Patea Town Board.

Patea Mail, 11 September 1880, Page 2

Patea Town Board.

The monthly meeting of this Board was held on Monday. Present: Messrs Milroy (in the chair), Adams, Sherwood, Dixon, Howitt, and Aitehison. RUSHES IN DEVON STREET." A letter from Mr J. Graham related to clearing the rushes in Devon-strect, to obviate certain annoyances. r riie matter was referred to the Works Committee. TRUSTEES OF RECREATION GROUND. The Chairman said a letter had been sent to the Under Secretary for Crown Lands relative to the appointment of trustees for the Recreation Ground. A telegram had been also sent asking for an answer, hut none had been received. Mr Adams said this was peculiar. Mr Sherwood : There has been ample time to attend to this even during the session. Chairman : There is nothing for it but to write again. RATING AND EXPENDITURE. Mr Sherwood moved “ That an account be kept of the revenue from rents and rates from each and every sheet within the town ; also an account of moneys expended by the Board in improving each street.” He said : I would not uphold the principle that rates should be spent where they had been raised and nowhere else, but there are cases where a large sum has been paid and nothing been done towards forming approaches to buildings. This return would give us a guide to apportion the rates iu some fair and judicious manner. Chairman : I second this motion. Although it is necessary to have this return* yet it would not weigh with me, because there are many streets that require no improvements at present, although they arc paj’ing a considerable amount of rates, which ought to be expended on some other streets used by all. The rents of the town reserves have to he equally distributed as well as rates. Mr Aitehison : I think that would be a good method for showing in a clear manner our exact position. Motion agreed to. ANOTHER MAIN STREET. The Chairman moved u That the Works Committee be asked to have tiro levels of Dorsot-streut taken from Stafford-street to Victoria-strcet, and report on theamount of works required to be done to make the same fit for dray traffic, in time for next meeting.” lie said : This street runs towards the Hospital from Stafford street. Twice has money been voted to make that cutting beyond the Wesleyan church, but the money being urgently required for other purposes, tills work has not been done. The levels of that road have been taken as far as Dr Croft’s ; now the point is from there to Unthanks-road or Victoria street, as far as the town boundary extends as regards that street. Mr Aitehison seconded the motion, which was carried without opposition. NEW ROUNDARY ROAD AND TREE PLANTING. Mr Sherwood moved “ that the necessary action he taken under the provisions of the Fublic Works Act, to have a new street opened on the west side of sections 42, 41, 40, and G5.” He said: This would be on tho present boundaries of the town. It is desirable that a road should be opened there for many reasons. That road would ho a great deal the easiest road to the Hospital. This being the boundary of the town should bo the property of the Town Board, iu order that at some future time a bolt of timber should be planted as a necessary protection against the prevailing wind. The first section is that adjoining Mr F. O’S. McCarthy’s ; the next is the School paddock ; then the Education reserve, and then the Hospital reserve running to the river. I think it is the wish of persons who own property there that this should be opened up ; and the land being the property of public bodies, the amount to be paid in compensation can only be to the lessees for the short limit of their leases. The Education lease will very soon run out. The School paddock is not leased at all ; nor is the Hospital paddock leased. I believe the question of compensation would be merely nominal. Before the Education Board take any action to extend their leases, it would be only right that this Board should secure a road before farther difficulties arise. The proposed new road would lead to some property that belongs to myself ; but I wish to be frank with the Board, and must point out that long before that property belonged to me I advocated this very work to be done. I think the making of a road to the river frontage and the planting of a belt of timber would be a lasting benefit to the

town. The heaviest and most frequent winds come from that quarter ; and if we take a chain wide, I hope at some not distant time to see a bolt of timber planted there. That road would open a nice walk and give access to the river, and the timber would give a convenient shelter. The matter is extremely simple now. The Board by taking action under powers of the Act can have that done ; but delay might cause complications. Mr Aitchison put a question. Mr Sherwood : I quite understand there is a determined opposition to this. I made application to this Board and the County Council. Somehow the question was relegated to the County Council by the Town Board. A very peculiar thing happened. While it is perfectly logical that this road should be opened, still one of the objects is to have a belt of timber. If we, as a public body, wish to improve the town, we have a perfect right to have land conceded to us for effecting improvements ; and whether this road is opened now or at some future time, it most certainly will be done, and can be done much easier by taking action before complications ensue from new leases and compensations. This . question should be looked at in a broad sense ; when you find that a road past the ' Hospital wliich you ars favorable to has been barred, you must look in another direction and see where an alternative road can be got. Setting aside all personal consideration, it is now some five years since this was moved by myself, as the minute book will show, and then it was considered only a matter of time as to when the work should be done. One lease will run out in about two years, and the other in three. Notice being given to the lessees, it would be for them to raise objections. These levels might have been taken and a road made up to the Hospital long ago ; but no, it was set aside ; and here I have moved this resolution now, and before it is seconded I get a host of trivial objections. This is a work of absolute nccessitv, and is very desirable to enhance the whole of the town. Chairman ; He has thrown the onus of opening up this street entirely on the Board. Mr Sherwood told the Board previously that ho was perfectly sure tho County Council would not object to opening a chain road past tho Hospital When the County Council sent their foreman of works to measure the width, they found it was impossible to give a chain wide. Mr Sherwood : That examination was not made until after an extension of the Hospital steps was made. Chairman : I have gone and stepped the width nyself, and there was not room fora chain road. We should have objected} if members of tho Count}’ Council, that to put a fence close to tho door of the Hospital was not a proper thing to do. If half a chain had been taken from the Education reserve and half a chain from the Hospital ground, the new road might have passed without objection. As to this new road be proposes, there is scarcely a rateable section that would be opened up. The time has not arrived for opening that street, It will arrive wheii we take action for extending the town boundary. We cannot rate persons outside the town. If you want a belt of timber, where is it to bo planted ? On the street we open V Mr Sherwood : Certainly. Chairman : Then what is the use of planting it on the street ? Mr Scrwood : Plant any street. Sensible people in other towns do so. Chairman : Then I will say no more. If yon ask for a piece of ground to plant trees, that is different altogether. Mr Sherwood : Not a bit. Mr Aitchison ; I wish to ask if he would encroach on the Education ground. Why cannot a road be made past the Hospital in a straight line from the street we arc going to improve ? Mr Sherwood : The Chairman says it cannot be done. Chairman : I did not say it could not be done. I say it would be impossible to take it one chain from the Hospital fence. Mr Sherwood : As my motion is not seconded, I will now give notice to move it at next meeting. NO THEN PLANTING. Mr Sherwood : What action has been taken about tree planting : Chairman : None whatsomever. MrjSherwood: At Nelson I went through a nursery and saw some excellent trees, very hardy ; and the owner offered to supply this Town Board with trees to the amount of say £2O, giving six months’ credit, and offering to replace any trees that failed within six months. I wrote informing the chairman privately, and suggested that, as it was a very good arrangement, I thought he might send >

