TARANAKI COUNTY COUNCIL.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 July 1920, Page 3

TARANAKI COUNTY COUNCIL.

MONTHLY MEETING. Tho Taranakl County Council met yesterday. Present: Messrs. J. S. Connett (chairman), J. Wooldrldgc, A. Mortou, J. Andrews, and S. Vickers. An apology was received from Mr. C. Andrews. ENGINEER'S REPORT. The engineer '(Mr. R, D. Climie) reported as follows: IJangorel Riding.—During the month nothing except imivlntennuce work has been (lone In this riding by th« foremen. The side loads, on which there is not much motor traffic, have not suffered much damage during the veif wet v weather experienced. But the main road has suffered severely. This applies to every riding. All roads which j curry much motor traffic have suffered many pounds worth of damage, and 1 estimate that every wet day costs the County at least £25 additional for repairs to the main roads, due entirely to motor traffic. Both the concrete retaining walls at the approach to the ttrst bridge on the Albert Koad hare collapsted and will have to be repaired when labor is available. Little progress has been made with the work on Mangorei Road. To date £69 has been spent. Given flue weather the work should be completed In about another fortnight. I met the settlers lit the Lejiper-Carrlngton Road bridge, and as t thought It would stop scour on the Inglewood end of the bridge, I gave them permission to take shingle from our side of the river near the bridge. ' Waltara Riding.—Slow progress has lieen made with the wort of re-metalllug Mountain Road. To date n. r i'; chains have been«ra® coated at the southern end. This has taker?! 700 cubic, yards of metal, an average of 12% cubic yards per chain, and which makes the cost turn out at' about £8 2s Gd per chain. As the length between Sampson's store and the. Lepperton Junction has become almost Impassable during the wet spell, this will now have to receive, attention before any more work can be done at the far end. This length will need at (east 16 yards per chain, and cost will be the same per chain as given ' above. During the month 76 cubic yards of metal were used for repairs to the length , being carted over. Previous to this last wet spell Foreman Mallon had completed re- j pairs to the Deivon Road, but now the road I is just as bad as ever, and he will require several more loads of maintenance metal. As | Instructed 1 inspected Kelly Road in regard I to proposed loan for metalling. The present end of the metal Is nearly 4% miles from the I Sentry Hill pit, and this seems to be tlie j nearest supply of metal for the road. Metal could not be 'delivered to this point under 13s I 6d a yard, as the Kelly Road Is very hilly, j Prom here It would b# necessary to cart witli I drays as the unmetallcd hill could not be negotiated by motor lorries unless under very favorable weather conditions. I therefore estimate that in position on the road the metal wpuld cost l(js per ytfrd. If the settlers are going in for a loan nothing under £l3 iter chain should be taken as a basis for the total required. Owing to the rough ■ weather nothing has yet been done at the Walwakalho weir. I hjope to get a start made this coining week. Omata Riding.—Nothing excepting ordinary maintenance work has been done In this riding. Both foremen are • hard put to find sufflccnt maintenance metal for their side roads, and 1 hope to be able to get the small crusher at work In this riding very soon. Poreman Seamark has been hand-breaking stone on the Hurford Road, and haS been able to get it In fairly good order, but most of the other roads are In urgent need of more metal. o.kato Riding.—During the month I made necessary surveys, etc., for loan work on Plymouth Road. As soon as 1 money is available I will call, tenders for the formation work. I find that there is 26% chains of new road, required, 18% chains on south side and eight chains on north side of bridge, and 71% chains of old formation that will require forming up before it is metalled. This make?, a total of 100% chains to be metalled. A large slip on the Kirlhau Road near Mr. Revell's gate has carried away a part or the roail and the foreman has been Instructed to fence this as soon as possible and widen the- road. The roller has finished work on Foreman Meredith's length, and is now under Foreman's Sefton's charge. That portion of the South Road from the Punlho to the Tlmaru, Is now In excellent order, and should 1)0 In perfect condition for tarring m the summer. * The teams at the Kalhlkl haive not had a good run. hut Foreman Jury Is getting out a splendid sample of shingle when he is unable to haul out boulders. Sufficient j shingle can be obtained here for the whole of our tar work in this riding. The floods have prevented any work being done at the Oxford Road bridge, but it is hoped a start can be made this week. Foreman McGrath has been oft most of the month suffering from a poisoned arm. He resumed duties on July Ist. It was decided that a culvert be placed on' the Albion Road. The necessary plans are to be prepared showing (lie proposed deviation on Plymouth Road, and matters in regard to the work discussed with the settlers interested. Portions of the road will bo closed for a, period. The chairman and engineer were delegated to report to next meeting regarding supply of metal for Kelly Road, It was decided to procure quotations for quantities of tar. NATIVE LAND. The secretary of the New Zealand Counties' Association asked for information as to the area and value of land In occupation of natives within tho CountV together with the rates collectable colletAed thereon, also the area, value, title of other Native lands on which rates were not collectable.—lnformation to be supplied. THE PUNIHO ROAD. In connection with the proposal to Talse a joint loan for the Puniho Road, the State Advances Office wrote to the effect that the appllcalon could not be proceeded with, os there was-only one ratepayer in each County. —Deferred for further consideration, THE HOUSING LOAN. The Superintendent of the State Advances Office, In acknowledging. the receipt of the Council's application lor a housing- loan of £2OOO, pointed out that the department was authorised to lend imoney only for the purpose of erecting dwellings and the Coun- 1 ell's application, which asked power for the "erecting or purchasing" Would need to be amended.—Decided to again communicate with the. Office. A QUESTION OP VALUATION. A. Chard and. I. Longstaffo, lessees of County reserves, waited on the meeting asking for some consideration in regard to the valuation of their properties. The speakers pointed out that they were charged much more than the occupiers of other lands' which were not so well Improved, and they were therefore being penalised as the result of their own work, in keeping the land under cultivation Mr. H. P. Russell, tenants' valuer, was also present, and expressed the opinion that the form Of lease was obsolete. They were mulcted in extra rent owing to their own Industry. This was not an Inducement to the tenants to bring the land up to a good state of valuation. On the motion of Crs. Morton and Andrews, it was decided that the opinion of the Councils solicitor be taken on the queslon of the renewable leases with regard to the depreciation of property by neglect of tenants, and also as to whether the Council had power to alter the rentals. GENERAL. The Waltara Borough Council notified that the Council had been approached In reference to repairs to Johnston Street, but it was considered that such were not advisable at this time of year, and It was suggested that the County engineer and Waltara Borough foreman should report on the requirements later. Four ratepayers residing on the Cross Road desired tho Council to raise a loan to metal tho road between the Kelly and the Te Area Roads.—lt was decided that application be made for a grant of £pGO for <ihe work, and that petitioner:* be asked to endeavour to obtain further signatories to the petition. Cecil Wright (Stratford) drew attention to the fact that the' culvert under the Veale Road did not appear large enough to carry off the water, and the drain on the lower side appeared to require lowering at leaßt a couple of feet. He therefore asked the Council to give the matter attention.—The Council decided It could not see its way to alter the level of the culvert. The Council resolived to support tho resolution passed by the conference of representatives of contributing bodies to the Tnranakl Hospital District urging the ValuerGeneral to have the lands comprised In each hospital dlstTiet revalued 3 or that the revaluation of lands of any one local body should not be used for hospital levy purposes until the whole of the revaluations of that hospital district were available.