ROAD THROUGH THE OTAMAKAPUA BLOCK.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 56, 12 July 1879, Page 2

ROAD THROUGH THE OTAMAKAPUA BLOCK.

t 'Councillor H-AiipqMßß.moved~ 'y. "Tliat hiaving raference tdthe purchastby the Government of the - Qtamakapuai ,'. Block of 140, OOG actres^ and the necessity '.*■' of opening it by a main road previous to it*. : . sale, application, .ba made -to thav Minister* .:." for public works to place -emon the Estimates. ' ; the sum of £15,000, to be placed m the hand, of the County Council m such sums as may from time to time be required^ and to be.expended'in the continuation oi the Kirn*. „ boltpn road north wards, through the hearfe : of the; Otamakapua Block, on. or about theline surveyed' Mr. John Barton. Sueh auto* of £15,000j-or as much therabf as may oe ex* pended,"to berecouped-totheTreasury/oufe, -of the 20 per^oent. payable hereafter to that;% County Council from the -proceeds oi ths>. s sale of the Otamakapua 810ck.."- :. In hringing forward' the "motion, he, thought no long explanation was necessary^ The Otamakapua' Block, tha puirohase ox"*. . whioh had just been completed by the Gch vernmenfc, comprised an area of 140,000? acres. They all knew the advantage of hay* ing a road made before the sale of partic*euarhloQks—=that m fact, it doubled the pric< The road m question "Would take two years -. • m makingj and the object of the rtselutioni was'to, show tha IGtovernmen^a way b*r % whioh the roa4 and thft survey ot the bloeit ;'•"' could go on simultaneously, The Gown* ■' ment would by this means be enabled to re* coup themselves as soon as the sale tookt * place. - In connection with this ro»dj that t» the IllurimQtH -WQuld h^Tt tQ bj pQ-uji, ■ ■: : -- -' ■-': ','.-. ..-\ ■ J

