EGMONT COUNTY COUNCIL.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 October 1920, Page 6

EGMONT COUNTY COUNCIL.

MONTHLY MEETING. IhY ordinary meetlne of the Egmont County Council wae held at Opunake yesterday, i-res-«st: Cn. W. E. Wright (chairman), A. I». , Coffin, Jaa. Young, T. H. H. Snelair, W. C. '■ Ereen, S. Forayth, M. O'Brien, B. C. WatMO, and 8. Campbell. EMHNEEK'S REPOST. ' *she engineer (Ur. C. B. Pease) reported »ifoUo*»>--ipeo Biding (Northern).—The surface of the Wham Boad has been patehed from the Taungltara bridge to the County boundary at jiirattma. " Water-tables, have been cleaned k# on the Ert and r«t4r'Roads and a draie tS*<M3 the latter road' has had filling put Oter it where the pipes had become exposed. •bjue attention has been given to the Stratjftfcd Boad which Is becoming very weak in jpkee* and requires a good bit of patching. *h» ford on this road across the Punehu , Pinr has been cleared of boulder stones. Vernal my large boulders that had worked ■knm the stream had to be drilled and shot to b» removed. The contract for the clearing at .felling the timber on the Wiremu £oed between the Kirl Boad and Taungatara *tfer has been signed, but I understand the f trontraetor Is not ready to proceed with tire import onttt November I have bought a spring jtip dray for this portion of the riding at a < CMtoatWe price, and as soon as the cora- : aeltte* can make arrangements for a padJitock'for a horse (which I understand they -"iue fihdlng .great difficulty in doing). I shall ' 1»e pleiMd. If the Council will purchase one, - plio a Mt of harness. ».'■'' Oeo MAteg (Southern).—Water-tables have teen dMaed out on the Main South Road |kfm the Oeo Pah to .Pihama. The hill |Mit of tire Oeo River has been clay blinded,

Ike niter-tables on the hills both sides of the PunehU Blrer hare been denned *ttt ant! ■•pain done to the surface. The I'uki'Urm ■oM bis been thoroughly cleaned up ami hatched from end to end. It would be adJriaaDU to purchase a horse and sprint: tin (gray for this portion of the Riding as we have htften great difficulty in borrowing one wten ♦muirtd. Opm Hiding (Southern)— The Main South , fend Xltham Roads hare been clay blinded M several places where the surface was pluckpt badly. A small culvert on the Main ■outh Boad has been repaired and some regain hire been done to fences at culverts hud bridges. About twenty chains of side .drain bare been cleaned out on the Upper . fraltellUL Road along Mr. Ferguson's frontage, ' Kr fcrguson agreeing to pay half of ihe cost Psime. On the 20th of tie month. Xo. crushing plant was taken on the Upper Wai- • talks, load where it crushed 84 cubic yards M boulder atone that was dumped there in EParlhaka Boad Board's time. The whole tbif was tipped within a distance of 40 lis (or maintenance. I anticipate some - Jkflculty In keeping this road in repair with Kl amount of money available now that the ■Bill at the top end has commenced work, , fmd although the sawmiller has undertaken to (Mirer a certain quantity or metal on to the fried I am of opinion that all the repairs Mould he dona by the Council men, and some *i MfAnife arrangement come to with the ownei fejj| the sawmill for the payment of a fiiec of the coat of maintenance elthei jfffPfe* I*T7 of a fixed sum for every hundrec ■■Hpft of timber leaving the millers motor lorry Bpjfo -private drays, or any other method the may be agreeable to. The plant Vfm» next taken to the Lower Walteika Road f Mich waa laid down on the road between £1; tbam Boad*and the Waitelka stream on seven . teen cbalna of road at a total cost per yarc «f lit 54 Thla contract concludes the whole elf the work under contract 346, which was foi (putting through tire crusher and delivering or to the rartoua roads the whole of the stnm

