ELTHAM COUNTY.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 December 1922, Page 6

ELTHAM COUNTY.

MEETING OF THE COUNCIL. THE LAST MONTH’S WORK. The monthly meeting of the Eltham County Council was held on Saturday. Present: Crs. C. J. Belcher (chairman), E. J. Gifford, C. E. McGuinness, M. AV. Barker, A. Campbell, A. Massana, R. J. Knuckey, A. Me William, and W. E. Carter. The engineer (Mr. M. E. Fitzgerald) reported for the month as follows: South Riding.—General surface work was done on Boylan, Campbell, Rotokare and Fraser roads. The road surface beyond the n#w metal on 'Mountain road is being formed into shape. Further loan work on Fraser road has not yet been poKsih , .is the plant is engaged in get tin; :l sand for fairing work.

Mangatoki Riding.—The re-surfacing of Palmer Road is completed and the side bracks will he finished as oppor»t unity offers. Further tar patching was done on Hunter Road. Sand is being placed out for spraying. Omona Riding.—Rough metal at Matemateonga was blinded. A number of slips had to bo cleared in the back country, and some widenings effected along the Road. It is proposed to pjit on an extra man at the Moeroa end and carry out similar widenings on parts of the recently opened roads.

Kaponga Riding.—Tar patching on Eltliam and Upper Manaia Roads was completed, and a start is being made on Lowei Manaia. Surface work was done on Manaia and Rowan Roads.

Eltham Riding.—Mangamingi Ridge was blocked several times by slip? which were cleared. Shell rock was quarried and carted out for Rawhitiroa Road. Rough metal near the Patea river was blinded, and general surface work was done on Rotokare, Hu, Rawhitiroa, Tirimoana and Mountain ■Roads.

General.—Various running repairs were done to the 5 ton White crusher, steam roller and tar pot. An arrangement for spreading sand direct from the lorries has been tested with success. This has boon made at the depot, and will cheapen the sanding of tarred and bitumen treated roads. An order for 50 tons of bitumen has been placed. Halt this has been received, and the balance is expected in January. The question of work to be done with bitumen has been gone into closely and it is suggested that the order be increased to at least 100 tons. Given suitable weathei in March and April we could usefully place 150 tons. It was decided to increase the order for bitumen to 100 tons. The report was adopted. TOLL GATE MATTERS. The Minister of Internal Affairs forwarded correspondence from the Hawera Acclimatisation Society asking that officers of the. society be allowed to pass through the toll gates in the Hawera and Eltham counties free of charge. After a motion and an amendment pro and con the request was refused, the opinion being that the council could not differentiate between this and other deserving requests which had been refused.

The clerk reported that he had given a district scoutmaster a free pass through the toll gate provisionally upon the consent of the council. After discussion the. clerk’s action was endorser!. The Taranaki County Council forwarded an opinion from Mr. Martin (the Counties’ Associations solicitor) stating that toll gate revenue must be paid into the general fund and not into separate riding accounts. An opinion on the matter was asked for from the Eltham Council. Complaint, was made that the toll gate revenue was collected from particular roads for •par'ticular purposes and it was not fair to spread the revenue over the whole county. The question was left in the hands of the chairman and the clerk with potver to act.