TEMUKA ROAD BOARD.

Temuka Leader, Volume I, Issue 83, 2 October 1878, Page 2

TEMUKA ROAD BOARD.

An ordinary meeting of this Board was held yesterday. Present— Messrs Talbot (Chairman), Quinn, Hayhurst, and Ensor. Mr M'Pherson, the surveyor, was also in attendance. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. Mr Scott waited on the Board to point out that part of the work contemplated in contract No 109, the enlarging of a drain, would prove injurious to him, by bringing down more than the natural amount of drainage through his land. Mr Hayhurst pointed out that the Board could not be too careful in bringing water from a distance through private lands, the doing so might entail a heavy future expense. At a later stage the Board decided to alter die plan of the work, so as to prevent the injury anticipated by Mr Scott Mr Roberts, of Trevenna, waited upon the Board to ask that two roadside drains be cleared out, and asking for some timber to make a bridge over a road side drain. It was decided to grant the application for the timber, and to clean out one of the drains, the other to be reported on. Opinions were expressed that the Board should not undertake to c'ean road side drains, unless from their state they were injuring the road. Accounts to the amount of £1427 4s 2d was presented for payment. The payment of a few accounts was deferred because the works were not finished or were unsatisfactorily performed. With respect to one set of items, amouuting to £27 Bs, for day labour on the Vine-street drain, Mr Hayhurst reminded the Board of a resolution to the effect that works to cost more than L2O should not be done by day labour. It was explained that at the last meeting of the Board it was determined to proceed with this drain, and, nothing being said of the manner, the overseer supposed it was to be continued as it was begun. On an item for a progress payment on contract No. 100—clearing the Temuka creek—a long discussion took place, Mr Hayhurst stating that the contractors appeared to have finished, and yet had done nothing like an amount of work worth the price to be paid for it. On the motion of Mr Quinn the payment was held over until two members of the Board should have visited the work in company with the Engineer, and have satisfied themselves as to the character of the work.

On an item for filling up approaches to a bridge, Mr Hayhurst expressed surprise that the filling of approaches was not made a part of the contract for the bridge. Bridges Avere paid for, and then accounts for extras for making and filling approaches came in afterwards. This system was surely a new one under this Board. Bridges were supposed to be finished, and were paid for, yet remained for some time useless to the public. For instance, the Milford bridges were iit present useless, as the approaches were not y«.t tilled. Mr McPherson said that the filling oi approaches was usually contracted for privately, but, if the Board wished it done, it would be a very easy matter to include the filling in the chief conoract. An item of LIO 10s, payment, to J. Hainson for asphalting in Temuka, was deferred for a month, some dissatisfaction being expressed by members of the Board at the quality of his work, in order that the townspeople, for whom the work has been done, and who agreed to pay half the cost, may be asked for an expression of opinion as to the value of the work. COKItESrONDENUE. A letter was read from Mr Fildes, stating that £25 10s 7d interest on daily balance of accounts had been placed to the credit of the Board. From Mr Robert Wood, on behalf of himself and three or four others, asking for information as to the cost of the four bridges naar Woodhead's, the area of land benefited by them, and stating that those bridges and the clearing of the Sod Town creek had cost too much money, characterising the expenditure as reckless and unnecessary. It was decided to furnish Mr Wood with the information he wished as to cost of bridge, but that as the road is a main one, no estimate of the amount of land benefited, by it can be formed. From the General Government asking for a return of the Board's financial position. Return to be filled up and transmitted. From the Manager of the Bank of New Zealand, advising that, according to request, he had re-deposited on the Board's account the sum of L 4500, at 6£ per cent. From the Treasurer, Wellington, advising the remittance of the sum of L 1552 16s 4d, being the Board's share of 20 per cent of the land fund, distributable among the Road Boards within the Geraldine County. From Mr Fildes, acknowledging the receipt of the above sum on the Board's account.'

