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PELORUS ROAD BOARD.

Tuesday, 2nd April. Present:—Messrs H. M. Reader (Chairman), Hodgson, Palmer, Nees, Dalton, and Storey. TELEPHONE TO OKAK.DUO. A petition to tho Chief Postmaster, Blenheim, signed by twenty-two of the settlers in tho Havelock Suburban Postal District, was presented to the Board, for recommendation to the authorities. The prayer of the petition was that the Postal Department connect Havelock and Okaramio by telephone, with an office at the Suburban Post Office. The petitioners pointed out that the suggested connection is the only gap in the main line from Nelson to Blenheim, and added that they are each willing to guarantee the Department against any loss or deficiency in connection with the line up to the sum of £1 per annum for five years. Mr Nees proposed that the Board strongly recommend this proposal to the Department, aud, if necessary, join in becoming guarantors with the settlers. The Chairman seconded the proposal, which was carried unanimously. WAIR.U: TIUFFIC BRIDGE. The Secretary of the Spring Creek Road Board wrote asking the Pelorus Board to meet members of other local bodies at a conference to be held in Blenheim on 6th April, for the purpose of discussing the allocation of cost of the proposed Wairau traffic bridge and, if possible, to arrive at an amicable agreement on the question, and thus avoid the expense of setting up a Commission. Messrs Nees and Hodgson were appointed to represent the Board at the Conference. GOLDFIELL'S REVENTK. The Acting-Secretary of the Marlborough County Council notified that the Marlborough goldfields revenue for 1907 would be divided among the local

bodies in the following proportions : Picton Hospital Board, 17 per cent., Wairau Hospital Board 1 per cent., Havelock Town Board, Spring Creek, Awatere, Omaka, and Picton Road Boards 1 per cent., Wairau Road Board 42 per cent., Pelorus Road Board 35 per cent. Mr Storey, the Board's delegate on the Council, reported that the amount available for allocation was £145 Os 9cl, £B9 19s 9J being contributed by the Wairau Roid District and £55 Is by the Pelorus Road D.strict. THE COUNTY COUNCILS ACT. The Clerk of the Blenheim Borough Council forwarded copies of the two following resolutions passed at the Council meeting on Ist March:—(l) That steps be taken to bring inio operation the provisions of the County Councils Act in this district, and that the Member for the District be asked to use his influence to " effectuate " the proposal; (2) That a survey and estimate be prepared for the erection of a traffic bridge at the northern end of Grove Road ; that the Government be approached with a view of obtaining a subsidy for same; and that a Commission be asked for to apportion cost of same amongst the Omaka, Spring Creek, Pelorus, Wairau, aud Picton Road Boards, and the Blenheim Borough Council. The Chairman moved that the letter be received. The matter had nothing to do with the Borough Council, and when the local bodies wanted a change they effect it so without asking the Borough Council. Mr Nees said the step was in the right direction. Their chief road was a main trunk road, and under the County this Board had everything to gain and nothing to lose. Mr Palmer: How about the Mahakipawa district ?

Mr Nees : The road there was an arterial road to Picton. A Road Board would not be needed in this district, and another advautage would be that there would be no more Commissions. If we had a County the bridges required would be paid for by the whole of the ratepayers, and the same applied to all maintenance work on bridges. Mr Palmer pointed out that in certain parts of the Nelson district the ratepayers were dissatisfied with the County system and were going back to tbe Road Boards.

Mr Storey said the agitation for the County was coming from the big growers of grain and from owners of traction-engines.

The Chairman said that all the

noney would have to come out of the ■atepayers. At present, the Board

had their thumb on the rating powers, but under the County system men who bad no interest in the district would probably raise the rates. Mr Pal ner contended that in N-feon the by-roads were neglected and the mam roads received the benefit of tbe rates, which was the inevitable result of the operation of the County Councils Act.

