MOUNT PEEL ROAD BOARD.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2196, 2 May 1891, Page 3

MOUNT PEEL ROAD BOARD.

A meeting of this board was held yester day. Present—The Hon. J. B. A. Aolsm (chairman) and Messrs C. G. Tripp, R Maekay, G. J. Denuistoun and B. Thew Mr Tripp apologised for bis absence fron the last meeting. CORRESPONDENCE. Correspondence was read as follows : From Mr K. Leitch, asking the hoarr to form the road to section No. 36,096. Reply that a contract for forming the roar had been let at last meeting. From the Commissioner of Crown Linds, sanctioning the expenditure of money accruing from section 36,093 a on the road leading from tha Cattle Valley road through section 30,291. —On the proposition of Mr Dennistoun, seconded by Mr Maokay, it was resolved : " That a separate ledger account be opened for each of the small and pe r p' l,r, ->l lease sections in the Mount Peel Rosa uisiriot.’'—-On the proposition of the chairman it was decided to make an estimate of the cost required on eicb of Ike four roads by next meeting. From the South Canterbury Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, enclosing a copy of their balance sheet. KEPOET. The chairman read the report to be submitted to the meeting of ratepayers. EMOTION OF MEMBERS. The Returning Officer reported that the retiring members Messrs Deoniatouo and Maokay bad bpen re-elected members of the board.

ANNUAL MKBXINO. The anoud meeting of ratepayers was held at twelve o’clock. AH the members of the board and some twelve or thirteen ratepayers being present. The Hon. J, B- A. Acland occupied the chair. REPORT AND BALANCE SHEET. The chairman read (he annual report as follows,;“Gentlemen,— According to custom, we meet you to give an account of our stewardship during the past year ; also to give nn opportunity to tha ratepayers to bring any matter specially before the board, and also to discuss any matter which the board wish to bring before the general body of ratepayers. There is one such at the present time, iiame'y, the Orari bridge. I will, however, first refer to our financial position. This lima last year our balance was £6300 2s 61, but this year it is £6726 17s Id—that is to Bay, we have, increased our balance by £337 14s 7d, which is contrary to our custom ; but no doubt the halfpenny rate some thing to do with it. The total expenditure for the year has been nearly. £IOO which has been expended nearly ns tol ows Peel Forest district, as we miy call this side, £126 17s 3d ; the district comprising RainoME, Sherwood, nnd Clay on, £493 5s sd; the pnrmanent charges, such as hospital and charitable •id and general office expsnaeß,£46ll6s 6d, leaving ua a balance as above stated. The roads in every part of the district, we believe to be in a state of good repair. You will doubtless remember that it is now two years sines the maintenance of the roads in part of the district was Jet by contract for three years. The roads there have recently been inspected by a member of tbs board and the overseer, who can give ian account of the same. The exceptionally fine weather has been a great advantage to the contractors, but it might have been the other side. It will be a question for the board to consider whether after the termination of the contract it will be advisable to renew it. You have doubtless heard, and indeed it has appeared in the papers, that Mr Hamilton and ethers dwe’ling at Clayton and Sherwood Downs desire to separate from the district and be j:>ioed to the Maokenze Csunty. Tbe bo»rd have a great objection to this steps and see no sufficient reason for it, and further hope the ratepayers will give a vote signifying as a body their objection to the separation. Another question of much greater importance is the action of the Geraldine Oonnty Council with reference to the Orari bridge. It is at present, as yon must all' be aware, closed to ordinary traffic. lam not aware whether any stock are allowed to cross. This in itself oven now is a very great inconvenience, but in winter, when there is much water in the liver, and especially if there should be s flood and the bridge done away with, the whole of tha district on that side of the Orari would be seriously inconvenienced and worse, inasmuch as the. supply of food in part comes from Geraldine, The baker comes twice a week, besides tradesmen with food. If the river were in flood this would be stopped and the food supp'y cut off. So also io case of illness with the doctor, who might no*, be able to attend. It appears to me if the bridge be permanently closed, tbe Gnnernroent should be petitioned to take steps, under the Bth clause of The Public Works Act of 1887 to have it reopened and charged to the Geraldine County Council. The balance sheet showed that the year was commenced with a t credit balance of £6388 2i 6d, and the total receipts amounted to £7716 16 34, The expenditure had beeu £990 19s 21, leaving a balance to credit of £6725 17a Id.

OPvABX BRIDGE. The question of the closing of the Or >ri Bridge by the County Council was intro- j duced. '%' " , „ i Proposed by Mr Thew, seconded by Mr Dennistoun—" That the ratepayers of the Mount Peel Road district are of opinion that in the event of the Orari bridge being closed for. ordinary traffic by the Geraldine County Council permanently, a potititioo Should bo presented to the Government requesting them to exercise the powers given by aeq#ir 8 of the Public Works Act of 18W, inasmuch as in the case of flood their ordinary supply of food might be stopped.” The chairman explained that this wa* a section giving the Government the power in the event of the local body refusing to repair the bridge to repair the badge and recover the amount from the local body, A letter was read from Dr B. in reply to one from Mr Tripp, Dr Kish stated stated that in hie opinion it would be a very serious thing for the whole district if the bridge were closed. For himself it would be a most important thine, as in (he event of a case of severe illness on the Pee! Forest side of the river when it was in fliod, to cross, the canaequences nrghl; be most serious both to the patient and himself. Mr Thaw took decided exception to the position of lb® present ford. When the rivet was in flood it scoured out between |oor apd &V 0 feet under the bank, and

there was not the slightest chance of getting oat either up or down the river. Mr Tripp pointed out that at the last annual meeting of the ratepayers of ihr Mount Peel district a resolution was passed and sent to the council. In addition to ihis a petition was sent urging upon the council the necessity of keeping open the bridge. [Mr Tripp hero read over the petition specifying a few of the reasons why the bridge should be kept open. Ho also re«d over the letter sent to the council asking them to put the bridge m repair at once, and pointing out that the council were liable for any accidents.

