Manchester Road Board

Feilding Star, Volume XI, Issue 22, 6 August 1889, Page 2

Manchester Road Board

The ordinary monthly meeting pf the above was held on Saturday afternoon last. Present — Messrs Macarthur (chairman), Lothbridge, Wheeler, and Pearce. The minntoH of the previous ordinary meeting were ve&d. and confirmed. CORRESPONDENCE. From B. Gobb, re a tender for the bridge. From John Slipper, re board and lodging of two destitute children. From J. Walker, asking permission to plant trees on side of road. From Freasury office, application for £482 Os 2d interest on loan. From J. A. McCrae, re legalisation of road to his property. From General Survey Office, with form for particulars with reference to expendidure of rates on Native Lands. From Property Tax Office, advice of payment of £312 Os 6d subsidy to Board's credit. From B. Anderson, asking permission to erect a ditch and bank fence. From District Survey Office, with plans and tracings of deviation of Watershed road. From Peter Sheidt, re felling bush on roadline. From E. Linton, two letters re deed of submission with reference to Beid's arbitration. From "W. Darragh and C. P. Mai, re change of name on rate roll. From T. M. Mitchell, re change of name on roll. * From D. Murray, re boring gear and pile shoes. From J. Craven, re culverts draining on to his property. From M. Beazer, asking for a oulvert on Bunnythorpe-Ashurst road. From J. Strawbridge, re change of name on roll. ■ From Treasury Office, advice of payment of .£3l Od 6d to the Board's credit. The following letter was received from Mr Pryce- Jones : — Bangitawa, 2nd August, 1889, The Chairman Manchester Boad Board. Sir, I beg to resign my seat on the Board, and I give the following reasons for so doing : That you were (whether by aocident or otherwise I abstain from expressing any opinion) elected to the chair in an irregular manner at a meeting at which I had no- opportunity of being present, and although requested by the three older members, as against yourself and two newer ones, to allow the que :iipn to be decided at a full meeting, yoa tie alined to do so, and subsequently procured a proclamation by the Governor to uphold you in your act. During the sitting pi the last Board, when the question of having the Taonui road proclaimed a boundary one came forward you seized the opportunity, when two members who differed \viti you were absent, to pass a resolution without notice which virtually rescinded a resolution previously passed, as far as I remember, by a full Board and by a majority of four to two another irregular proceeding, which no member of the Board unassisted by your strong position else where could have carried through, without going even so far as to suggest that your, motives on this occasion maj have been to gain favor politically in thai .part of the electorate in which you art known to be weak, at any rate your action, in my opinion, was obviously opposed tc the interests of all Manchester ratepayers, From these instances it is plain that you are prepared to use the power yox derive from your position as a member oi the House of Bepresentatives to carrj matters with a high hand at the Boarc even when your views are opposed by a majority of its members; this being so and owing to circumstances to which it is needless for me here to refer, it appear! to me to be useless for anyone not pre pared to adopt your views on all questions to take any part in the Board's proceed ings ; and though I regret putting th« ratepayers to the expense of another election, there is, so far as I can see no othei course open to me. — I am, sir, yours obe diently, H. Pryce-Jones. Mr Macarthur said that as the prest would probably publish Mr Jones' letter and read the following reply: — Augusl 3rd, 1889, Memorandum on Mr Jones letter of resignation. This letter has onlj been put in my hands to-day, and I have therefore not had time to look into Mi Jones' statements as carefully as I could wish. As Mr Jones' letter will remain on record and probably be reported in full by the press, in fairness to myself I feel that I must put my answer in writing. Ist. I am advised by Mr Bell, of Bell, Izard, and Gully, one of the leading legal authorities in Wellington, that my election is valid. In order, however, that public business should not be delayed while the suit was being fought out, the case was submitted to the Solicitor-General, who at once considered it a clear case for validation. I informed Mr Jones on his first broaching the subject of the illegality of my election that I should get it validated. When I found that I was legally elected I felt still more justified in taking the course that would least prejudice the public interests, viz., validation. Let it be remembered that in nearly every election of chairman since 1883, Mr Jones and those acting with him have elected the chairman of the Board at the first ordinary meeting after the election of the three members who go out every year, as well as at general elections. 2nd. Be road along the railway line, between Oroua river and Bunnythorpe (not Taonui road as Mr Jones represents it,) the resolution he refers to was carried at a meeting at which Mr Lethbridge was in the chair, the othrr members present being Mr Wheeler, Mr Beeve and myself. The resolution was proposed by me and seconded by Mr Wheeler. There was no division. If there had been I could not, with only Mr Beeves assistance, haye carried the motion in the face of Mr Lethbridge's casting yote if he and Mr Wheeler disapproved of it. If the motion was out of order as now alleged, the chairman should have ruled it so. Instead of that, there being no division, it shows as a unanimous vote. If Messrs Lethbridge and Wheeler afterwards changed their opinion that is no concern of mine. Mr Jones' statement that the resolution was | rescinded by four to two is inaccurate. 3rd. Mr Jones thinks my action was opposed to the interests of all Manchester ratepayers. He has a right to his opinion. I hold an opposite one which is endorsed by the fact that at the general election for the Board Mr Bull was defeated by nearly two to one on this very question in the ward in which he resides, after two public meetings had been held, at only one of which I was present, while Mr Bull attended both. 4th. With reference to Mr Jones' statements about my power as a member of the House, I need only point out that that power was not sufficient to give me a majority in the Board for three years. How, then, can it affect. Board . matters now 1 The fact is that the result the late general election referring matters to the ratepayers showed that in No. 5 ward, the ward most particularly concerned in the point in dispute, it was recognised I had been, though in a minority, fighting in defence of the ratepayers interests against the efforts of a clique. That opinion I hope, before I leave the Board, to fully justify by having the .roads along the railway line legalised* and one.

