MASTERTON BOROUGH WORKS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIX, Issue 8140, 17 May 1906, Page 3

MASTERTON BOROUGH WORKS.

EXPENDITURE OF LOAN MONET. . iREPORT BY THE ENGINEER. At the meeting of the Masterton 'Borough Council on the Btb instant, the Engineer was instructed to pre--pare a report on various works in the Borough, involving an expenditure of about £13,000, a portion of the £25,000 loan. The report, whioh will be dealt with at the meeting of Jfche \TorkS Committee, on Tuesday evening next, states inter alia:—? r The Counoil have decided that the following works bo put in hand this year:—Schedule A.— Queen Street footpaths, £510; Pine Street footpaths, £824 10s; Shed for asphalt £200; ' tctal, £1.534 10s. "Sohedule B.—Koad, Beale and ing, oto, £285; Ronall Street, two ■culverts, £65; Churoh Street, formation, etc., £100; Johnston Street, formation, etc., £150; Makora Road bridge, £2l)0; Waipoua Stop bank, £SO; Makora Creek, £I,OOOI Water mains, £1,000; Vivian Street. £150; total, £31,000. Sohedjule U.— Ngauaiatawo Koad, £75; Oolnmba Road, £150; York Street, -s£138:; Junction Road £120; total, =£4B3. Schedule D.—Cross Street, £1500,; Hessey Street, £250; total, £1750. Schedule E.—Park and baths, £SOO. Schedule : I'. Gasworks, £4,000. Schedule G.—Road macbin'ery £1,700. Grand total, £13,067 10a. In Schedule A. the works included are the construction and asphalting ■of paths as set out. To carry out this work it is-essential that provision shall be made for obtaining and 'treating the material required. This involves getting metal, screening and drying same and mixing with tar. I "-am of opinion that a large amount of this work can be done by machinery, viz—screening and mixing. This would involve having suitable screens -and a mixing machine. A mixing machine for this work will cost from £SO to £75, the screen for the same will'be dealt with under Schedule 1 G. The site of the shed (£200) ; for mixing and storing asphalt should be fixed at onoe, so >that the shed may bt up by the end of October. Schedule , 8., Chapel Street gradiner.—This includes the grading of Chapel Street from Cole Street to the Fish ponds, including gravelling road, forming paths and culvert at fish ponds. This work oan be let in one contract and specifications for same can be prepared to follow Makora Creek grading. Renall Street culverts, £65. The wood oulverta are to be replaced with concrete pipes. This work Should be put in hand forthwith. Churoh Street, formation ;and gravelling, etc., £IOO. This •work can be done at any time as 'there is a considerable excess of soil iheie which might be used for filling •elsewhere. Johnston Street, £150: This work includes setting back fencing, filling up at fliroshberg's and Johnston's. Makora Creek bridge, £2OO. This is already in hand. Waipoua stop bank: Tenders are called for this. Makora' Oreek: This is one of tue heaviest items to bo dealt with; it includes replacing the present wood culverts on Queen and Chapel Streets with larger openings. 1 prooose that the Jevel of the stream bt lowered, throughout by removing all obstructions from Colomba Road upwards ;and deepening the stream. I would suggest to grade Dixon Street from Worksop Road to the creek if possible, so that the storm water from 'Queen and Dixon Streets may be discharged into the Creek there. The particulars of culverts across Queen and Chapel Streets can only be determined after the levels are fixed, the surveys for which are now in progress. Below Colomba Koad. the creek is very- much blocked by the growth of willows in the creek but it was not anticipated that the cleading of this part of the creek woul d have to be carried out by the Council. Water mains: The proposal to •extend the water supply demands the importation of a supply of pipes for this work. The streets proposed to be dealt with are Dixon Street, from Ross to Cameron Streets, Church JBtreet to Colomba Road, Bunny's Road, Hessey Street extensions, connecting George flnd Villa Streets, South Road extension, Cricket and ' , Club Streets, Colomba Road and Kuripuni Lane. This would entail approximately two and a quarter miles of pipes, and the previous proposal of the Works Committee to procure one mile of 4inch and ona mile of 3inch cast iron pipes with neoessary hydrants, valves and specials seems a wise one. Pipes in the colony have advanced from £8 10a, six months ago, to £lO and upwards tc day, and I believe the peak has not teen reached. I am of opinion that will keep on rising for several months, and so far there is do sign of the peak of the iron market having been reaohed. If, however, yo? desire to move at once, an order could be placed for 75 tons of 3 and 4inoh pipes and the necessary fittings. Vivian Street, £150: This road has for some years been in a deplorable condition and it would be wise to call tenders at once for forming and gravelling the same. Schedule C.— Ngaumtawa Road, £75: Levels will be taken and a contract prepared for this work forth ■ with. Colomba Road, £150: This amount will provide for the formation from Worksop Road to Makora Creek. The remaining portion will \ be better reserved till Herbert Street ia being dealt with. Plans and specifications will be prepared forthwith, -Yorke Street, £138: This work will be dealt with as soon as the necessary transactions are complete re widening of same. Junction Road, £150: The survey of this road is in hand, and tenders will be called for at once. Widening Cross Street: Surveys have, already been made for thiß work, whioh * should be oarried out forthwith. Hessey Street extension, £250: The arrangement made with the Presbyterian Trnstees should be executed at once and tenders oalled for the work to be done on this road. Park and 'baths, £500: A survey ia in hand for excava'ing ornamental water baths, and tenders can be oalled for this work and river protection . shortly. Gasworks, £4,000: This loan includes purchase and erection

