PARIHAKA ROAD BOARD.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 April 1917, Page 7

PARIHAKA ROAD BOARD.

At the last meeting of the Parihaka oad Board the chairman said that as this was the last meeting of the Board before the election, he would like to sav ft few words. First and foremost He must congratulate the Board upon th» splendid order in which their roads "had been kept upon so low a rate. He doubted if any other Road Board in Xew Zealand had done so well. It had been a Ih's struggle to keep up to the mark, the principal cause being the great scarcity of labor. At present they had good men and were paying them lis per day, whbh was a good wage, but they might yet have to pay more. The County Council Iverc at present discussing the advisability of the Koad Board being merged into the .Council. He was not against Hie proposal, but the ratepayers, he was vcrtain, would not get any better service by so doing The Board's revenue amounted to about £2OOO per year and with that they kept SO miles of roads In order. There was not a road which a horse and cart could not go over. He knew that some ratepayers occasionally griimbled.'but then thev'forgot that tlw only paid a U\ rate, Tf the Board went In for machinery, as personally he ■"thought they would have to, then they would have to raise the rate, which won J probably amount to Id. In looking over the bank book that morning he noticel Hint the Board had a substantial credit balance, which was a big thing for a Board like theirs. If tlw roads were in bail order it was on account of shortage of labor, not shortage of cash.