MOA ROAD BOARD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 94, 17 May 1909, Page 4

MOA ROAD BOARD.

The Moa Road Board held its ordinary monthly meeting on Saturday at liHewood. Present: .Messrs H.'Trimble, A. Corkill, Jones, Lawrence, Mundt, Williams, Capper and Stead. Mr. Trimble was re-elected chairman. The matter of tmmelliug on the Everett road (estimated cost £22 10s) to avoid renewing a culvert which had rotted was kit iu the chairman's hands to arrange, the member* expressing them- | selves well satisfied with the tunnelling policy.

The chairman reported that Standing junr., who had contracted to break *J yards of stone in Davis' pit for 2s !ra a yard, had found the price uurehiunerative, and, after breaking 13 yards, asked to be paid for that and to be relievedof his an informal discussion it was decided, in view of the fact that there was no written contract and no deposit, to obtain a report from the foreman.

Two ratepayers in the Waitara West road district asked the Board not to proceed with the fencing on the Davis road as pur specifications, which Unconsidered were too elaborate. They asked that section 5 of the Fencing Act should be considered sufficient. Mr. J. W. Heriwood appeared in support of the petition, and stated that his sou had tendered for the fence on alternative lines. He pmduced the tender.—Deferred till the afternoon sitting. Mr. Haverbier waited on the Board and asked that 25 yards of metal be provided for filling bad holes on the Kaiinata road north. Sucli a policy wou.d save the use of 50 yards next'year.— In the discussion was urged the necessity for cleaning water-tables on Hopson's Hill.—lt was decided to comply with the request. Mr. J. B. Hfae, M.P., wrote that he would bring prominently before the Minister the Board's application for a grant for the Lincoln and other roads. The Secretary of the Treasury wrote that the Board had borrowed during the year ended January 31st, 1009, under the Local Bodies Loans Act. the amount of £3360, with £67 Is ikl interest. The Treasury also notified that £IOO had been paid into the Board's account, being the second and final advance on the loan of £350 for the Surrey road contract. The Stratford County Council wrote that at the last meeting a resolution had been passed to the effect that "the Council was willing to take charge of and expend any rates or land fund accruing to the Upper Surrey road. The chairman reported "upon the failure of the 18in culvert to carry off water of a creek near Mr. G. flenwood's on the Richmond road. The filling made by a previous foreman was far too low, and that before the water could fill the 18in ipipe it must rise to such a height as to. flow over ,the road. The filling needed raising by three feet. The Board made a special order authorising a loan of £3OO from the Treasury, being 10 per cent, additional on the Lincoln, Wortley and York roads' loan of £3OOO. Messrs Orbell and Mackay presented a report upon works under their supervision. The Davis road formation had been completed. The tunnel for the Kanau stream on the Motukawa road had been completed, and the work of making the filling fa place of the bridge was being proceeded with. Good progress was being made with the erection of the bridge on the Maim road. One pier had been completed. They had made arrangements with the settlers regarding the dosing of the bridge against milk traffic. Mr. Corkill drew the engineer's attention to the state of the tunnel on the ;Motukawa road. Another couple of floods, he thought, would destroy it.— He moved that a committee be set up to visit the place. The motion was carried, and Messrs Trimble, Capper and Corkill appointed a committee to report.

Tenders were received and dealt with as follows:—Davis road fencing: Drumbroski 22s a chain; .fas. Itoiialdson. 12s Od a chain (accepted); Stackurski, 13s Od; L. and G. Hcnwood, £1 2s Bd, or au alternative fence of 19s; F. Standing, .■el Is. Bristol road metalling: E. P. Stewart 5s Od, only tender (accepted). The clerk was instructed to obtain from the New Plymouth Sash and Door Company at New Plymouth a statement of .timber carted over the Board's roads and the amount of duty payable thereon.

It was decided to call tenders for 40 yards of boulders for the Lepper road south. Considerable discussion took place concerning the maintenance of the Lepper road between the* bridge and the Egmont road.—Mr. Mundt said that as this short piece of road was used almost entirely by the Egmont road people, owing to the presence of the creamery there and to the fact that it was their chief outlet, the Egmont =road people should maintain it.—'.Mr. Williams undertook to interview the ratepayers upon the matter. Mr. Corkill referred to a statement

being publicly made by an ex-meml>er of the Board that owing entirely to his efforts the Lepper road's position had been improved, so that although it was £3O in debt and that .€OO had" been expended in the past year the road was now in credit. He took that as a slur on the Board members and its management.—Messrs Lawrence and Mundt spoke in a similar strain, and the chairman assured the Board that the improvement was not the result of the efforts of any one man, but merely because the Board had not spent anything on the road of late. Mr. Jones urged the necessity for cleaning out a culvert and drain and raking up loose metal on the Norfolk road, near the Bedford road.—Referred to the foreman. Mr. Butler will be required to remove a fence and gate erected by him across the Bedford road. Foremen will receive instruction to impound cattle from the roads. Members reported that stray cattle and horses were doing great damage.