MOA ROAD BOARD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 3120, 20 January 1908, Page 3

MOA ROAD BOARD.

The Moa lioad Board met on Saturday. i'leseiit: Messrs 11. Trimble (chairman), A. Corkill, T. I'haimiey, A. K. Uuvioiiee, T. Chard, I'. lioby, ami ti. Capper. AIXEUED XEUMUEXCE. r Hi" .1. Ivindberg, of Tariki, wrote ask- . ing who was liable lor loyalty on stone ' taken from his properly, and complain- : I ing that the contractor has left lti« fence ' I "in a horrible state." The chairman said the metal had not : been obtained by the Hoard at all, but had been procured for the Patea County Council. , .Mr Lawrence said the atone had been taken out by the Taranaki County Coun- I cii and sold to Messrs Cameron and I lirooking, who had cut the fences as described. The writer will be referred to the County Council. UATLI'A 1 bus* DISSATISFACTION. A deputation from settlers iu the Lincoln, Wortley, lork, and Davis road! special rating district, with ilr J. W. ■ Henwood as spokesman, waited on the | Hoard and complained that the work | ■ u the Lincoln road to «e paid out of the loan, would cost iCloOl), instead of ■CIOUU, as authorised by the ratepayers. They thought the cost ot the deviation was excessive, ile presented a minuted report of a meeting of settlers who had authorised this deputation, to protest ; against the varying of the loan proposals. * The chairman said that when the ten- < ders were opeued, ilr Hobv, member * for that portion of the district, had a asked to have the matter referred back (

to the ratepayers, but there was no power to do that. The Board had invited tenders, and had either to accept or reject them. ilr Henwood said it was a serious' matter to the backbloek settlers, who

had mortgaged their lands for the pur- | pose of "getting out of the mud." But now they found theJT were in the mud as much as ever. -\lr Lawrence asked if the main road work would uot be of beiielit to those settlers. Air Henwood »aid it would be of no use to some of them. Mr Turnlmll said that hail the set-

tiers known the loan proposals were 10 be varied the loan would not have been curried. The ratepayers, it seemed, wore being made to pay for something they did not want.

jir Yates endorsed these remarks. He had expected a metalled road to his gate, but there would not be money for that, and there would lie half a mile of road to metal on his own account.

Mr Hoby said he supported the deputation in every point, and he had told the Board at its last meeting that the expenditure of more than the authorised amount on a section of the work would cause intense dissatisfaction amongst the ratepayers concerned.

Mr Bolger, of the Lincoln road, said the expensive deviation could have been avoided. He agreed with the protest of the back settlers, who wanted the metalled road.

Mr H. Maseman spoke in a similar strain.

The chairman said it was too late now to make any alteration. Tile Board had accepted a tender, and the work must be gone on with, lie thought the Board had taken the proper course. The estimates laid before the settlers' meeting at the Richmond-road schoolroom

had been only tentative, and he had made that clear. The settlers knew, too, that the £3OOO could not give them

all metalled roads. He warned them that they must trust the Board to do the best it could for the whole body of the ratepayers, and if they could not trust them they should have voted against the loan. It had been decided to expend only £IOOO on the Lincoln road. But that meeting was held in July, be-

fore the increased cost of living and of labor had been brought about. When tenders came in the Board had to decide whether to make the main road properly or to skimp the work on the whole of the roads. Was it not better to have the main road properly made than to do a little bit of work here and there? The deviation had been unavoidable, and would give a grade of 1 in 15 instead of 1 in 7 and 1 in 8 as at present. So one regretted more than he did that the loan of £3OOO would do less than was originally expected, but what work was done should be done well.

Mr. Chamney said the settlers had had every chance of objecting at the proper time. Jir. Turnbull said that he had not known about the Board'B action till a couple of days ago. In answer to the chairman, be said the ratepayers had agreed to do certain work on certain conditions, but those conditions had been varied. The official loan proposals had been different to the scheme submitted to the ratepayers' meeting. The deputation was not complaining that each settler had not got a metalled road, but that the by-road's were not getting their fair share. They were not complaining of the cost "of the work, but of the , variation of the sclieme.

The chairman said that several settlers voted for tlie loan on the distinct understanding that the Lincoln road would be completed. Mc. Chard said the Board bad done its best. If the ratepayers were dissatisfied, let them turn the Board out. -\lr. Hoby: But what's the use of locking the stable-door when the horse has gone?

The chairman said that in the original sketch plane the engineer had underestimated the length of the road, and the Board liatT to stand the brunt. No further action was taken. GENERAL. Tenders for tunnels on the Motukawa road were held over. Mr. S. J. Bishop's letter concerning the necessity for repairs to Everett-road wa»- referred to the chairman and engineer, with authority to invite tenders. Five ratepayers on the Koliete road, Kaimata. petitioheU the Board to expedite work on the Kohote road, to enable the work to set before winter. The work will be pushed on. Accounts amounting to £ll3O 9s Gd were passed for payment.