HAWERA COUNTY COUNCIL.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 February 1921, Page 8

HAWERA COUNTY COUNCIL.

MONTHLY MEETING. The Hawera County Council met on Present: Councillors J« B. Murdoch-(chairman), R. J. Linn, E. A. Washer, A. Larconi, J, Dunlop, B. C. Lysaght, C. J. Hawken, and R. Douglas. It was decided to recommend the appointment of Mr. A. T. Wills to a vacancy on the Hawera Repatriation Committee, caused by the resignation of Air. O. J. Hawken. The matter of taking immediate action in the direction of providing a pound was left in the hands of the chairman and Cr. Dunlop with power to act. The chairman stated the foreman had suggested, a portion of the county reserve on the Turituri Road could be used for pound. FOREMAN’S REPORT. The county foreman (Mr. A. Muggeridge) reported as follows on the work of the past month: Ohangai Road.—The greater portion of this road has been scarified, stones napped and rolled, and is now tarred from the Mere Mere Road to the top of the Tangahoe hill, with the exception of the hill at the water-cress creek. This will be gone on with as soon as the road is tarred the other side of the Tangahoe bridge on the Alain South Road, as the bridge on the Main South Road is not strong enough to carry the tar sprayer when loaded. There has been no tarring or .scarifying the past week on account of having no coal, but I am expecting some early next week. Kotukutuku Bridge.—The cement is now on the job and the work of finishing off the piers is now in hand. The timber is all cut and ready to go into place as soon as the piers are finished. Alorea Ro’ad. —With regard .to the concrete culvert that was to be built on this road this has been substituted with three feet pipes as there was no chance of getting any more cement for two months and this would make it too late in the season to get the material to the site. Tawhiti Road.—The storm water from the Hawera borough is s’till going down this road and there does not seem any likelihood of it being diverted. The residents had to put up with a flooded road every time it rained last winter, and it is not a fair thing to expect them to do it agjwn this winter. The stone is on hand now to crush and remetal this portion, and if the water is not stopped it will do a. great deal of damage to the new laid metal. The lorries have “been carting shingle for tarring to the Ohangai and the Scott roads during the past month. As directed by the chairman, arrangements have been made for another thousand yards of stone from the Norfolk Road at the same price as the last. This wilkbe used principally for the Whareroa Rqad. With reference to the clause in the report regarding storm water on the Tawhiti Road, it was resolved to request the borough council to have the matter attended to at once, failing which the council would block up the culvert. \ Cr. Lysaght referred to the Alerc Afere Road, wlilch he said should be tarred on account of the .amount of traffic using it, and asked if the fore--man had diverted the tar-sprayer into the Hawera riding on his own initiative or at the bidding of isome of the councillors.

The chairman: On his own initiative. The foreman has instructions to proceed with the tarring where he considers it is most needed. Cr. Lysaght remarked that it seemed peculiar that after the tar-sprayer had been on the Mere Alerc Road the foreman should take it back to the Hawera riding. It to him that some “wire-pulling” had been going on. The- chairman: There has been no •'•'wire-pulling.” The foreman himself decides where the tar-sprayer is to be used, except when the council give him special instructions. Cr. Douglas asked what was the position of "the Ngawhiri Road, and the foreman replied that the metalling was going to be done almost immediately. He added that the worst roads had to be attended to during the summer months and some of the others could wait until the winter mouths. The foreman’s report was then received and adopted. CORRESPONDENCE. With reference to the proposal of the Labor Department to erect workers’ dwellings, fronting a new road to be formed off Iredale Road, Hawera, Air. W. J. Alountjoy, Inspector of Labor, 'New Plymouth, wrote asking to be informed what the council required before it could accept dedication of the proposed new road, as it was desired to go ahead with the work as early as possible. The chairman said he understood that the department proposed to subdivide some of the land into sections of less than a quarter of an 4cre, which was the minimum area filled by the county by-laws.—lt w, aa decided to adhere to the provisions of the by-laws and to supply the information asked for. Correspondence was received from the Taranaki Progress League with reference to the proposed opening of the Mt. Egmont quarries for the supply of metal to local bodies. The league asked the council to advise it of its requirements for the first year that the quarry was opened. —It was agreed to inform the league that the council was willing to take 10,000 cubic yards.