North County Council.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2871, 12 April 1888, Page 2

North County Council.

Engineer's Report, The following report was read at the meeting of the North Wairarapa County Council held on Tuesday last: Masterton Riding Masterton to Waimata Road. —The River Diversion Works at Te Ore Ore are now in course of execution, but have not made such progress as I had anticipated would have resulted for the time the men have been at work. This is partly owing to the difficulty experienced in driving the piles, the coarseness of the boulder bed being such as to render it impossible in several cases to get the piles down to the depth originally proposed, and further, to the succession of small ireshets which have been of frequent occurrence in the river during the past few weeks, and which have caused a suspension of operations at times until the water should fall sufficiently to admit of their resumption, The portion of the work attended with most difficulty has nojfebeen got over, and I hope the remaifjpk' of the contract will be completed within a week or ten days from this date, Waingawa to Camp. —In connection willi Mr 0. _ Wilton's application of some months back, levels have been taken and a rough section prepared, which will enable him, with the assistance of the permanent man, to deepen and open out the road drains along his frontage on Opaki, so as to provide a uniform flow for the road drainage towards its natural outlet. This work will be commenced as soon as Mr Wilton has completed the trimming of his gorse hedge, which at present overhangs, and would obstruct their operatious in the drains, At Waingawa the river, during a heavy freshet in the middle of last month, made a somewhat heavy breach in the willow bank immediately above the south approach. I have not been able up till tho present to examine the site of the damage, but would ask the Council to grantuie authority to expend what monejlßy be required to execute such repairs as I may consider necessary. Castlepoint Riding. Masterton to Waimata Road.-The materials for the construction of the bridge beyond Pine Hill have been ordered and its erection will be proceeded with as soon as they can be delivered on the ground, The permanent men throughout this line have been engaged generally in crowning up the unmetalled portions of the road, and repairing and raking in the metalled surface in preparation for the wet season. The timber, which it is anticipated may be required for bridge and culvert repairs has already been delivered in the district, so as to obviate as much as possible all heavy traffic over these lines during winter. Alfredtoh Riding.—Eketahnna to Tenui road (Eketahuna to Tiriumea section). Contract No. 17, for syjjfeding a wire rope over theTiranmeaKverat Napier's has recently been completed, but owing to the pressure of work in other parts of the district, 1 have not yet been able to examine it. Additional men are at present employed in crowning up and cleaving the drains

along tlio bush section of this roadWhen this work has boon completed (which will be in the course of ten days, or a fortnight) the services of all the mon will bo dispensed with, and general \ fig maintenance works, in accordance with i W my recommendation of last month, will j bo allowed to lie in abeyance until the i spring, The contractors have com-1 munccd work on Contmct No. 18, and j have metalled a short length of ilia! road, To facilitate their operations, however, it will be necessary for the Council to give them authority under sub-section 12, section DO, ol the Public Works Act," in order that they may make use of materials from the gravel reserve now in process of being acquired by the Council, This courso is rendered necessary by Mr Toralinson having refused the men permission to remove gravel outside of the road half width of 50 links, until ho is paid tor the land taken by the Council. , Ofaki to Manawatu Road,—Tho metalling repairs are proceeding satisfactorily and considerable quantities of stono and gravel have been delivered nlong the respective roadmen's sections. When this has been raked in and properly broken, the line generally will be in fairly good order. There are, however, one or two spots between the /inain saddle and what is known as ( (WHastwell's Hats, which, unless they re- ■ v ceive further attention to the extent of say £25 to £3O will prove quite un- ( nblo to support the winter's traffic, and will probably lead at intervals to a temporary suspension of traffic between Eketahuna and the railway terminus at Mangamahoe. To obviate tliia I would ask that the Council will authorise my expending the above mentioned sum of £3O, in addition to the amount already allocated for expenditure on this section. This will enable me to place the line throughout j on a fairly sound footing. The repairs to the bridges in tho Pahiatua riding have not yet been proceeded with, although I understand that the materials have been ordered for the work, The fencing in of tho gravel pit at Pahiatua has been completed, and I am informed that with tho exception of some slight defect which can readily be rectified, the work has been faithfully performed. The necessary repairs to the platform bridge at Awaparua ,Jtove been completed in a satisfactory manner and the bridge is again in a sound condition. I am (fee,, 0, E, Bkemxer,