MOA ROAD BOARD.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 July 1920, Page 2

MOA ROAD BOARD.

PINAL MEETING. The final imeeting of the Moa P.ond Board was held at Inglawood on Saturday, when there were present: Messrs. A. Corklll (chairman), J. H. Lyon, D. Todd, J. M. Hair, .T. Hunter, B. Stuart and J. B. Simpson. An apology was received from Mr. A. E. Cowley. ENGINEER'S REPORT. The engineer (Mr. E. Whitehead) reported asfollows : During the month stone crushing operations and metalling of the road was continued. A stretch of 40 chains has been macadamised, blinded with crusher screenings and rolled. Other portions of this road have been strengthened up with crushed stone. Altogether 404 cubic yards of crushed stone have been laid. Two hundred and ten cubic yards of the boulders broken were delivered by Schribor and the balance by Hill's drays in spare times. Advantage was taken of the broken weather to have the stone breaker brought In and repaired. The road roller was overhauled and examined. The traction engine has been viewed by the Government Inspector who has now Issued his certificate. It has been put into commissions to drive the crusher, and the road roller will now be used exclusively for its work of consolidating the roads. The bridge on the Derby Road near Tailki of which complaints were received from settlers at last meeting was found to bo practically in a state of collapse. One of the side walls was rotten and tumbling. Temporary repairs wore effected by obtaining longer stringers of common timber in the neighborhood and lengthening the bridge to the more stable part of the bank. This will probably enable the structure to carry on for a while longer, but a new bridge is required In the near future. The cost of a new bridge with concrete side walls and wings and a wooden top will be about £l5O. Two other bridges on the same road—one over the Walpuku river—are also in an advanced state of repair. A limited supply of cement has been procured and a fresh start has been made with the new bridge over the Makara stream. Tho road-making plant is now at work on the Mountain Road, and the road is being strengthened up with the broken stone between Inglewood Borough and Durham Road The Mountain Road is so bad with pot holes that It Is perplexing which portion to start on with first. As instructed at last meeting I interviewed Messrs Thomason and Old, contractors, who have been carting heavy loads of bouldere over the road, as to cost of upkeep and repairs occasioned through their extraordinary traffic. They treated the .matter in an off-hand manner and lightly, but would make no offer to pay anything towards the upkeep of (he road they were using. Surface maintenance work, cleaning watertables and culverts has been carried out on the following roads: Durham Road W., Norfolk Road W., Bedford, Rimutautaka, Kalmata W„ Rataplko, Wortley, York, Dudley, and others. Motukawa Road—The district engineer of the Public Works Department has approved of the acceptance of the tender for metalling and earth work, which was dealt with at your last meeting. HYDRO-ELECTRICITY. Mr. Lyon, who was absent last meeting, gave a brief report of the proceedings at the Hydro-Electric League .Conference, which,, be said, was called to discuss a proposal submitted by Mr. W, R. Wright, chairman of the Egmont County Council, who thought that the fifteen local bodies in Taranakl should form an electric power district, and develop the power that was going to waste .at New Plymouth rather than allow It to be developed piecemeal. He did not like the idea of taking away the control from New Plymouth, If the latter town was prepared to develop the full scheme at once, but it evidently was not, as it was spending £7OOO on an earthern race which would ultimately he submerged, so that the money might as well be thrown into the sea. It was evident that the New Plymouth, borough representatives' were not in favor of the scheme. Their idea was for a number of small Power Boards to be formed in Taranakl, who would agree to take o certain supply from them so as to permit them to go on with the whole scheme at once. Otherwise, if they did go on with tho full scheme without knowing the likely supply, it would mean the speculative expenditure of an additional £IOO,OOO. Personally, he favored the establishment of one power district from New Plymouth to Patea. The conference also decided to have an investigation made nf other sources In the province, and to this end were asking the various local bodies to contribute pro rata. He, however, noted that New Plymouth borough had declined to contribute to this report, naturally being well satisfied with its own scheme. The matter of contributing £25 towards the cost of Investigating the various sources of supply, and also to place at the disposal of the League the plans prepared by Mr. Roche In connection with the Manganui scheme, was left over for the new Council. HOSPITAL MATTERS. The chairman gave a brief and comprehensive report of the proceedings at the conference of contributing bodies to the New Plymouth hospital, at which he and Mr. Todd were present. In the course of a brief discussion, members stressed the need for the Hospital Board taking steps to enforce payment in the case of patients who are In a position to pay. The resolution passed at the conference of contributory bodies to the Taranakl Hospital District urging that thelnnds In each hospital district should be valued simultaneously, or, falling that, that the re-valuation of lands of any one local body should not be used for hospital levy purposes until the whole of the re-valuations of that hospital district are available, was held over for tho incoming council. A circular letter was received from the Health Department regarding the formation of the new Wanganul-Taranakl health district. GENERAL. Mr. S. Cameron, Tarata, aslted permission to graze stock on the portion of Pita Road which runs through his property. .He had applied to the Commissioner of Crown Lands to purchase the land, but, as it was gazetted as a road, he could pot sell It. He also asked permission to plough a portion of the road, undertaking to put it back into grass if ever required for public use. —Referred to the new council. Mr. L. B. Campbell, district engineer, who is commissioner in connection with the Inquiry into the matter of the Taranakl County Vehicle Licensing By-Law, aslted for various Information.—To be supplied. The question of contributing towards the cost of fighting the by-law was deferred for the consideration of the new Council. The tender of D. M. Crozier to hand lenap 100 yards of stone on Dudley Road, at 4s (id per yard, was accepted. Mr. E. Wilson, secretary of the' Soldiers' Memorial Committee, asked tho Council to allow the engineer (Mr. Whiteside) to do the necessary survey work In connection with the site at tho north-east corner of the railway reserve opposite the post office, which had been selected for the purpose of erecting a memorial to tho fallen soldiers of the Inglewood county and borough, provided Mr. Whitesite was agreeable.;— Acceded to. P. M. Standlsh asked that the rates from his sections at Tarata be spent in improving the top portion of the Motukawa Road.—No action taken. Mr. .T. B. Simpson drew attention to the danger to the travelling public owing to a high hedge at the corner of Durham and Mountain! Roads obscuring the view.—The owner is to be requested to trim tho hedge. Accounts amounting to £1251 lis 0d were passed for payment.