WAIMEA ROAD BOARD.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 83, 10 April 1877, Page 4

WAIMEA ROAD BOARD.

r ' A special meeting of the Wairaea t Eoad Board was held on Saturday, March 10 — all the members present except Mr Wio. •_,-. The Chairman explained that this meeting was called in consequence of a representation from the collector' of rates that* on his declining to receive less than the full amount levied^ he was informed " that the Board could net legally demand rates for any period 'beyond March 31, but that as ;the Board had no official intimation j on whib^' to act, it would be requisite to t , .adopt some means of having the matter decided. It was therefore resolved that <vl friendly suit be immediately instituted against some ratepayer, by the result '6f which the Board could be guided as |,! l r : e,g.vds^the' recovery of outstanding rates, and that should the .result, be .adverse to She Board, the proper proportion should be immediately refunded ; to. those who have paid. : . A letter was read from the Secretary to the Motueka Highway Board, enquiring when the Board intend submitting their accounts for audit. \ Resolved, Thai after the rate base shall be settled, the Secretary ascertain the views of the/auditor as to the right time. for auditing, and tjien reply., Resolved, "That; should xi '"be fojuod necessiry to prepare a balance-sheet up to the 3 let instant, the nest monthly meeting be held on that day, in order that the current month's expenditure may be inoluded. -"- A letter was received from the;Returning Officer for the, Motueka Rising requesting to be furnished with aliet ot all persons who shall have paid their rates up to tha day of nomination for that riding. Secretary was directed to do bo. j A letter from the Secretary of ' the : Waimea .County Council, received since last meeting was read, requesting a statement of damage done to the roads of the district by the recent flood, tO- -.,, gether with an estimate of the cost of repairing tke same. The Board haying "been informed that a communication' .had been received from . Wellington since , the date of the aboye letter, stating that there is no probability of any subsidy being forthcoming for the object stated in that letter, it was considered useless to make such a return „ at. present. . /. • !

' „ The ordinary monthly meeting of the i JJpard was. made on April 7, all! the members present. j - The minutes of the last two meetings wore read and confirmed, after which ... tbe.Qverseer read, the foilowiog report: —Sub-district of Stoke: — Here,accord- ; lag to your instructions, I have gravel led the cross-road leading to the Rail- • : way station, the cost of which haß been £24 193; I have also expended tbe balance of grant to Quarantine Road, total £10 11s. Mr Marsden having cut and grubbed the furze from off tbe •"' road leading to Poor Man's Valley, i,t_ would be advisable to form these: few chains, some of tbe inhabitants having ..offered to plough the same free oF jjost. fjMr ChiDg has completed his contract r;;. for gravel supply. I should suggestjthat Litt jog; further extended to another -fifty i yards. In Waimea East the; maia ditch from Messrs H odder & Co/s store to '-' -the- beach has been cleared pu r. | In Spring Grove the men are still clearing { oat the Forty-line Creek, the material being ased for the improvement of; the . j roads. The lower end of Bridge - Valley baa been raised withj tbe same; if the persons who £iave hedges here would only, cut and (trim j :: them, so as to give us the full width of : this very narrow road, it might settle ; .the difficulty that has been so ;long , r .pending here. The arrangement Mth Messrs E. Andrews and Nesbitt, on the Wairoa Gorge road, is to (be effect, that ; they form 14^ chains at 45a per chain, ..and the Board contribute two-thirds of that amount. The river encroachment by Mr Price's has been attended t6. I hare had to employ extra laboi* to repair Spooner's Range, and also in Quail Valley. Mr Isaac Gibba offers to expend tbe sum of £5 on his road, providing an equivalent be granted. The following contracts have been completed, towards which the Board has promised certain grants, viz:— ~£ls to Mr Joseph Holland for 32 chaips of gravelling; to Messrs W. Wadsworth £10 for 27 chains of gravelling, and £3 lOj for double that amount don> by Mr Joseph Andrews in Pig Valley. . In Doveda'.e, the bridges have been put in at Blue Greek and by Mr Best's; ao : advance of £15 is askeil for, on 3W(r O. Dayies' contract. As there will bo a balance out of this graDt tenders ehould ... at once be invited for making the remainder of the road as far aV Thlorpe passable for cart traffic. The Surveyor and myself beg to reporr, in refsrence to the road in Redwood's Valley' par- (- tinlly destroyed by Mr E.Sigglekow, that be should be called upon to put up a strong wattling the length of the ditch and make up the portions washed away. I should like you to decide what holidays be accorded to the day labor men to Ihe constant employ of tbe . Board. The amounts expended ia the -different sab-districts during the past month are as follows: — Stoke, £42s 6<; Waimea East, £24; Spring Grove, £47 19s 4d; Wakcfield, £70 12i 10'; Waimea West, £8 2s; Dovedale, £60 10a 6J. Tbe Overseer also reported that the wooden culvert near Mr Hoult'a mill has given way, and he wished instruction as to whether he should have a brick one erected a« proposed some ■ time ago. He also stated that although the bridge by Mr Andrews', in Eves' Valley, is apparently sound enough to

