WAIOTAHI DISTRICT BOARD.

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 110, 15 February 1872, Page 3

WAIOTAHI DISTRICT BOARD.

A meeting of the Waiotahi Highway District Board was held yesterday afternoon, at fhe Governor Bowen Hotel. Present—Mr Davies in the chair, and Messrs Anthony and Dmvdcn, Dean (secretary), Simpson (engineer). The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. The following letter was read from His Honor the Superintendent : Superintendent’s Office! Auckland, oth February, 1872. Sir, —In acknowledging the receipt of your letter of the 80th nit., in reply to mine of the 24th, it seems to me that your Board must be labouring under some mis-nnprehetision as lo the course proposed to ho adopted b}’ the Provincial Government, in paying over fo them the several amounts promised. The Board will observe that there is no direct vole of the Council of any sum to he paid over to'the Highway Boards—Hie vote is in aid of goldfields roads within highway districts. The Provincial Government is responsible for the proper expenditure of this vote, but being desirous, so far as possible, to entrust the administration of such matters to local bodies, they desire to act through your Board, protecting themselves by (lie certificate of their own officer as to the works being proper works and properly expended. This course has been hitherto adopted in reference to such votes, and lias been found to work well, and without the inconveniences suggested by the Board—in fact, the adjoining Board has already had payment of a portion of their grant authorised. The Provincial Government cannot divest itself of the responsibility of: seeing to the proper application of the monies voted by the Council, as (liev would do by simply handing over flic monies to the uncontrolled disposal of the Board. At the same time, flic Government, desires fo render such control as Jitl lo irksome or inconvenient as possible, and 1 think (lie Board will, if they desire to co-operate with the Provincial Government, find no difficulty or inconvenience urine. Other Boards do not, and have no hosilatiod in entering into contracts, frusliiig lo the good faith of the Government —I am. &c., Tnns. B. Gillies, Superintendent. To the Chairman Waiotahi Highway Board. The letter from the Board, to which flic above was a reply, was as follows : Waioralii Board Office, January 31, 1872. To bis Honor (lie Superintendent, Sir, — 1 have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 2-1 tli inst., and to direct your attention to your own communication of January 8, 1872, in which your Honor stales that £SOO would lie at once placed at the placed at the disposal of the Board without any reservations or restrictions at all. On receipt of that Idler the Board called for tenders for works enumerated in the margin, and aiso employed men to break metal and partially form several roads. So far, as the metal is broken and the roads formed, this Board is liable. On the 25th instant your second lei ter arrived, in which you state that the £SOO will not lie paid lo the credit of the Board at (he Bank, but will be paid on (lie certificate of Mr Miileit on the works being necessary and properly executed —restrictions so great as to compel the Board to determine all orders given and to decline to become responsible for payments to contractors for works to be done, not to tiie satisfaction of (bis Board or its Engineer, but of a third person over whom the Board has.no control, and the contractor no hold. If the Bonn! was to accept contracts for works after the receipt of your Honor’s second letter it would simply make itself responsible for pay men ts and for breaches of contract,the which payments your Honor need never make to this Board, and which breaches your Honor, through Mr Millctt, might make as often as it suited you. This lias already I been exemplified in the eontraci made under the last grant of £SOO. The con-

