ROAD BOARDS.

Globe, Volume II, Issue 161, 10 December 1874, Page 4

ROAD BOARDS.

BYRETON. The usual meeting of this Board was held on Monday, December 7th. Present-Messrs Dixon (chairman), Bradley, Coup, Dailey, and Wilson. Letters were read— From Secretary for Public Works, stating that voucher for £592, third instalment of grant, had been passed to the Boards credit. ~ .. From Duncan and Jameson, solicitors, acknowledging receipt of £SO on account of purchase of the goodwill of Mr Strachan s lease for part rural section 1979, to be paid to Mr Strachan on completion of a similar agreement with Mr Cherry. The chairman reported that Mr Duncan, Bolicitor, disputed the power of the Board to enter into an agreement to protect Mr Cherry against further damage from flood, as required by his solicitor, also that the Provincial Solicitor refused to contract any liability on behalf of the Superintendent. He (the chairman) had requested Mr Duncan to submit a case for the Attorney-General s opinion. ~ ... From Mr Duncan, forwarding AttorneyGeneral's opiDion that the Board could not enter into a valid guarantee as required by Mr Cherry's attorney. _ The chairman was desired to forward the letter to the Government, requesting it to take the matter in hand. The chairman reported having written to the Government re purchase of Mr Rice s land for a road, and an early reply was expected. The surveyor's report was read. He was Instructed to insure the immigrants cottages, procure timber for renewal of bridge over Ohoka stream on Smith's road, to have 12m. pipes put in and gully filled near Mr Smith s house, to have drain on Jackson s road cleaned out, Stanton's road formed, and purchase a level and staff at a cost of £22 14s. It was resolved that the annual meeting for the election of four members in place of Messrs Bradley, Dixon and Coup, the retiring members, and Mr Dailey resigned, take place on January 4th, the polling, if necessary, next day. .. Tenders were considered for shingling Smith's road. Mr Thomas Burgess waited on the Board with a request that a gully near his house might be filled, also an embankment put up up to prevent the Eyre overflowing rural ■ection27B6. The Board resolved to meet Mr Burgess on the ground. Messrs Gray and T. Giles requested the Board to make approaches to their gates across the Eyre embankment. Mr Barker asked the Board to assist in building a bridge over Main drain in line with Rangiora Swamp road. He was informed there were no available funds. The Board then adjourned to the Eyre protective works, when it was decided to assist Mr Giles in making the road to his gate, and to supply Mr Gray with 12-inch pipes, and £1 towards making his roadIt was decided to have box culverts with swinging doors placed in the catch water drain, and at eastern corner of rural section 8213 the embankmentstrengthenedattopend a distance of twenty-five chains by widening it four feet at bottom, and raising it eighteen inches, and Burgess'gully filled up, a culvert to be put in. Accounts amounting to £893 18s 8d were passed for payment. TEMPLETON. The Board met at the office, Yaldhurst, on Monday, December 7th, preseut—Chairman, Messrs Bailey, Carpenter, Hepworth, and Sinclair. The minutes of the last meeting having been read and confirmed, A letter was read from the Secretary for Public Works, advising the Board of the payment to their credit of the third instalment of Provincial grant, amounting to £473 10s. Also, a letter from Secretary for Public Works, calling the attention of the Board to a copy of the following letter, enclosed from the Hon. dej Benzie Brett, Kirwee, Courtenay : " Kirwee, Oourtenay, "29th November, 1874. " Sir,— Aa the Courtenay road district adjoins the Tempi eton road district, and as the West Coast road is in both our districts, I consider it my duty to bring most prominently under your notice, that the Templeton Road Board have, I believe, within the last week or ten days, dug a deep giavel pit within a few yards from the main road, and close to the traffic, without the slightest protection whatever, nor even any earth, gravel, sand, or stones, thrown outside to give warning of the hole. I consider it of so dangerous a nature that a moment's time should not be lost in immediate steps being taken to guard against Home serious accident which must be inevitable of a dark night. The position of the road is about half a mile from the Miners' Hotel towardß Christchurch on the eame side; " I make this official report with the hope of the Government taking official notice of the matter. " I have the honor to be, Sir, " Your most obedient Bervant, " (Signed) De Renzie Bbett, "Chairman oi the Courtenay " Road Board. •' To the Secretary for Public Works, "Christchurch." The clerk reported that the gravel pit referred to had only just been opened by the contractors on the date of Mr Brett's letter, and as they did not finish their work until the 4th of the present month, it could hardly be said that the pit was left without any protection whatever, and that on Saturday, the sth ultimo, he had visited the work and found by measurement instead of the pit being only a few yards from the road it was three chains and a half, and that the contractors, instead of carting out on to the road the large boulders, had thrown them up on the surface round the pit to the average height of two feet or two feet six inches, thereby forming some little protection during the time the men were at work, therefore, taking Mr Brett's letter as a specimen of the gallant colonel's dispatches to head quarters, no wonder at so much redtapeism, and that mole heaps should be called mountains. A proof copy of the new maps of the district having been laid before the meeting, it was decided to have seventy-five lithographed. , , The clerk was also instructed to have the two gravel reserves at the junction of the Bealey and West Coast road rolled with

