SOUTH RAKAIA ROAD BOARD.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LVI, Issue 6502, 29 December 1881, Page 6

SOUTH RAKAIA ROAD BOARD.

Ti.p sscnsl general meeting of the r * t4> * najvr. of the dirtrietwa# brt«l erday at = oa.m. MrC- N. Mjtfljr. Oh»irton. WM the only member of !b« Board to ;nr. ill an appearance. The toltowtnf jrsv; ■ifc;, were prroent i-*Mee»ra J. Manu, I.'MaVig. T. A.Wer. W.Oo^O.Ttecler, o. Si e'.lock, o. Hardy, O. Muraoch, S. Ox’*". and J. Lamparde. , , „ . To* Chairman ■ then read the following tc- r:: 1: is with greet pleasure that I bate, »t the dose of another year, to lay before to;*, a statement vetting forth the recipte »ni expenditure of the South Santa Bead Board during the t write month* jus* expiring, together with « balanro-rbeet, which I renter* to hope will git* *»U*faetu»n. 1 intend, at usual, to furnish you with a suamar? of all work* executed bt th® Board during 'she hurt year, and *J» ®f «J ; work/ nrw in hand, which will git® you an id#* of the amount of work done by the Bo.nl in the way of fomirg new road*. Ac. Iho Board has thought h admaWe to let a «T4t portion of repair* to road* by owitmot, «do bai tried the experiment by iHteof ere* I*,-.- cf road* tor wx month* at p*r mile, to be kept te good order and repair. Thi* fa, i» new ay yet, and ewr.tractoni in lass dirt riel are diffident in taking work of tint Jutnot knowing what to lender for. But the Board ha* every reason to Where that it wii; W the mart economical mithoa of keeping t l ’# road* in repair, end plenty of men will W found to leader for I fee work when it become* tetter known. I hare to report, C-oliecwa, that at the request of a *mmr ,f ffuieffl two hue* of road* bare Wen kii .;T s, Croat Native Berorrt So. 805% and the Board ha» taken atop in acer-rdaoce with clauw 81, part 2, of “The Public Work* read* will doubt-ire* he of -great benefit to the urideri* in-the lower portion of the dbtriot A cew Br,* of road ha* alec Wen Urd off thraagh W. A. Brown’* old farm near ChtHics tiu* giving the wrttlera a nearer and rrore direct road to that township is the grain learon. Several »lml« and footpath* hare been formed in the Balm to»rri;:;' sr.d etber work* executed which oass.ri f*si to benefit the midrcU and imprate !be raise of properties. I res tor® to hep?. ca t'.emcn, that the new road* that hare bees farmed will prove of advantage to the rirtrict, and that the work !« Wen earned out to the satisfaction of the majority oftie rel'im. -The Boad Board has invariably endeavoured to do junk® to erery portion of the dirtrict without fear or favour. You will doubilm reooUect that two year* ago I reported to yon that the Board had invited toe dir* ter isakwf an artesian well for the purpose of totting the practicability of •applying she pUia* with water. It wai intended to h.Tr to the- depth of 1800 feet. In the ctenl of no better water *apply this might poseibiy bare proved mweiiloL But no fchctne of ton bad i* now ceoemr*, as the district po®t.e«e* a water itapply which U very far aaperiorto anything that coaid hare been •ehiewd in th* way of boring, and which tU diil rid hat cray reason to be proud oh ih; Boad Board deeming this work of tart isportacc* to the welfue o: the ditmet, decided to grant th# tarn of £SOO toward# the construction of mwrisg* ia caencelioß with the wafer-rare*. I lake the liberty, gentlemen, before tearing thii aubject, to poblidy slate on behalf of the South Eakaia Boat* Board Shit great praii* is due to the County Coandl for the eery »asi»factory masner in which I hi* work ii bring carried out. Jhe district from the bill* to the se» will po**e»s one of the grandest w.ter eopply scheme* in the Colony of Ktw Zea* Una. Sow, gentlemen, it umy duty to tou;b upon another subject of almost equal importance, and that i* the amount of damns* caused to fear** and property in this diitriri through the storm-water which find# its say down the plain* in a huge relume. I ha## So report that thu Board ha* bten cooperating with the Mount Hutt Board in the et)it**oiir tocerise some sehema ter relit ring th# aui rid of, at any rate, a great portion of Ihij water by leading it over the n»-r tfrrace la the upper portion* of the dirt rich The Mount Halt Board ha* «übm;;*#d a scheme for dealing with the water, which tai* Board approre# prorided the cost of to# work i* fairly dirided between lb# !