WAIRARAPA WEST COUNTY COUNCIL.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 386, 11 February 1880, Page 2

WAIRARAPA WEST COUNTY COUNCIL.

enqiheer's report of county works, To the Chairman Wairarapa West County Council. Sir,—l have the' honor to submit the following report on the public worts of the Wairarapa West County Council Opaki to Manawatu Road.—Messrs Gills and Rasmusen, contractors for the erection of a 50ft span trussed bridge on this.road have completed their contact in a satisfactory manner. In order tnat this road may be in a condition for traffic during next winter, drains and the culverts should ' be cleaned out, portions of. the road metalled, and metal deposited on tho several sectionsjfor repairs*"', The scrub on the sides of the road should*also be cut down, as - in." many places, it overhangs the road bed. Eketahuna to Alfredton. road.—Messrs Gwynand Donohue, the contractors for the third section of this road, have completed their contract in a satisfactory manner. On this section of the road there are four streams with high banks, which we proposed bringing, but , on subsequent inspection we found* that the country drained by these streams was not extensive, and during the wet season they did not rise much'. We therefore decided on building culverts with suitable fillings over them instead of bridges. Three of those culverts are 80ft long, and the other 75ft long. I was authorised by the Works Committee to let the extra work to the contractors, Messrs Gwynnj and Donohue, who have agreed to provide all material and complete the works for £302 ss. Mr James Hourigan, the contractor for the fourth section of this road is executing the contract in a satisfactory manner. I expect this csntract to be completely finished in two months' time. Msen&Co. , the contractors for the fifth section of this road, have felled about fifty chains of the bush, and commenced the formation, Mauriceville road.—Petersen & Co. are proceeding with their contract on this road in a satisfactory manner. I expect this contract to be completed in three weeks' three weeks'time. , Mr G. Christenßen is also proceeding with his contract

on this road, will ■ be|fihished alsjul; s j the same time, S\ ;f'| Mr contra|tor for tlio erectiqnfyf ?|2Bft|span ;tru|jecl bridge on this load has jdleliveyed a part of the necfissarjr-materiala on th'e ground,j Te Ore Ore-metalling.—Mr is proceeding with this work very slowly. About 15 chains of the metal has yet to be laid, the large stones broken, the metal '••properly -sjjfead., 1 ' arid ' additionalmet&l added at places. Upper Taueru bridle 'track.—Messrs. Rutherford. and Gibson are .proceeding ; with the execution of their contract on this track in a satisfactory manner. About 70 chains are completed. I expect the contract to be completly finished in about a fortnight, Waipoua protective works.—l have commenced the repairs to these works, and expect to complete them in about a week, or eight days. Ruamahunga protective at Te Ore Ore. —A considerable portion of the right bank of this river, a few fthains above the bridge, has been carried away by recent floods, and part of the protective works completely destroyed. I estimate the cost of a floating dam placed above the place where the damage has been done and which would probably turn the stream at that point, at £BO to £IOO. It would be difficult and expensive to restore the old protective works, and others also would have to be erected further up the stream.

Agreeably with your instructions, I transferred the deviations on the Eketahuna to Alfredton road, and sent a plan ef the same to the Survey Office, Wellington, on the 29nth January next, I have the honor, &c., John King, _ ■ ' County Engineer.

ADDENDA. Mauricoville North Road.—The slips on this road have been cleared away, and the road otherwise put in good repair. Black Bridge.-The repairs ordered to be doue to this bridge have been exemplified. J. King, County Engineer.

1 It was resolved on the reading of this report that the Clerk notify Messrs Fairbrother that unless the work was completed' by the 15th March, the penalty would be enforced.

Mr McGregor and the County Engineer stated that repairs to the Rurmahunga protective works were required, but there was no immediate need for them to be done, and it was resolved—That in the position of the County finances, Mr King watch the works, and that Councillors Moore, and McGregor be authorised to expend any sum urgently required for the preservation of the works. Considerable discussion then took place as to whose duty it was to see to the preservation of bridges between adjacent districts, when Councillor Moore having drawn, the attention of the meeting* to the; 85th clause of the " Public Works Act, 2879," it was resolved that the Clerk write to the Taratahi-Carterton and Masterton way Boards, that if the Waingawa were kept in repair by the Council, the amount expended would be recoverable from the Boards, and that fit was considered advisable that they should imake arrangements for its repair and preservation, and should draw their attention to the clause of the-Act referred-to. The following' resolution was then passed, on the motion of Councillor Jffinchin, seconded by Councillor Moore, without comment That this Council earnestly reeomtnends to the. favorable consideration of the Government, the apportionment of a sufficient sum of money out of the £SOOOO voted last session for roada the North Island to continue the formation ef the road now in construction from Bketahuna through the Mangaone Block, so as to join with the surveyed line of road running through the Alfredton Block out to the East Coast, a distance of miles, the estimated cost for which jor formation only, :is £4 per chain, or a total of £4BO, exclusive of engineering expenses, and that copies of the foregoing resolution be forwarded to the Colonial Secretary and to the Chairman of the Wairavapa" Eaet County Council, The Council then adjourned.