WAIMEA ROAD BOARD.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 136, 11 June 1877, Page 4

WAIMEA ROAD BOARD.

At the monthly meeting held on Saturday, the 2nd instant, there were present — Messrs. White (chairman), Barnicoat, Bell, Harley, asd Win. The minutes of the last meeting having been read and cooficmed, the Overseer read the following report :— "At Stoke the bridge by Mr. Buxtons is unsafe, the stream having out back six feet, has left tbe piles j hanging. It requires rebuilding; some of the material could be used in the new structure. A ford way bas been made .- over the creek .by Mr Stafford's atables. lam afraid that a bridge will' shortly be needed here, as a fall seems to be coming up tbe creek. A brick; drain has been put across the Swamp! road, costing £7 tfs. With regard to Hhe street in Richmond complained of by Mr Hammond, tbere are about twelve chains of forming, which had 'better be left till the spring, and in the Meantime a^fewloadaof gravel would be rail that is necessary. I have exAtnined the ditches at Hope, tbey are overflowing the road and the adjoining; lands. The course requires deepening [ and widening from Mr Balck's to cross roada. *The statement made by the, memorialists is perfectly correct. It twill be also necessary to effect some , repairs to make the road passable. CDuring the past month the heavy rains have damaged the approaches of the -Appleby end Spring Grove bridges, "Which I attended to as quickly as possible, and informed the Board's Surveyor of the same, who will report iioytfu on this subject. The following '■'amounts have been expended iv the different ..sub-districts: — Stoke, £44 14s lod i Waimea East, £39 14s 61; iSpring Grove, £33 7s; Wakefield, £37 12s 2J; Waimea West, £10 10s; Dovedale, £27 4s lOd; and Waimea bridges, £22 13s 104." The Surveyor reported that, having hiving examined the various bridges and protective works since the recent floods, he found that at Appleby bridge the river having further encroached on the eastern bank behind tbe cratework, which had not been protected as recommended last year, about twenty feet of the bank had been carried away, and the . ground site of tbe approach Undermined about 4 feet, thus washing away 40 or 50 yards of tbe filling, causing a bole 35ft by 12ft, which impeded traffic uutil temporarily floored oyer, This bas since been filled up with brush manuka and gravel taken bom places marked on the river bed, where channels have been made with the view of straightening the course. Somewhat similar damage was done at the western approach to the Wai-iti bridge, but as tbe ' whole set of the river is on that side at present, it was impossible to adopt the same method of repair, and therefore a number of small bushy trees have been moored along shore to deaden the current. Tbere is a considerable deposit of shingle just above,, whiob, if timely attended to might be the means of reclaiming the land converted into river beds by former floods. * It is very probable that by cutting a channel two or three chains long, the force of the stream may be withdrawn from the western bank and led under the middle of the bridge, while the stuff would answer well for improving the adjacent roade. In consequence of the further encroachment of tbe river on Mr Masterß* land, a small portion of tbe made land near the groin, put in at the end pf Forty-line, has been carried away, but a small groin erected further up would probably prevent further damage, and help to regain the lost groucd. The breakwater at Trass's is answering well, there was little water by it, but a large amount of silting up*, and the bulk of the stream is going in the channel cut last year. No serious damage bas been done at Foxhill bridge, but no time Bhould be lost in erecting the protection recommended. The breakwater at Bell Grove is protecting well the river approach on the south side, and causing a silting up behind, but the great body of the water is etill flowing against it. ' To divert this it will be requisite to deepen the channel already partly nude from the middle of the bridge for about twenty chains up, and to make a small breakwater at tbe bend in tbe stream. This is very requisite to prevent the overflow on the north bank, which has repeatedly washed away the northern approach to the bridge, and caused much expebse. The gravel from the channel wuuld answer well to repair part of the road to Spooner's range, wbiohjs in a bad sate. In preparing, according to instructions, b design for Pretty Bridge, it is proposed to make a new one of the same height as the old One was originally, and to further increase tbe waterway by substituting timber approaches for the present filling — tbe present waterway being evidently inadequate in floods, when the stream bas to break across the road, doing considerable damage. Besolved, That the Overseer bave the bridge near Mr Buxtons repaired, and arrange for the work recommended at Bell Grove; also remove the gravel covering from the Wairoa bridge with a view to lightening the structure, and keep the roadway passable, pending a reply to the resolution of' last meeting. * Letter received from Mr Curtis, stating that he had sent a copy of ths Board's letter relative to the bridges to the Colonial Secretary, at the same time endorsing the statements it contains. - Resolved, That tenders be invited (or a new bridge at Pretty Bridge

