MOUNT PEEL ROAD BOARD.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2043, 8 May 1890, Page 4

MOUNT PEEL ROAD BOARD.

A meeting of the members' of this board was held on Monday last. Present—Messrs C. G. Tripp, G-, J. Dennistoun, and E. Mackay. The clerk reported that the recent election had resulted in the Hon, J. B. A. A eland and Mr R, Thew being returned, and those gentlemen took their seats upon the board. This being the first meeting since the election the Hon. J. B. A. Acland was re-elected chairman. Correspondence was read as follows : Erom the Geraldine County Council acknowledging the receipt from the board of certain plans showing roads which they wished to be closed, and stating that the following resolution had been passed thereon: " That the roads mentioned on plans No. 257 and 259 in the Mount Peel Road district be now closed in accordance with the request of the Mount Peel Road Board, there being no objection; lodged to the same," —!he board passed the following resolution : " That this board declares the existing roads running through part of sections 27450, 24776, and 24688, as described on plan No. 257, and the road through sections 4556, 4276, and 3683, as described on plan No. 259, closed. . ANNUAL MEEIING OF EATEPAYERS. The annual meeting of ratepayers was held at 12 noon. All the members of the board were present, and some fire or six ratepayers. BJEPOET AND BALANCE-SHEET. The chairman read the annual report and balance-sheet as follows : Gentlemen,—As is usual at the annual meeting of ratspayere, the board has prepared a report of the receipts and expenditure of the board during the past twelve months. We opened toe year with a balance of £6938 3s 6(3. The present balance is £6485 7s ldj, showing a diminution by the sum of £552 Os sd. The redeipts during the year, including interest on the fixed deposit—which was £3lo—amounted on the whole to £576 6s 9 1, while the expenditure amounted to £1126 13s 2d, of which £146 18* 4d was out- contributioß for charitable aid. There are no special expenses to be referred to. It will be seen that the expenditure on Peel Forest section was .£2lB 153 51, including material, which cost £74 15s 51 ; the Raincliff and Sher.-ood Dowus £476 lis 9d. This includes the maintenance contract, £317 17s 4d' and also the two miles of new road in th.it district, There is a special item of .£146 18a 4d for hospital and charitable aid. The rEtspayers are awaro that no rate was struck this past year. However this may be in the present, we think it would be a great mistake if it wore continued, as it involves a steady diminution of capital, and the certainty of heavy aud continuous rates in the future. The diminutisn this year is, as efcued, £552 03 sd. A farthing rate brirjgs in £393,' which j would go some way towards meeting this sum, and fd would do it ultogethcr. Ratfs are unpleasant thinas, but bad .ouds, and consequent aocident', are worse, and often more expensive. In the future, and for the sake of the younger ratepayers and rising feneration, we ehink that some rate should be yearly imposed. We are informed by the papers that the appeal case of the Timaru Harbor Board has been decided in favor of the Harbor Board. This is most fortunate for the whole of the district oonnected witb the Timaru Harbor, as if the judgment had been contrary there would have been tke sum of about £50,000 to pay, from the fear of which we aro now released. In conclusion we express the hope that the ratepayers will be satisfied with the report and the way in which the expenditure has taken place during the year.

J. Barton A. Aoland, Chairman. The balance-sheet showed, among other things, that only three contracts had been let during the year, these amounting to £lB 6s, £93, and £29 respectively. The sam of £2lB 15s 5d had been spent in day labor, while the maintenance contract amounted to £317 17s 4d. Owing to the Government auditor not having been round the balancesheet had to be presented unaudited. The same thing occurred last year, when the ratepayers passed a resolution expressing dissatisfaction with such a Btate of things, The chairman said he had seen Mr Batkin on the Bubject, and that gentleman had pointed out that the work of auditing the accounts of about 500 local bodies had been thrown upon the department, and no additional help given. Mr Tripp spoke rt striking a rate and pointed out that if they did no strike a rate, now when they had a little money at deposit, bye and bye they would have to strike the highest rate they could, in order to meet the expenditure. It would come lighter upon the ratepayers to strike a rate every year. He had proposed last year that thsy should not strike a rate on account of the number of other rates being struck, and also the possibility of the country havin» to pay the harbor board case.

Mr D, Mackay did not think they could do without a small rate annually, and he would move that they strike a rate. In reply to Mr Pithie, the chairman said a id rate, with the interest of their present capital would keep them going. Mr Tripp said he would like to mention another matter, and it was one that affected them all. There appeared to be a feeling in some quarters in favor of closing the Orari bridge. He considered the Orari bridge was of very great importance to that district, and not to the Greraldine district only, but to the whole of the country from Canterbury to Otago. There was no means of crossing the river with stock otherwise than by this bridge, and if the bridge were closed the river would be impossible to travel with stock. To close the bridge would place them in the same position as they were in I 20 or 30 years ago, and he thought it'

