EGMONT COUNTY.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 July 1922, Page 7

EGMONT COUNTY.

' MEETING OF THE COUNCIL ; PAST MONTH’S WORK. The Egmont County Council met at Opunake yesterday. Present: Councillors M. O'Brien (chairman), R. Ferguson, G. Gibson. H. Young. J. S. Tosland, A. Luckln, R. Watson and S. Campbell. The overseer (Mr. lan Campbell), as per instructions, reported: A contract has been let to H. Munro for cartage and delivery of boulder-stone from Lower Arawhata Road to crusher. The two concrete crossings at Rahotu Town Hall and Post Office have been put In. Oeo Riding (Northern). —I had eight days’ urgent maintenance work on Eltham Road and two days on Oeo Road. Six days’ work was done filling in approaches to concrete bridge on Oeo Road, and three days on bridge and culverts on Kiri Road. The bridge on Oeo Road has been completed. Oeo Riding (Southern).—A length of approximately 50 chains of the main South Road, between Puketapu Hill and Ouri Bridge, has been scarified, faced up with 22 yards of metal, rolled and blinded. I have repaired the Lower Funehu Bridge and improved the approaches. General maintenance work has been done on the main South Road for two days. One hundred and four yards of metal was crushed on the Watlno Road during the month. Of this, 60 yards was dumped on Watino Road and 44 yards on main South Road for maintenance. Opua Riding.—l have s(x chains of road on the Taungatara Hill scarified, water-sealed, metalled and rolled, 16 feet wide, using 140 yards of metal. A few days’ general maintenance work was done on Eltham and main South Roads. Rahotu Riding.—The Turn Road has had some 70 chains of maintenance work done during the month. Two days’ patching and repairs were done on Witiora Road, three days’ on Kina Road Lower, and four days’ on Upper Kina. On the Ruakere Road metalling contract, W. MacLeod has delivered 664 yards of metal on the road, covering a distance of approximately 32 chains. The wooden bridge over the Taungatara River on the main South Road is getting in a bad state. NEW COUNCILLOR WELCOMED. Councillor A. Luckin, who was elected unopposed to fill the vacancy in the Rahotu riding, was welcomed by the chairman. He said there was not one shovelful of maintenance' metal on the Newall, Warea and Carrington Roads; in fact, it looked like a very neglected district. The Stent Road also required attention. Councillor Luckin briefly returned thanks. ANTECEDENT LIABILITY. The chairman said the council had done fairly well over the settlement of their antecedent liability, having received a firm offer from the Bank of New Zealand to raise a loan, repayable in 15 annual instalments, at 6% per cent., subject to 1 per cent, commission. This would enable them to utilise their general revenue for maintenance ’work. He considered they should accept the offer, ?.s at present they were only working on a temporary overdraft, and a permanent overdraft could not be arranged until the antecedent liability had been arranged. Under the proposed arrangement there would still be available for the roads out of the revenue £12,336. This was after providing for payment of salaries, meeting antecedent liabilities, payment of hospital levies, etc., and other overhead charges totalling £7850.

In reply to Councillor Campbell, the chairman stated that he has based his calculations on the same rate being struck as last year. It was resolved to accept the offer. Some discussion ensued as to the amount of overdraft limit the council should apply for during the coming year. The clerk stated that under the Act their limit was over £14,000. It was decided that the limit be £12,000. The chairman considered that as large a limit as possible was desirable, in view of the necessity for commencing tar-seal-ing and the purchase of tar-sealing plant. Mr. 0. Hawken, M.P., wrote to the effect thit he understood money could be obtained in Australia at 5% per cent., with a procuration fee of I’A per cent. There was a movement, he said, to get the Taranaki county councils to combine and raise a loan. There was no great hurry, and he thought the Egmont County Council would be wise to wait a bit and “see how the cat jumps.” He promised to keep the council advised if anything was done. OKAHU ROAD. Mr. S. R. Oliver asked what was the position of the grant on the Okahu Road. The road was, in a very bad state, and as a ratepayer he required an outlet. The chairman said that he could hardly un- ! derstand the position. Mr. Ball, the disj trict engineer, had practically given him to understand that the £4Ol would be available the next day, and nothing had since been heard of it. The road was in very bad order, and Mr. Ball had apportioned £350 between Kahui and Newall Roads and £5O between the Kahui and Ngariki Roads. He thought possibly the Minister of Public Works was holding this for unemployed work. Councillor Tosland moved that the council write to the Minister of Public Works, drawing his attention to the state of the road and the fact that the settlers were complaining and asking that steps be taken to have the £4Ol expended. This was seconded by the chairman and carried. THE WAREA DISTRICT. The chairman reported that he had visited the northern end of the district. The Punlho Road, which the Taranaki County kept up, receiving £2OO per annum to do so, was in good order, though not tar-sealed. The Carrington Road Was in a shocking state, with big holes, and he had arranged with the overseer to have this attended to. The Newall and Warea Roads were also in a very neglected state, and there was absolutely • no maintenance metal available. What "was required wta 600 or - 700 yards of crushed metal for maintenance, but as it was impossible to send the machinery up there at present, he thought that Councillor Luckin should be given authority to employ a couple of men to fill the dangerous holes, and then in the spring the crusher could be sent there. None of these roads was in the area that proposed to secede. A resolution on the above lines was carried. GENERAL, The Land Board notified approval of the council’s proposals for the expenditure of thirds amounting to £37 3s lOd oh the Parlhaka block. The chairman brought up the question of re-joining the Taranaki Counties' Association. He had been opposed to the matter previously, but now new conditions had arisen, and from now on he considered they would be losing by not joining. One matter alone that would be worth while was the distribution of the tyre tax. He moved that the council take steps to join, the association, and this was carried, Cuoncillor Tosland voting against it. Councillor Ferguson took exception to a statement made at last meeting, that the Awatuna Dairy Company’s lorry had been transgressing the by-laws by carting firewood. He had since enquired from the Awatuna company, ofwhlch he was a director, and had ascertained that the lorry had not carted the wood. In fact, a resolution had been passed twelve months ago by the dairy company, at the instigation of the speaker, prohibiting the lorry from being used for this purpose during the winter months. Councillor Tosland agreed that- there had been a misunderstanding. It was resolved to apply for a further £lOOO on account of the bridge loan.