STRATFORD COUNTY.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 August 1922, Page 6

STRATFORD COUNTY.

MEETING OF THE COUNCIL. THE MONTH'S WORK. The monthly meeting of the Stratford County Council was held on Saturday. Present: Crs. E. Walter (chairman), S. Pitt, J. Jackson, M. Davis. W e H Were, J. ,T. Belcher, T. R. Anderson, and J. H. Thomas. Cr. J. O’Neill was granted leave of absence. The monthly report of the engineer (Mr. J. W. Spence) stated: — North Ridihg (East).—General maintenance work has been carried out on the Stanley, Salisbury, Croyden and Cross Roads. The erection of the Esk Road Bridge hag been completed, and the filling in of the approaches and the metalling of same is well in hand. It will be necessary to obtain further metal to complete the Work. It has been found necessary to open the bridge for light traffic as the approaches to the old bridge on the north side have been badly scoured out by the recent freshes in the Kahouri Stream. North Riding (West).—Three hundred and fifty yards of boulders were crushed on the Radnor Road, and distributed for maintenance on this road. During the fine weather portions of the Radnor Road were scarified, crowned up and rolled. This work had to he discontinued owing to the rain. Seventy-five yards of boulders were crushed and dumped for maintenance on the Denbigh Road. The crusher Is at present set at the Manganui depot, where maintenance metal was, until the break in the weather, being crushed for the various roads in the riding. A start has been made with the erection of the Gentle Annie Bridge.

South Riding.—General surface work has been done on the Wingrove, Pukengahu, Mountain and other roads in the way of patching and water-tabling. Repairs have been effected to the small bsidge on the Skinner Road north, the whole of the upper structure being renewed.

East Riding (Toko).—Surface work- in the way of water-tabling, patching and inetalbanking has been done on the Ohura, Waiwiri, Beaconsfield, Ahuroa East and Standish Roads. A considerable amount of grading, water-tabling and fern-cutting has been done on the clay portion of the Makurl Road.

East Riding (Douglas).—Practically the whole of the past period has been occupied in scarifying, crowning up, napping the large stones and rolling on the Tututawa Saddle, Mangaotuku Road and the portion of the Ohu-ra-Mangaehu Road between the Makurl Stream and the Horseshoe Bend. Satisfactory progress is being b»dc by the contractors for the Strathmore Saddle shellrock quarrying.

East Riding (Huiroa). —General maintenance work has been done on the Douglas North and South and Mohakau Roads. About 20 chains of Makuri Road have been picked up, stone napped and re-laid.

West Riding.—Fifty-four chains of the Opunake Road Nn. 1, between the'Hastie Road and Clemow’s cutting, have been refaced to a width of 14 feet. Thirty-five yards of fine shingle and sand have been taken out of the ■Waingongoro Stream and dumped on the road for next season’s tar work. Metal patching and water-tabling work has been carried out on the Opunake Nos. 1 and 3; Rowan and Poto Roads. Mangachu Riding.—The work in this riding ( has consisted mainly of metal patching and ■ water-tabling on the Mangaotuku, Tututawa, Mangaehu and tuniwhakau Roads. Other roads have, where necessary, received attain- j tion. The report was adopted. AHUROA ROAD DEVIATION. G. Sangster and A. C. Bretherton waited on the council as a deputation from the Ahuroa Road asking for a deviation on the road to avoid a hill with a grade of one in six. The settlers through whose property the deviation would go were willing to stand their share of a loan to carry out the deviation. The length of the deviation would be 23 chains. The deviation would be made free of cost to the council, except for the metalling, which would have to be dene on the old road in anj’ case. Cr. Anderson suggested that the council contribute half the cost of metalling and that, the settlers concerned raise a loan for the rest. The council agreed to this suggestion, .the chairman stating that he did not think the petitioners could get anything more out of the council. He advised the deputation to consider this offer, and if it were favourable, to get a proper petition drawn up. GENERAL. The inspector reported several cases of wood being stacked on the roadside, contrary to the by-laws, and it was decided to place the cases in the hands of the solicitors. It was also decided to prosecute in a case where pigs were • allowed to trespass on the roads and do damage bj' rooting. ( M. M. J. Bishop offered to pay the council 3s per cord royalty for the firewood on the Derby and York Roads. He also asked that ■ something be done to put the Derby Road in . order.—The matter of repairing the Derby | Road was left to the engineer. Permission I was granted to cut wood on the roads, providing that it was not carted until October. | The Inglewood County Council acknowledged ( receipt from the Stratford Council of half the general rate for 1921-22 on section 25, block XII, Huiroa, for expenditure on the top end of Motukawa Road, and pointed out .that there was no access from the Stratford side to the property mentioned. ' The Inglewood Council also asked for half of general rate for 1920-21 on the same property.—lt was decided that the rates asked for could not be forwarded, as they were spent in the riding at the time. E. and R. J. Ure applied for the right from the council to obtain the freehold of the old Manga Road which leads from Puniwhakau Road into section 11, block I, Taurahawa. The freehold of the road reserve was required for the purpose of giving a homestead site to the section owned by applicants. They were prepared to close the old road and pay its lair value. —The matter was left to Cr. Jacobsen io explain to the settlers concerned that the council couy see no objection to their solicitor taking any steps to have their request carriel into effect.

Tenders for the supply of boulders were accepted as follows: One thousand cubic yards on the Finnerty Road, Candj’ Bros. ; 500 yards from Mangonui stream, Walter Bevins and ; Son. '

The chairman moved that all outstanding rates on the council’s books be placed In the hands of the solicitors.—This was carried.