MOA ROAD BOARD.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 October 1915, Page 6

MOA ROAD BOARD.

I MONTHLY MEETING. The ordinary meeting of the Moa Road Board was held on Saturday, when there were present:—Messrs H. Trimble (chairman), J. A. Bridgeman, W. G. Shoemark, G. Capper, J. Hucker, J. Williams, A. E. Lawrence, G. Clough, and M. Hopson. OVERSEER'S REPORT. The overseer (Mr. W. R. Davis) reported that various improvements had been effected to the Lepper Road for a distance of 106 chains. As soon as possible he proposed to procure the borough roller and have the metal scarified and rolled in. A wooden culvert on the Windsor Road had been replaced with 12-inch pipes. Genera) maintenance work has been carried out on the Egmont South, Egmont North, Lincoln, Wortley, Kaimata, Bristol, Ratapiko, Mana, and Kupara Roads. As he was unable to secfire the roller, he had raked in the new metal on the Rugby Road. New water-tables had been made, and two pipe culverts had been put in on the Durham Road East. Forty yards of maintenance metal had been used on the Norfolk Road West. A small culvert on the Durham Road West had been replaced with a set of 18-inch pipes. Owing to the wet weather work authorised on the Mana Road had not been started, but it would be commenced shortly. Owing to the road slipping away on the river side, the Toi Toi Road is too narrow to permit of -a team getting past; the necessary widening would cost £4. The 3-feet pipes were being put in on the Motukawa Road. Owing to difficulty in carting shingle to the tunnel, the work was at present l/ung up. During the month fifty-four pipes had been manufactured. As instructed by the chairman, he had procured gravel at 5s per yard for pipe-making. The wire netting was to hand for the work on the Ngatoro River, but owing to bad weather the work had ndt been started.

THE ESTIMATES. Mr. H. J. Okey, M.P., notified receipt of the chairman's telegram re no grant for Egmont Road. That, he said, was a general complaint among members. This year votes had been considerably cut down all round, and he was afraid that there "was no chance now, as the; Supplementary Estimates had closed. He was in hopes of having a small sum, possibly £IOO, for the Lepper Road on the Supplementary Estimates. The chairman stated that £IOO had appeared for the Lepper Road, and he thought that there was also £IOO for the Egmont Road. MANGAOTEA ROAD. Mr. Brodin, a settler on the Mangaotea Road, in the Stratford County, waited on the Board on behalf of some of the settlers on the road, and asked that the Board should take steps to raise a joint loan to form and metal 70 chains of the Mangaotea Road. He stated that settlers were of opinion that they would receive a Government subsidy of £1 for £1 on the loan money. The chairman pointed out that it would he impossible to obtain a subsidy until next summer, even if the Government granted it then. The estimate for the work required was £7OO per mile. Mr. Bredin stated that the majority of the ratepayers would favor raising sufficient money to do the work if a subsidy was not obtainable, as the road was dangerous. It was decided to the Stratford County Council with a'view to raising a joint loan. GENERAL. In reference to the Board's application for a grant towards the cost of protective works at the Ngatoro River, on the Bedford Road, the Moa Dairy Company notified that Mr. Codd had been appointed to inspect the locality and report at next meeting. The Department of Internal Affairs advised that the special order regarding the Ngatoro Special Rating District had been published in the New Zealand Gazette. A special meeting will be held on Saturday next to consider estimates for the ensuing year. The monthly statement showed that receipts had ! amounted to £sl 10s 8d and expenditure to £265 18s Bd. There was now a credit balance of £314 7s sd. It was decided to prosecute a settler on the Norfolk Road for allowing horses to wander. It was resolved to accede to the men's request for a weekly half-holiday on Saturday. Accounts amounting to £192 2s 9d were passed for payment.