ELTHAM COUNTY.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 November 1922, Page 7

ELTHAM COUNTY.

meeting of the council. The MONTH’S OPERATIONS. The monthly meetlns of the Bltharo County Council was held on Saturday. Present: Crs. C. .1. Belcher (chairman), B. J. Knuckey, A. Messana, W. B. Carter, A. Campbell, C. E. McGuinness, M. \V. Barker, and E. J. Gifford. Leave of absence was granted to Cr. A. McWillyiam. ilie engineer, Mr. M. E. Fitzgerald, repotted tor the month as'follows: South Biding.— Boylan Road has been tarpatched at this end, and the same length, together with parts of Mountain Road, are in urgent need of spraying. It is proposed to treat them as soon as the work can. conveniently be arranged. Water-tabling and general surface work was done on Canfpbell, Rotokare, Fraser and Boylan roads. Mangatoki Biding.—Tar-patching of Hunter Road is in hand. Palmer Road loan work is well on towards completion. It has been delayed by bad weather, but should be finished next week. Several heaps of broken stone were found overgrown with fern and grass on the roadside, but as this was too dirty for grouting purposes, it is proposed to reserve the material for use on the upper Palmer. Omona Riding.—General surface work was done on Rawhltiroa, Mataimaroke, Mataiwhetu, W aitlri and Karewa roads. This included the clearing of a few small slips brought down by the wet weather. Road surfaces near the Patea River were clay blinded. Kaponga Riding.—Tar-patching of Eltham Road is completed and Manaia Road is now being dealt with. Surface work was done on Opunake, Manaia and Rowan roads. Eltham Riding.—Water-tabling and general surface work was done on Tirimoana, Rawhitiroa and Maata roads. Shellrock is being quarried for Rawhitiroa Road. General.—During the past month I accompanied the chairman on a tour of inspection of various bitumen-surfaced roads in adjoining counties. Those which were in indifferent condition did not reflect upon the quality of the material used, but clearly illustrated the necessity of care and proper conditions in its use. Mr. Murray has surveyed the two pieces of road reserve in Kaponga. Tins reserve is one and a-half acre in extent, and includes a large proportion of valuable land but. of awkward shape. The reserve near Riverlea tollgate is mainly rough quarry, but full details of the survey are not yet available. With the exception of the flnishlng-off of one or two contracts, the re-opening of the back roads is completed. The road through the Moeawutea Valley has been opened out to eight feet in width. The Whenuakura Valley road will be 12 feet as far as Brady’s filling and eight feet thereafter. The report was adapted. THE FINANCIAL POSITION. The clerk submitted a statement showing the flnicial position, based purely on estimates. The expenditure from April 1 to October 14 was £14,482, and the receipts for the same period £8146, leaving a debit of £6335. The balance of general rates due was £14,454 and the balance of special rates £5OlB, a total of £19,472. The rates, toll-gate revenue and sundries estimated to be received up to March 31, 1923, amounted to £17,600. Ddeucting from this the debit on the receipts and expenditure account, £11,265 was left available for expenditure to the end of March. The estimated expenditure to the end of March was £10,870, which would leave £395 available over and above the estimated expenditure. The chairman described the position as satisfactory, the difficulty of collecting rates being the worst feature. GENERAL. James Foy wrote drawing attention to the state of file Campbell and Tirimoana roads, and asking for> some improvements to be carried out. It was stated that, the Tirimoana Road was practically impassable for three months in the year, and the settlers were paying a heavy amount of rates.—The chairman said it should be known that metalling work could not be done out of rates. In the fine weather later on, it, might be possible to do grading on the Tirimoana road. It was agreed that the road was in a bad state and that Foy be informed that the road will be graded at a later date. The chairman and Crs. Messana and Barker were appointed a committee to bring down a report with regard to the road reserve at the junction of the Eltham and Rowan roads, with a. view to bringing about an exchange for more suitable land or to sell the reserve and purchase more suitable land. The Hawera County Council submitted accounts for the. Eltham County’s share of the boundary roads account and the adjustment of accounts between April, 1915, and September, 1916.—The council decided that it could not pay the accounts dating back beyond six years, and the clerk’s action in notifying in this direction was confirmed.