GERALDINE ROAD BOARD.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1788, 11 September 1888, Page 2

GERALDINE ROAD BOARD.

The usual monthly meeting of this Board was held in the Board’s office yesterday. Present—Messrs W. Postlethwaita (Chairman), J. Holland, P. • MoShane, JF. R. Platman, and W. U. Slack. BBDVOTION or WAOIS. Before the minutes of the previous meeting were confirmed, Mr Kelland protested against the reduction of the wages of the day laborers to five shillings per day. The redaction be thought was too much, it amounted to about sixteen per cent,, which was too heavy. Mr McShane said he did not consider the reduction too much in the case of those men who were permanently employed by ths Board, or even half-time, but in the case of a man who was only employed occasionally after floods to go filling up holes, and perhaps going into water, ha thought the reduction was toe much.

Mr Fiatman explained that at the last' meeting teodara ware called for a number of small jobs that any man could bay* taken without requiring a shilling capital, and there was not a single tender pnt in for them. The men stood aroand the doors and said they were not goiog to tender for these jobs, but were waiting for the six shillings a day. In consequence of this the Board determined to redsce the wages to 6a per day, to allew of a greater number being employed. He bad told several outside that they had to a great extent brought the redaction •n themselves. He believed had there been tenders in at the laet meeting for these small contracts there would have been nothing said about this redaction. He differed with Mr McShane with regard to permanent and casual min, considering that a regular man whoconld be depended on was worth more than a manwhe wa* juat'hired casually. The matter here dropped,, o«ii*MAN’s amsum.

The Chairman atated that in company with Mr McShane he had visited Jena’s ford, as arranged last meeting, aed bad decided to put up a small embankment, which arrangement had quite satisfied Mr Jones.

Mr McShane said that sisce then the surveyors had been down, and it wss> shown that some of Mr Jones's neighbors had encroached a considerable distance □pen the riverbed by planting willows, etc., and had (hereby shunted the water over towards Mr Jones’property. It was decided to take a legal opinion as to whether the Board had the power to cause the willows to be removed. they bad not they woe Id bring the matter T under the notice of the Land Board. INISKriCWS. J Mr J. D. Jones waited upon:the Board with regard to the ford about which he had interviewed the Board at their pre* vions meeting. Mr Jones mads a similar statsment to what bad been already made by Mr McShane, and was informed ef the - Board’s decision on the matter. Tiro Board also promised to erect a small embankment for tbs purpose of keeping tbs water out in the meantime. ■/.- Mr W. Hawka waited on the Board with regard to the planks taken up near his property, and asking the Board to take up the planks on the opposite side, as they were throwing all the water ever on to him.—Mr Hawke was given » simitar answer toJMr Jones, the caae being about on a par with regard to the planting of willows in the riverbed. Mr J. Woulfe waited upon the Board in support of a petition which he presented from some twenty residents at Belfield Village Settlement, calling the attention of the Board to the state of the river near Mr T. Sagrne’s, Belfield, where the road had been washed away. Sixteen of the petitioners offered to give one day’s labor apiece in carrying out the eeceseary work; two offered to give three days* work with a team of horses, one two days’ work with a team, and one one day’s work with a team.—lt waa decided that the members of the Board should visit the road on the 17th lost. Mr D, Quthrie asked tho Board, to . prevent thewater flowing off the road, on to his land. Tha water was at present coming through Mr Macdonald’s land across* the road, and on to hia (Mr Guthrie's) land. He thought a man coaid torn the ■ conraeof the overflow at the river by about a week's work.—lt waa decided to do the work. * TENDEES. Tenders were opeaed and dealt with as follows i Contract No. 260—Ford and near Campjhell’s,- Fairfield: Ennia ay.d Kennedy, £7 10s; M. Lawlor, £5 10%' J. Beckley £5 (accepted). No. 261 Formation, shingle, etc., Orari Village Settlement; G. Batty, £2l; Jaa. Beckley, £l9 10a; 34, Lawlor,’ £lB 15s (accepted). No, 262—Repairs to Woodbury weir : Only one tender waa received for this, viz., J. Fiefield, £75. This waa considered too high, and , tha matter was allowed to stand over.

