Meeting of Settlers at Bunnythorpe.

Manawatu Standard, Volume X, Issue 50, 27 July 1885, Page 3

Meeting of Settlers at Bunnythorpe.

\A well attended meeting at the Bunny thorpe residents was held m the ~ schoolhouse on Saturday evening last at 6.30 p.m. for the purpose o± further con. sider-ing the means to be adopted for getting .the necessary roads constructed. Mr Bailey proposed that Mr Aldrich take the' chair. . : .' •';•£■; Mr Aldrich though that as Mr .Bai^eyj ( Would be expected to give Ihata a : gdba\ deal of iufSrmation it \y.6nld be better^e* should, take the chair. . s ! Tha proposition was seconded by Mr,, . Snears .and carried. „. ; ■. .'■). A letter was read froiqa Mr A. Nannes r : ad, apologising for his. absence m AVanganui. Letters he had\ enclosed, \qrieh froiriMr MacartKur, I who staiedJthat.^ 1 would; be no use to apply to the MinjfstgrV of Public Works for grant of roads, ho knew there would hot be any chfince? of success. It would be better to take' ; .. some; practical course, and ; he wOuldY, suggest that the settlers; interview the >: ; Manawatu Road Board ond apply for.ja; : '^l-aat between the Oroua Eiver and. Bunny thor.pe to come 6nt of^subsidy which : they will get \ under the new " Loan Power and Finance " Act, -and; whatever they would get from tha Bdaftf '.-:■ the Manchester Board SvouTd^pplenient £ for £, Anothe^^tte^a^aaMe re the postmaster was iVeaa^''th9 i , r wjiter promising to remuneration for Ins services. .>.; k .... '■. ■ . ..Mr Bailey stated, that ; ho. was; glad. ; the^Vw^as sutsh a f good,. attendance that evening; as \at their last meeting; a-, good "deal of misrepreseritations/waS - ; made rJ9v, .: g^ding.himseif-and^he^would^ei^eavor to give a satisfactory explanation to such. Regarding the expenditure on roads at Bunnythorpe there had been, •'iliud out by the 'Manawatu County Counv '"■ cil £300 on road to the river, £165. re■ijaips to bridges, £100 by the Manawatu ; ~" Road Board. „,He (the chairman) was aware that Mr Boclv had yet paid . any rates, but m, any case he was not entitled' to misrepresent him (the chairman) as he had at the last meeting. The ' chairman" tlieh read* the meeting a Statement he had- made out showing whathad .been done for the ward by the ' . Manawatu Road Board.. He said that. ' Wy had a general rate of ?d which m "■Ho. 5 Ward amounted to £193 per year, at the last meeting»held over two and a half-years ago they were m debt over Since that time there had^been expended on Nannestad's Road £440 for -metailing and tonhing a distance of two .mile's.^ Of this sum they had received from the 80ard .... a., refund of £324. of ■ which £121 only, came from the rates. • Bunnythorpe Road had been metalled .-oat of a special rate at a cost of £071 . Its M. Previous to this, about £300 ;;hasl boen. spent on.it put of the ward's ;^ies. and. also- expendikire by the Mana- : > !■ watu ' Goimty Council. Stoney • Creek '■ f cßoad %d been medalled ..about 10 • choins ataebst of £33and formed about 80 chains,, rnosfc of the money for \vlneh came . from the Council special fund. '! Ashurst-Bunny thorpe Road had been ' metalled 60 chains and formed , 160,. the < obatbf which .had be«n borne conjointly, -b-Y the. Corporation £200, Road Board, iJIOOj and balance by the special fund ■^■out'of the roads and Bridges and for there had been no rate levied. The eipense of falling bush on road lines had beeri heavy and keeping roads m repjur, , last year espacial'y so The ward at \>rer .:• sent was m debt £94 . 