From the same, acknowledging the receipt, on the Board's account, of L 166 13s 4d, from E. W. Tate, Timaru. From Mr R. A. Barker, in which he begged to move that payment for the contract— clearing the creek at Sod Town —be withheld on account oil the bad rranner in which the work was done. The resolution previously passed at the present meeting- was considered to deal sufficiently with the subject of this letter. From Mr Clyue and others, asking that the road between Woodhead's and M'lvenzie's corners be shingled. Deferred for the present, as the road is not in a fit state for shingling. From G. Meredith, accompanying a tender for erection of pqund, asking the Board, if his tender accepted, to allow hiin four months instead of two in which to do the work.

From Mr W. Simpson, asking for the formation of about four chains road at Milford. This application was refused, the Board deeming the work unnecessary. Mr Carr having called the- attention of Board to the fact that the Temuka drainage works were injuring his property, a long discussion took place on the advisability of piping and filling up the drain or some portion of it. The drain is being filled up in places by cattle crossing, snd elsewhere by the slipping of the loose bankri.

It was decided to call for tenders for taking down to the proper level, and piping the portion of the drain between the Slain South Road and the Waitohi Eoad.

The surveyor's report was then road. A plan of a proposed deviation of road on Waitohi Downs, asked for by Mr Nicholson at the last meeting, was submitted and approved of. The report stating that the stone culvert on the Kakalm Road was in a dangerous state, it was resolved to ask for tenders for constructing a new culvert in concrete. A cutting of 30 feet long, shown ta be advisable for the improvement of a waterway near Trevenna was ordered to be mfide, tenders to be called for the work.

The surveyor reporting that the contractor for the bridge over tho Arowhenua Creek was doing the work very badly, Mr Hayhurst said that he had seen it, and that work should not be passed in which such bad workmanship was displayed, Work should not be paid for unless it was properly done. If incompetent men undertake work, they should n-t be paid for their blunders.

It was resolved to call for tenders for filling up the bed of the Arowhenua Creek to form approaches to the bridge. The report stated that the contractor for forming dyne's road was not complying with the specifications for the work, and therefore he withheld a voucher for progress payment. The report advising the formation of the Spur Hut road, and the construction of a 12ft. concrete bridge near Loe's, tenders to be called for these works.

The contractor for the supply of 60,000 ft of timber before the end of November applied for an extension of time of one mouth on the ground that the letter of the Board giving him the contract had miscarried, and ne had therefore entered into another contract. Application granted provided necessary timber be supplied. Mr Ensor rioposed that in consequence of the extreme de;irth of labor all works not of urgent necessity should be postponed until labor be more plentiful. The tenders received were next considered, and the following accepted . —For additions to Road Board Office, Clinch and Lloyd, L 270 ; for clearing ditch on lower swamp road, Thomas Small, 9s per chain (accepted conditionally) ; for formation Main Milford road, W. Simpson, LI 13s 6d per chain ; formation Gully Bush road, J. Salmon, L 1750. The acceptance of tenders for the following works was deferred : —Footbridge over Temnka River (new plan to be adopted); erection of new pound ; concrete culvert, Swamp road ; formation of footpaths in Temnka. Mr Hayhurst laid before the Board a series of propositions for the better division of office routine between the clerk to the Board and surveyor, the chief features of which were that the clerk should reside at the office and have charge of all documents, stores, plant and tools belonging to the Board, and be responsible for their safe-keeping, and that the surveyor should devote the whoie of his time to the work of the Board,,and should either be a licensed surveyor or pay all expenses incurred in engaging the services of such a surveyor at any time While these propositions were being read and discussed, the two officials interested left the room. The members present concurred in the opinion that the code of rules, if adopted, would facilitate the work of the Board, and a resolution proposed hv Mr Hayhurst, and seconded by Mr Quinn, was carried, "That, with a view to a readjustment of their several duties, the Surveyor am! Clerk be requested to send in their resignations to the Chairman, so as to *:erminate their present engagements on the 31st Dec, 1871 ;" 'wid Mr Quinn proposed, and Mr Ensor seconded, "That the Board thank Mr Hayhurst for the trouble he had taken in preparing a list of the officers' duties, and that the Board hold a special meeting in November for the purpose of considering that list/' The report of the Health Officer was then read. It showed that the district was now in good health, whooping cough being the worst form of epidemic existing, and of this only four cases had been reported during the month. The Board then separated.