of gasholder, £2,300; steam pomp tor tar ammoniacal liquor and- water, £SO; 2% miles of mains, £1,000; sfcifti »g old purifiers, £150; poll, interest, arid contingencies, £SOO. The amount set down (£2,300) will provide for a 2 lift, Gadd and Masons' spiral guided holder set in oonorete tank and erected, the ! capaoity of which would be about 80,000 oubio feet; this with the two present holders, should give ample accommodtion for many years to come The providing of a steam pump will remove a long felt want in the lifting of tar and ammoniaoal liquor; whilst the shifting of the two small purifiers will give further improvements In the present purifying plant and permit of their present site being used for other purposes. The 2% miles of mains extensions will provide for extending the gas to most of the streets were reticulation is likely to be remunerative. The contingent amount of loan should be used for converting the old retort house and exhauster room into coal stores, if they are subdivided into compartmonts an aoourate check could be kept of amount of coal carbonized from time to time. The streets demanding extensions are— Cornwall Street, Chapel Street, near Rigg's, Upper Plain Road, George and Villa Streeis, Albert Street, Wiigley Street, Bannister, Keaton and Church Streets, Bunny's Road, Sussex Street, Dixon Street, Ross Street, High Street, Grey ( and Olive j Streets, Queen Street from llaliensteins' to Cross Street. The previous recommendation was to secure 11 tons of 6 inch mains, 15 tons of 4 inch mains, and 60 tons of 3 inch mains, a total of 86 tons, which if prooruei with the water rriHins, would giro you a better chance of obtaining at a lower rate than if bought in two lots. Road Machin- j ery: The need of making better] roads has long been apparent; the principal road machinery required is a steam road roller with scarifier and a Btone crusher with screening plant. The shallow depth at which the gas mains and services aud the water servcies have been laid make it imperative that many of them be re-laid before a heavy roller can be used in several street in the town. A 6 h.p, engine and roller would weigh about 10 tons, whilst an 8 h.o. would weigh about 14 tons. It would be test to have a tractioD engine convertible to a road roller and for traction engine purposes an 8 h.p, engine is in hauling capacity superior to a 6 h.p. For the most of the work, however, a 6 h.p. would be sufficient. It is of courso j essential that you should have a scarifier attachment to engine for breaking up roads. If the formation of the roads to be made are to be done by contract I do not see much use .in the Council purchasing a grader; on the other hand if the Council purpose doing this work themselves then I would advise the purchase of a grader, as by Its use quite 50 per cent of the contract cost of formation oould be saved. As to the question of acquiring trucks for hauling purposos the Council would be wise first to investigate what has been done in this matter. General: In respect to the street widening and extensions generally, I would strongly adviso the Council to give this work precedence of all others. In most of the streets to be dealt with the Council knows the views of the parties interested. It the parties are willing proper agreements should be entered into at onoe, but where they are cot agreeable I should advise that the lands proposed to be acquired be taken under The PublicWorks Aofc, before a large expendi. ture of loan money take placet This would apply to Wrigley Stree, extension, Cross Street widening Hessey Street extension, Makora Road, Kuripuni Street, York Street. In most of the cases the surveys have already been made, and the necessary steps to acquire could be takeu at onoe.