12s sd. . The ■vspacial rate amounts to £300 per year. There had'bsen expended m No. 5 Ward J5455 outof the £18,000 borrowed under the District Roads Act, namely, >Spur Road £2200,. Midland Valley £774, -Bimhythorpe £671, Taorini £1800. A: • letter was read from Mr W. H. Smith " sngggstirigthat'tlie settlers', petition the - Manchester ; Board to. constitute a sepe'2 a^te :%ard. Mr Bailey said that from the : ' gt^tenient he hadrjust read- the settlers . .would Ticognize the fact that but of a riote of ;£l9O it was not possible to [do :, much aud that the money had been ex- ;. •pended m a- judicious manner* A settler remarked that this money had : : beeu -spent on i'bads \yhere there ; was mo '^olrte tivirig: The ; Chairman stated that it .. Aya? the .ratepayers own wish to levy the .^fate,.. -There hud been a good deal of op■Vi:.|joMtion ; in/.lheßoaid : -to-applyin^-f6rt]ae-..22,000, he for one had opposed it as he did not know , how they were going to .pay the rates. Subsequently the sum. was •rediicedito^ .£lß,ooo, certaii roads being /.struck out of the schedule. Re ordinary rate,. any one who choose to examine the ward book could see what very heavy : : expenses there had been for maintenance, • v: there had not been any construction work -. done yefe In the case Adsetfc y. the •:\ jßoard a s^rn of £100 would have to be . -naid. A. frate of f d. could be strnck ■m lieu of the County rate but he did not - tKnik that woiild be advisable, therewere plenty of rates as.it was. In course ot tiirie as new settlers came to the place the : Special rate Avorildcoriie down m proporas the valuation increased; In reply to Mr Jeffrey the Chairman stated that '' he. thought there was now anniform rate. The Gorpbration land was valued at, £2 peracr^ .(the greater portion) some was valued less and other at £3.- The, Corporation. payfollrate&atSvhatever valued. : with. exception of some 2or 3 thbusand I acres!/ The £18,000 had been mostly spent m Corporation land, thought that -< : thenext valuation there would be. w ai heavier rate to pay m this land which^ would lesson the rate here. The valqittors appointed by the Government ip&m Messrs Booth & Sherwill. It was bpr tional with the Board to accept their > valuation. -When he (the Chairman) ha^ .opposed the money being spent on the Corporation land Mr Macarthur had ihV eformed'him that the value of the land would be ipcreased by £1 per acre. # Re the petition to the Board to constitute another Ward he would be only too glad to support it. Did not think there was -any .chance of the Manawatu "Road Board .'-taking over the Ward believed that they. w^mld oppose it, ..-■-. \, Mi- Aldrich informed the Chairman that they -had wished' to be m the Man-; Chester Board not the Manawatu. Mr Cleayely said it was not likely they <■ woqld care topay for the roads ahready, made m the Manawatu road district and. pay for their own too. ■'„'• The Chairman said that a few months >„ ago a petition had be«n got up by the ./settlers on the Manawatu 'side asking to put on a special rate. The conatruction; • of a boundary road had been mentioned; but nothing had been done m the matter, sinpe. It seemed to him a hard case; that no'money had been spent on the^ roadsion that aide and a good. deal of; rates coming m too. i Mr Rogers stated that Mr Edwards informed him the yearly receipts had been; £16. 5/ ' : -•■■■■■ "•■.-■ : - '■■:'■■ : ■■'■■' \ .The Chairman said Mr Bull's rates? • alone must a e mount to a good sum. . , Mi- Jeffrys said that the rafes collfcted; on that side should haye been spent! there, he' had been livingin Bunnythorpe 8 years and. the roads were now worse j than i ■•ever'.-; -. X Mr Oieavely said that Mr Edwards written to say that he could not at- . tend the meeting that evening but would \ make a point to be present at any sub-, sequent meeting if advised a week be : forehand, v.v: : , Mr Dixbn hancled m a letter from the. Minister "of \Pubiic Works to Mr Mac- •; arthur, renew railway station at BunbyThorpe WhicK had been petitioned for. V, Mr jtfacarjihur., hoped i that, something ; : done and would do. his best to 4 'jftss'sjt . m getting what was so urgently :noe%d. - v .. ' v '•„.:_„...,..;.. :■■ ! T!ie CliMirman sngsested that the nest thing to bo done m his opinion re the ward qiieation would be to paBB a resolution asking the Manchester Road Board to declare road Hse from, Bunnythqrpe «to / fmtig ft boundary rowJ, If tbii wi