would certainly be a retrograde movement. He thought the Greraldine' County Council should know it was the wish of the ratepayers in the district that the Orari bridge should be kept open, not only for stock, but for travellers going north and southHe had no doubt: but that if a record was kept of the number of sheep that crossed the Orari bridge it would surprise a good many. He thought it unfair of the County Council to write to the Road Board and instruct j the latter body if they thought the bridge unsafe to close it. That threw ! the onus Of closing the bridge upon the Eoad Board. If the bridge were unsafe the* council should repair it. The Road Board had prepared an estimate of what it would cost to make the bridge safe for another 14 or 15 years. He thought the sum was about £I4OO or £ISOO, which was really nothing among the ratepayers. Mr R. Mackay said the council was willing to keep these bridges open, but it was merely a question of funds, and the council had come to the conclusion it was better io let the bridges stand for a few years and see how things turned out. Mr Tripp asked Mr Mackay if it was a fact that the Council had written to the Geraldine Road Board asking that body, if they considered the bridge unsafe, to close it, thus putting: the responoibility of closing it upon the board.

Mr Maekay could not say. Mr Thew understood the board bad temporary coatrol over the Orari bridge. He fully endorsed Mr Tripp's remarks about keeping the bridge open, and, as a settler in the district, would willingly give £lO towards its being kept open. (Hear, hear.) Mr B. Maekay said the council had sent out their engineers to examine the bridge, and they* found it was not so bad as it was thought to be.; Mr Dennißtoun said he understood the underneath part was good enough. Mr.Maekay said the council intended to keep the bridge open. Mr Tripp again said he did not think the action of the council in throwing the onus on the road board was right. For his part he would not like the bridge closed for any consideration. Mr R. Maekay said it was only closed for heavy traffic, such as traction engines, etc Mr D. Maekay said it would not do for the Geraldrae district, or for South Canterbury, to close that bridge. He understood the council had written to the road board to close the bridge if they considered it dangerous. If the Drari bridge were closed the other bridge would be no good. Mr E. Maekay pointed out that there was a lot of water in the Eangitata river, and not a drop in the Orari.

Mr Dennistoun thought it would pay the stock drovers in the district to pay a small toll to keep the bridge open. Most of those present concurred in this view. Mr Tripp then proposed—" That the ratepayers in this portion of the district will be very happy to pay their share of the rates for the keeping open of the Orari bridge for traffic." Mr D. Mackay seconded the proposition. Mr Dennistoun said if it was a special rate he would object. The district had to pay the general rate for keeping open the bridges all over the county, and he did not think they should be called upon to pay a special rate too. Mr Dennistoun was assured a special rate was not intended. Mr E. Mackay said he was very glad to hear the proposition, as it would strengthen his hands considerably. Mr Lorgelly thought it would be as well to let the council close the bridge if they felt so inclined, and then a meeting of the ratepayers could be held, and they would soon have the bridge Open again. Mr Tripp thought the council should know the feeling of the district—that it was the wish of the district to have the bridge kept open, even if they had to strike a rate^

Mr B Mackay was opinion that if all the districts were to pass a similar resolution to the one now before the meeting all the bridges would be put in repair in twelve months' time. The proposition was then put to the meeting and carried unanimously. It was decided to send a copy of the resolution to the Geraldine County Council, and Mr JR. Mackay was requested to support the same. In reply to a question the overseer [ said he did not think it was possible to cut down the expenses to less than £IOOO a year. The pasb year had been a good one, thanks to the dry weather, but at any rate the fleod would make but little difference to the board just now, as the roads most likely to be injured by a flood were left for maintenance. Mr Thew would like to know if any of the ratepayers had devised a different method for getting rid of the small birds than that adopted by that and other boards. He thought the method employed was wrong as it encouraged the boys to be cruel in killing the birds. They taught the children in school not to be cruel and yet they gave them so much per dozen for birds heads. He thought there should be some system adopted whereby every ratepayer throughout the district should be compelled to poison at one time. >

Mr Dennistoun thought there should be a day set apart when every-, body should be compelled to lay poison. A conversation took place on the subject, and the matter dropped without any action being taken. Mr D. Mackay moved a vote of thanks to the members for the way in which they had administered the affairs of the board during the past 12 months. Mr Newman seconded the vote, which was carried unanimously. The board members were granted the usual vote for luncheons, and the meeting terminated. BOARD MEETING. A meeting of the board was held afterwards, all the members being present. A letter was received from Messrs Smith and Dennistoun asking for their names to be taken off the rate roll for run No. 411, as on the Ist of May, 1890, they ceased to hold any interest whatever in'the said run. lhe clerk pointed out that the sale of runs in that district had caused a great alteration in the names of owners and lessees, and the valuation roll would need to be considerably altered before a rate could be struck. It was decided to write to the property tax commissioner, stating that owing to the re-survey and alteration of the boundaries and the size of the sheep runs in the road district, and also in some eases of change of ownership both of runs, and also of several parcels of land reserved by the Government from sale or lease, much confusion has arisen, and it appears that if the board strike a rate, which they propose doing, the new owners not being on the roll, cannot be compelled to pay, nor where property is divided can the respective values be adjusted. The board, therefore, would urge the commissioner to take some steps t© remedy these difficulties. It was decided to write to the manager of the Colonial Seal Property Co., asking if he had come to any decision with regard to the board's application for removing pipes from the cross roads, Sherwood Downs, This being all the business the meeting terminated.