WHANGAMARINO ROAD BOARD.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 5, Issue 145, 14 February 1916, Page 2

WHANGAMARINO ROAD BOARD.

Monthly Meeting. The regular monthly meetirg of the Whangamarino Koad Board was held cn Satur.lay at Waerenpa, tin members present being Messrs J G Browne, chairman, S J B. nnett, R Clepbane, H S Hall, J Keith, J Sampson, D Shanks, together with the clerk and engineer, Mr George U Herbert, C.E. WAIKATO KIVEK NAVIGATION A request tor support towards obtaining Government assistance to provide for urgent work 9 on the Waikato river and its tributaries, between Mercer and Huntly, whereby exis'ing navigation difficulties would be overcome, was forwarded by Mr A C Tribe, Mercer, on behalf of the p titioccrs. He enclosed Jor the Board's perusal a cop? of the "Fukekohe ' Times," in whicl was «et out tin requirements of the petitioners, and suggested thit the Government should be approached in the m itter through the medium of the district member and the Minister of Marine Mr Bennett was dubious as to whether the Government would supco;t tha project Mr Clephane stated that all the local bodies were in sympathy, with the movement, and ha propDcsed that a letter he torwarded to Mr Tribe stating that that meeting was in full sympathy with the suggestion that Government assistance should be sought to make the river navigable, thereby as?isting the settlers interested The chairman seconded, and tte mo'.ion was carried unanimously WINTEK TKAI''FIC • Mr J Howard, Whangainarino, acknowledged the receipt cf the Board's instructions for him to strip carting on tie Whangamarino station road in the winte", but -suggested that tha Board must have been under a niaaDprehension in the matter, as the weight of the waggon was only thirty hundredweight, whereas others in the district averaged frcm two toii3 upwards. He iurthar mentioned that his load during «ha winter time never exceed id a ton and considered that the Board ehouU have the road repaired Mr Hall said that the farmers might be carrying two tons ta Mr Howard's one, but he made twenty trips to their one, and in the wet weather, when he should be tdf road, he carted posts The chairman stated that provision was made in the Public- Works Act to deal with cirting, suc'i as was carried :n by Mr Howard Mr Sampson expressed th 3 opinion that as Mr Howard supplied posts to the farmers throughout the wh la year it would be a difficult ma'ier for him to caass carting operations during the winter months

Mr Hall mentioned that tba road would have to he metalled, but on the Engineer stating tint the gradar would ba used on the ruad shortly the matter dropped A FKOPOSEU FOUNU A reply to the Board's application fjr permission to use a portion of the Kangiriri saleyards as a pound wa<! rec:ived fnm the manager of the New Zealand Loan Company, stating thp Company was unable to acceds to the request Mr Hall onsidcred that ths Uoard should consider its financial position before doing anything fuither It was agreed to have tha matter in abeyance, the chairman suggesting that if at some future djte it was decided that a pound should be erected the site should bs somewhere in Te Kauwbata AID FKUM COUNTY REFUSED The Thames County Council advi?ed the Board that the advice of the Council's solicitor had been obtained in connection with the application lor the assistance towards the maintenance of a road" within the Whangamanno Koad Board's boundaries, which gave access to properties trom which tbc Council collected the rates. The advice tendered the Council was that there was no legal authority whereby the Council could spend money as requested Mr Bennett expressed the opinion tint the boundaries between the County and the Ko?d Board district should be adjustted, as it was not equitable for the Council to have the expenditure of rates collected from propenea which were served by a road in tthe Koad Board district

Mr Shanks considered that the possibilities ot an adjustment taking place were nil Mr iJe«fett claimed that there should be no objection to such a proposal if the ratepayers Bigntd a petition asking lor an adjustment and tin Board supported it

On the motion of Mr Shanks the clerk was instruotd to ascertain if the Council was prepared to agree an adjustment of boundaries AUDITOR GENERAL'S COMPLAIN 1' A letter was read from the Auditor General, pointing out that £ 1000 was transferred from tbc Waerenga Sub-divnwti Loan Account to the General Fund on thi J9 th May, 1014, and that the balance sheet showel that til 3 money had not bean completely adjusted by the Hist March, 1915. He advised that the use of loan moneyb for purposes other than those for which they were received was by the Local Uodies Loans Act, and that all members who consented to the illegal diversion were I'lable to a penalty not exceeding £IOO under the Act. He accordingly informed the lioard that unless a refund was made within 21 days he would be compelled to institute proceed" ings for the exaction of the prescribed penalties Mr Hall proposed that a reply be forwarded explaining that tha Hoard had done their best but that the matter would receive immediate attention Mr Clcphane seconded, and tho motion was carried RAILWAY CROSSING WANTED The Railway Department's action in fencing oil a road, the only access to Messrs J C Gtrraaii's, j Alex McKae's and W and G Thcrry's properties, near the way station, at Rangiriri, made it necessary for (hone persons to make application lor-n road. Mr Clcphane mentioned that it was an old trouble, but he was not aware it the road had been dedicated