done the expense would hot be a great deal. They would only have to fnd £1 to their £3. The Road Board wanted this done, he might mention that there was some talk of the Roads and Bridges Construction Act falling through. In reply to Mr Aldr ich the Chairman 'stated that the railway:) ilihe was the dividing line between the Road Boards. . Mr Aldrich proposed that the suggWtion of \; their chairnian b^ ■£cted -upflQ?:and that tlul'Manajvatij R,Q r adT Beard^ be <p^tioned^id !j muke ■^jib:.- I 'b6'unSary VoaH i • rrom • Bunny thorpe'^tquthe OrouA ;'River < between the two districts, „.-^i ■..*: . Seconded by Mr Shears imd^carriejjr: , ! ; ;tte : (3^irman^l^lfe^lßtigge^ V the Mankw^tu Road -Board, be , r^qiie'ste^ : . 'fo';!)ian(l""ov.er "ihe! man^genieMg: to, ; tli^Vt . l^^u'i^ilii, 'i iasM^h %ss<& *§§[cohded . the; %BP/ogSipnfc i-wjiichc^as;4uly. carried* v. a&uM •' ':^i^iitheivG^mnytlibrneiilfcol f^igatlfcey i-R'6ad it ivr as stated: that M#Baik'e^lia ; d !i offered to metal 13 chains and wait for. "paybienti: and that this woi(M h|!fl*o^M^ with: had nbt tte W^r^et?jp. f Mir Body U^keclthe ;!chair-ii^n^ipiNj^S^ "^ii^^hjiiid bejir^l^ey^^isyp^ bridge over the Oroiia River, "wfiichUva*builtq^the.Manaw^^sidpiTio'i jikjii „; , ^The i,ghairinail;sai.d, : .tiie.^mbne^l^a|^. , ,been:.votedi. by ; the .3Rpadsi»nd^Brjdges ; Constiruction Adt,i £500 rhadi ib;eeii ■' voted' ■ for bridgesand they hi^d; de^\^«d tpjhav:e one, at & meeting uela*at Aalnirsf, 'The . money.. had been, voted for bridges and -^ i^duldsno^ be spent i 6n/>oa:dSg'^At:? < the s " mVetmg held it:^ad^l)ee s h*d l efcia'ed that' the bridge should be on the south,, side of the railway line. '-U:;, , ;In mply.^p aj^que^tip^the.-iPhairman. sa^Uaat 385550 hot receiyetliri' rates for. Nb: S that^afdV Voted by , the Board, . Thex;ehtttrftlAn7 further said that when' 'the '■ special rate' 1 was r j|9vjj§d t)re settlors toid;saM'it/wteaninjusiic'e^to.have 'i t as well 1 - as 'tlie" -'otiier' : rate .and .he had thea got 'the /money vofobd from the Board. ' ■:"■•' „ .Mr I>ixpn " asked the chairman if he would m'terest himself m the; matter of the damage done to the roads" by sledding,.; logging up, &c, they .were now. m. an impassable state, and also wonld lie wait on the Manawatn Road Board with Messrs Rogers and Barrett' as a deputa-" tion to get the Bunnythorpe Road metalled. The. chairman having 1 assented'to the latter request Mr Aldrich seconded the proposition which was carried. . • ■ . ..... /':':':]'. .■";?; Mr Masters said he would like toaee a financial statement published annually of the way the money was spent m their, ward. The settlers would then know how the money was being spent, this system had been adopted m other places and proved to work satisfactorily. /,_ !". Mr Aldrich said that he believed that Mr Gammon had promised to metal the Bunny thorpe- Asliurst Road if the Board supply, the metal. ; ■The Chairman thought that* if properly applied to, the Board would give any assistance possible m repairing the road. - • ." • .' Mr Dixdn asked if anything had been done to metal tbe road to Feilding at the place where the' accident had happened. ■• ;■■;■ ■>; - ■ /•...; . ■...;•■ : Mr Aldrich suggested that the depntation to the Manawatu Road Board should mention this also. Mir Aldrich proposed and Mr Hazel seconded— That a- vote of thanks: be accorded to the chairman for the informationlie had \eiven them and which was entirely satisfactory.— Carried. 1 She meeting then separated^