last some time, the exceedingly heavy loads now being brought over it cause it to sway considerably, and an accident, might occur, and therefore recommends, as there was no body of water to come down, that a brick culvert be put iq, and this gully filled over. [ ' Resolved, That for the future no payment shall be made to the day labor ■men for ■ any ; holidays or a : bseace from 'work, ' excepting 1 Good 1 Fri'diiy! or Christmas Day. Also that Mr Ching's contract be extended to 50 yards m,ore;. and that Mr. t <jibbs be granted; an equivalent tit £,s; and that the QVeCseer have a brick culvert made at once near Mr HouTt'e. '■'"■,; •"■• ll •> -- :/7 i ,-•- A statement having been made that the Motueka Board had a subsidy of £100 to complete their 'portion of the Thorpe-Orinoco ;road, jand that a considerable length of the contract now being, .carried out lies .within] the Motueka district, the correspondence, on the first question was read wherein the Motueka Board denied haying received any sach subsidy, [ , . Resojyed, That the Surveyor ascertain whether any of the road lies in{ the .Motueka Road district, and if. so apply to tliat'Board for its proportion o£ the contract price* Also, that, tenders beinvited for next meeting for the remainder of the road towards Thorpe ; also, for a brick culvert in Eyes' Valley. ! Resolved, That the tender of C. Rigglekow at £23. 9a for a portion of the road on the Moutere Hills be accepted, and the remainder done by day labor, no eligible tender having been received; also J O'Connell's at £31 10a for forming a street in Richmond, ;and sundry tenders for supplying horses and carts for the ensuing six monthe. Resolved, That as no eligible tender has been received for the Toll-gato, it be put, , up; to auction as v ;sooq as possible. ; The Secretary reported having attended the .-Assessment Court , ou • the 27th March, when all his objections, by reason of '-alteration in ownership, or occupation, were confirmed by; the Court, and no one appearing to maintain the few objections against toe valuation, no alterations were made. ", -- The Overseer and Surveyor, who had been deputed to examine and re'por.t on the;lines ojf roaiLreferred \tp in! the letter received from occupiers "of land at Stoke, reported thus: — "We jfind tbatj aVallegedJ 'the, roads^bnly lead to these properties, and therefore consider that.jaq good purpose, as regards jper-sons-'wishing to travel in that direcjion, would be effected by compelling these' occupiers to feuca along; the road sjdes,, provided they are willing, ns aeeins admited in their letter, to let the public pass over their grounds along the trjacka used for their own purposes, until feuch time aa these roadß shall be defined ou the ground. The roads, if fenced off, would require, even in the most . favorable places, an immediata outlay before they could be used, towards which It is not likely that either, the Board or the public would be willing to contribute at present, and we recoracneud that, in order, to avoid; the possibility of tho right of road lapsing, the. Board should; exacr. from «ac|i of, such occupiers a yearly: pecuniary! acknowledgement; of s'rty 4a for ! each gate or otlierobstructiqn, or else \a sura .iq proportion to the. acreage; enclosed by each, and that in all cases where passage is likely to be required across these obstructions, swing gates (not locked) should be erected." i Resolved. That as regards the roads leading through or to the !i properties of. the parties to the letter above refeWed to, the Board will nor, until further . notice, insist on the' total; removal of all the obstructions, on condition that the recommendation of the report as to gates be complied with, with the addition that at, each such gate : a\ notice that it is. a public thoroughfare shajl be posted, up, and that an: annual sum at the rate of oYper acre on the quantity , enclosed by : each occupier, shall be paid. • ■ The Secretary reported that inj the action, for road rates judgment ; was given in favor of the Board, and (that on consulting the Auditor it was iconsidered advisable to have ihe .accounts for this year audited at the usual time, and after that lo alter the period for balancing accounts to Mnrch 31s». Mr W. Patterson npplied forpermiesion to erect a verandah in front of his new building in Richmond. Leave graqted on usual terrae. A letter was received from the trustees of the Bishopdale estate complaining of injury done lo the property by the blocking up of the frontage by the toll-house and yard. Resolved, That the Surveyor, ascertain how much frontage is so blocked up 'and whether such alleged injury can be remedied by a different disposition of the erection ; : also, if possible, to make some arrangement with the trustees. Mr Masters attended, and complained of damage done to his property by' the manner in which ebingle had been re-: moved from the bed of the Wai-iti by order of the Board. Resolved, That the Overseer and Surveyor examine tho placa and report to next meetiog. Mr Webby complained of being compelled to fence his Ismd adjoining the road from Quail Valley to Fox Hill, in consequence of being required to remove his rails, alleging that he had giving the land for the road. The Surveyor was directed to muke inquiries and report. Mr J. Holland attended and requested further assistance in forming and gravelling the road leading to his saw