MOA ROAD BOARD.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 April 1919, Page 3

MOA ROAD BOARD.

MONTHLY MEETING. The ordinary meeting of the Moa Road Board was held at Inglewood on ( Saturday, when there \tere present: j Messrs A. Corldll (chairman), J. B. ( Simpson, J. H. Lyon, R. Stewart, P. J. : Bracegirdle, J. M. Hair, D. Todd, J. , Hunter, and T. S. Bowler. OVERSEER'S REPORT. Mr. R. C. Gray (overseer) reported that his time had been taken up on the roads with the crushing plant, inspecting ' culverts, etc. The plant had been held up for a time owing to being unable to procure sufficient teams to supply boulders to the Ratapiko depot, and also | owing to receiving such short notice to I supply 100 yards on the Kupara road. IL. Bishop had, delivered 450 yards on the Rimutauteka Road. On the Everett Road eight ]S-inch pipes had been set in and the tilling raised. The boulder and shingle contracts had commenced. On the Motukawa Road nine 18-inch pipes had been set in and the watertables cleaned. On the Kupara Road, 100 yards of boulders had been delivered, crushed, and spread on eight chains on the Kupara Hill. Blinding and Watertabling had been carried out. Mr. A. Douch's contract on the Mangaotea Road had been completed and 78 yards of screenings had been carted and spread and 27 chains scarified and rolled, and 57 chains raksn in. On the Mana Road maintenance work had been carried out. Banking up and metalling were now being carried out. There was still 50 yards of boulders to be delivered to that depot and five full days' work for the plant wo#ld be needed to complete the Mana and Ratapiko Roads, after which the plant would be moved to the Ngaro Road. General maintenance had been carried out on the Bristol, Rimutauteka, Norfolk West, Durham West, Dudley East, and West of Bedford and Windsor Roads. i j EVERETT ROAD SUBSIDY. [ The Under-Secretary of Public Works notified that the Minister of Public Works was prepared to find £3OO on the basis of £ for £, in addition to the £2OO ( £ for £) already appearing on the appropriations for metalling Everett Road, directly detailed plans, etc., had been submitted. The chairman stated that the £3OO would be devoted towards metalling, and not towards the bridge. The bridge it was now proposed to build would suit the requirements of the district for all time, but with a subsidy the Government might expect a more expensive bridge, towards which the settlers might have to raise n larger sum than would lie required to erect the present bridge.

Mr. Lyons suggested that the old bridge might be strengthened, 30 as to enabk the crusher to get over and permit the settlers having their road metalled before the winter. The chairman stated that this was impossible. The action of the chairman in appointing Mr. Dowsett as engineer to pass the Everett Road bridge was confirmed. THE MAKARA BRIDGE. Mr. Lyons stated that tie Minister of Public Works, in view of the shortage of labor, had stated that where settlers were prepared to raise a loan for metalling purposes he would be prepared to recommend a subsidy of £ for ,€. This, he considered, should be borne in mind. It was resolved to apply for a £ for £ subsidy on the Makara bridge.

ELTHAM COUNTY CONFERENCE. The Eltham County Conference notified that the cost of preparing uniform by-laws, together with the cost, of the conference, would he £350, which is was proposed to divide equally between the nine counties and the Moa Koad Board, less any contribution the boroughs might make. The chairman stated that these conferences had been in vogue five years, and the Moa Koad had only been invited to attend twelve months ago. He understood a good deal of the £350 was salary to the secretary, who had not been paid since the start. It was only right that they should pay a portion, as they had received benefit through the fixing of wages, etc. To include the Road District as well as the Taranaki County Council looked like doublebanking the ratepayers, and he thought the Moa Road District should pay a share of the Taranaki county contribution, f

It was finally resolved to ask for de> tails. THAT TARIKI ROAD METAL.

The Taranaki County Council wrote asking the Board to take immediate steps to remove boulders from the Tariki Road, between Mr. Simon's cowshed and his motor-shed, as it had been reported that this had rendered the highway dangerous. Doubtless the eontractor had overlooked arranging with the foreman, who could have arranged a more suitable site.