CM out br the late Parihaka Boad Board. ■ton bare the plant was taken to the Taunfatara River on the Eltham Road to contract 384, wnlcb yielded 272 cubic yards of crosbed metal and 36 yards of screenings, coats of which will be given next month when an the time Is returned. A good •econd-hand tip dray has teen purchased for this portion of the riding to take the place of one we have been compelled to borr.-w. y!"TwentT-four 12-inch pipes have been nude •at the Domett Street yard for tre renew*t ■ « rulverta at the top end or the lhaia Road above the Wlrenra Bold, and Instructions hare been given for these to be carted up and Hit I fa without delay. Opus Biding (Northern) A fair amount of patching has been done to the Main South ttold Between the Namu Birer and the Onui .flat, and the road blinded with clay where the surface tad commenced plucking. On (•übefcy, tile 12th., traffic on the Mala South 'Bead wis stopped from 9 a.m. to 1 pm. to •Utile US to 'put in new timbers In the r lareattwork of the northern abutment of the > leimtma Bridge, the old timbers had com- •' Water/ rotted away, allowing the fliliag to ■scape sod the surface of the road to sink. JJhallar work wiy need to be done to the •onthern end of the bridge rery shortiy A [portion of (he Lower Arawtata Road nas been gatehed and blinded, and the water-tables feave been cleaned out. " Opusake Biding.—A fair amount of day Kdlnf has Ven done on the Mai.t fiar.h d, and a mod number of 9-ineh n id 12-irich Jgdpes bare been made at the Domett Street tUd. The No. 1 RB. tar has been d« ! er;d •Vr the lop rtesaing it Mim Street, vA ,i« fHon 11 the contractor has com)'.';•.) lis .; Jpsrk In tl.> 030 X< . em Bldlifr I rope i |U> be able to get the sand and shingle necesi luury for the execution of the work. In the meantime, I understand that the Town Board are desirous to hare a portion of the ■treat ft the northern end regraded before (the work Is done. i -Bahotu Biding (Southern).—Several loads ;; *>( P" metal have been put down at the %'' function of the Main Srmtt and Manihi Roads. " 3be_ water-tables on the northern side of ' Kbe'Oalti bridge hare been widened, the ro a ,i laetal banked tip and the rest of the excavated material used M hind abottt SO chains of the Wad. About eight chains of the watertables opposite /he Oaonui factory have been ' .Widened and the metal banked up. Smie ■ Bitching has been done t« tie Upper Kahiii ' Board. Post and rai's hare been cut In the trash and erected at (he pound In the Lower Xahul Rord to facilitate the turning In of cattle. The Xgarik) fruil h;is bici> patched from the Main South Rnn-1 to Jf. William's -, Jllace and the rater outlets cleaned nut. y. gereral new plank.-i hate lieen put in the * decking of the bridire in the lVrilaka f. mil Bear flie Kabul Road. Concrete pipes have fceen made In the shed on net days fuii•ent has been qlvcn to I, Fischci to remove a considerable amount of material from a l>snk south of the Puneaerecre stream for BlMng .'n behind the R.-botu Hotel, leaving all good stone for road metal. ~; ■ Baht.tu Kldlns (Northern).—-Xo surfarp work has been done at this onrt of the ridiii!.' ttere belnjr no men available for it. though 1 hope to be able to get n man this wcek r.tart pafchinr; the Mi:in South Road at f <he faa end. I have arranged with Mr. Befell to commence plouuhins and formation Dork on a portion of the Raukere Road at . the top end. also to pu. in a pipe culvert there A home and section have been purI' Hissed, at rungarehu for a foreman, ani* will •hortiv he cvsilable ft would' be as wei! *>• substitute concrete chimneys for tie present ■■ Jrou ones at the ronnrll's liens' before it Ts re-occupled. The sawmillers at Xcwall Boad pnntse! to deliver decking to the - Worea Read, Raidge yesterday, this will be put down immediately. At the ; same timr they promtfed to deh't-er the decking near the Fnnlho Road, the relaying or which they are heM .-eaponslble for. I have again examined ♦he Carrlngton Bond and that rortlrr. of the Kawall Boad over which the motor .orry from 5 tbf Wares aawmlll travels, and And that eonaiderahle damage Is being done to the road. These roads were, of course, never conslriirteil In the first place to withstand this «!«« of traffic, with the result that the metal is now being pushed into the sides forming wheel tracks whlcb hold the water and txtV the subsoil, soft. It Is difficult to ettlmite, the damage being done, as, alr> .thousJb .{jut sarfaee In some pafts maintains g«V. y '*» aWuHance of a reasonable atate of re■g rr'r, Ist all probability the road will shortly ■g-J>e broke* through in patches of conslderB3' «Hsj leagtha The chairman and myself will saaet the owners of the sawmill and K*"t«uW -t*> some STrsngement for them to bear K'Jtt* JMPWttMI of the coat of repairs when platt comes to the NewaU Boad; Mt. b the meantuu, the mv- '

