MOA ROAD BOARD.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 October 1916, Page 6

MOA ROAD BOARD.

JIONTHI.y MEETING, The usual monthly meeting was held in the Board's office, lnglewood, on Saturday. Present: Messrs 11. Trimble, A. K Laurence, J. Williams, J. llucker, A. Corldll, and W. T. IJcnwood.

CORRESPONDENCE. Josef Butler, Dudley Road, applied for permission to make two chains of a drain on Dubley Road and eleven chains Dn Windsor Road, and asking for a few shillings towards the cost of making drains.—The Board cannot see its way clear to pay anything towards cost. E. C. Robinson, engineer, forwarded plans and details of work necessary at the .Makara. Stream bridge. Hir estimate for bridge on present prices was £7lB 13s, and deviation £250. Received. The State Advances office notified the Board that their application for £2700 for forming and metalling Lepper Road south had been approved.—Received, the chairman, and clerk to affix seal to debentures for that amount.

W. Bennett, Ratapiko, foreman, requested the Board to cut out of his supervision No. 4 division, Toi Toi and Moutakawa Roads, as he found this riding too far. —Overseer instructed to get men for repairs, instead of employing Bennett alone.

OVERSEER'S REPORT. Hie overseer, Mr. Davies, reported as under:—The work of preparing plans for Makaia bridge and deviation is well in hand. Plans and estimates for bridge at Motukawa Road (hardwood frame) are complete. The Inspector of Machinery inspected th'e Board's plant and found same in good order. Re Bedford Road, south of Norfolk. Mr. Kcnrick has granted permission to get stringers for the bridge off his property. If this is done the work could be undertaken at a cost of about £O. The metalling of Norfolk Road worst is now well in hand. Seventy-nine chains, with the exception of rolling 20 chains and about two days' crushing will complete the job. Settlers are prepared to assist in scarifying and strengthening the metal between Messrs Ren Dowbroski's and Barford's properties, a distance of 20 chains.

Kohete Road.—An offer of '£-3 has been made by Mr. Simons for the old timber bridge. Lincoln Road.—An earthenware pipe culvert between. Messrs Thompson's and Kenwood's has been broken, and should be replaced with a !Kn. concrete, length •20 feet, and should be put in one chain further west of the old culvert site. General maintenance work has been done on the following roads: Dudley, Bedford, Rugby, Durham east. Lincoln, York, Davis, YVortloy, Bristol, Rimutauteka, Kaimata south, Ratapiko, Kaimata no"' 1 ), Kupaia, Ngaco.

STATUTORY MEETING. The annual meeting of the Moa Road Board was held this afternoon. The chairman, Mr. Trimble, read his annual report. in the discussion ensuing, Mr. Honwood remarked on the. valuable assistance given the Board by the chairman during his term of the office. He (the speaker) and other ratepayers appreciated the work done on their behalf by by Mr. Trimble. He moved that a hearty vote of thanks be accorded the chairman for the manner in. which he, piloted the Moa County Bill when it was before Parliament.—Carried.

Mr. Trimble acknowledged the compliment. He had taken a deep interest in the Board and hoped to continue to do so. Mr. J. B. Simpson brought up the question of members' expenses. He thought it decidedly unfair that in merging matters the members of County Councils should tie empowered by Act of Parliament to draw expenses, whereas members of the Board should be put to tne same travelling expenses and ndt allowed to receive remuneration through the Board. He thought this unfair and that the expenses should be borne by the ratepayers. GOVERNMENT GRANTS FOR ROADS.

The chairman road the following report:—When the Minister for Public Works was in New Plymouth on Saurday, October 14th, I took the opportunity of interviewing him with regard to certain votes for expenditure on roads in this Road District. Mr. E. C. Robinson and Mr. Davies. the Board's, overseer, nccompaning me. The Minister, in addressing the representatives of the Local Bodies, stated that the amount of money available for carrying out the work approved by Parliament was only about one-half of what was required, and lie had therefore decided that in each county he would authorise the expenditure of an amount not exceeding oneha'f of the total amount of votes for work in any particular county, he stated also that he was not prepared to consider applications for new grants, or for additions to those voted. When the question of work in the Taranaki county caine to be considered, it was found that the amounts already authorised for work were equal to the amount which the Minister was prepared to authorise, and not, only was there nothing for the County Council, hut the Minister stated that he was not prepared to recognise a Road Board as having any claim at all. Subsequently he agreed to hear what I had to say with reference to the votes for roads in this district which amount to £llOO, but hearing in mind his statement at the commencement of the meeting f did not think it advisable to ask for any new grants, or the increase of an old one. Kohete Road. £ for £. £200.-The amount of the Board's claim for vork on this road amounting to about £4O having been properly authorised, will be paid when the District Road Engineer lias certified that be is satisfied with the work.

Ngatoro Bridge, £ for £, £2OO The Minister stated that he would look into the question of ,the disagreement between the Board', engineer and the. Department with reference to this bridge, but he recommended that if sufficient money was not available fos a reinforced concrete structure as had been intended, it should be huilt in hardwood.

Lepper Road South, £ for £, £IOO. —Owing to the very definite statement by the Minister, I did not think it advisable to ask for an increased grant for this road. In both these eases the Minister stated that he would endeavour to authorise the expenditure of the grants. With reference to the other votes, viz., Everett Road £2OO, Rimutauteka Road £lotr, Kaimata Road £2OO. and Ratapiko Road £IOO, there is not the remotest chance of their expenditnie being authorised during the. present financial year, and the Minister could give no indication as |to when the money was likely to be available.

Makara Bridge, Bristol Road. - It would have been of no use to ask the Minister to authorise the transfer of any votes to Uiis work, as that would only be done in the case of money authorised but no required for'expenditure, and it would have been equally futile to have asked for 11. new grant. Unless the ratepayers interested are prepared to raise by loan the whole of the money required, 1 recommend that the question of building a new bridge bo deferred for some time.

The Minister stated that the unauthorised grants would not be removed from the Estamtes, but would be re-voted next year.—Tt was resolved. "That the settlers on the Bristol Road, interested in the Makara Bridge, be requested to meet the Board to discuss the question of'building or not a new bridge."

A DEPUTATION. Messrs. Hoby, Langman, and Bennett, comprised a deputation and asked the Board to apply for a loan of £(100 for metalling work. Mr. Hoby said they were really in two Road Districts, Waitara West and Moa. He was the only one who had land in the Moa district, but the others were anxious to get a loan as theft only outlet was towards lnglewood. and 'most of the loan must be spent on the roads in this district, and their traffic was in this direction. The chairman explained that they must apply to the Waitara. West Road Board, and Mr. Hoby so far as his Moa section was concerned would have to subsidise the loan himself, as there must be at least two ratepayers to raise a loan.

In reply to Mr. Hoby, the chairman said if they wanted to merge into tjie Board it would be necessary to have the approval of the Waitara Board, and also make a formal application to the County Council to permit the merger. There was no doubt that if they had the approval of the Waitara West Board there would be no trouble about the County's consent. The cost would not be great, and the time would only be that necessary to bring the matter before the Council meeting. Mr. Hoby then made a verbal request and said a formal written application would follow.

The deputation then thanked the Board and withdrew. The Board then passed a formal resolution approving the merging. TENDERS. Estimates for metal, bonldere, etc., for maintenance work on the various roads in the district were laid on the table, and approved. Tenders for the same will close, on the day of the Board's meeting in December.