TEMUKA ROAD BOARD.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2276, 5 November 1891, Page 2

TEMUKA ROAD BOARD.

The monthly meeting of the above board was held last Tuesday. Present— Messrs Talbot (chairman), Fraser, Snell, Bisaet, and Woodhead. ACCOUNTS. Accounts to the amount of £64 4s 2d were passed for payment-^ CORRESPONDENCE. Correspondence was read and dealt with as follows: : / , : From the Trustees of. the late W. Macdonald, agreeing to shire the expense of exchanging and closing roads from the west corner of R.SV 20283 to the west corner of- R.S. -3282.—Agreed to. From the Land Board, asking whether the board had any objection to the gravel whenua Town District,—The clerk read the letter he had sent in reply, stating there was a" objection to it, as it was one of the most important gravel reserves the board had. It was the reserve near Dyson’s crossing. The board approved of the clerk’s reply. From Mr W. Hawke, asking would the board sell the crop on the road near Mr Bisset’s.—The board decided to reply that it did not own any crop there. From Mr F. Drake, -consenting to his name being placed on the rate roll for a section lately owned by Mr R, Thomas.— Agreed to.

From the Colonial Investment Company, refusing to agree to close a road applied for by -Messrs Rolleston and others,—The road could not consequently be closed.

From Mrs Wilson, asking that the name of Mrs Brosnahan be placed on the rate roll in lieu of her own for section 39, —Agreed to. overseer’s report. The overseer reported that he had called for tenders for the road which the board are to get in exchange from the trustees of the late W. K. Macdonald. Contracts numbers 39 and 41 were being proceeded with. Shingle repairs had been done to Kakahu roads, and the sheep yards at tho pound taken down and re-erected. The water tables at Winchester required clearing, and in some places reforming. Part of the road from the Stumps farm to the Ohapi, near Mr Gladstone’s, required to be re-formed. With regard to water tables at Winchester the clerk said they wanted ploughing, and it was decided to do the work. Tho clerk also suggested to repair the hole at Edgar’s corner, as it was dangerous.— Agreed to. It was also agreed to do the road near the Stumps farm, tenders to be called for it.

RESERVES. A letter from the Land Department was received enclosing a list of reserves vested in the board, and containing 74 acres 3 roods, distributed all over the district. ACTS OF PARLIAMENT. Some statutes passed last session were received. The Small Birds Nuisance Act was read. It provided that poison.may be laid on roads, but not within 200 yards of a dwelling, and the carrying out of the Act was placed in the hands of Sheep Inspectors. The Slaughterhouse Amendment Act was also road. It merely repealed section 0 of the previous Act. Several other Acts wore received, but as they had no practical local application they were not read.

TEXDEKS, Tenders for contract 41 were received as follows : —T. Davis, £54 9s ; P. O’Mara, £4B Is; Jonas Fiefield, £4O 17s (accepted). GOESE. Mr Woodhead asked were owners of compelled to grub the gorse to the centre of roads.—The chairman replied in the affirmative. NEW ROAD. Mr Fraser asked for a dray road to the section lately owned by Mr H. J. LeOren and now occupied by himself. He only wanted access to it from Crammond’a road. He would be satisfied with a passable track.—lt was decided to call for tenders for it. ELECTORAL DISTRICTS. The chairman said Mr Bisset had directed his attention to the extraordinary way in which South Canterbury had bean divided into electoral districts. The people of Temuka were joined on to Otaio, and the people north of the Ohapi to the people on the Ashburton side of the llangitata. There was no community of interests between them. The people on the sputh side of the Kangitata looke<|

towards Timaru, and the people north oJ it towards Christchurch as their port towns. The Rangitata was the natural boundary between North and South Canterbury, and it was desirable to make it the electoral boundary, and to retain the name of Geraldine. Failing that Timaru ought to be extended towards Otaio, and the Pareora constituency made more compact. The matter was fully discussed, and members expressed surprise at the way the boundaries were fixed, but more especially at the old historic names of Gladstone and Geraldine being ignored as they had been. It was urged that representations ought to be made to the Commissioners to make some alterations which would ensure something like community of interests, and also to have the names of Gladstone and Geraldine retained. On the motion of Mr Bisset, seconded by Mr Snell, it was resolved—- “ That this board regrets that by the new electoral districts a large portion of this riding is joined to the Rangitata, to which the residents feel no community of interest; that this board consider it would be advisable to endeavor, if possible, to obtain an alteration, so as to make the Rangitata,river the northern boundary instead of • the Ohapi Creek; also, that the name of Gladstone or Geraldine be retained in preference to that of Pareora.” The. meeting then terminated.