of them made, together with the other roads in No. 5. ward. ., I would not have troubled myself, fully occupied as I am otherwise, with road board matters at all if I had not felt unwilling to see the bungling and muddling of the last two years perpetuated. I propose to read the statement of the case laid before Mr Bell for his advice, and I defy any unprejudiced man to say that it does not represent ful y and fairly the facts and position of the whole contention. — J>. H. Macarthur. Mr Macarthur then read the statement referred to. Mr Wheeler said he had heard that the : other members of the firm of Bell, Gully, and Izard were not of the same opinion. Mr Macarthur said he received the let' ter as from the firm. Mr Wheeler told Mr Macarthur hV con- " sidered he had made a gross misuse of his .^^g public position in having got Ms chairmanship validated, and paid no private individual could have got it done. Mr Macarthur repudiated the charge of having taken any advantage of bis position, and justified the action he had taken : in seeking advice in the matter, and to have his election as chairman officially - confirmed. The Clerk was instructed to inform Mr McCrae that the work referred t$ in his letter would be pushed on with during the month. Mr Beazer waited on the Board in support of his letter, and after explaining' the site referred to, was informed an estimate would have to be got of the work applied, for. • The Engineer was instructed to report to the next meeting on the matter referred to in the letter from Mr Beazer. Proposed by Mr Ltfthbridge, seconded by Mg, Wheeler, That Messrs Slipper and Andrew receive £5 for board and lodging: for the two children mentioned in Mr Slipper's letter. — Carried. : _ Proposed by Mr Pearce, seconded by Mr Macarthur, That permission be given •■•■■'■ to Mr Peter Scheidt to fell bush on roadline fronting his property on the Boards usual terms. — Carried, ■-•'■■=.■■ Proposed by Mr Pearce, seconded by Mr Wheeler, That the name of WilKami Darragh be placed on the rate roll instead of C. P. Mai for section 13, sub. E Manchester Block, and the name of Peter Scheidt instead of Arthur Green for sections 35 to 46 and 67 to 82, Mugby junfftion. — Carried. Proposed by Mr Pearce, seconded by Mr Wheeler, That the Clerk write to Mr Walker, stating that the Board cannot ; grant permission to plant trees on the road. — Carried. Proposed by Mr Wheeler, seconded by Mr Lethbridge, That the Board cannot make another outlet for Mr Bishop, as his own district provides one tip to bis bound- .-_ ary, and have metalled it within a mile. -^Carried. Tenders were received for felling, clearing, stumping and forming 301 chains of Watershed, road in 4 contracts, varying: from ;62 7s 6d to JSi 15s per chain, and l for erecting a bridge and making approaches on the Bsukawa road, varying: from £50 to £TB. Proposed by Mr Lethbridge r seconded by Mr Pearce, That Mr C. Noel's teri&er for Baukawa road bridge be accepted.— Carried. . . ' Proposed by Mr Macarthur, . seconded by Mr Lethbridge, That Mr Poole's tender for formation beaccepted( £595}, con- r ditionaUy on the necessary agreement being obtained from the landowners on the Watershed road for the. transfer of the land occupied by the deviation. AIT ten.ders for metalling are rejected in the . meantime. — Carried. : Proposed by Mr Lethbridge, seconded by Mr Macarthur, That a general rate of three farthings in the- £ on the rateable value of all rateable property within the Manchester Road District bo hereby struck* according to the advertised notice,: lor the year ending March 31st 1890, such rate to be payable in one sum on Monday the sth of August, 1889, at the ©nice of the Board, Feilding. — Carried. < After passing accounts for payment the Board adjoundre.