress on the work of procuring boulders from tho Hemii River for Oarrington Road. Two teams started hauling on the 22nd Inst and at the present rate it should not tnke long to got tho !il)0 cubic yards authorised. Levels have been taken and a plan is being prepared of the work on Mangorel Road: The roads in this riding are all in very good condition. Waitara Riding.—The crushing plant has been shifted from the. Walwakalho to Montefiore's Pit at Sentry Hill. Before it was moved a supply of (maintenance stone was delivered on Henwood Road (60 cubic yards), Smart Road (24 cubic yards), and at the junction of Henwood, Poraite, and Egmont Roads with Devon Road (16 cubic yards). Pram Sentry Hill it is proposed to deliver stone to Palmer's length, and also to make a start on the Mountain Road from the county boundary towards About sixty chains of Devon Road have been tar sealed, but the balance of the two mile's (metalled last August) was too rough to work on. Tills I Is now being scarified and rolled, and Is being tarred before traffic can again destroy the surfa.ee. The Public Works engineer has been making tho necessary survey at the Walwakalho weir, and I am expecting, to receive plans showing proposed work The Public Works Department have asked that I should carry out the work for them and subject to your approval I agreed to do so. The timber for tho Waiongona Bridge has been carried

out. All the wooden bridges in this riding has been inspected during: the month, and minor repairs effected in one or two cases. Thoso wooden bridges which it is intended to replace with concrete structures are all about "cone" and in the meantime ratepayers Interested should be advised to inspect tiiem for their own satisfaction. If they do this thore will be no doubt as to whether the necessary loan will be carried. Omata Hiding.—Provisional approval having been obtained from the Public Works Department the work of imetalllng Ngamotu Road wss gone on with, and is now completed Four hundred cubic yards of metal were delivered from the Waiwaka'ho depot. Foreman Seamark is now engaged preparing stone for hauling on to ITurford Road. This stono will be hauled by the two teams now at Carrlngton Road. With the chairman, the entrance to Mr. Hair's property, Allen's Hill, was inspected and the few Improvements suggested by Mr. Hair are now carried out The deviation on Allen's Hill has been fenced dur--1 ing the month* l also the now turn off to Hurl ford Road. Foreman Eva hap. been employed' carrying out necessary repairs and mainten- I ance work. I suggest that a nine-inch culvert be put in on the Barret Ro3d-Carring-ton Road end. At present there is no outlet for surface water, and during wet. weather water has been backing up for throe, or four chains and flooding the road Sixty cubic yards of metal have been dumped on Barrett Road, Ornnta. end. for maintenance. Okato Riding.—The work on Turning Hill Is completed for the lun#! being. Thore was a* great thickness (if old metal on this cutting, and for the present, only this old metal has been put back m the ro?d. This w'il carry the traffic, but until e. new coating is laid this work will look unfinished. The total cost, of this work was £f>2. Foreman AtcOrath is working on the Klrihau Road, preparing a crusher site, also a dumping ground for boulders. When this has been done he is to go on with necessary formation work In places this road is only twelve feet wide and before metal can be spread it must be widened to full width. This work can be done without interfering with the present surface of the road. As part of my scheme for vepairs to Oakura, Bridge necessitates a small tunnel under the road, hohlnd the

damaged pier. I engaged the necessary expert labor when it offered this week. I understand that cement win be available in ftlay ami tho main work can be gone on with Two teams wore sent to Surrey Hill Road during the week to make a star!, hauling 150 ft ruble yards of stone for the loan work on this road. Contractor Cowling has made a start on Komene Road contract, and 'it is hoped that crushing will be started about the beginning of April. Foremen Meredith and Hayes have been engaged on the Punlho Road scanning and resurfacing the worst places. The work of repairing Saunders Road Bridge has been held up owing to lack j of suitable labor. T hope v - that this work 1 will be comnleted by the end of April. The roads in this riding we in very pood order and wiih ordinary attention should remain so thr<-»nfth the winter months. Plant. —The largo roller will be taken out to work from the crusher site at Sentry Hill as soon as tiie Devon Road has boon prepared for tar sealing The small roller will be kept In the Omata Riding for iisp on Komeuo Road and necessary scarifying work on side roads. Tim teams will haul Kiribati Bond stone, after completion of present job 1?, if thfi weather remains favorable. The Hope should be ready for use In about a. month's time. The tar spraying goar is well on the | way to completion, and I hone to have it on the road before the end of the month. All othar plant and gear Is in good order and condition. During tiie month, delivery was taken of 100 tons of b'tiwnen. This will bo put out on the roads as soon as tiie sprayeT is available Our benzine supply is getting low and T placed an order for 100 cases, This Is expected to arrive this week.

GENERAL. The Town Clerk of New Plymouth wrote in respect to the repairs considered necessary to the weir at the Waiwakaiho Bridge, and the immediate extension of the bastions on each side of the river. The latter was very urgent In order to prevent the serious erosion of the banks now taking place. It was also stated that should any damage Tesult through delay in effecting repairs, the Borough would not accept liability to contribute towards any compensation recovered by owners of property bounded by the river, would it contribute towards the cost of repair or replacement of the weir. decided to write to the Minister for Public Works asking for written confirmation of the verbal assurance given to a deputation regarding repairs to the weir, and to ask further if anything definite bad been done in regard to the Department taking over the responsibility for the upkeep of the weir.

Advice wns received from the Ttnihvny Department th.it the" Council coukt have the occupation of railway house No. G at Sentry Hill on a weekly tenure, at tis per week The State .Advances wrote to the effect that the Council's application for a loan of £IOO for the purpose of completing the formation and metulUns of the Lower Pltone Rowd had been entertained, and the consent of the Oovernov-Generai-in-Oovmcil had been gazetted.