TARANAKI COUNTY.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 September 1922, Page 7

TARANAKI COUNTY.

PAST MONTH’S WORK. MEETING OF THE COUNCIL. The Taranaki County Council met yesterday at New Plymouth. Present: Crs. J. S. Connett (chairman), A. MOrton, S. Vickers,' O'. Penwarden, J. Wooldridge, and J. Andrews. The overseer (Mr. Geo. Meredith) reported, for the past month as follows: Plant find crusher has worked 8 days at the Waiwajraiho depot and 3% days at the amutton irack depot, crushing 888 cubic! yards, which teen distributed as fol<-? lows: From Waiwakaiho depot, Barrett Road,; recoating 84 coating. Cowling Road 2fli yards. Beach Road, -Omata 182- yards recanting. Smart Road ,6 yards, Devon Road 60 yards, dumped at depctt' [24 yards, 92 yards delivered to Mr. Parkins and Si yard*’’ to Mr. Gudopp. From mutton ’track depot yards’‘recoating Egmont Road and ?4 yards on Mutton Track. Shingle.—-We have carted during the month ‘294 yarcfe as follows: 250 yards to Junction Road and 44 yards to Omata Hill. Total, metal- and slringle -carted during the month 1182’ yards. The large roller has been en-f gaged scarifying and rolling on the Beach. _Road.__Omata. Elliott Road, and ’Westown, and ps- at.' present working on the Egmont Road. The roller "has been engaged on the Devon and Korito Roads and is at present' working in the Omata riding in Foreman (Era'sy’length; scarifying and rolling on the Elliott and Frankley Roads.

Teams.—-Foreman Jury has been engaged during the month hauling boulders at Waiwakaiho, shingle from the Waiwakaiho river to Parkin’s depot, and is at present engaged carting metal out of the Korito pit on to the Korito Road for recoating. Contracts.—Messrs. Green Bros, have completed their contract of quarrying and delivering metal on the Plymouth Road. Mr. Cowling has made a start hauling boulders at Oakura and Mr. Southcombe has also started hauling at the Mangorei depot on the Junction Road. Mr. Northcott has now approximately 300 yards of beach shingle out on the Ahu Abu RoajJ and about 100 yards on the Timaru Road. Mr. Magee has done nothing to his boulder contract during the month. Mangorei Riding.—General miscellaneous repairs have been carried out In this riding. Foreman Moyles has finished the culvert' at the entrance tb Atkinson Road. Foreman Dryden is engaged with the remetalling on the Korito Road. This work is -being carried out under great difficulties owing to the weakness of the road and the wet weather. The Junction Road between the tarred portion of the Kent Road broke up badly during the wet spell. A start will be inadei to recoat this portion of the road as soon as sufficient boulders are available. Waitara Riding.—The foremen In this riding have been engaged with water tabling, patching and general repairs. The crusher is at present working at the Mutton Track depot where recoating Is being carried out on the Esmont Road and Mutton Track. Foreman Holmes, Proud and Mallon are engaged with this work. The Cross Road earthwork has been practically at a standstill owing to the unsettled weather. Omata Riding.—Foreman Seamark has been engaged with the metalling on the Barrett and Beach Roads, breaking stone on the Burford Road and general repairs. Eighty-four yards were placed on the Barrett Road during the month, unak’ng a total of 300 yards, which has been spread over about 37 chains of road and rolled in: 182 yards were placed on the Peach Rnad and rolled, covering about 30 chains of road. Foreman Eva • has been engaged remetalling a portion of the Elliott Road, cleaning out water tables, patching, and Is at present working with the small roller scarifying and rolling a portion of the Elliott Road. Okato Riding.—General maintenance work has been carried out in this riding. Foreman Sefton and Walsh hare been engaged cleaning out water tables, patching, attending to culverts and general fepair work. ’ Foreman Hayes’ time has been taken up with the formation work on the Upper Saunders Road. Good progress is being made with this work. A gulvert on the upper end of the Kirihau Road blocked up, causing the stream to overflow the road. Foreman Walsh immediately dug the culvert out to save the filling and found that about two-thirds of the culvert consisted of nine inch pipes and the balance of twelve Inch pipes. This made it necessary fnr mo to purchase eight twelve inch pipes to replace the culvert. These have been put in and the filling made safe. Re the entrance to lower rttc.ne Road referred to at last meeting by Councillor Penwarden. I have inspected same and fin’d the Piton? Road connects with the main road at a very peculiar angle and makes it very difficult for a vehicle when turning in the direction of Okato, and I would vfcominend making a fresh entrance to meet the turn in the Okato direction. To carry cut this it would reouire 21 feet of 6 inch pines and 16 yards of me’ai. and the foreman for a day could do the necessary earth* It was decided to expend up to £25 on the Croydcn Road. Okato Riding.—lt was resolved that earthwork be authorised at the lower Pltone Road and that the culvert be put in. The overseer was instructed to confer with Mr. D. F. Greenway relative to culverts on the South Road, Oktto, and report to next meeting INSPECTOR’S REPORT. The inspector (Mr. H. Y. McGahey) reported : During the past month I have visited as many roads as possible with a view of carrying out your instructions of last meeting. I find that it has been on several occasions difficult to find owners of straying cattle in the vicinity of the Okato district. On the 28th I had to employ a drover to bring 39 head of cattle from Okato to the New Plymouth pound. There were 41 head altogether, but one had to be left on account of its Wildness and one was claimed at Oakura. On the , night of the 11th I visited Okato when there was a dance on at the hall. I found 16 motor cars outside the ball, 15 of which lyere without lights. There were also several gigs about also without lights. I have placed this matter in the hands of the council’s solicitors, who are testing this case. WORK ON THE RRIDGES. The bridge carpenter (Mr. V. W. Ardern) reported: Hill Road Bridge.—This bridge has been reunderstrutted with 10 x 10 Umber and Is now a good bridge. It has been coated with tar throughout. Upper Hill Road Bridge.—This bridge has had some slight repairs to east end approach. I had one day building a temporary bridge at Korito quarry and a few days at the depot. Carrington Road Culvert.—The washout at the end has been repaired, and I think there is no danger in taking the engine across. It is good for n year or so yet. I have some I work to do to the old bridge, Kelly Road. "A DANGEROUS CORNER.” A letter drawing attention to the dangerous state of the comer of the Richmond and Wortlev Roads was received from Mr. J. F. Munro, Leppcrton. ”On the one side the view is obscured by trees and one the other side is a ditch extending almost to the midd e of the road,” he stated. It was suggested that ! 30 feet of 9 in. pipes should be supplied for : the ditch, the writer undertaking to put them I in and level the corner free of charge to the I council.—The chairman said he thought the request a reasonable one and it was decided I tn supply the pipes. The owner of the land i upon which the trees are will be asked to cut them back. ANTECEDENT LIABILITIES. The secretary of the Taranaki Local Bodies’ Association, writing with reference to resolutions passed at the last meeting of the association concerning antecedent liabilities, reported that he had received a wire from Mr. <). Hawken, M.P.. as follows: "A.M.P. So- ■ ciety offers £56.000 at 6 per cent, for ten I years, principal and interest to be paid in • Sydney. They pay no commission. Advise ; local bodies consider as money very scarce ’ and great demand. They would require bal- | ance sheets, etc., to gauge position.”—Cr. Morton thought that any loan should include > ! provision for sinking fund. The letter was re- ■ ceived. GENERAL. ■ ' The New Plynwu'h Borough Council, replying to the council's l?'t<r asking permission for the electrical engineer to nubile

