WAIRARAPA EAST COUNTY COUNCIL.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2211, 11 March 1886, Page 2

WAIRARAPA EAST COUNTY COUNCIL.

Engineer's Repom. ' Sib,—l have tho honor to lay before you my report on the works in progress in the district.during the past month : Masterton Riding; Te Ore Ore to Bideford road.'—Satisfactory arrangements have been entered into for executing the short length of metalling on this road, and the work will be undertaken'almost immediately. Waingawa to Camp road,—The sheeting over of the platform bridges on the Opaki flats have been let by private arrangement to Mr F. Chapman who has completed the culvert ,in a substantial and satisfactory manner. Alfredton Riding; Eketahuna toTinui road.—The portion of the contract which is located on the swamp section is all but completed and will probably bo out of hand in the course of a day or two, " The quality of the stone with which tho road is being metalled is such as to justify the expectation that a thoroughly hara and good wearing surface will be procured when the metal has become hard and set. To secure this, however, it will be necessary to carefully maintain the section for the first few weeks after taking it over by carefully raking in the ruts, and breaking the larger stones which may work up on to the surface from time to time. After this has been performed, and the surface consolidated, occasional attention will uuffice to keep the- metalled portions in. an efficient and sound state of repair. Pend-' ing the fulfilment of tho swamp portion nothing is being done to the first section of Contract No 13, nor towards completing the defects reported upon in connection with Contract No. .9. These works will now shortly be proceeded with, and both contracts completed by next sitting of the Council.' Formation works on the Tiraumea section of this line have been advertised, tho 'tenders for which close at noon this day, Tho Assistant Engineer has examined and reports that of the bridges built upon the branch roads in the Riding, two forty feet span truss bridges and threo ordinary- platform bridges require painting, 1 append to my report an estimate of the probable cost of executing the work, and recommend that it be carried out.

Castlopoint Riding; Mastertonto Waimata Road.—Contract No. 8, let to Messrs Mulligan and Smith, although making fair progress, cannot be completed by the specified time, Undor existing circumstances it is calculated the works will occupy about k days longer in finishing them. In other aspects .the conditions of contract are being satisfactorily complied with. Contract No. 9 lias been creditably finished, mid the final payment on the work handed over to the contractor. Baker's Contract, No. 18, on the Oahanga section, is well advanced, and but for the delay in landing the timber from Wellington, would have been completed some time since. The Contract time for completion of the work was the 14th February, to which "a three weeks extension of time was granted. The works cannot, however, be fulfilled until the delivery of the timber takes place, which will probably be in the course of a a week, Surveys have been made of the bridge sites at the foot of the Oalwnga hill and as the Oahanga ferry crossing. Plans for a bridge, with approaches, have been prepared for the former site, and measurements have been taken for a ferry rope at the latter. From the data collected it is ascertained that the old Manawatu ferry rope is sufficiently long to reach across the Oahanga river, and is also in other'respects suitable for ferry purposes .

Eketahuna to Tinui road.—Contract No. 12, for metalling sections on the Manawa portion of this road, wero reported by the Overseer successfully completed on the 3rd. inst. Its maintenance will be undertaken by the contractor during the next month according to agreement, when tho work will be taken over by the Council. With a view to reducing the expenditure within the limits of the amount available, three permanent maintenance mon have been 'suspended in this Riding until the close of the financial year. These men have been temporarily transferred on to works which are being undertaken at present by the Castlepoint Road Board. The remaining hands, two in number, are engaged in effecting the more urgent repairs upon tho metalled portions of the Mungapakeha section of the Masterton to Wanhata line. Opaki to Manawatu road.—Contracts Nos. 22 and 23, for metalling repairs, have been completed, and the portions of the line upon which the repairs have been executed, aro now in a comparatively sound and fit state, I have to draw tho attention of the Council to the Government having recently let an extensive contract for tho supply of railway sleepera for the railway formation contract recently completed, These sleepers are now being delivered in large and weighty loads upon waggons fitted with the narrowest tires,' The effect on the dry and solid road surface is at present almost inappreciable, but so soon tia the first broken weather is experienced, the effect of this carting will be most disastrous, both to the older as well as the more recently repaired parts of the road, 1 recommend, therefore, that tho Council give ample authority to the several roadmen in charge of the line to inspect tho various loads and width of tires, so. that the evil may bo stopped at once by taking proceedings against the carriers who exceed the weight allowed by the present County by-law to be carried on narrow tire vehicles, I have examined ■ the various road diversions along the railway extension contract let to. Messrs Downes and Henderson, and have to report that with the excoption of tho Mauriceville one, all are completed in a satisfactory manner. On a portion of the Mauriceville one to which I take tho metal has either been aprbad so thin or has become so forced down into the mud bed upon which it is laid, that the' surface for about two or three chains is quite unfit for traffic after a heavy-, rainfalL I will advise that the Council require that at least a 4-inch layer of coarse ;stoiio bo broken and spread qn the surface of the section of the diversion before, bonsenting to take it over from the Government. I have, &c,, O. E. Bremnjie.