Huntly Road Board.

Huntly Press and District Gazette, Volume 4, 30 April 1915, Page 2

Huntly Road Board.

MONTHLY MEETING. The ordinary monthly meeting of the Huntly Road Board was held in the Board’s Office on Saturday last, the members present being Messrs. J. P. Baiiev (chairman) L. B. Harris Jr. W. F. Parker and W. D. Thompson.

Much correspondence from the Prime Minister and Minister of Railways, the General Manager and Mr T. W. Rhodes. M.P. re reinstatement of the siding at Kimihia Station was read. This correspondence showed that the powers that be are v ery loth to restore the siding and are using every means to tet out of complying with the request of the settlers and the Road Board. Indeed, they have definitely refused to do anything. The Clerk was instructed to write again, refuting several misstatements of the various parties, and urging again that the Station be restored to its former estate. A letter and donation of £5 was received from W. Souter and Co. In the letter Messrs. Souter and Co. expressed their appreciation of the work done in metalling the road through Huntly and asked the Board to do something similar on the Great South Road north and South of Huntly. The donation was for the purpose of aiding the Board to fill the worst of the holes. The clerk was instructed to write thanking Messrs. Souter and Co, and explaining the position with regard to the roads.

The Board also received a rather unsatisfactory letter from the Auckland Automobile Association, which intimated that they would be glad to assist Local Bodies in any way except by providing money for repair of roads. The License for Firth’s Tramway was duly signed and saaied.

Letters were received from Messrs. Holland and Paterson of Kimihia re repairs required, and the Clerk was instructed to inform the writers that the Board already had these matters in hand for early completion.

The proposal of the Whangamarino Road Board, to form the territory under the jurisdiction of the two Boards into a County, was fully discussed. It was pointed out that the proposal was practically to form the largest and poorest end of the Waikato County, into a new County. The valuation of the whole County is at present £2,553,245 and its area is 613 sq. miles, while the valuation of the combined Road Districts is £524,029 and their area about 390 sq. miles, so that the new county would have a little more than half the area of the present county and a trifle over a fifth of the value on which to raise rates. Having regard to the difficult nature of the road problems the great area and the low valuation on which to raise rates, the Board felt that to form a new county as suggested would be a retrograde step, and decided to inform the Whangamarino Road Board accordingly. Accounts amounting to £6715s sd. were passed for payment.