WAKANUI ROAD BOARD.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 1, Issue 149, 7 September 1880, Page 2

WAKANUI ROAD BOARD.

The Wakanui Road Board met on Thursday, when there were present— Messrs. Hugo Friedlander (presiding), Joseph Hunt, James Brown, and A. G. Earle.

John Black wrote, asking for compensation on account of the loss he had sustained on his contract—Leadley and Buttefick’s drain,—the loss amounting to over L2OO, which had arisen owing, to.the difficult ground he had to work. The matter Was held over for a full meeting of the Board.

William Evans undertook to complete the fence around the Board’s section he occupied, if the Board' would supply the material. • Mr. Brown moved that bn the first Wednesday in October the contract with Mr. Wilkie for collecting the rates be terminated,-Mr. Wilkie and his sureties being served with notice to that effect; and also that the latter will be held responsible for a,ll rates uncollected through Mr. Wilkie’s neglect. Mr. Earle seconded the motion. .

Mr. Hunt said the Board had allowed ratepayers ,an extension of time to pay, and he > was thqrqfore opposed to tho sureties being lield responsible. The Chairman was also opposed’ to this part of the motion. Mr. Brown.was of opinion that the instructions issued to Mr. Wilkie not to press ratepayers did not exonerate him for neglecting to serve notices. A time for the contract to end should have been stated in the agreement. ' The Clerk, iii' answer to Mr. Brown, supplied the following information : —Last year’s rates amounted to L 1,102 odd, L2OO of which were still uncollected, as well as some rates still due on the old roll. Since last meeting several sums had been recovered, and there were still cases to be heard. , For some:reason or other, the collector had reduced the amount of Ll 4 to L 4, which stood on the roll against Mr. Thomas Bullock.

Mr. Brown, who was of opinion that the sum of L2BO paid by the Board to the Borough was paid in error, and that the Borough had no right to the portion of the surplus land fund which the sum was supposed to represent, moved . that the Board is of this opinion, and that the Mayor be requested to refund the money. He had opposed the payment at the time, and recent, events had only strengthened his belief that the payment was illegal. • The Chairman explained that- the payment had not been made to the Borough as such, but was paid to the Ashburton township, which at the time the money acerhed was a 'ward of the Board. Mr. Joseph Hunt said that if the money had been paid by the Ashburton Road Board at the time that body recognised the Borough’s right to the money, there would have been no trouble now.

Tho Chairman said the Borough had no wish to retain money it had no right to, and he would second the motion pro' forma, to raise a discussion. Ultimately it was decided that the resolution could not pass wuthout a previous one, authorising the payment, being rescinded, and Mr. Brown, therefore, gave notice to move at next meeting. The surveyors’ report stated the quantity specified had not been acted up to in the concrete falls contract" on Leadley’s and Butterick’s drain, and therefore the work, though reported finished, had not been passed. The outfall on Corbett’s road had been cut through Messrs. Wilson and Wright’s property, with their consent, at a cost of L 6. The surveyor desired information as to whether they intended to call for tenders for forming to its full width the Wakanui road near Moffatt’s mill, as it was impossible, owing to the heavy traffic, for the contractor for maintenance to keep the road in repair. They also advised the re-formation of the road, between Messrs. Bruce and Prendergast’s property. Mr.D. Fitzgerald had not yet removed the obstruction to the watercourse on River road, though he had been' written to on the subject. Filling where' pipes had been taken out had been done on the Suburban road in continuation of Havelock street, at a cost of L 3 Ssj, which included metalling culvert approaches. It was resolved to adopt; the surveyors’ recommendation regarding the Wakanui road, as far as from the junction of the Beach road to Trevor’s road, and to doing several other pieces of forming in the district.., It was resolved to defer action in regard to Fitzgerald’s land in the meantime. .

It was resolved to call for tenders for the road maintenance contract when tho existing one expired. A special meeting was fixed for that day week, at two o’clock, to consider the work of preparing tho rate-roll in connection with the'clerk’s duties.