EGMONT COUNTY.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 February 1922, Page 7

EGMONT COUNTY.

MEETING OF THE COUNCIL. PAST MONTH'S WORK. The Egmont County Council met at Opunake yesterday. Present: Crs. S. Carupbell (chairman), C. A. Trotter, R. Ferguson, A. E. Chapman, W. C. Green, J. S. Tosland, M. O’Brien, R. C. Watson and P. Brophy. The foreman reported: Oeo Riding (Northern).—Clay-blinding hAs been done on the Eltham Road where required. Oeo Road has been blinded, and the boulders for Contract No. 414 have been crushed and realised 514 cubic yards of metal, of which 450 yards were laid down on 37 Vj chains of road, 52 yards were dumped on this road for maintenance metal, and 6 yards each were dumped on the Wlremu and Stratford Roads. The actual time of crushing was seven and a half days. Oeo Riding (Southern). —Main South Road: A length of about 70 chains of road between the Taungatara Hill and Watlno Road has been clay blinded. A length of about 56 chains of road east of the Oeo Hill has been blinded with pit gravel taken . from the Oeo Hill. A little water-tabling has been done on the Oeo Hill. Patching has been done along the racecourse frontage with pit gravel. Patiki Road: A length of road between the Tahiti Road and the Hone Road has been clayblinded. A little water-cabling has also beon done.

Opua Riding.-—Main South Road: PatchLig has been done between the Waitelka and the Waiaua bridges; also about 40 chains of ciayblinding, and the water tables have been cleaned out in places. Waitelka Road: Three days’ patching has been done on this road from the Main South Road up. Eltham Road: Patching has been done in places from Mr. Mcßeynolds’ property to the Taungatara bridge. The latter part of this month the hands have been employed on the Taungatara bridge.' Main South Road: One day's patching has been done, and the water tables cleaned out in places. The approaches to the Te Namii bridge, and also to several concrete bridges, have been cleaned up. Rahotu Riding.—Ngariki Road: 18 days crushing, patching and loading motor lorry out of metal dumped from crusher. Upper Kabul Road: One day put in 18-lnch culvert, using 8-inch pipes, in place of a wooden culvert which had fallen in just above Saunders Hill. Main South Road: 4 days blinding, one day repairing Okahu bridge, using four 16 by 8 by 4 planks. Metal dumped on the following roads to date Saturday, February 4: Rahotu, 16 yards; Lower Kabul, 100 yards; Upper Kahui, 40 yards; Opourapa, 24 yards; Main South, 150 yards; Turu, 30 yards; Whitiora, 20 yards; Upper Kina, yards; Lower Kina, 14 yards; Manihi, 30 yards; total, 442% yards. This is only a small portion of metal required on these roads, as they have been without maintenance for over twelve months, and I would like the balance iwhich has been dumped on Ngariki Road carted out at once.

Arawhata Road, Opua Riding.—As in- : structed, I have examined and measured the length of road between the Main South Road : and the factory, which is 37 chains, and I And that the rise above the factory is in as bad a conditon as the other portion, which is 26 chains, making in all 63 chains of very bad road. The 37 chains at not less than 16 yards per chain would take 592 yards, less 200 yards of Munro and Kehely, leaving 392 yards. The other 26 chains at not less than 16 yards per chain would take 410 yards, making in all a total of 802 yards, which would make a very good job. The metal for this contract could be got from the beach down the Lower Arawhata Road. SETTLERS’ REQUIREMENTS. J. H. Morris, of the Warea Road, wrote offering to place 100 to 500 yards of boulder stone on the Warea Rjoad as far as the Main South Road for 5s per yard.—Referred to the overseer to report on. \ D. F. Greenway asking the council to effect some Improvement to the lower end of the Pungarehu Road, on which he had paid rates for a number of years.—The overseer to report. J. S. Fox, Okato, wrote drawing attention to the state of the drain running along Carrington Road from Waiweranui bridge to Puniho Road. If allowed . to remain in that state there would be no metalled road this winter. On the motion of Cr. O’Brien, seconded by Cr. Tosland, it was resolved to Inform Mr. Fox that it was the practice of the Council to do the work conditionally on the adjoining property owner paying half the cost. S. R. Oliver, manager for Mr. Lysaght, in forwarding the wages account for work done on the Parihaka Road, as authorised by the works committee twelve months ago, stated that on behalf of Mr. Lysaght he had carted the pipes on to the site and overlooked the work free of charge. A very satisfactory job had been made.—The report was adopted and the account ijassed for payment. Mr. Oliver Waited on the council and asked that further work should be done on the Parihaka Road, including the provision of four pipe culverts, he offering to cart the pipes. Ten days’ labor of two men would do the work. He knew where pipes were available, and if there were not sufficient they would complete the culverts with timber. After discussion it was resolved, on the motion of Crs. Chapman and Brophy, that the council would give concrete pipes for two culverts, and would also vote £lO for the work, which is to be done to the satisfaction of the council’s overMr. W. A. O’Neill wrote regretting that no move had been made to construct the bridge over the mountain stream on the Oeo Road. This bridge was long overdue. Ac present his property was absolutely worthless as a grazing proposition, and as he intended to build and milk on the section he asked the council to make it possinle for him to do his heavy carting before the ground got too sodden.— It was resolved that the new overseer be instructed to erect the bridge. WIREMU ROAD GRANTS. Mr. S. R. Oliver waited on council and asked that the council should take steps to have the £475 granted by the Government for the Okahu Road, between the Ngariki and Newall Roads, expended. He pointed out that last year the grant had been allowed to lapse, and he hoped that this year steps would lie taken to carry out the work I while the fine weather lasted. Cr. O'Brien pointed out that the estimates provided for £2OO un the Kahui Road on a £ for £ basis; also £475 on the Okahu Road (Ngariki—Newall Road) and £1350, of which £lOO had been expended. Of ths latter amount £lOO would be required near the Ihaia Road and the balance would be available between the Ihaia and the Arawhata Roads. He did not think that-they could take up the grant of £2 for £1 on the Waiau bridge. He considered that steps should certainly be taken to obtain the money for the two grants. On the motion of Cr. Green and Cr. Brophy it was resolved that the grants be applied for at once. It was also resolved, on the motion -Of Cr. Green and Cr. Chapman, that the work be proceeded with as soon as the money is available. It was also resolved to apply for the grants of £2OO on the Kahui Road and £lOO on the Cape Road. GENERAL. Munro and Kehely wrote offering to deliver boulders alongside the crusher for an extra 2s per yard, and guaranteed to keep the crusher going to its full capacity.—Offer accepted. Notification was received that the Harbor | Board was prepared to accept a surrender of the council’s present lease of Section 31, and would put the section up to auction at an upset of about £2l per annum. The new lease would be for 21 years, renewable every 21 years at revaluation of land only, compensation for improvements to be paid by incoming to outgoing tenant.—Cr. O’Brien and the engineer were authorised to represent th? council. The clerk reported that Mr. Sladden hc-d visited the Wiremu Road and had laid out the work. Some of the work already done was I off the line of road. Cr. Ferguson explained

that he had interviewed the resident road engineer at Stratford,' who had informed him that the onus was on the council to see that the work had been laid off. The clerk supplied particulars showing that the Public Trustee field the following debentures: Road macl..nery loan, £1000; hospital building loan (1914), £2000; hospital building loan (1915), £1525. The State Advances Department telegraphed that a portion of the bridge loan would bo remitted as early as convenient. It was resolved that when the crusher has finished at the Waiteaka Road it should he sent to the Opua and Arawhata Roads, two hundred yards extra metal to be obtained for the latter road.