Mr Dalton said he would require to be certain that the proposal would be beneficial before he would support it. Mr Hodgson said that a County Engineer would be compelled to keep the main roads in repair, even if this district had no representative on the Council. The Act provided that each Riding could spend their own rates. The Chairman: What better off would the Road Board be ? The rates might be spent locally, but when an arterial road needed bridging or metalling the Pelorus would have to pay a special rate for it. Mr Storey seconded the proposition. Mr Kees moved an amendment that the County Council movement be approved of by this Board, seeing that it would be advantageous to them. There was no seconder to the amendment, and the motion was carried, Mr Nees dissenting. GENEKAL. Mr B. Anderson, The Grove, wrote askiug that the road leading from his place to the main road be " crowned up" and the ditches cleared, and pointing out that there were sufficient accumulated " thirds" to do the work, —On the motion of Mr Palmer, the Board decided that the work should be put in hand at once.

Mr Bereudsen, Wakamarma, directed attention to the bad state of the pack track to Sunnyside and to the fact that the bridge across Dead Horse Creek was dangerous for traffic—Left in the hands of the Inspector. Mr W. McDowell, Havelock Suburban, asked for the use of the Board's grader for a day or two for the purpose of cutting a small channel through a portion of the Kaituna river-bed to give flood water a lead through.—The Board expressed their willingness to allow the use of the grader, subject to the Inspector's approval and to Mr McDowell being responsible for all damage. It was resolved that the grader be sent up the Pelorus before any other work is taken in hand. Messrs Donald and Higgins, Kaituna, wrote calling attention to the state of the road in Long Valley to their run. The water had taken charge of the road for about five chains and had scoured it out and silted up the hollow in the flat. They added that £2 or £3 would cover the cost of fixing the matter up.—On the motion of Mr Nees, and seconded by Mr Storey, it was decided that the necessary work be done. The Inspector was also instructed to attend to various matters at fiua-

paka, J. Bonald's and A. Gifford's. Repairs were authorised to be made to the Alfred Creek, Flat Creek (Rai), and Farnell's bridges, and a new bridge culvert is to be put in at Mr Herbert Reader's. At Mr Palmer's suggestion it was decided that some manuka groins be placed on the beach at Saltwater Creek, Mahakipawa. NOXIOUS WEEDS. Mr Nees moved the proposition of which ho had given notice—namely, That the Board make efforts to eradicate noxious weeds on the roads, that the Board give up possession of all weed-infested areas (primarily the Domain), and that they let all road areas that were over-run with weeds. That was the only solution of the weed problem, and the Board could at the same time get revenue from this source. Referring to this question, Mr Nees said that some of the settlers in the Pelorus were doing their very best to comply with the Act. Mr Bown, in particular, had got his paddocks thoroughly clean; but on the opposite side of the road the weeds were growing luxuriously. That was not fair to the settler, and the Board should see that their roads were kept clear. The Oh lirman pointed out that the Board ought to be very careful about giving up control of the Domain, because the result would probably be the formation of a Domain Board, with rating powers, who might strike a special rate in order to clear the weeds off the Domain. Three acres in the Police Paddock were costing £67 to clear of weeds, and it would probably cost £BOO to clear the Domain.

Mr Hodgson said that there were in his locality several areas of waste roadland that could be let with advantage to the Board.

Mr Nees asked that for the present the Domain question be eliminated from his motion.

This was agreed to, and the Chairman seconded that portion relating to the Board entering upon a campaign against noxious weeds and the leasing of waste road-land. This was carried on the understanding that definite action should be deferred until the new Board met.

Mr Palmer gave notice to rescind the resolution at the next meeting of the Board. HEAVY TRAFFIC, The special order in connection with prohibiting heavy traffic on the roads during the months of June, July, August, and September, was confirmed.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/PGAMA19070405.2.44

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 8, Issue 28, 5 April 1907, Page 5

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,527

PELORUS ROAD BOARD. Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 8, Issue 28, 5 April 1907, Page 5

PELORUS ROAD BOARD. Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 8, Issue 28, 5 April 1907, Page 5

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