millers nre (loin? temporary repairs to the road, but these are not satisfactory. fhe Thairman and myself made arrangements with settlers in the district to repair the road for the time being which no doubt will be attended to shortly. fleneral.—The new car shed has been completed. Tie new pinion wheel for the Ateluig and Porter engine will he delivered to-day and new piston rings for tiie Austin roller arc eipeeted very shortly. One of the enCmf- drivers has been engaged on the work of erecting car shed, repairing whares, pointins "hares, carts, etc., and at present Is repairing bridges. I beg to place before you recent quotations for steamj wagons, tar tprayer, etc, these quotations only hold good for a short time Owing to the general rise in prices for contract work, team hire, etc., and the difficulty met with in obtaining same I would respectfully suggest that if there is no immediate prospect of obtaining sufficient moneV to carry out the tar-sealing work on the whole of the main roads that the Council seriously take into consideration the question of raisins sufficient money fot labor-saving plant, surh as motor or steam lorries, jackhnnimer. drill and pair horse graders. With benzine at such a high price ti'.> steam lorry should not be overlooked, it is economical to work especially for short distances up tn twenty miles, costs little to repair, and its first test compares very favorably with 'he motor lorry. In one county by the use of steim lorries they have reduced the cost-of rN: haulage of road mctn! from iis lid per yard to T'Ad. I have received the plans and cross sections of the Tiremu Road between the Ihaia and Arawhata Uoads, also between the Arawhata and Ngarik. Roads, and hope to be able to five the mutter some attention this month. I have already attempt ' to check the plans on three different tiinvi m but was stopped by rain. On nirV-iS enquiries at Rahotu on Friday last no .<■ the probability of securing the refviees of workmen on this road, I find lhat none will be available until after Christ-

Tenders will be called for work on the Wiv.-mu Road. I'-.---. Forsyth and Watson, and the engineer .-;re authorised to procure a horse and harnOCSES FOR WORKERS. The chairman reported lhat lie had had the opportunity of purchasing a house for the foreman of the Rahotu Riding at very satisfactory terms, and as the riding had been without a foreman for two months, he had, after Inspecting the property with the en-, irineer, purchased the property for the Council. The action of the chairman was approved. Cr. Grc:n raising a protest against purchasing property out of general rate* The chairman stated that the. money did not have to be found for twelve months, and in the proposed loan provision would have to b» made for the amount to be refunded. It would not be feasible to raise a sm2ll loan to purchase one or two houses. It wcnld be advisable to wait till the Council decided what houses it intended to purchase •w erect in the various ridings. LOWER ARAWHATA ROAD. Messrs. H. McCann and H. A. V. Jordan, settlers on the road, waited on the Council and asked that the Lower Arawhata Road shotild be repaired. They considered that the road was in a good financial condition and therefore there was no rerisui why it should be allowed to continue In such a bad state. It was resolved to call for tenders for placing the road in repair. ' The Public Works Department authorised the expenditure of £216 on felling and clearing s"> chains of line on the Wiremu Coaa near the Kiri Road. Cr. O'Brien suggested that tenders should be called for a further section in continuation of this towards the Ihaia Road. It was decided to call for tenders .subject to the plans being approved by the District Engineer. PROPOSED RE-VALAUTIOX. The chairman again touched on the necessity for a conference between the ratepayers find the Council to discuss the question of valuation. The County was a difficult one to value, especially to a valuer who would probably lie unfamiliar with local conditions owing to the wide variations in the value of the land. He moved in the direction of calling a conference. ■ Personally, he favored rating ,on the unimproved value, a low valuation and high rate. Or. Campbell said that the Government instructed the valuer as to the basis to be adopted.