The engineer said that the road had never been dedicated, and the Railway Department were quite within their rights in closing it The chairman suggested that the Board atwHild take steps to have the losd dedicated -._j The engineer pointed out that if that were done permission would have to be obtained from tha Hailway Department for a crotsifig from the road, where it had bten fenced off, over the line to the approach road leading to Ufc railway goods shed on the opposite side of th; lice. It was agreed upon the proposition of Mr Hall to inform th? Kailway Department of tha position and to ask for permission to erect a gate at the proposed crossing so that the Applicants could get access to the public rosd and further to explain that if the request was granted the Board would tike steps to legalise the road NOT ENTERTAINED Mr W J Moore, Avondale South, Auckland, applied on behalf ot his sans at Mangatangi for a bridge to be erected across a creek between his eons' and Mr Shanks' properties on the main road : Mr Shanks said that the proposed site was on the boundary, and a bridge then wculd only serva one man. He had always oppored it and could not see how the Board would be justified in expending £2OO or £250 on it

It wa9 resolved that a reply stating that the Board could not for financial reasons undertake to erect the propesad bridge should be forwarded to the applicant FINANCIAL PROCEDURESHARP DISCUSSION Following on instructions received at the previous meeting the clerk submitted a statement showing the Board's financial position, from which he estimated that the Board would, if all works were suspended in the meantime, he at the 31st March next, the end of the financial year, overdrawn to the full extent of the legal overdraft, £llOO. Mr Clephine stated that it would take all the following year's rates to wipe out the overdraft The chairman said that if it was found necessary the working expenses of the Waerenga riding could bs curtailed Mr Hall was of the opinion that the position might be worse at the 31st March, as more rates than were reckoned on might be butstanding. He put forward the suggestion that arrangements should be made for a separate banking account for each tub-division, so that each might work on its own rates, and overdraft The chairman considered that the suggestion, $f put into practice, would not WOTk satisfactorily, and would necessitata extra bookkeeping. He fuitber claimed, although recognising that the financial position was not satisfactory, that Mr Hall was asking for something that was not carried out by any other local body in the Dominion Mr Shanks agreed with the chairman, and contended that the time was nut opportune for such a move

Mr Ball siid he had moved in the matter because he did not want a repetition of the prasent situation. As far as he could see there were no difficulties in the way of its Buccats

Mr fchanks considered there would be no necesnty tor a charge when the Board was working on a sound financial basis The chairman doubted if the law would permit of the suggested alteration being put into force, and at his request the dark referred to the Act governing such matters and read therefrom the following, viz:— "All such moneys Bhall be ca*ried to an eccount to be called the Road Board Fund Account, being tbe same account as is established by tha Road Board's Act, 1882." The chairman remarked that it the suggestion was carried out in its entirety it would not benefit the Board, and he accorJingly asked Mr Hall to retrain from pressing the matter

Mr Hall claimed that although it would be the means of restricting works in the Waereiga sub-division, it would assist the others. la reply to ao enquiry, the cMk gave it as 'his opinion that Ihe suggestion could be put into operati in, but deemed it a ques'ion on whiCi legal advics should be sought Mr Clephane instanced how works to ths extent of £350 had be?n authorised in the Rangiriri subdivision, but through inability to obtain material nr men the money remained lin the general fund and tbe representatives of the Waerenga sub-division s?ized it for expenditure. He mentioned the name of Mr Martin, of the Counties' Association, Wellington, as an authority from whom an opinion on the matter could be obtained

The chairman advised that they should decide whether the proposed change should bi adopted in the event of it being fessible before obtaining legal opinion

Mr Hall thereupon proposed that jn the event of the suggestion being convertible into action it be adopted Mr Keith seconded Mr Bennett thuught it was incumbent on Mr Hall to give the matter serious consideration, as the Board would 10 the event ot the scheme being adopted pay away a large amount in interest Mr Clephane .sjpportcd Mr Bennett's remarks, but Mr Hall clamed that separate accounts would keep them within their limits Mr Bennett suggested that if a scheme of retrenchment in connection with the expenditure wa9 undertaken the Board would benefit The chairman said the B,vstem could not be adopted, as the present overdraft was on the amalgamated rates of the district. If all works had ti cease he would resign his position Mr Bennett intimated his intention of doing likewise The chairman stated that if the proposal w .t. nut to (he meeting and adopted the Board would be placed n a "hole" hi the current year Mr Clephane onsidered the p:o----pusi, #to nrastic, and that they bid the of "pulling members

Mr Keith: It's not (lie right way fir them to run,, and we shouH not have to lil f " , '< them Mr Sampson suggested that the D ' o p"sition should not be gone on with, but Mr Hall said that he certainly w»ntej to ,Bnd_ out from

Mr Sharks moved as an amendment th it the matter should be deferred, and Mr Bennett teconded

Neither the motion nor the amendment were, however, p!;t to the meeting, but it waß derided, on the proposal ot Mr Hall, Eecorded by Mr Clephane, the chairman alone dissenting, to ascertain from the Bank it any local bodies were running separate eab-division accounts for general rates The chairman subsequently promised Mr Clephane that the accounts submitted for payment for work done in the Rangiriri subdivision would be paid out ot incoming money