GERALDINE ROAD BOARD.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1506, 15 May 1886, Page 3

GERALDINE ROAD BOARD.

A special meeting of tins Board was held on Thursday afternoon at 3.30. Present—Messrs W. U. Slack, R. H. Postlethwuhe, and L. Grant. A letter was read from Mr J. Relland apologising tor non-attendance on account of other engagements. ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN. The Clerk stated the reason for which the meeting was called was to elect a Chairman, and asked one of those present to propose a Chairman. MrPostlethwnite had great pleasure in proposing that Mr Slack take the position again ; it was one that required a considerable amount of work, and Mr Slack had always filled the position to the satisfaction of all. Mr Grant seconded the proposition. Mr Slack said he was much obliged to them for re-electing him as Chairman, but he would much rather some other member had been elected to the position. ! There wero other members on the Board quite as competent to take the position as be was, and therefore he fell a diffidence it accepting the office, but considering the remarks the proposer had mgde in reference to him he could not refuse, and be would endeaTor during the coming term to do his best for the ratepayers. He had never acted for one particular district, he studied the whole of the Geraldine district. He thought, it would be a mistake to divide the district into wards. He had said to those who were in favor of wards: “ Supposing the Board had £SOO, every one of these members for the five districts would want £IOOO for his particular district. If the Board, as a whole, found that one district required say £3OOO or £4OOO, and that money was expended on it, the representatives of the other wards would rise and say, ‘ Why was not an equal proportion expended in our district T ” He thought there was greater difficulty in dividing a district like Geraldine into wards than many people thought. Mr Slack then enumerated some of the things that would be required. Tho matter, he stated, had been fully discussed at the Mount Peel Road Board meeting, and no one spoke in favor of it. Mr Acland, the Chairman of that Board, directly opposed it, and he did not think they could possibly follow a better man than Mr Acland. lu his (Mr Slack’s) opinion there was no man who had had so much experience, and who was so thoroughly competent to take the chairmanship and leadership of a district than Mr Acland. Of course he (Mr Slack) might have mentioned these matters at the first meeting of the Board, but he thought it just as well to mention them now. Then with reference to the ranger, he did not consider the annual meeting had been a meeting representing the district. He looked upon it as a packed meeting, a meeting composed of men brought together to oppose the ranger. He believed that if the ratepayers’ roll was looked over it would be seen that instead of there being a large majority opposing there would be a large majority in favor of the ranger. There were between 500 and 600 ratepayers, and he did not believe there were 50 opposed to a ranger. He was sorry Mr Deßenzy had been rejected. He thought Mr Deßenzy had acted in a most conscientious manner during the whole lime he had been on the Board. He had always acted according to his opinions, and had never been led one way or another. At the same time he could only say to Mr Grant that ha hoped ttio Board would continue to pull as well together as it had done in the past. Ho (Mr Slack) again thanked the Board for the honor conferred upen him. Mr Postlethwaite asked if it was necessary at this meeting to arrange who should go out next year.—Upon looking up the Road Board Act 1882, clause 32, it was shown that that could be arranged at any time during the year. This was all the business before the Board and the meeting terminated.