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EGMONT COUNTY.

MEETING OF THE COUNCIL PAST MONTH’S WORK. The Egmont County Council met at Opunake yesterday. Present: Crs. S. Campbell (chairman), C. A. Trotter, R. Ferguson, A. F. Chapman, W. C. Green, M. O’Brien, R. C. Watson, P. Brophy and J. S. Tosland. The engineer reported:— Oeo Riding (Northern). —Boulder stone has been broken on the Wiremu Road for patching. The Oeo Road north of the Eltham Road has been again patched, and some patching has been done on the Stratford Road. The Kiri Road has been patched with pit metal. The Eltham Road has been patched where required. The men in this portion of the riding have been engaged on the work of carting out boulder stone from the river to fill in the haunches of the Taungatara bridge. A second-hand block dray has been purchased at Hawera by the county chairman, and as soon as a new bottom can be put in it will be sent out to the Oeo Road so that the long delayed crushing may be started there. Oeo Riding (Southern). —The hill on the western side of the Oeo River has been patched and blinded with pit metal. The approaches to the Ouri bridge have been cleaned up, and the decking repaired. The Punehu Hill has been patched and the approaches to the Taungatara bridge made good. The Ouri bridge on the Skeet Road has been repaired, and its approaches cleaned up. Opua Riding (Southern).—The Eltham Road, over the new reinforced concrete bridge at the Waiteika stream, and the newly diverted approaches thereto, have been metalled and the old bridge dismantled and removed. A considerable amount of patching has been done to the Ihaia Road. Patching has been done on 1 the Main South Road in both the southern and northern portions of the riding. The western side of the Taungatara Hill has been patched and blinded, the water-tables cleaned out, and the approaches end water-tables to the Waiteika and Mangahume bridges have been cleaned out and generally improved.

Opunake Riding.—Patching has been done to the Main South Road, also clay blinding where required. Rahotu Riding (Southern). —Six days* patching has been done on the Upper Kina Road. Fourteen days’ work has been put in on the Main South Road on the work of patching, blinding and cleaning out watertables. Patching has been done to the Opourapa Road, and part of the watertables cleaned out. A considerable amount of patching has been done to the Lower Kahui Road. During the early part of the month, before the surfaceman left the council’s employ at the northern end of the riding, work was done in the way of water-tabling and patching on the Main South, Wares, Upper Newall, Lower Newall and Burgess Roads. Bridges.—Work on the Taungatara bridge, on the Eltham Road, is proceeding but slowly. WIREMU ROAD. In reply to the council’s memo regarding work on the Wiremu Road (MangahumeWaiau), Mr. T. M. Ball (Resident Engineer) stated that the work had been entrusted to the council to execute, and it should have been their first care to define the centre line of the work and accurately specify it. This, he found, had not been done. The council, in March, stated that H. Lockley’s tender of £360 was accepted, subject to the engineer’s approval, and that a copy of the specifications would be forwarded. To meet the council, he approved of the tender being accepted in faith that the work was accurately laid off and specified, but he found by his file that a copy of the specification had not been forwarded as promised. In view of this very serious omission he regretted that he could not .make any further payments towards this work until a complete set of proposals had been forwarded, stating the extent of the contract and also a plan showing the exact position of same. This work should be prepared by a competent engineer and forwarded at an early date. The council’s request to his department to define the road line was unreasonable, considering that the council employ an engineer to do that work.

Cr. O’Brien said that if this were an unreasonable request, why was it that the district engineer had recently laid off other portions, instancing the Ngariki-Arawhata section. He did not consider the request was an unreasonable one, and would like to know why there was any differentia-

The chairman said that they could not lay off the work when they did not know where the work was required to be done. Cr. Green said that he had not favored the council undertaking the work. As long as the council undertook such work, they would require an engineer. After further discussion, it was resolved to obtain Messrs. Sladden and Palmer, of New Plymouth, to lay out the work. Later, Mr. Lockley, contractor, waited on the council in connection with a further payment on his contract, which the district engineer reported was not finished.

