MASTERTON ROAD BOARD.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1707, 10 June 1884, Page 2

MASTERTON ROAD BOARD.

engineer's repoi-.t.

Sir,—l have the honor to Btibmit to you my monthly _ report upon tho works in progros within this district.

No. 1 Ward-Alfredtondisthct read, con- . tnct No 1: On this line good progress has bucn made during tho past month. The greater portio i of the earthwork and culverts are completed on the contraot proper, and little rtmiiin but to generally trim off and otherwise complete the minor details' of tho work. The connecting of tho district and mam roads will be proceeded with so soi.n ■as the original contract basbeen carried out. Mr Girdwood so far has made no commencement with his Contract No. i on this line, and has requested an extension of three weeks titno before he may bo required to do so. Ho has advised me that his object in making this request is to.obviate the necessity of his employing a double staff, his contract lying entirely in the opposite end of the district. The granting or otherwise of his application must iu a large measure on the probablo requirement! of those interested in the foimation of this hootion of the line so can 1 presume ;be bust dealt with by tho Warden representing that district. Arrangements have been entered into for the hauling of the "bridge timber to the sites of bridges along the line, I am, however afraid that the recent repairs on the Eketahuna to Alfredton road have constructed a practical .tamer against iti being used for anyihroj but horse traffio until the spring. The necessrry survey has bejn made on tho branch lino of road leading into the property of Mr Anderson, I anticipate having the plans completed in time to make application totheGovernmwt for tho sum duo from Lands sold in this locality during next week. No. 2 Ward, Upper Manaia road-As no satisfactory tenders either private or publio have been received for, the work on this lun I have decided to crr.y it out by day labor pud will proceed with it early next month,-

To Whiti to Gladstone Road.—Mr Colway is nuking good progress with tliis work, The throujh cutting on the' spur interceptiog the line near Mr Cockburn's homestead is in an advanced state, and. but for the exceptionally hard cemented nature.-of the gavel encountered in opening oiit the excavation, might probably have been completed by noiy, A large quantity of the'posts for the fencing of tjjo line are laid on the'grouurt andinothei respects the ■ works aro being pushed fonvardwitb much energy, 1 ' 1 Opaki toKangituman road,—JV hen last visited on tlio 2nd ultimo' the contractor had not put in' an appearance on the ground.' It is however prooabjg 1 that! since. that date, tho : work has been proceeded with,' as Mr Matthews'assured me that he purposed pushing the work forward- s6'' : q'u'nlt , y as possible. AlrEobert Cockburn has intimated to me 1 that he is ' desirous :.iith the consent of theT3oard of orecting a fence with gato across the old line'of road, and below tno point of divergence of the new one, on (ha lower Manaia line, I cannot m that

liat thcro can beany objection to. this, nasmuch as the old ono (except in times of heavy floods) will fa 1 entirely into disuse. I w.ll therefore recommend that Ilia request bo grouted upon tho understanding that the gate is of a Biiitablc size and conveniently fixed,

The nocesspry data has been gathered for (lie preparation o( the ostimatcs for the pro- . posed loan for the extension of tlio Whnngnchu Vallny road formation; The doouments for signature ivc. will bo ready hi transmission to Wolliiwton this day fortnight, No. 3 Werd, Upper Feriiridgo rnnd,Mcwrs Easimisfei: & Co. have faithful y ' completed the contiact for formation and niotalling of part of tho above-named lino, The work, which,has been executed at, a . low price, reflects considerable credit upon tho. contractors who have displayed much caronnd precision.in its execution. The . formation woiks in tho Miki Miki valley have been finished, and hands are engaged 'at present in removing tho surface stones oil the centro width of the lino on what are . known as Welch's fiats. The deponing of • . ■ side drains on tho Pairan swamp road will hi completed within the next two or three days. A? I mentioned upon a previous occasion it will be necessary before tho lino is opened for heavy vihiclo trafiio to lay a sounder foundation to a section of (ho linj passing through the softer portions of tho swamp This can readily bo dono by carting and spreading the materials excavated from tho gravel ridges tlnough vhic'i the side drains nave passed, As ilus can be executed at a comparatively small cost I will request the authority of the Coard to have it performed, I have examined and arranged with Mr' Wilton for the hush felling upon the line of road lending into his property upon tho Fernritigo. The price (weed upon for tho felling is at the rate of £'i 5s per acre. The width and length one chain and seventeon and a half chains respectively. The necessary survey of .the line of road into Mr D. Steward's property on Opaki has been completed, and ihe information given ' to the Board's solicitor for the purpose of drafting the deed of transfer, if a satisfactory understanding can bo arrived t.t relative to the amount to be paid for completion, No 4 Ward, Waipawa Valley road.—This work is now undergoing its final finishing off As before arranged, tho line will be closed for all but horse traffic until the Spring. Willi this end in view, I have arranged to fell several trees of considerable girth, across , the formed siding at the Taneru end, round the of which tracks will bo cut to allow of horso traffic passing. At tho Brancoptth end a short length will beleit unformed which will effectually block Ihat end ngainst wheel tiaflic. It it a matter of considerable importance- in the future main tenanceof a portion of this line, which passes through Native properly, that tho busli should, if possible, be felled another " chain wide ou each side, I will recommend, therefore, that this bo done, providing the consent of the Native owners can be obtained thereto, The Wcslmcro rami works have been satis factorily completed and taken over, by me on behalf of the Board. The construction of tho Wainuioru bridge is rapidly drawing towards completion, and " it is anticipated will bo finished by Wednesday, the 11th inst. The earthwork approaches are also being energcticaly caiu'ed out, and will, with a continuation of favorable weather, bo out of hand in about three weeks' time, No 5 Ward.—ln company with Aft Uonnal the Goveumcnt Inspecting Engineer, I visited the works, now completed, under the Roads and Bridges Construction Act, on the East Coast lino of road: They have throughout been crrefully and successfully carried out h a workmanlike manner, and mu6t prove of great benefit to the travelling public in that quarter, While :n that locality, I made it my business to interview some of the resident fiett.ers, relatiye to tho proposed deviation of the present line through tho Mangapiu Flats. 1 point'd nut to Mr Geo. Moore the method which, from a rough examination of the ground upon one or two occasions, had siiggtsted itself to me a3 the most effectual way of dealing with tho matter in a satisfactory and permanent manner. I also rode oyer the ground with him and heard the different routes proposed as feasible lines. Time would not, howevei, admit of my making a sufficiently exhaustive examination of any of the different lines as would enable mo to offer any definite recommendation to tho Board. Of this I am, however, satisfied, that until the district which will benefit by the proposed alb ration is in a position to incur a considerable expenditure it wiil be of little advantage (beyond finally settling definitely, where tl-elino is to go) to have the line suiveyed at present. Which ever way I might finally decide to deviate, a considerable outlay in side cuttings, culverts, (to., must be faced, and moro especially so if it should be determined upon to deviate towards tho east and run on tho opposite side of tho Pahautanui and Maugapiu streams, closing on to the old line to the south at Messrs Moore's and Donald's boundary fence, Tho matter is ono which to decido will require a careful reconnaisanco survey of tho ground along the different lines, with a view to determining the different eradicnls and proportionate lengths and costs, &e. Unless tho Ward is fitnncial'y in a position to incur this expenditure, tho frresent lino must still be retained as the only one which can be kept practicable for traffic during tho summer season at a comparatively small cost. I have, etc., CM. BIIEMNER.