MOA ROAD BOARD.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 September 1918, Page 2

MOA ROAD BOARD.

■3*=— ———— MONTHLY MEETING : The. monthly meeting of the Moa Road Board was held on Saturday. There were present: Messrs A. Corkill (chairwan), B. Todd, J. Hunter, R. Stewart, h\ Bracegirdle, p. A. Reesby, J. B. Simpsun, and T. S. Bowler. ! CHAIRMAN'S, REPORT". 9 The chairman, reported that since last meeting the metal allocated to Davis, ■■Lincoln and Windsor toads lias been s laid aud rolled, and loose stones raked in i and watertables attended to. The Dudley Koad west drains and culverts were cleaned out, and patching done on Bristol and Rimutauteka roads. Driver Bowler fed repaired tho plant and damaged pipe moulds, aud assisted tho carpenters,at the new buildings, during the time the r plant was not) working. The committee y of the Tariki public hall was doing cer- : tain repairs and improvements in front lf of the hall, which necessitated shifting - tho culvert. All the gear had been ■ shifted from the old office to tho mach- ,; iuery shed, and the old office will not he required any longer. Surfaceman Bovctt was leaving for camp next week. Surfaceman Ludeman was unable to take up his duties on Ist September, but will commenec next week. The report was adopted. ADDITIONAL PLANT. jj The committee set up to report on the matter of securing an additional engine stated that since the committee met and framed its report, some further offers . had been received, and the chairman t stated ho had asked the committee to J defer submitting its report until the new offers had been considered. The plant housing committee reported that the pipe sited and plant house ~ had been completed, The matter of i buildings and materials therein was left r in the hands of the chairman to arrange. RIDING BOUNDARIES. The clerk of the Taranaki County Council wrote in respect to the. boundaries of the Waitara West and Moa Road districts, .-latimr that .shortly after the matter of the "boundaries of the road district had been brought up, the 1 question of merging of the Waitara West Road districts was freely discussed by a i section of the ratepayers, and in consequence it was deemed advisable that the matter stand in abeyance. As soon . [>s it was ascertained that the merger ■ ui the Waiittra West, district was on the move, the situation became altered, inr nsinuch as the ratepayers of that district would in the near future be in the county and thac their interests would equally, if not better, be safeguarded by 1 the county. Further it was pointed out 1 that the county was not, obliged to carry . out the proposed alterations as the eoun- ' cil had discrctionarv powers under tiie Koad District Act. 'The chairman said it was twelve . months since the settlers had petitioned , the board to be taken into the Moa

" Road district. It was useless to say that the question of the Waitara West Road District merger had affected tne position. The council had held up lite tiling for ten months and blocked the hoard from attending to the interests of I he sei tiers in these back districts. Unfortunately the council had the discretionary power to refuse to sanction the alteration of the boundaries. Tho Valuer-General enclosed a copy of a letter to the Taranaki County Council in reference to the transfer of certain assessments from the Waitara West Road District roll to the Moa Road District roll, slating that as the special order transferring the area from Waitara West to the Moa District had not, boon supplemented by a corresponding change ■ in the riding boundaries, the order purJ porting to alter the Road District could not operate. The letter was to be V.iken- ' as authority to defer action in respect ! to the area in question. It was fur- ; ther pointed out that in any ease the? merger could not take effect till April, ' 1910. | It was stated by the chairman that the hoard had been under 1 he impression ll.at the merger was lo take effect from last April. Up said if was scandalous '. that the council should keep the settlers in the area concerned in the mud for another twelve months, and prevent the , board from improving the conditions for the settlers. | GENERAL. > Weston and Weston wrote on behalf . of W. I. Thomason claimed £-10 for the value, of stone (about 80 yards) improperly removed, and Ei!o damages. t The letter staled that Mr Thomason had ' handed over another heap of broken I stones lo the board some time ago in satisfaction of a claim for heavy traffic, and pointed out ilia! heap to (he board's employee, yet notwithstanding the board had taken his own heap of broken metal ' as above mentioned. The chairman said he had no knowr ledge that Mr Thomason had metal on i the road. There was a heap of metal on the road for the board's maintenance i and he was not aware that Mr Thoma--1 son had any right to place metal for him- . self on the board's roads. The amount r removed was 8:1 yards, and if there was , any of it that belonged to Mr Thomason . it could only be eight yards, as the . board had 75 yards of metal on the road , from Mr Thomason. \ It was decided that the board did not ', recognise tho claim pnt forward. ; The Public Works Department wrote enclosinir conditions under which worii , was to be carried out. on which GovcrnL menl subsidies or grants were authorised, I particularly in reference G> payments to f contractors, workmen and owners of teams, at rates in excess of those paid by the Department for similar work 1 carried out under I lie supervision of its 1 own officers. ' The Department, of Internal Affairs • wrote intimating that it had been de--5 cided to close the funds for the. I'renen ■ War Orphans and Scottish Women's • Hospitals, and that no further permits - should be issued, and Hint existing per- - mils to collect for the same should be 1 cancelled. i The Treasury Department wrote in- ) limating payment to the Bank of New , Zealand to the credit of the board of • £250, being subsidy on rates collected r for year 1017-18. j Matters relating to( the collection of [ moneys for patriotic purposes were < brought under the notice of the board j bv correspondence from the. Department of internal Affairs, which pointed out \ the necessity of ensuring that every fund 1 for which contributions were solicited had the approval of the Minister. A " copy of the regulations containing fonus ' of permits prescribed was enclosed. Mr Hunter mentioned that the previous dav's heavy rain had caused flooding nt several culverts on the Bristol road. 3 This was the case at every heavy rain. ? He suggested that new pipes should lo ' put in.—The matter was left in the hands of the chairman. 1 It was decided to levy a special \v.orks rate of id for one year on the Norfolk

Road West area. A great deal of work had bt'L>j] done on tie road and the amount of the rate, -which had been agreed upon by the settlers, would put them in credit within the year. The tender of John Rowan for the supply of shingle for pipo making at 7s Cd per yard was accepted, subject to certain conditions. Accounts amounting to £lB7 lis fid were passed for payment.