OQJtXXSFOMnxNC*. Correspondence was read and dealt with as fellewe : From Mr C. G. Tripp, Orari calling attention to the Waihi bridle track,, which was continually being blocked with< falling limbs and (pees brought down by the snow. It also required widening,— Attended to. From Messrs T. Qerlihy, M. Buckley, and T. O’Connor, asking the Board to form about ten chains of road by sections No. 1 and 2 in Bioik XII., Orari, bo as to enable their children to get to school.— The work had been let during the day. - From Mr A. Story, Orari, asking permission to fence in part of the Opihi road fronting his section, as tbe road was aurveyed a chain and a-hal£ wide.

From Mr las. Booker, containing a similar request. The applicants were referred to the Land Board. From Mr C. G. Tripp, stating that he was informed that on the West Coast wider rivers than the Waihi were spanned by wire suspension bridges, which, having oo piles in the centra of the water, were never washed away. He suggested that the present footbridge across the Wailn on the Woodbury road should be dispensed with, and a wire bridge, as suggested, erected.—The Board have the matter under consideration. From Mr F. Archer, Clark to the Temuka Road Board, stating that that Beard agrt.d to the diversion of the .boundary road, and requesting the Link of the Geraldine Road Board to meet him at an aarly date in the vicinity of the diversion, for the purpose of deciding the best piss# to tske the road, also to calculate ths srss required, so that application eonld be made to the School Commissioners and to Mr J. Kelland.-Tbe Overseer was instructed to meet the Overseer of the Temuks Read Board and report at tbe next meeting, also to write to the School Commissioners asking the price per sore. From Mr Henry Collier, asking permission to be allowed to lay stones picked of his land on the roadside opposite his section.—The Overseer was instructed to see Mr Collier.

otsbiseb’s eejoex. The Overseer’s report was read as follows; “I have tbe honor to report far tbe month ending date as under « “ The floods experienced in the early part of the past month again upset the whole of the river and creek crossings, and to keep the road open for traffic I bad to employ a large amount of extra labor. A considerable amount of damage has been done by the rivers changing their courses, and encroaching on the roads which run along tho various river terraces. The worst oases of encroachment are aa under—Boundary road, near Kelland *, j£akabn; Pleasant Valley read, near Gale’s, Hse-hae-te-moana; Belfield road, near gngrne’s, Orarij Rangitata road, near Orari Bridge, Orari; Four Peaks road, near McDonald’s, Hae-hae-te-moana; Collett’s road, Opihi; Mill road, near the old sawmill, Waihi. The following roads have been considerably damaged by overflow and acour —Hoad at the Kikuhu Bneb, road behind Raukapuka Downs, road at Belfield Flat; Bridges ~ Tho Waihi haying changed its course in the bush brought down a large quantity of stumps and drift timber. Thie carried guru om) of the main piles in the footbridge and made a gap in the weir, and did a considerable amount of damage to tbe crossing. 1 had it made passable, and have called tenders for repairs to the footway and weir. One pile was also broken abort of at tho Valley school bridge, and ene stmt under the Geraldine traffic bridge. With these exceptions no damage has been done to any of the traffic or stock bridges beyond the washing away of the fhingle approaches and widening of the river beds at Speechley’s, Guerin s, and Reid’s foetbridges. On examination of tbs river bed at the latter bridge I see no prospect of confining the river so as to ran under the present bridge in flood tune at a reasonable cost, owing to the distance tbe groyne* would have to be placed from tho bridge. The road between the Opuha station and the Opihi crossing has been damaged by tho overflow of tbe river vross the flat. It will require shingle t,oaire. Geraldine Flat—l have not had , D 'portuuity of examining the outlets for 81012° walet on Ibis Flat so fully as I would witfb, but can point out the princinal natural outlets on the map, and make a few suggestions for diverting tho atom th.iM.pi* T , M, at the next meeting of the Board. The following works have baeii completed during the month, via. Supension bridge at limekilns, Kakahu; road diversion near Cochrana'a; ford and drain at Belleld j trimming fsness at reserves. “W. Shims, “Overseer.”

Several email works mentioned in the report were ordored to be done. accounts. I* Accounts amounting.-to £2815s 4d were filled for payment, and the Board ad* journed.