MOTUEKA HIGHWAY BOARD.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 69, 10 March 1876, Page 4

MOTUEKA HIGHWAY BOARD.

The meeting of the Board, postponed from tbe usual day, tbe 4th, took place ?on ithe 7th March. Present — AU the members but Mr. A. Drummond. _ Thej Secretary read the following report .■ — Since last meeting, considerable progress "bas been made in repairting;,and; gravelling the. road at Lower Moutere, but muoh remains to be done in filling up low places with gravel, to ma_& : .byroad id good order for winter traffic;-* I have invited tenders for taking off someof the worst bends on the Moutere hilt road. A few more repairs, between the Waimea district "and { the Sarau school will make this parjr.pf the road fairly passable for the winter. Should the funds permit, the •£■ School -hili*ought to be gravelled, and the road for a short distance along Drummond's Flat should be formed and „ gravelled as soon as' possible. In accordance with instructions received at ..the last meeting, I shall lose no time in -getting gravel deposited in heaps on the sides of the roads for speedily repairing bad places during the winter season. In .the Motueka sub-district I would recommend tbat the road be „ gravelled j westward from the racecourse oorner, and the road between there and Myer's corner repaired, by -having the low plaoes made up with ' graVel. There are also about 12 chains of road that should be gravelled between the College at Wakarewa aod *- the Pangatotara sub-district. Messrs. T. Lovell and party are now prepared to proceed with their contract of rtakihg up the sides of the road in High- street, between Mr. Chant's and *r Mr. Myers's, let to them by the late Motueka Road Board. This work was begun last autumn, but stopped in consequence of tbe wet weather setting in, '* on the understanding that the contractors should complete the work at a future time. The road between Messrs. Wallis and Limmer'B property on the one , side, and Messrs, Funnell and Chamberlain's on the other, requires forming, in some parts beiog scarcely passable in its present state; a large outlay is not required on this road, the traffic being light. I have engaged men to take off tbe sides of the road ■■■ between Bucbholz's corner and the Pah, and from inquiries I have made, :: am led to believe tbat the ditch along i. the South side of this road, might be filled up, as all the water in rainy weather flows down the ditch on the „ opposite side. I need soarceiy point out bow dangerously narrow thiß road now is, the filling up of tbe ditch would be a very great improvement. The sides of tbe road near the Saltwater bridge require a little repair. At Mr E. Boyes' request I have inspected his , premises, and found them perfectly clean and free from any unpleasant smell.— Tn the Ngatimoti sub-district •the roads require repairing in some places before the wet weather sets in, and the bridge over tbe water fall creek must have a new top, slight repairs are blbo required on the short piece of road between Eban's and the Waimea district in Dovedale : some of , the culverts on the road between T. Haycock's and the Dove river, I have ordered to be repaired-— The new piece of road alongside Messrs Marshall's and J. Spicer's land in the Pangatotara subrdistrict requires to be levelled, so that the traffic may be diverted from close to tbe river bank, wbere it has -now become very dangerous. — The new -store house close to the Riwaka wharf will shortly be completed. I would re- - commend that some tar should be .. procured for tarriog the wharf and store houses at Riwaka, and tbe bridges -.-.: throughout the whole of the district; the sides of the gravel road, Riwaka, ,; Bhouid be made up as the spring tides . occasionally flow over it. I have laid out and invited tenders for making a itew piece of road through Inglis' land, Mr Inglis having agreed to give apiece of land for the road, in exchaoge for the road ,laid out in a very undesirable place some years ago by Mr Campbell. I bave also laid out a deviation oc the Sandy Bay Track which will be a very great improvement, avoiiing a very steep rise and fall. The dam in tbe Riwaka river is undergoing some very necessary repairs as a large quantity of -water was escaping through it. ...,. .The Secretary read a copy of a letter to the Provincial Secretary, covering :: „the resolution passed at last meeting stating on what conditions the Board -would take charge of the Riwaka wharves and attached buildings, also a r reply from the Provincial Secretary ..agreeing to the conditions named by , the Board, and instructing the Board to at once go into possession of, and exercise full control over, the structure in question. The Board passed the rates to be charged on all produce, timber, live Btock, &c, shipped away or received oh the wharves, together with the neceßsary regulations for the management of the buildings. Resolved, That applications be invited for a wharfinger and storeman to take oharge of the wharves, &c, in V- accordance with the regulations passed by the Board for the management of the same. The Secretary stated that be had t : written to the constable of the district inquiring whether he had received '' instructions from the Chief Inspector . pf Police to initiate proceedings against persona guilty of breaches of the Board's by-laws, and, if so, whether he intended to carry out such instructions, .and that he (the Secretary) had received v no written reply to his letter. Reaolved, That aa complaints are still

made of cattle continually trespassing on the puhlic roads in tbe Motueka sub-district, and aa as the constable has not replied to the letter from the Board, tbe Secretary report the matter to bis ; Honor the Superintendent. Tbe Secretary read a copy of a letter written to the Provincial Secretary, inquiring whether the amount voted hy the General Assembly for Municipalities and Road Boards would be paid through the Provincial Government. Also the Provincial Secretary's reply referring the Board to the Colonial Secretary for information on the subject. The Secretary read a copy of a letter written to the Colonial Secretary respecting the above, and stated that a cheque for the sum of £175 3a 8d h'ad since been received from the "Pay-master-General, being:the first instalment of the amount accruing to the Board, and that the balance would be paid the following month. Resolved, Tbat the Sohool - hill, Upper Moutere, be gravelled, and portions of the road in Drummond's Flat formed and gravelled. Resolved, That the tender of Messrs G. and J. Grooby (ordered to be held over at a previous meeting) be now accepted for building a bridge over the Waiwero river, and that the amount of the same be made up as foilows :—Private subscription?, £20; from funds accruing to the Pangatotara sub-dis-trict, £30 ; from Colonial Subsidy, £20. Total, £70. The subscriptions to be paid before the work is begun. Resolved, That £35 be set apart with the view of obtaining subscriptions ior improving the road, known as Will's road, Moutere, provided a good fall can be obtained to carry off tbe water. Reßolved, That a rough foot bridge be built over the river on Diggen's cross road, and that the road be further improved so as to make it available for traffic. Resolved, Tbat a cutting be made on the south side of tbe Motueka river to connect the road on tbe opposite side of the river near M'Gaveston's, that the bridge be repaired by Harford's, and the road in Dovedale, between the Moutere and Waimea districts. Resolved, That it is very desirable the short piece of road between the boundary of the Ngatimoti sub-district and the Thorpe Hotel, Dovedale, should be opened, the Secretary to write to the Waimea Road Board to ascertain whether it is the intention of tbat Board to complete their portion of the road. Resolved, That part of the trunk line, Riwaka, known as the gravel road be put in proper repair, and that the sum of ls per chain be allowed to owners of swamp iand, Riwaka, towards clearing out tbe ditches alongside the publio roads. Warrants wero signed for the payment of £246 9s ld. |