It was decided that Crs. Ferguson and Watson, together with Mr. Lockley, should interview the district engineer. NEWALL ROAD REQUIREMENTS. Mr. W. B. Smith, Newall Road, asked for a chain and a half of metalling on the Newall Road in front, of his section. He offered to contribute £2 towards the cost. — It was decided that the council contribute £4 towards the work, which is to be carried out to the council’s satisfaction. H. P. Opie, a soldier settler on the Newall Road, wrote pointing out that the road was in very bad condition, and he offered to do work on the road to the amount of his rates.—Left in the hands of Crs. Brophy and Green, with power to act. LOAN PROPOSALS. In regard to the council’s proposed reading loan of £5OOO, the State Advances Department notified that when the council was able to advise that the ratepayers had agreed to the loan proposals, the question of obtaining the precedent consent of the Governor-General-in-Council would receive consideration.

The council discussed the matter, and suggested that steps should be taken to place before ratepayers the proposal to raise a loan of £BO,OOO for a comprehensive scheme of road improvement. The loan will be taken over the whole county, and w’ill apply to all roads, the main roads to have precedence. After the luncheon adjournment the matter was re-opened. Cr. O’Brien considered that it would be preferable to utilise any loan money available in improving the byroads, such as Ihaia, Kahui, or any other that wished to go in for a loan. He considered the main road was in good order. Ihaia Road would be prepared to form a rating area and take £2OOO of the loan. Cr. Tosland said they should endeavor to tar seal portions of the main road that were now in good order. If the whole county did not favor a loan, one particular riding might.

Cr. Tosland said that the difficulty was that if a riding went in for a special rate and placed its roads in good order, it would be liable to the same rate as other districts that had not.

The clerk pointed out that each riding could strike its pwa rate.

After further discussion it was resolved to defer consideration till a special meeting, which will be held on Monday, January 16. MEDICAL INSPECTION. The medical officer of health, Wanganui, acknowledged the council’s letter with reference to an inspection of the towns and villages of the Egmont County, and stated that he had directed the inspector to get this done as soon as possible. The clerk stated that Inspector Swindells of New Plymouth, had visited Opunake. He stated that he had already visited Opunake twice on inspection visits, and had notified two people regarding their back yards. He did not advertise his visits in the papers, as the visits were in the nature of surprise ones. Cr. Green: What about the country? The clerk stated that Mr. Swindells had stated that he had already visited some country places, and would visit them regularly in the future. APPOINTMENTS. Foreman F. Goody applied to be transferred from the Rahotu riding to Opua, owing to his home being on the Ihaia Road.—Agreed to. M. Hill was appointed to the charge of the crusher, and Messrs. Hawkes (Hastings) and Stevens (Kaponga) were appointed foremen. W. Ferguson was appointed a surface- ' man in the Rahotu northern, riding. GENERAL. The Treasupr forwarded a voucher for £59 12s 9d, being amount of accrued thirds paid to the council’s account. The Treasury notified that the / halfyearly interest, amounting to £756 18s sd, on loans totalling £36,116 Os Id, was due. The Premier forw’arded a letter acknowledging receipt of the council’s resolution regarding the Local Bodies’ Finance Bill, artti stated that the representations contained therein had been duly noted. Dr. H. G. H. Monk, medical officer of health, forwarded a circular regarding the rat campaign in connection with the bubonic plague precautions. The circular asked for a monthly return of all rats caught in boroughs, town boards and harbor boards, and also of the number of poison baits laid.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TDN19220111.2.66

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Taranaki Daily News, 11 January 1922, Page 6

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,513

EGMONT COUNTY. Taranaki Daily News, 11 January 1922, Page 6

EGMONT COUNTY. Taranaki Daily News, 11 January 1922, Page 6

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