for £2O worth of trees. What I complain of is that no action is taken, and no attempt made to plant trees. When there was a revenue from the recreation "round, that money could be taken and spent on the town ; but when there is a prospective revenue from that ground, wo got the same answer, and nothing is done. If I am here next season, and if the trees are not got and not planted, it shall not be my fault; and lam not to be put down by such an answer as that. If it has been correct to take money on that recreation ground and spend it on the streets, it is equally correct to take money from the streets and spend it back on the recreation ground. Chairman ; The recreation ground is now in debt. The whole of the money that was calculated on when Mr Sherwood left to go to Wellington has been taken by the contract for ploughing, &c, and the expenditure will be £lO in excess of the amounts received from the recreation ground. I reported the contents of your letter at the last meeting of the Board, and it was the general opinion that the tree planting should be left to the new JMr Sherwood : In other words, it was «laietly shelved. Chairman : This argument about tree planting—you would think, by statements made here, and even in the public press* that we had any amount of money for tree planting, although wo have no money at the bank at present. Mr Shcerwood : The balance-sheet shows a balance of £6l 17s 7d to our credit, and on a former occasion 1 find there was a debtor balance in favor of the recreation ground of £7O. I say you are equally justified in spending £2O of that back on the recreation ground now. Chairman : Of the Town Board money? Mr Sherwood: Where is the logical sequence 'i Chairman ; If that land passes out of our hands into the hands of trustees, how can we get back our mono}’ V Mr Sherwood : The liabilities would have to be paid if that land wore taken over. Chairman : You know the dilliculty of obtaining rents when tbo ground changes bands. Mr Adams ; I offered at flic last committee meeting to pay for fifty trees. And nothing was clone. Chairman : That was a tree planting committee, and the}' were to have all to do with it. Mr Sherwood voted for that committee. Mr Sherwood : Yes : but I certainly thought it would have some encouragement from the Board funds. Mr Adams ; The committee did not get a single sixpence of the Board’s money. 1 do not know what they were appointed for. Then the renting of the recreation ground was taken out of their hands by the chairman. Mr Aitchison : There may be some slight excuse for Mr Sherwood’s conduct in his being absent at Wellington. Mr Sherwood ; 1 don’t wish to have my conduct excused, and I object to my conduct bein" excused until lam called to order by the Chairman. Mr Aitchison : lie was a member of the 1 Board in very good time for the tree planting, and I insist lie has a right to his : shave of the blame, if blame there is to be. : I don’t see why he should accuse the i whole Board. j Mr Sherwood : I thought Mr Aitchison ( Avas getting up to excuse me. Mr Aitchison : Had it not been for his ' short absence in Wellington, I should say lie would bo very much to blame in making such a remark. Mr Adams : The Board appointed a tree planting committee, and they adopted a report; but the Board refused to carry out a single item of that report. Who is to be blamed V It is tAvo or three members of the Board, avlio haA'e no eye for beauty Avbatovcr, but would like to sec the , place one mass of sand so long as their little life Avon Id last. Mr Aitchison : Hus the Tree Planting Committee sent in a report ? Mr Adams: They have never had anything to do. The Board passed a resolution to have the cricket groud done, and it Avas to be carried out by the Tree Planting Committee. Chairman : There Avas a report from the Tree Planting Committee, and they recommended a certain picco of land to be taken for tree planting. Mr Howitt : The ploughing and removing fences is not completed because of the Aveather. The contractors seem to have got into a mess by cross-ploughing. I don’t think they Avill make it fit for taking grasiif it is harroAved fifty times. It Avas cross-ploughing.

Chairman: I think the mistake Avas made in ploughing a piece of ground that was not intended to be ploughed at all. Mr Howitt : It was Mr Taplin that led us astray in the matter. It seemed a rather rough piece, and lie meant to have it all alike. Chairman ; I don’t think the ploughing, &c. would cost oA'er £lO. Instead o£ that, it cost £l9, and leaves nothing for tree planting. Mr Aitchison : I am afraid that the Tree Planting Committee have laid themselves open to some small share of censure. The subject dropped. FINANCES. Thu monthly statement of accounts showed receipts and cash £92 16s od, and expenditure £2B 7s 7d. Mr Sherwood complained that when he quoted the Board’s balance as being £6l 17s 7d, according to a statement on the table, ho Avas not corrected by the Clerk or Chairman, avlio knew the balance Avas more than that by a recent payment. So large a balance as that would have strengthened his argument. The following accounts wore passed for payment :—CI. 11. Dickson’s contract, £33 Is 2d ; Mail, 6s. The Board adjourned.