HAWERA COUNTY.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 October 1922, Page 7

HAWERA COUNTY.

MEETING OF THE COUNCIL. THE MONTH’S OPERATIONS. The monthly meeting of the Hawera County CouncU was held on Saturday. Present: Crs. J. B. Murdoch (chairman), R. J. Linn, L. Douglas, E. A. Washer, J. Dunlop, J. Hawken, B. C. Lysaght, and A. Larcome. The foreman, Mr. Muggeridge, reported for tbe month as follows: Manawapou Road.—Good progress is being made with the metalling of this road. It Is now metalled to the Whareroa Road from this end, and there is about 15 chains on the other end, leaving about 60 chains still to do. Nowells Road.—The piece of metalling authorised on this road is now finished. It took 132 yards of metal to do the work. This cost 10s per cubic yard. Paeroa Road—All the metal is now delivered for the picee of this road that was authorised, and it will be rolled as soon as the roller 13 available. Arthur Street.—From the Turn Turu Road this road has been graded and is now in good order. Tongahoe Bridge, Main South Road.—The decking of this bridge is getting in a bad state and will soon have to be renewed. Timber will have to be procured for this, as there is none in stock. Mokola Road.—This work is going on satisfactorily and will be finished shortly as far as the earthwork is concerned. The teams have been engaged in backing up the metal, with the grader and carting clay for the Manawapou Road, grading Arthur Street and scarifying the lucerne paddock. The inspector of machinery was in Hawera last week and this, and hel> up the work of metalling for a few days on account of the roller being put out of commission, it requiring new stays in the firebox before we could get up steam. All the other engines were in good order. The report was adopted, permission being given to the foreman to obtain the necessary timber for the Tongahoe Bridge. GREATER HAWERA SCHEME. The Greater Hawera Scheme, under which it is proposed to extend the Hawera Borough boundaries to include a number of streets at present controlled by the County Council, was discussed. The chairman said the idea was to take in the more thickly populated areas for the purpose of providing better drainage and water service, one of the objects being to prevent the spread of disease owing to insanitary conditions. The suggestion was, after preliminary negotiations had been carried out, to call a public meeting to go into the position thoroughly. It was pointed out during the discussion that the ratepayers taken into the borough under the scheme would not be responsible for. loans already raised within the borough, but it would be necessary, in raising loans for drainage or any other purpose in the newly-included area, to take a poll over the whole borough, as the borough could not be broken into wards for the purpose of raising loans in any special area. WHENUKU AND KATINI ROADS. A deputation of five settlers from the Whenuku and Katini Roads waited on the council, asking for 38 chains’ of metalling on the Whenuku Road and 60 chains on the Katini Road. * It was pointed out that the complete work would cost about £ 1500, and the chairman said that in view of the state of finances he did not think there was any chance of metalling the roads out of the council’s funds. He suggested that a special rating area should be constituted for the purpose of metalling the roads. The deputation stated this matter had been considered but negotiations had fallen through. The rates at the present time were very high and the settlers were already heavily burdened. The foreman was instructed to make a report on the state of the road. APPEALS FOR FUNDS. The secretary of the Women’s National Reserve wrote to the last meeting of the council asking for assistance in paying the rent and expenses of the ladies’ rest-room. It was pointed out that, besides serving as a rest-room, the room was used as a sewing depot, where ladiis of the National Reserve met once a week jo re-make clothing for the needy. The clerk of the Hawera Borough Council wrote stating that the borough had decided to pay half of the rent of the room and to ask the County Council to pay the balance, as the room was primarily for the use of country residents. The matter again came up for consideration, together with an appeal for funds for the Sir Arthur Pearson Memorial Fund.' The chairman said that there were a number of private people who contributed to such funds, and he did not think the local authorities should contribute on top of this, as such contribution again came from the public. He moved that the council could not contribute to either cause, as they were more of a personal matter, and the motion was seconded by Cr. Dunlop and carried. GENERAL. The question of metalling the lower end of the Manawahou Road, which was deferred from last meeting, was reported upon by Cr. Lysaght, who said it was a fairly-good clay road when he had seen it.—The foreman said it was a very wet piece of road. Seven milk suppliers were using it. To metal the road would cost about £250.—N0 decision was arrived at.

The clerk, submitted a statement showing that the total arrears of rates as at the end of September amounted to £717 Ils lid. A A portion of this amount, it was stated, was made up of 10 per cent, penalties unpaid. Cr. Dunlop moved that Wills’ lease of the Tongahoe Bridge reserve be cancelled, as the terms of the lease had not been complied with with regard to fencing, and that rent already paid be refunded.—The motion was carried.