Th° Taranaki County Council also submitted a copy of a resolution passed at last meeting: "That the Moa Road Board be informed that before proceeding with the carting of metal on Tariki Road the board shrould enter into an agreement under section 130 of the Public Works Aci with the council, to reinstate any damage that may accrue to the road" This had been the custom in the past between the council and other boards, and had generally been arranged by the payment of a subsidy of "d per yard, the council paying a similar amount when conducting traffic on a district road. Members asked whether the council paid to cart their crusher over the Manganui bridge. ft The chairman stated that the paddock through which the meta' had to be carted from the river got very wet after a little rain, and in order to take full advantage of the tine weather the overseer decided to get the metal on to the roadside as quickly as possible. If carted direct to the job the metal would have cost more and the job would have taken twice as long. He could not understand the attitude adopted by the Taranaki County Council, who rmist have been misinformed, as the metal was not within 5 oi 0 feet of the metalled road. Further, from the Manganui bridge onwards the road had been metalled by the settlers, who raised a loan for which they were rated to-day, and it was hard that they should be debarred from carting metal to repair the roads further back. Moreover, for 10 or 15 years after the road had been gazetted a county road the Road Board had looked after it, and the county should have refunded that money Now they said the metal should not be carted oyer that road. If the councillors were so I narrow-minded it was time they pulled ' out, or were asked to do so by the rate- . payers. Continuing, the chairman stated 1 that he bad been over the road asd

found that while they were complaining of the Road Board metal, some of their own maintenance metal was lying in actual contact with the metalled road. The overseer said that the boulders had now been removed and were crushed.

Mr. Simpson said that another aspect of the matter was to be seriously considered. As a representative on the council, appointed by the ratepayers, he had tried to do his 'best in the interests of the ratepayers, and the position was verv unsatisfactory to him, as he did not"get the support of his two colleagues in the Moa Riding, and he thought members of the Road Board, as ratepayers, should give an expression of opinion the action of those representatives. There must be something underlying their actions. Although the majority of the ratepayers favored the Moa County, one of their representatives opposed it. Another representative liroiight up such mattera as the boulders an Tariki Road, and from wliat lie could gother this was misrepresented. If it was due to personal motives, then the representatives had no right to be on the council. He wished for an expression of opinion, as at present the riding was represented by one member who was opposed by the other two. Mr. Simpson expressed the opinion that Cr. Morton, in blocking the matter of boulder- carting on Tariki Road, was penalising the small settler by increasing the cost of the work.

On the motion of Messrs Lyons and Hair it was resolved to allow the letter to lie on the table.

Members expressed their appreciation of the overseer's foresight in endeavoring to carry out the work as economically as possible. GENERAL. The action of the chairman in allocating 100 yards of metal for the Kupara Road was confirmed. It was resolved to purchase 100 yards of metal from L. Bishop on the Rimutauteka Road at a cost of 6s 6d per yard. Messrs T. McPhillips (chairman) and T. A. Bridge (member of the Waim»i County Council), who gave evidence at the recent commission, notified that beyond car hire they had no claim for expenses. The chairman was appointed the hoard's representative on the Inglewood Peace Committee.

Mr. C. A. Wilkinson, M.P., notified that lie had been advised by the Minister of Public Works that the Taranaki County Council had no intention at the present, juncture of establishing a toll",ate within the Moa Road Board boundaries.

The Inglewood Borough Council notified that the council was unable to cooperate with the board in forming an electric power board for the purpose stated, as it had already made arrangements for a supply of electricity from the New Plymouth Borough Council.— Mr. Lyons said they would have to cooperate with Waitara or Stratford. Mr. E. A. Cowling waited on the board and asked that work should be done on the Ross Road.—The overseer will visit the districtiand meet Mr. Cowl-

Mr. Gladding asked that work should be done on the Ngaro Road. This road had been constructed by the settlers and the land loaded with the cost, and he thought the rate should be expended in maintaining the metal now laid down instead of in new metal. If labor was difficult to obtain the settlers would do the work, one of them being capable of supervising.—The overseer will attend to the work.