Cr. Sinclair did not, think any good would be attained by the conrerer.ee. The Impression would get abroad that they were out to keep the valuation low, so as to dodse taxation. Cr. Greet: iCm The chairman said that he was only out to protect the interests of the ratepayers and he instanced tte dissatisfaction that had taken place in the yaluation of the Hawera. and WaSmate Counties, both of which had been valued by different valuers, and the Hawera land hod shown a much greater increase. The matter was deferred until after the election of the new council. GENERAL. A letter was received from the Minister of Agriculture stating that owing lo the excessive expenditure required it would b& impossible to carry out the Council's lequc.-.t to have ail meat slaughtered for human cuiiaumpi'lon subject to Government inspection. A letter was received from Mr. O. Hawken, lIP., Mating that machinery was available for the establishment of an abbntolrs district in Opunake. A letter was received from the secretary of the Counties Association approving the j.ioposed formation of an association of citinty clerks. A leticr was received frm the Inspector if Factories at New Plymouth, notifying that it was a breach .r.f the regulations to divert lenient obtained for certain work to any other work. Til's was the outcome of it having been brought to the notice of the Board of Trade that certain local bodies had made a practice »f lending supplies of cement to private Individuals. Mr. T. B. n. Sinclair, secretary to the Oconui Irrigation Board, applied for permission to take the proposed race across the Road by a tßree feet concrete pipe Mifvert.—The necessary consent was granted. Cr. Campbell was appointed to represent til? Kjmont County Council at. a conference to 1 ■■« bc!d in Hswera to-morrow in connection rith the ullocation of war trophies to X,S Croup K. I'. Andrews, Italmiu, wrote asking that step? should be taken to divert water wt.ieh at present was carried by a drain uaJer the wad fctto low-lying !;iml iie:ir his property.— "o lie informed that lb" Council canno: see its way t.o do anything in the matter. 11. A. Lemon, secretary to the Globe Motor LVi asked Whether the Council had any objection to a trailer being fixed >o their nail cars for the carriage of mails, etc.— Deferred till next month. Tire Opunake Town Board asked that before laving ,the road through (ho town reinrred, the Council have an estimate prepared as »d the cost of bringing the road to its permanent level.—The cnglneev lo rel'nrt at neit meeting. The secretary of th» Xew Zealand Counties AsoseJr.tion forwarded a circular letter drawing, attention to the need for concerted aclion in pointing out the serious disadvantages local bodies might suffer should the Bill re taxation of debentures become law.

H. I), Shaw and h. C. I'ttin- asked the Council to form the Pukin.i Knad, l'uugarehu, ro as to enable them to get building material ii. Tie chairman stated that this road was one ih;tt '.vent on paper from Ihe Parihakit lioad I r.ok towards Rahotu, through the soldiers' reltlemeut—lt was resolved to draw the attention of tlie Commissioner of Crown Lands to the necessity of forming this road. The clerk submitted the balance-sheet for the six months ending September 30, 1921), showing that all the riding halanees had debits rs follows: Oeo £5317, Opunake £290, Opua £33 M, and Kahotu £5475.