Cambridge roller, and struck out with plough ready for planting. It was also directed that the clerk should advertise the public meeting of ratepayers, to take place at the Board office, Yaldhurst, on Monday, January 4th, 1875, at noon for the purpose of electing three members of the Board in the place of Messrs Carpenter, Sinclair, and Taylor, who retire by rotation. The pay-sheet, amounting to £.i4l »a, having been adopted and passed, the meeting adjourned till eleven o'clock a.m. on Monday, January 4th, 1875. AKAROA AND WAINUI. At a meeting of this Board, held at the Road Board office, Akaroa, on Saturday, the sth inst, all the members being present. The proceedings of the last meeting were confirmed. Letter was received from the Secretary ot Public Works advising remittance of third instalment of provincial grant for district. Letters were also received from the chairman of school committee, requesting that a footpath may be formed to the school entrance on the beach frontage. It was ordered that the path to the school be made as required. Tenders were then opened, and the following accepted : For carting metal from the quarry on the main road, Barry's Bay; for felling and clearing respective portions of the Summit road, between Little Akaloa Saddle and the Le Bon's Bay Saddle ; and for benching Barry's Pass Junction road. Mr J. Beecher applied for permission to erect a tank at the Creek side in Bruce's terrace, and to lay the necessary pipes to communicate with the hotel in his occupation, ,_ The clerk was instructed to write to Mr Beecher, stating that the Board have no objection to the erection of water tank as desired, with the provision that it be subject to removal at any .time required. Letter was received from Messrs Porter and Berry, enquiring whether it is with the permission of the Board that a gate is placed across the Onuku road in Red House Gully, thereby obstructing the road to their farm. The clerk was instructed to inform Messrs Porter and Berry that the Board have not authorised any obstruction to the Onuku road. It was resolved that the ordinary wages of laborers employed by the Board be 7s per dayThe sum of £539 7s 2d was passed for payment on account of contracts and wages, and the meeting then adjourned. REVISION COURT. The Revising Commissioner, Mr E. J. Lee, Esq, revised the roll on Friday, at the Board Office, East Malvern. Mr Jebson, M.P.C., was the only objector. He made the following objections to the rate roll as a whole, citing sec 5 of an Act to provide a summary mode of revising valuations of property in the Province of Canterbury, October 10th, 1872 :—l. The roll is not prepared in accordance with schedule A of the Canterbury Roads Ordinance Amendment Ordinance, 1872. The eighth column is omitted altogether, and a number of persons occupying and owning property in the district are left off the roll. 2. The Board have not complied with clause 8 of the said Ordinance by having a valuation made of all rateable property within the district, nor on the computed value of property in the said district. 3. The Board have not complied with clause 11 of said Ordinance. 4. The Board have not complied with clause 12 of the said Ordinance, and have not given public notice of the places where such corrected roll and copies may be inspected. J. A. M'llraith, who signed himself chairman of the East Malvern Road Board, gave public notice on September 6th, 18T4, that a ratepayers' roll could be seen, the said Jas. M'llraith having objected, through the Board's solicitor, to being summoned as chairman of the Board, there being no such person in connection with the Board and its acts. See clause 10, Roads Ordinance, 1872. 5. The Board have not complied with clause 13 of the Roads Ordinance Amendment Ordinance, 1872, notices not having been given to non-residents as therein prescribed. Should the foregoing objections be overruled, I object to the ratepayers' roll on the ground of inequality of rating. See J. Barr, 800 acres (and 400 acres reserve omitted), rated at £l6O, with all improvements ; and A. Bradshaw rated 25 acres unimproved, at £7 10s; and D. Jebson 10 acres, £7 10s. Boyd and others are rated for unimproved land £4 per acre ; C. Dally, 20 acres, rated at £7 10s, or 7s 6d per acre, and adjoining properties at ss. G. Willis let his house and 10 acres of land, in 1869, at £SO per annum. He is now rated at £SO per annum, and occupies 40 acres, i.e. 27s 6d per acre, while W. Lilly, on the adjoining section, is rated at £ls per 2£ acres, or £6 per acre. Bull Brothers are rated at £lO for three-quarters of an acres, or at £l3 6s 8d per acre. J. A. Mcllraith, manager, is on the ratepayers' roll as occupier. How occupier within the meaning of the Ordinance when receiving a salary as manager of said lands, and nonresident? If an occupier, for what term, and in what manner 1 Thomas McKie, D. McKie, J. Deans, and D. Dick, come under the same category, the rateable value being under the real value. The Commissioner considered the objections seriatim, and decided that they were valid, and ordered the preparation of a new roll.