ELTHAM COUNTY COUNCIL.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 January 1921, Page 2

ELTHAM COUNTY COUNCIL.

THE MONTHLY MEETING. The Eltham County Council met on Saturday. Present: Crs. C, J. Belcher (chairman), R. J. Knuckey, E. J. Gif" ford, A. McWilliams, C. E. McGuinness, 4. Messana, W. E. Carter, and W. M. Barker. ENGINEER’S REPORT. The engineer (Mr. M. E. Fitzgerald) presented the following report on the progress of the work for the past month: — South Riding—The tar spraying of Mangawhero Road has been completed. Campbell Road has been patched. Repairs to culverts, etc., have been done on the Tirimoana Road. Re-surfacing of Skeet Road is proceeding intermittently as stone arrives. Further progress was made with the making up of Fraser Road, but the work of rolling is held up by the shortage of watef. Mr. Mullions, the riding foreman, was fatally injured last week under circumstances which have been reported to the clerk. Mangatoki Riding. Resurfacing Duthie Road was commenced before the holidays and is again in hand. It hats been suggested that Palmer Road should be done at once and work stopped on Duthie for the present. Watertalbling on Hastings Road has been attended to.

Omona Riding.—The clearing of slips on the Mataimaroke Road was completed, and general work of formation, etc., has been done on Waitiri, Mataiwhetu, and Rawhitiroa road’s.

Kaponga Riding.—Tar patching has been done at Manaia and Eltham roads. I am ready to spray Auroa Road according to the estimates at once, but, in view of the position being taken up by the Egmont County Council, I am holding this work up until your council direct that it should proceed. The road is badly in need of tar treatment to save it from going to pieces. Eltham Riding—Culverts have been attended to near the far end of Rawhitiroa Road, and a considerable amount of blinding has been necessary on this road. The newly-surfaced length this ‘side of the ridge is working loose and will probably require re-rolling before it can be tarred- Road forming has been done in gangster Road. The tarring of Mangawhero Roa’d has been completed. General.—The Daimler lorry is now at work after general overhaul. The requests for improvement in wages have become general. A point which should be considered apart; from an increase in pay is the provision of suitable shedding so that men could be employed during wet weather making concrete pipes, tar chips, etc. Progress on important works is not steady, owing to the large amount of work to be carried out with limited facilities. It would not be possible to keep the metalling of Fraser, Skeet, and Duthie roads as well as the tar spraying going ahead without at least double the present plant, which, if we had it. would consume the cash faster than the county clerk can find it. The long spell of dry weather is loosening many of the water-bound roads, and much blinding has had to be done. The sample lot of natural asphalt ordered last August has come to hand, and is sufficient to tar carpet five chains. It could be conveniently laid adjoining new tar carpets on either Fraser or Stuart roads. The first cost of this material is 18d, as against lid for tar, and I truest the demonstration will prove that the former is by far the most economical to use. THE AUROA ROAD.

Cr. Messana said he could not understand the Egmont Council’s attitude regarding the Auroa Road. A councillor said that the objection appeared to be that the road was being tarred while other roads in that county were not, and they said they did not want to tax the county for the one road. The chairman said that this was the concern of the Egmont Council if they chose to adopt such an out-of-date policy. It was the principle of the Eltham County to tar-seal roads when refaced, in order to preserve them, and it had proved a sound policy.

It was deeided that the chairman and Kaponga Riding members meet the delegates from the Oeo Riding on the ground to confer on the subject. SECESSION FROM STRATFORD COUNTY. Seven ratepayers, holding sections in ’blocks 5 and 8, Ngaere district, in the Stratford County, petitioned the council asking to be included in the Eltham County rating area. The chairman said he was not very well acquainted with the position, as the proposal had just come forward. If the petition was signed by two-thirds of the ratepayers in the area, he did not think the request could be ignored by the Stratford County. The signatories to the petition were settlers on the Finnerty Road, from the bridge up to the Hastings Road. In reply to a question the clerk said that if the area was to be included the consent of the Eltham and Stratford Counties was necessary. Application could then be made to the Minister and tlie merger would be announced by Gazette proclamation. Cr. Gifford said that the petition was the result of the unsatisfactory state of affairs on the road, arising out of the fact that it was a joint interest in the two counties. A number of ratepayers had wanted certain work done but were unable to get their demands satisfied. It was under the supervis’on of the Stratford County. In reply to the chairman, councillors stated that the request was practically a unanimous one. Cr. Carter said he intended to give the proposal his full support. Cr- Gifford said the position would ibe far more satisfactory if the road belonged either to one county or to the other. Eventually, on the motion of Cr. Gifford, the matter was left to the Mangatoki Riding members and the engineer to report. "These boundary roads,” the chairman commented, are the greatest curse to some counties, as they have no say in the actual expenditure. LOWER MOEAWATEA ROAD. The Under-Secretary, Public Works Department, forwarded a copy of Gazette notification declaring the Lower Moeawatea Road to be a county road. In connection with the transfer, Cr. MeWilliam mentioned a case in which a settler on the Hawera side was only paying a very small rate, and was using the Eltham roads. On his suggestion a resolution was carried asking the Hawera County Council to transfer a certain section in order to brine the

ratepayer concerned into line with the riding levy. GENERAL. A communication was received from Messrs. O’Dea and Bayley inquiring what the council proposed to do in regard to compensation concerning the death of Joseph Mullions (South Riding foreman), who met with fatal injuries on the sth inst.—Received. Mr. H. E. Williams (ranger) was appointed inspector, under the new bylaw’s, his salary being increased to £260. The resident engineer (Mr. T. M.; Bull) forwarded a schedule of unauthorised balances on votes for road works, and. asked the council to submit proposals for the expenditure of the money. The only item Lu /he schedule was the Rotokare Lake Road, for which the Department offered £2 for £1 up to £l9.