WAIRARAPA EAST COUNTY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2425, 14 October 1886, Page 2

WAIRARAPA EAST COUNTY.

Engineer's Retort.

Sir,—i have tho honor to submit to you my roport on the Public Works of the County for tho past month as follows: —Masterton Riding—Waingawa to Camp Road,—The weather during tho past month has been favorablo to.the execution of tho surface repairs which, have beon in the course of execution, and which are now woll advanced on the section of- the line with Masterton. At Waingawa tho fencing of the side line of the road was completed yesterday. TeOre Ore to Bidoford Road.—Men havo been employed during the past fortnight in opening out the portions of the lino damaged by the August, floods, The cuttings in the bush though liaidly sufficiently consolidated for heavy traffic wero reopened for use about tho 7th of the month. The permanent man with two assistants hag been employed in effecting necessary repairs on . the Maori Garden section of tho road.

Masterton to Waimata Road, (Masterton to Tauevu section).—With additional assistance the permanent roadman has been engaged during the past fortnight in renovating the road surface between Masterton and Otaliua, and will upon completion of this portion, remove to tho section further towards Tauoru.

Mr Darnells has completed his contract for the erection of the roadman's cottago at Otaliua in a satisfactory manner, The protective works on the bank of the liuamahanga River atTuOro Ore, havo been let to Mr J. Dawson for the euni of £23. Tho ivorks will shortly bo proceeded with. Castlepoint Riding.—Mastorton to Waimata road.—Tho repairs to the Rorokoko bridge, necessitated by the collapse of one of tho abutments, woro completed and tho bridsro made serviceable about the sth inst. With tho oxception of a short section of the road between the old Mungapakeha bridge and Tinui the line is open for wheel traffic. L'pon the Castlepoint section, to get over tho difficulty of the failure of the Tinui bridge, I havo directed that the old ford cuttings shall bo improved so as to admit of wool traffic being carried over the river with as little inconvenience as possible. To reopen the bridgo will, in my opinion, cost a considerable sum of money, and 1 think that, considering the generally unsound state of it, any further extensive outlay upon such work would bo inadvisable.

I have to ask authority of the Counoil to proceed with the opening out of the Oahanga Hill cuttings. The season has now arrived when tho work ought to be economically executed, and as tho wool season in that part of tho district is an oarly one 1-advise that this work bo undertaken without delay. Alfredton Riding.—Eketahuna to Tinui road (Eketahuna to Tiraumea section.)— I have given the contractor notice to coin-

J ; |)lete 1 this road,; _■ : j.: : 'Noiliiiiglas lijjen clone rts taffOT^s tor that-'tho work will •with ajt;,once: Uf.the - .bush ; i.V felled during lrißt .year, Council-if, aloiiz tlie'Eketahuna toAlfredtoii sectiofl"' ' of the acres hua beefi felled aVid'grflssedron sections NO3. 5 and 6 in .the; llangartiid. Mook:' Tina work has been"executed on tlie'as sectio'ns.At. a • cost of 303', anrt.i£o IOaJJd respectively. • 1 would recommend thafthe Waste Lands Board be applied to by the Council for a report of the money which can in turn bo charged npnst tlio sections disposed of by tho Government. : . Opaki't'i)Maiiawatußoad.-Incompany ■ with Mr Colinal, Government Engineer, I visited this line on the Ist inafc., and oxaminod that portion of it . between Opaki and -Eketahuna, with a view to arriving at Sn estimate of tho probable coat of its maintenance during tho current twelve months, and also to assess tho injury done to the road, by ,tho railway ■ traffic, and tho'probable co3t of - i'a.tifying this, damage,. The figures, .whicji, arq showu. below, are the result' of ... MjUfipnnal's and my own calculations, the exception of items No?. 1 and 2, over . which there'is a difference of; opinion, aro mutually agreed on;'as a fair'-valua-tion of tho necessary works, ' v . Section.—"Opakj to, Ekotalunia;—Re-' metalling J57 chains ol voadj at £2 per chain, £314..; ReTi)iet'alling 07 ,-sia}ns of £4 per chain, £OB ; 19 miles of surface • repairs, at,£3o per iliile, £570 Culvort ropairs, £ICO ; Reiuoval of Blips;''down aud ciuning, £IBO :;;4 niaintenance mon, at £o3lßa per annum, £375.125/''(Total, £180712 a. • .... .''' _i Section. Eketahuna, —.lB inile.fftiT , surface repairs, at £2O per mile, £3oo'; 30 feet stringer bridging, £100; 2iuaiiiienanco men, at £9318s pur. annum, £lB7 lGs. Total,£647los. Flood d*ma£a liability, £l5O ; Supervision, clerfcaj, &c., expenses, £l2O. Total, £270. Grand total, £2785 Bs. An analysis o ( the above statement, shews that out of-the total sum of : L 2785 noless'i smn than l)lol2is'reqliired for repairs ,to tho road surface principally rendered .necessary by tho railway traffic, and that LID 9 is übaorbod in the removal of heavy land-slips upon road diversions made liy the Government for .the convenience Of the Railway,. The balance, LIOO3 83, represents tho sum required for ordinary maintenance and'contingencies. The.figuroa do not include any. Ijj&ility for the; maintenance of ..the Maufljfille Junction Road diversion, as thiarwork still remains in the hands of the, Government. I think from .this statement it is apparent that the Government vote of L2BO must been calculated upon insufficient and unreliable data.

.J'have, etc.,, C.'E. Rremxer.