tiered. The "roeeV would settle the matter k • whether, the traffic of Murimotu should . come through Manawatu, or goby Wanganui; so that he thought there could be no doubt m the mind of any one of > the adVantage of the road. There, was moreover, . auon a feeling m the House of making roads ; before sale,,that tbere would be little or no diulculty m getting the House to assent to ■'•' it- ..'"."," '."■' ■' The Chaibman remarked /that by passing the resolution, they would bp simply asking tht Government to advance a portion of the ■money to be received from the sale of sections m the block. It would be an advantage to the Government, as well as an advantage ,te those who pu. phased land there, for the Government would receive greatly enhanced prices, and the purchasers would hava a road by whioh they would he 'able to set to their sections. * He need only remind them of Kiwitea, and the hardships endured by the settlersfthere m consequence of the access to their sections. Councillor Goweb expressed himself as disappointed at the resolution. He was etrongly m favor of the principle involved; seeing that it "was; through that principle having been ignored by the Provincial Go - vernment m former; times, that so many Sortions of thf Colony had been marred, ut unfortunately there was another phase - of the resolution. The Government was asked to complete the road to Kiwitea— ("No,'^;" from Councillor Halcombe)— With -regard to the becoming part of the Murimotu road, he would observe, that if it were, the best and only road to Murimotu . lie would vote for it. , He. had doubts whether^a road superior to; that from- Murunotu through the Paraikaretu could be ■ ..'.- found. ,■-:;,:.- -yK ■-,■- '■-„ ,* - Councillor Rocxstbow also expressed a wish to be put m possession of more evidence. He thought that notice of motion should have been given, m order that counr cillors might have informed themselves on the matter. He would suggest that the; , consideration of the motion should be postponed. . Councillor Sanson agreed with Councillor Rockstrow that notice of motion should have been given, though the principle involved was, no doubt right. The CHAnucAN thought there was no necessity for the notice of motion. It was . Bet extraordinary business; and ; at their last meeting they had passed a similar resolution with regard to the Vote of 12,000 for the inland road from Foxton to Waikanae without objection having been raised. He referred to the .rule which he read, and which gave to the chairman the power of deciding •what should be extraordinary business. Ho Oil was not f extraordinary business." . - COunciUor Halookbb m reply explained that the immediate object of the road was the opening of the Otamakapua Block for ■ale and? settlement. The opening of the Murimotu was a remote- consequence, alt though the formation of the proposed road v was- certainly -an important step towards that end; .-. He was quite willing that the roads' .both from .Marton^ and, Wanganui sheuld be made, as both roads open up the country./ He pointed ' out by the map that the road m question was not only the best, - but the only way. to open the Otamakapua Block, a* it ran up a le /el valley for forty mules from Feilding, through the heart of Hock, whioh was quite inaccessible by the Sangitikei, because of the precipitous character of the river cliffs, which made any ao- , esse from that side impossible, . They were, •eking no favor from the Goveramtnt. ' The (Government had paid ten* shillings an acre for the land, and must recoup the Treasury by it* sale as soon as possible. If the road were inaele while the survey was going on, e>se>on-a»^tbV survey Was -finished the land; . could be sold to" advantage," and the sales would *fiw more than. cover the expenditure . lie proposed; and make profitable occupation Ktiible. The question of the /Murimotu d nothing to do with this question. The extension of the road proposed as far as theMurimotu< would not be done for:- years, and neither Marton nor Wanganui' could ■how the : Government, as they could, that •ny expenditure 'on their roads would open Crown lands for sale. As councillors for Manawatu, the argument that advantage to Bangitikei r might be delayed by their passing .the resolution, should not., have ; any weight with them. If it had, they woUld ' be traitors to their trust as' representatives of this county j and it was urged th* i. the , opening of this great block- should be deUyedb^scause' the prospect of getting the main railway line from Marton to Sandon might be injured thereby, it only proved kow entirely % right he was m opposing a Droject : towbsob,the best interests of North Mauwatu were to be saerificeeL "'.;•■! Councillor ßoxnrjTßOW moved, at an . amendment — ■ . . "That the metion of Councillor Halex>mbe,>«fF«atof £1500 for constructing ■-. . a road through the Eiwitea to the Otamakepoa Block, be considered at the next Meeting of j-Jb* Council/' Oouaoiller Lounov seconded the resolution. :'■=.■ -.'^ -;■ The Council divided— Ayes, ■»—Councillors Grower, Sanson, Loudon, and Rock- -.. etrow. .';- Noes, 4— Councillor Halcombe, ; Xebbell, Qerr.and Maearthur. - 1 v The Chairman gave his easting vote with the ne^M, and the amendment was lost. . The original motion was then put, and earned »ets». ecu*, :'■ : "-;^; ; ;;...;niraii.;; The followinf tenders were opened and .*■-' ikewtiv^i : TOXTOy VUXT-HOVSE. (Alterations , and painting, respectively.) Accepted— T. Cameron, £33 and £1 10s. Beohned-rE. Powell £35 and £1 14«. ; J. Haggut; (informal), £G?j T, Easton, d 837 and £1 lis. ; Fieeland and Proctor, £43-7s. WOBK ON xrWITEA BpAD. T. Brightwell, £357 ; J. O. Nathan, £166 lis. j Ryan and Nelson, £32* 18s. 4d. It was resolved, on the motion of Coun- . tfllor Cab»— "That the tenders for the Kiwitea road be rejected as excessive, and that the said work be left for more favorable weather." * -y .<■■ .v..*" '.. "fmTrctnr» *k>xto-«t rouirD. It was resolved, on the motion of Councillor RbOKSTEOW^" That the sum of £22 lis., for the fenoing upon the Publio Pound, be refunded to the late pound-keeper out of the County fundi. ADVIBTMIINa. " .-.-*■'"' ' * The County advertisiag gave -rise te a . long desultory discussion in [whioh nearly aU the counciuon. joined. ;'...■;:- >• It was eventually resolved, on the motion «* Councillor xUlwil^l^'^That, at the aext meeting, the Council resolve itself into • committee of the whole, to consider the faestion of the County advertuing," • r ."• --/-' iiy- iwNTinra, -- ■ It w»s resolved, on the motion of Coun-> esTlor;ficKJrsTTOW-r-- <c That the Chairman •all for tenders from the printers, within the County, and the Borough of Palmerston. ibr all the job; printing neceesary for the use of the County office." , \y„ ; „ f OXTOIT; MBBT. The Engineer was instructed to have the to the Foxton Ferry on the east nde improved. : -'.■•'•.. ' ' --V :.-:. '''""'• ; ;*frNAKO«.:'- ■-;■ : . AoeeuriJe, umov^og.m the aggregatsf to £902 Its. Id,, werepaesed for payment. ' announced^tbat after the^ * n f W« payments- there would^be a credit balance at the Bank of £200. Of the rates, upwards Jm£6Oo tQUt^durnijt^jaoatlu >y : ,--y _ :■"-■' -'v..* ■'■*'

'-;--. deduction- pbom bbpund. It was resolved, on the motion of Councillor; Halcombe— ■" That the hospital charges on account of M'Ewen be deducted from theref und to thtFalmerstonßorough." • OHAU PUNT. It was resolved, on the motion of Councillor Kebbell—" That Thomas Roach be appointed ferryman at Ohau River,; with a salary of £80 per annum, and that the tolls to be charged be' the same as at the Foxton Ferry. Tolls to be charged only on those who crossed onthe punt, or- at the inland crossing, if the ferryman is requested. to show the crossing.".- . ; " -The Council; adjourned till Monday, Angust 4th, at two p.m.