that might occur, the coat of which would come out of the pockets of the ratepayers, ■nid they would sooner expend the money in keeping the bridge in repair] Mi Tripp also stid he had seen the chairman nf the County Council, and pointed out to him that the petition referred not only tn the Orari bridge, but to all the bridges in the county. The chairman of the council had sai-l the council hid not taken it in that light, and did not think it fair to strike a rale over the whole county to keep this bridge in repair. He (Mr Tripp) had pointed out to him th >t it was a general rate they wanted struck. ' He went on to point out that the keeping open of the bridge «ns really of more importance to a poor man than to n .niu with a large holding, as the former was genenlJy short of horse power, and if he got into a fix in the river and lost a horse it might throw him upon the labor market, which was a very ae ims consideration, Mr Thew said he had made an eatiraate of the coat of re-decking the bridge, and believed it could be put in repair for £SOO. Mr B. McKay said the council’s engineers had estimated the cost at £I2OO, and they could not go behind that. Mr Thew thought the council was composed of sen-ible men, and he believed they would give the deputation appointed to wait upon them a fair hearing. Mr Dennistoun said he believed it was a principle the council was fighting against and not not the actual expense of this bridge. There weie certain members of the council who were willing to allow all the bridges in the district to go out of repair. He had heard that one person, who was fighting the hardest against the , bridge, was also agitating to get a bridge erected down below.

Mr R. McKay said he thought the ratepayers had done well in getting the petition aud also the deputation to wait upon the council. The matter had not yet come before the council for their vote, but he had little doubt in his own mind that the bridge would be re-deoked and put in repair. He regretted to hear that one ratepayer who had actually signed the petition had also told one member of the council who was strong against the bridge that it was not required. Mr W. E. Barker stated that when crossing the riverbed the previous evening he had coraw across a man who was badly stuck up in the riverbed with a loaded driy, owing to the softness of the crossing. All present were unanimous in stating that the crossing waa.txceedingly soft. Mr D. McKay thought the motion was rather strong. After what Mr R. Muckay had said be thought the work required to the bridge might be obtained without the resolution. Ho had, however, no great objection to it. The resolution was then put and carried unanimously. The petition received from s number cf ratepayers in the Clayton d'B f riot, asking to have a portion of their district separated from the Mount Peel Board to allow of their amalgamating with the Mackenzie Oonnty Council was read. The petitioners urged that the Mackenzie Oonnty was their only outlet, and secondly that they used the Mackenzie County Council’* roads far more than those of the Mount Peel Board. The petitioners specified the mileage of the roads in the district used by them. The chairman pointed put that when they wanted the road made the Mount Peel district joined them in making it and pail half the cost.

At the request of the chairmen the clerk read over the letter lent to the petitioner* itating that the Mount Feel Board were decidedly opposed to the separation. On the qaeition of the rates Mr Tripp pointed out that the petitioners would in all probability hare to pay far heavier rate* with the Mackenzie County Council ihan with the Mount Feel Board. The board bad only struck eight rates since 1870, whereas tho council struck a rate every year, Beference to the map showed that th* piece to be cut off was an irregular block. The present boundaries of the district were now very convenient and the proposed separation would be very inconvenient. The clerk stated tho rateable value of the block proposed to bi out off was £95,650. It was proposed h; Mr Denn&oun, soonded by Mr Thew —"That the ratepayer strongly object to the proposal of Mr Hamilton to have his run and some other country separated or withdrawn from the Mount Feel Bead DUbtiot; his proposal being to take ah irregular portion of country out of the dis trior, without regard to either geographical or natural boundaries, or to the char otor of the country, his property being, like some others, partly pastoral and partly agricultural.” Mr Mackay strongly objected to the proposed separation. The piece proposed to be taken was decidedly the best, and would make a most irregular boundary. The motion was then put and carried unanimously. OBISBTBGY, The question of obtamg a cemetery for the district again cropped up, Mr W. B. Barker being strongly in favor of it. It was pointed out that the qaeition really rested with the Geraldine County Council. BAINOLIFB' BOADB. Mr Thew said he intended to bring up the subject of the future maintenance of the roads in the Bainoliff district, but as no ratepayers f.Tm that district were present he would defer doing so. The question of the state of tho roads in this district was brought up. At the request of the chairman the Overseer,who had been authorised to visit the district in company with Mr Thew and report upon the roads, read his report. It showed that the reads except in two places, where a few loads of shingle were re. qatred, were in exceptionally good repair. Mr Thew also reported that in company with the overseer be bad inspected the roads and bad found them insplendid order. In fact he hod never seen better roads either in England or New Zealand. He farther reported that tbs gorse was being allowed to grow on the sides of the roads to a considerable extent. Mr Mockay was one of the greatest delinquents. Mr Maokay said he could clear all his in a week or ten days with a couple of men ; he also said several of the ratepayers had complained that the contractor was not devoting to the roads the time be should da. He thought it was better to keep the roads in borough repair, than to allow them to dei “eriorate.

The matter then dropped. A resolution that the members be allowed their loach on board days as usual was carried unanimously and the meeting terminated. t BLHOTION OB CHAIRMAN. At a meeting of members he d afterward* the Hon. J. B. . Aoland was re-elected chairman and the meeting terminated.