*5 Board* and the County Council, th? »*st#r body carrying out the work11# cost of the proposed, scheme 1 is You will, doabll«*», telly realise the in •• rune# of this work-in t’-al a cumber i' rnidect*, b'th abate and below the j railway hue, are sufferer* to more or less extent ty t-.e storm-water. I bote agria, gecrtemtn, to congralaUte you upon the absence .i the Bate Collector. The Boad Board hu «lrenuojiiJy turned oat a policy wibi-h be e*rilled at in' tome quarters, but wt;rti t rrerthele**, in th# opinion of the Ikor.-, it a wit# one under the circumstance*, and that it. the coaseroitinn of it* fund* —;rt..; mi r, of course, with the requiremtxt* cf the dulrict. During dull timet, wh.-r. work i* scarce, the Board has endea-rou-e i to git# employment; bat it must be born# in mind that the Boad Board is only, so tossy, ir.v trustee of funds belonging to the district, and is directly responsible to the ratr'Ayers for ersry penny spent; conscquecU, ua-.ecttsMT work caccot be taken te band far the purpose cf giriog rmployment. The Board, moreover, has prosed by experience that it ptj* far better to let work by contract, sod has, accordingly, determined to carry oat this principle whenever pmolicttle. i may slate that any request for work, in wo? portion of the district, has always been fatoorablj considered by the Board. Has cumber of mile* of road termed will testily to this fact, and will show that the Boaro, though caielul, is always anxious to do all needful work. In conclusion, gentlemen, I hare, on behalf of the Boad Board, to thank you ter the confidence reposed in the members of that body, and to wish you all the compliment* of the reason. The following synopsis of account* «u alto read t receipt* bare been email. The interest account, which ought to hare shown BfiOO lit 4d, only show* £175, owing to the sum of £7<X*s sot being re-deposited for one month after falling due, namely from Dec, 80,1880, la Jan. 1*3.188L It will consequently have to thorn ia next year's account*. But, including tin* item, tbs receipts ter the year amount to £BBM 8s Id, and expenditure to £Bl>3B 17* 3d, showing with cash to current account, and £BOOO to fixed deposit account, funds in the hand* of the Board of £10,434 18* 4d to commence the next financial year with. J>ew roads termed during the year ISSl.—There have been 82 mile* 10 chains and 43 Jinks of new roads termed during tius year 1881, at a tola! cost of £186710* Bd—this without any of the re-forming contract* completed, or in coum of completion. We have now in this district 116 mile# of roads formed, including about 50 mils* metalled. There hate been no rood# metalled during the year just expired. The amount paid for maintaining roads already mad# in the district b mounts to £S"O 16s bd for the past year. The amount* expended In improvements in the Bakam township for the twelve months amount* to £lB3 ISs lOd. General Expense*.—Advertising and printing is u very small item af expenditure, considering th# amount of work dan# and which mutt a*ccmri!y be advertised tec—rix., £-15 Z*Cd. The amount of general expenses, including insofar.* c, office, hoite feed, Ac., amounts to £lB4 IS* Id, Total for general expenses, £l7O 0* 61 ‘

Tbs Clerk then read the balance-ebeet, which ans odup’ed oh U,o motion of Mr Hardy, seconded by Mr Mann.

Mr J. Mann then proposed a votn of thanks to the Chairman and members of the Board, which was s-conded by Mr Oxley,and carried, and the meeting adjourned. The fallowing persons were nominated for the two vacancies on the Board Messrs D, Q. Holmes, John Lamble, and Leonard White, The poll will be token on Thursday, Jan. 5, at the Bond Board Office, Eakata, and the Bcr.ool-boß*i» at Kyle.