GERALDINE ROAD BOARD.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1454, 14 January 1886, Page 2

GERALDINE ROAD BOARD.

The monthly meeting of thfo Board was held on Tuesday. PresentJ—Messrs W. U. Slack (Chairman), J. Kelland, R. H. Postlethwaito, W. and F. R. Flatraan. Mr W. Shiers, Oterk »nd Overseer, was in attendance. \ MINUTES, \ The minutes of the previous meetingwere read and confirmed. TENDERS. The following tenders were opened and considered; — Contract No. 174; 1000 yards broken metal, Gapes’ Valley Road—Grindall and Maloney, £275 ; W. Hayward, £225 ; P. Burke, £200; R. Rae, £200; P. Dierck, £195 16s 8d; A. Reid, £175 (accepted). No. 175; Earthwoik and shingle, Hilton Downs —Joa. Webb, £34 10s ; P. Burke, £34; M. Lawlor, £lB 10s (accepted). COKRESFONDENCB. The following correspondence was read and considered : From Messrs F. and A. Brown, request* ing the Board to take steps to have the stray stock running on the roads near their properties impounded ; and from Mr W. J. Beattie, Kafcahu, and 16 others, petitioning the Board to the same effect. —ln reply to Mr Kelland, the Chairman stated, that the Board had now np control over the poundkeoper at Geraldine, as ho was in the Town District. —Mr Kelland would rather see persons summoned than that their stock should be driven to the pound.—The Overseer suggested that a ranger should be paid a small sum and given the driving fees. He could find no clause in the Impounding Act which gave them the option of summoning persons or taking their stock to the pound.After some further discussion, Mr Kelland moved, Mr Postleth waite seconded, and it was carried—“ That in response to those persons signing the petitions r» trespass of cattle on reads, the Board recognise the necessity of adopting some moans to abate the nuisance complained of, and it is therefore resolved that applications be invited for the post of Ranger for the district, to be in by next meeting of the Board, the applicants slate what salary, if any, he will require per month in addition to the driving fees."

From Messrs Webb and Cormack, asking the Board to- allow them to erect a gate en Tripp’s Road and one on Donkin’s Road.—lt was resolved that the application for a gate on Tripp’s Road be sanctioned, but the other was refused. From Mr A. Campbell, Woodbury, drawing tbe attention of the Board to the stata of the culvert under the road near his house. —The Overseer to widen the drain on the north side of the road.

From the Property Tax Commissioner, Wellington, advising having sent a voucher to the Treasury for the payment of £lB7 10s to. the Board, being an advance of 75 per cent on account of subsidy under “The Local Bodies Finance and Powers Act 1885.”

From the Geraldine County Council, informing the Board that tha portion of the amount required to be contributed by them for charitable aid purposes was £57 lis 9d, and requesting that it be paid to the credit of the Council.—The letter to be acknowledged, the amount to be retained by the Council from the portion of the rate subsidy received by the Council on account of the Board. From Mr H. H. Pitman, Steward of Education Reserves, informing the Board that he had laid before the School Commissioners the offer of £7 per acre made by the Board as compensation for two acres from Reserve N 0.1191,.1191, for a gravel pit, and that the offer was accepted.—lt waa resolved that the Overseer take the first opportunity of having Mr Macdonald’s buah road and the Reserve of two acres on No. 1191 surveyed. From Mrs A. Cameron, in reference to her rates. From the Secretary of the Railway League, Christchurch, inviting the cooperation of the Board, From the Manager of the Bank of New South Wales, enclosing fixed deposit renewals—£Boo for 12 months and £4OO for three months. overseer's report. This report for the past month was read as follows ; “ I have the honor to report that the works in hand have made good progress during the past month. Two contracts have been completed and two others will be out of hand in a fow days.— Rangitata Station Road : The contract time for the maintenance of this road expires on the 14th Inst., and as the road is now in very good order, and very little traffic being on it at present, it could be allowed to stand over during the summer months without a maintenance contract.— McOutcbeon’s Application: 1 have inspected this line of road, and found the portion complained of to be overgrown with large tussocks. To clear the tussocks and fill in holes from Colei’ stable to McCutcbeon’s gate would cost, say, £ —. There appears to be very little use made of the road.- -Plantations; As instructed I have examined the plantations where the trees were renewed by Mr Fitagerald, and find a number of the trees which were planted to make up deficiencies have again failed to grow. The pious insignia appears to be the kind which have suffered most. On the whole the plantations cannot be said to be in a satisfactory state. —Plantation destroyed : I very much regret to inform the Board of the destruction by fiie of the Board’s five-acre plantation at Cooper's Creek, the more so as it was caused by the carelessness of one of the Board’s employees. About 40 chains of Mr I). Shaw’s fence whs also considerably damaged by tha .same fire. I have instructed the person who lit the-fire to attend here tprday and explain how the matter occurred;—Subsidy j As instructed I forwarded an application to the Government for the subsidy due to the Board under the “Local Bodies Finance and Powers Act," and have received a memo, from this Properly Tax Commissioner, stating that be baa sent to the Treasury in Wellington a voucher, being an advance of 75 per cent, on the amount of subsidy dus to the Board,— Rates,j 1 hay# cpllegled the whole of the out-

standing rates, with the exception of about £4 10s; This amount is owing principally by! persons who have übaodoned or thrown up town and deferred payment sections at the Orari Reserves, and by abeentees.—Surface men : As the whole of the roads are in very good order and the present dry and hot weather will tend to hasten the* harvest, I have given the majority of the day men notice to obtain hardest work if possible.- As the water tank at the office has been empty for „some time, and the supply in the yard well in daily getting lower, 1 think it would be advisable to obtain a case of fire grenades, to bo held in readiness should another fire occur in the township. —-1 have interviewed Mr A. Macdonald in reference to abolishing the road through the Eaukapuka Bush, and he is quite agreeable to have the road stopped.—l am, etc., . ' “ William Shiers, “ Overseer to the Board.” The following resolutions were pasied on the report : “ That when McCutcheon’s Koad is required it, will be attended to;” “That the Overseer write and explain to Mr Fitzgerald tt plantations“ That a case of fire grenades be proenrsd, and that the attention of the Domain Board be called to the rubbish and dead grass in the little park j” “ Steps to be taken to abolish Mr Macdonald’s Eoad.” INTERVIEWS. Mr D. Shaw waited on the Board in reference to his fence destroyed by fire. —The Chairman informed him that the Board would consider the matter, but were at present not aware whether they were responsible for the damage or not. The.two surface men who had lit the fire also waited on the Board, and explained that the spread of the fire had been purely, accidental. They had been accustomed for some years to light a fire inaa old fire-place in the.plantation, even before it was fenced in, and the plantation was set on fire by a sudden gust of wind, and the grass being dry they were unable to put it out.—The Chairman considered it great carelessness .on their part to light a fire in such a spot when the grass was so thick, and dry. The Board not only suffered the loss of their but would perhaps have to recoup Mr Shaw for the loss of his fence.—The men were willing, if the Board would allow them, tp try to come to some arrangement, with Mi Shaw, and with this understanding they then withdrew. EOAD NEAR HILTON HOTEL, On Mr Kelland again bringing before the notice of the Board the state of the road near the Hilton Hotel, it was resolved that the Members visit the place after rain. ACCOUNTS. Accounts to the amount of £278 la 2d were passed for payment, and the meeting adjourned to the second Tuesday In February.