meetings to be held in various parts of the county, in regard to electrical supply, notified that the matter Jjad been referred to the electrical engineer to use his own discretion. N. Berrldge, Omata, applied for permission to remove about 20 yards of gravel from the pit adjoining his property on the Plymouth Road.—Left in the hands of the Kendall Bros., Okato, notified that they would deliver boulders at Kaihihi at 2s 6d per yard or napped at 6s per yard; boulders delivered at Stony River 3s 3d per yard.—An offer was made by the council to accept 500 yards at the Kaihihi depot at 2s a yard. An application was received from W. Priest, Okato, for the contract of deepening 20 chains of drain on the upper end of Puniho Road at 12s per chain. The tender was accepted. A fresh engrossment of the agreement with the Inglewood County Council under which the maintenance- and control of Roddy Road is given to the latter council was forwarded by Messrs. Govett, Qullllam and Hutchen. for execution. : r-Twelve ratepayers on the Upper Oxford Road, Okato, petitioned the council to take the necessary steps to raise a special loan of £750 for regrading and metalling their road. —An application will be made for a. grfint. The procedure for making proposed new by-, laws was set out in a letter from the county solicitor? (Messrs. Govett, Quillfam and Hutchen). It is proposed that these by-laws shall dome into force on November 1. Permission to stack 50 cords of firewood on the roadside on the Upper Pitone Road was applied for by' Messrs. Taylor and Bellshaw, Tataraimaka. —Left to the overseer. Cr.. Wooldridge reported that he had interviewed Mr. R. Bell and neighboring settlers and they .had agreed to go in for a lean if the merger were effected. The tender of O. G. Northcott for metalling Kirihau Road at 7s 6d per yard was accepted. Accounts amounting to £1682 15s Id were passed for payment.