ROAD BOARD "BREEZE."

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 59, 22 April 1907, Page 2

ROAD BOARD "BREEZE."

CLEAIvIXG THE ATMOSPHERE. It is not often that the members of tli Moa Road Hoard show a desire to taJ< the hit between their teeth, but two di 011 Saturday. There have been distal mutlerings of a storm for some month and it broke on Saturday when'a IeLU was read from Foreman Ward askin if it were advisable for J. Xielson to 1 allowed to commence lo cart his K yards of gravel 011 the Motukawa roa< as it would be impossible to complet the contract this year; and the woi would only damage the road, which wr unmetalled. Mr. Clmmney, member from that di: trict. said the metalling contract ha been let at a meeting which lie was m able to attend, the board first rescindiu a previous resolution not to do any mi tailing 011 the road this year. Most 'pet pie in his district thought that Sir. Corl ill, his colleague, had his hands fairl full with the Toe Toe road, but eviden ly he Iwdn't, and seemed to like to di into the other roads. He considered tl letting of the contract at this time ( the year was absurd—cutting up twcnt chains of road to metal five chains. Mr. Corkill said that lie had acted 0 the request of the settlers theniselve lie would like to mention that he ha only about a mile and a half of the T< Toe road to look after. Mr. Ghamnc had seven or eight miles of the Moti kawa road, yet he had "had his fmgei in my road for the past 18 months." Mr. Chanmey (imperiously): M Chairman— - -Mr. Corkill: Yet he accuses me ( dabbling. Mr. lien wood rose to a poiu of orde Me objected to these personalities. Mr. Corkill: Well, why didn't you sit Mr. Chafnuey? Fm sure Fve never goj out of my way to interfere with h Motukawa road. Five or six settlei came to me, and asked me to get tl: road metalled, and there's not a ma on the board would have doue other tha I have done.'' As every member kne\ Mr. Chanmey had been interfering wit the Toe Too road, to its great detrimeu Mr. Corkill thanked the other luembei for having assisted him in getting ju> tice for the settlers by giving them a entrance lo tin; road. .Mr. Ohiinmey (warmly); Allow me I correct that. The Chairman: All right, us long a you don't indulge in personalities. Mr. Chanmey: Mr. Corkill said 1 wa against thai Mr. Corkill (loudly): What? Mr. Chanmey: Against the Toe To road gettiug an entrance. Mr. Corkill: 1 said you were agains the deviation. .Mr Chanmey: Well, that is corrce only in part. J'm here as a member 0 the board, and I received private in for mation that the settlers ou the road di not intend to go in for a h>an, and blocked it until they expressed thci willingness to borrow the money. I lof the Toe Toe road alone then. You set Hunt never iutended to go for a loan and Patterson was against it, so tlior was only Mr. Corkill left to raise th money. Mr. Corkill said he had got instruc tions iroin Hunt Bros, to get an en trance lo the road, and they promised t( "stand" iu with loan if necessary. Mr. Trimble said he remembered Hum writing to the board asking for a loan and he had never been able to reeonciu that with Mr. Chamney's reiterated as sertions. lie wished to explain to Mr Chanmey that members were not eleetei to the board merely to look after tin roads 011 which they lived, but lo do theii best tor the whole of the ratepayers thought in a general way they were expected lo know more of the roads ii their own locality. But a member wa* (piite entitled lo notice matters iu othei parts of the district, and to living them before the board, even though lie touched oil the road 011 which another memhei lived, lie had moved the resolution which decided that 110 metalling should be done 011 the road this winter Mr. Corkill: You mean you put your name before it. You didn't move it or igiiiiilly. The Chairman proceeded: But for the very heavy rainfall in March the work could have been completed before now. As to the matter- which had brought about this discussion, lie thought the lorouan should exercise his <V -r -t ion. Mr. ifeinvood: Your se down there don't seem to kuov. :.,-Sr own minds. .Mr. Chanmey (warmly): Well, why don't you wait until they do? I want lo make a personal explanation. The Chairman: You've made two now. .Mr. Chnmuey spoke, at some length on the cost of the. work, which could have been done more cheaply by public tenter than at the. price arranged bv Mr. /orkill. The "breeze" blew over shortly afterwards iiud Ihe participants in the duel •ould be heard explaining i'ultliev to the )ther members of the board.