CONFERENCE RE ROAD BOARDS.

Clutha Leader, Volume III, Issue 156, 6 July 1877, Page 5

CONFERENCE RE ROAD BOARDS.

A. rn-':'jU:ig of Chairmen of Road Boards within the Clutha County was held in the Atheiv.cum buildings oh Monday evening. The meeting bad bfeen called by Mr J. W. Thomson, M.H.R., -as mentioned in our last issue. The weather was extremely i-ielcment, and this, coupled with the lateness of the hour, .prevented a full attendance. Mr Thomson explained -that lie had called thorn together as -it was contemplated that there would be some now logiTai-i >n regarding County Councils 'and Hoard .Boards daring the approaching session of \ssembly. He considered the Chairmen of tlie Boards might be able to make some valuable suggestions, and he would bo glad to endeavour to give effect to their views in the Assembly. Mr Christie (Chairman of tho O.utha Road Board) said he considered the Road Board Act was ellicient in its ..present shape, and feared any interference with it wotdd only mar its usefulness. Ho was afraid further legislation would only tend to bring the Boards more into collision with the Counties, in which case the former would go to the wall. Mr Inglis (Chairman of the Matau Rond Board) considered the Counties should have no control whatever over the Road ■Bsft-wls ;' that the two should be entirely separate and independent bodies. Mr Thomson said he thought a good deal of misconception existed with reference to the true functions of Counties. He regarded County Councils simply as Road Boards having control of itiain roads in the same manner as the present Road Boards had of tho district roads. Both bodies should be quite distinct and independent of each other. His own opinion was tho Counties be larger. The Counties of Taieri, Bruce, and Clutha should be nnitod. This would get over the difficulties that at -present existed with

reference to the Taieri, Clutha, and Matau bridges, and other -matters. The overriding power the General Government had over the Provincial Government was the cause of the latter -being abolished, and the same thing would occur if the Counties had an overriding power over the Road Boards. The Counties had at present the power to declare all roads within the County, County roads. This would havo the effect of abolishing tlie Boarda.

Mr Inglis considered the Provincial District of Otago should be one County. Mr Christie suggested that an annual valuation should be done away with, -M one every three years would be Cpiite frequent enough, and would save a great" deal of expense. Pie .pointed -out the

little expense at which the Road Boards were carried on as compared with Counties. In his Board the salaries only amounted to L'2B, and their expenditure was L7OO.

Mr Inglis said the salaries in connection with his Board were only L 29 .per annum. He pointed out an evil of the County and Road Board systems, viz. , that tliey had the same powers of taxation over the same districts, and if the County rated to the extent of Is. in the £, the Road Boards could not levy a rate at all. The Counties might have some other mode of raising a revenue — a tax on horses, vehicles, etc. Indeed, he thought the Counties should be abolishedand a Board of Works established

to attend to tho whole main roads of tlie provincial district.

Mr Thomson asked what they would think of the Chairmen of Road Boardsbeing the members of such a Board of Works.

Mr Christie said 'in that case they would liave to be paid their travelling expenses.

Mr Thomson had no doubt it would come to this ■; at any rate^that members of County Councils should be paid such- expenses.

Mr Inglis "said they had no riioro to do than members of Road Boards.

Mr Thomson replied that as a rule they liad further to travel.

Mr Christie read the following reply, he, as Chairman of the Clutha Road Board, had sent to Dr Pollen, who had asked for suggestions as to the working of the Acts : —

In reply to your letter of the 26fch April, asking me, as Chairman of the Clutha Dist. iot Road Board, to give you any suggestions upon a proposed new general road law, I beg ! to state that my experience of the present systdm has been of such a satisfactory kind that I would deeply regret the passing of any new measure that wonld seriously interfere with it. I camiofc 'conceive of any possible law under which the funds <it the disposal of tho Road Boards could be more profitably expended or more economically administered. The present constitution of theso Boards, and especially that part of it which provides for the annual retirpment of members by rotation, creates an interest in the maintenance of tlie roads among the settlers in tho several districts whicli most oft' eettially p'reveu ; b any useless expenditure of money ; while their ot-icials being under local control are likely to be more attentive to their dufcies than they would be 'if their superiors resided afc a distance. , The expense of management, by which I moan the salaries of clerk, treasurer, collbctor, etc.-, have seldom or never exceeded three per cent, in this district, a -suiti which will bear favourable comparison with tho working cost of any other organisation in these Colonies. Besides, there at present exists among District Boards a spirit of emulation which leads thetn to vie with one another in keeping their roads in the best possible state of repair-: a 'spirit which would entirely 'disappear if the management were vested in such central bodies as County Councils.

But whilst 1 am strongly of opinion that tho constitution of District Road Boards should not be seriously interfered with, I would at the sluno time hail with delight the passing of any measure which would summarise in a clear, distinct, aud intelligible form tho numerous Acts and Ordinances at present bearing upon the adnrinisfcrationof Boad Boards.

Some members remarked *u.p6n the salaries paid to Chairmen of the County Councils ; in one case L4oo'a.yuar, whicli it was pointed out was a thing never intended. It was mentioned that oven the Chairman, or Speaker, of the late Provincial Council, which body had 'to attend to the whole affairs of the Provii.oe, had only L2OO, and latterly Ll5O a year. 'Mr Christie .pointed out that -in, "tlie Clutha County the Road Boards -did all tho work of tlie County, and that the main roads in that County were as "well attended to 'as in those Counties whore a separate staff of engineors, inspectors, clerks, and paid Chairmen were employed-. The Clutha Council, he considered*, had taken the wise course-, and had. not brought tho whole Act into operation. After some further conversation Mi"* Thomson was heartily thanked for his<eon*sideration in calling and attending tlte, -meeting-, which then sepai'a'ted-.