stream, in accordance with tbe plan laid before the Board. A letter was read from the Bishop of Nelson proposing that the Board' should pay £1 per annum as rent or acknowledgement for tbe frontage occupied by the tollhouse, with three mouths' notice to "remove 'if required. A copy of letter in reply was read, agreeing to the payment stated, but' suggesting that the notice of removal should only apply to the outbuildings,^ which should then be placed on tho Bishopdale property in the rear,' and! reut be then paid for frontage actually; occupied at current rate, tbis proviso being requisite to avoid any possible, difficulty witb a tenant who has a year's ; lease of the gase. A letter from the Colonial Seoretary stated tbat the Government were unable to comply with the Board's request that j free passes on the railway be granted to their officers. ! ■ A circular was received from the j Colonial Secretary, requesting any information that the Board may think desirable in the preparation by the | Government of a general Boad Board law. Resolved, Tbat ih replying to the i above the inexpediency and ueelessness ; of burdening Boad Boards witb tbe - cost of repair or construction of the larger bridges be insisted on, the expense attending worka of this character being often utterly- beyond tbe means of Boad Boards, or even of Counties. Also; that the Road Boards being constituted Boards of Health in their respective districts, the Board recommend that power ehouid be given to Boad , Boards in that capacity to remove i ' existing slaughter-houses, and to ' i prevent the erection of others in those cases where the public health demands such interference, the existing law. as regards the cleansing of slaughter houses being found to be practically useless for the purpose intended— viz., tbe abatement of nuisances from this source. Four tenders for supplying sawn timber having been received, that of W. Norris, at 13s per 100 feet at tbe mill, and various prices ranging from 13s 9J to 153 6d, if delivered inthe different places of the district, was accepted. A letter was received from the Seoretary to the Motueka Highway Board conveying a resolution relative to the £150 granted for the ThorpeOrinoco road, and stating tbat the Board will complete tbe nine chains in their district oa the Waimea Board handing over a fair proportion qf the sum granted for the whole distance. The letter also stated that tbe late Pangatotara Board had desired tbe Waimea Board to determine which ; route it intended to take, so that the former Board might complete the portion within its district, and it also pointed out the fact that when the new road from Neudorf to Dovedale was being made, tbe Moutere Board, to whom the whole of the vote • had been handed, had no hesitation iv undertaking the whole of the work, of which a considerable length is in the Waimea district, even although it bad to contribute £17 from its own funds. Besolved, That the Motueka Board be informed in reply, that the £150 was handed over unconditionally to this Board,., and that the contracts already let will nofc only absorb the whole amount but require to be supplemented from tbe Board's other funds, still leaving 47- chains in this district to be provided for against the nine chains in Motueka, and which, j as appears from the' Secretary's letter, would have been done long since, but for j the difficulty in ascertaining where it shouldbe laid out. With regard to the | road from Neudorf the Waimea Board was never consulted, nor was any information tendered, neither as to the j line, the amount,, nor whence derived. Had such been : the case, a very great improvement might have been affected, especially as regards gradients. A letter was received from Mr E. Orr, containing suggestions as to protection of Bridges and building of- cuh verts. The Secretary was directed to thank him for the imformation ten- i dered. Application received for assistance in repairing roads and bridges and clearing watercourses in nine different l localities. Some were ordered to be at oncQ-iattended to, and the others examined and reported on. From a copy of a return recently forwarded to the Registrar-General, it appeared that there are 339 miles of roads shown oh the district plan, and. which are under the Boards charge, of which 125 £ miles are made and 1^ in couree of construction. Resolvod, That the usual notice be given ofthe election to be held on the 2nd of July for three members to fill the vacancies causel by the retirement in rotation of Messrs Barnicoat and Bell and the death of Mr Tunnicliff. Warrants were signed for £274 18s Id.