tractor was delayed and kept waiting over i a month, because Mr Millett was not ready to have Burko-strcet done, and would not allow the metal to he put e lsewhere. ft would he simply impossible for the Board to obtain a certificate from Mr Millett for work performed, when l'nc Board has no means to pay the contractor for such work, and no contractor would accept a contract when the binding is all on one side—the authority, a person who certifies for the work, must accept and be liable for the tenders. AY.II your Honor, therefore, re-cousider the quest ior, and pay the money to the credit, of tiie Board, at the Bank of New Zealand, or arrange some other way of causing the works to ; he carried <«it during the few weeks that yet remain before the wet season sols in. —I have. Ac.. AY. Davies, Chairman, \Y. D. Board. Air Anthony said it was useless for ti e Board to go into this matter. Let tiie Provincial Government and their Engineer spend tiie money and certify to the work. Tho Chairman said it was useless now to ' go mi with the works on such terms. The Board had been prepared to go on. Mr Dowden said the Board had been ! arguing with the .Superintendent for many weeks. | The Chairman said lie had seen Mr i Lumion, M.P.C., and Air Mitchell, A'l.l’.C'., ] i n this subject'. The former was of | opinion that there was no such restriction ! oil the vote, as the Superintendent's letter j implied. ! The Board resolved, That the Secretary : he instructed to write to the Superintendent, etatiug that this Board does not see

any reason to alter its former opinion relative to the grant as expressed in the Chairman’s letter of January 31, and that if such restriction is to he placed on the grant as mentioned in his Honor’s letter

of February 7, that the Board sees no other way than for the Provincial Government, through its own officers,to carryout such works as may be necessary.

A letter was read from the Kauwaeranga Board, asking if tlrrs Board would agree to half the expense of the new bridge over the Karaka being taken from the subsidy. The Secretary was instructed to inform flic Kamvaeranga Board that this Board was not going to incur any responsibility in the matter.

An application by Mr Wilkinson to erect a post on the footpath in Albertstreet, opposite the A deer User office, was granted. The Secretary was requested to write to the Superintendent, asking what works would he undertaken by the Provincial Government, so that this Board’s works undertaken out of the General Government subsidy should not clash. recreation ground. The following report of the Committee was read : “To the Chairman and members of tiie Waiotahi, Kamvaeranga, and Parawai ! District Boards, j “Report j “of the Joint Committee appointed to | to take steps for securing a Recreation Ground at the Thames : “1. Your committee report that their i resolutions of 7t 1 1 December last having been duly transmitted to (he Supcrinieii- '■ dent, His Honor replied on the 14th Doj ceinber that the Government had placed a sum of money on the estimates for the I purpose referred to. ,‘2. That a sum of money was subsei scqiicntly voted by the Provincial Council i which your committee believe will be j applicable to the purchase of a Recreation | Ground and other purposes, j “3. That on the -Ith January your Committee requested His Honor the Supintcudent to inform them whether any sum of money is available for the purpose of a Recreation Ground at the Thames, and if so, upon what conditions, and they urged upon Ilis Honor the necessity of immediate action owing to the increasing value of land in this district. “ -1. That your committee received a reply from His Honor, dated the oth Jan., stating that the Government will take immediate action in the matter, hut conveying mi further information. “5. That your committee have not deemed it proper in any way to interfere with the action of the Government, lnit they are of opinion that any negotiations with the natives for the purchase of the site, approved by your Committee would have greater chances of success if the co-operation and assistance of Messrs Janies Mackay, Jun., and Daniel Tookev can he obtained. “ fi. Your Committee therefore beg to report, progress to their respective Boards, as it does not appear that they can take any further action in furtherance of the object for which they were appointed. “7. Mr Wnnnoll, the only member of your Committee who is absent, concurs in j this report, and. your Committee would I add that it: anything were, wanting to show i the importance of immediate action in i this matter, they would merely refer to the , fuel that on tiie occasion of the last public j holiday (211th January) nearly two thou- I sand children, with quite an equal number ! of adults were assembled on a small tract , of waste land in the l’arawai District, : llieir only object being to seek healthful | recreation amt amusement.” Dated at Shortlund this 7th day of Feb- j ruory, 1872. -H- >, f Waiotahi ’ / District Board. F. Lipsev, Kamvaeranga It. tii’UTT, l District Board. Aluert J. Ai.i.om, f Parawai Thomas SrEKUER ( District Boaid. | The report was received and adopted, and a vote of thanks passed to the committee for their trouble. FIRE BUSINESS. An account for £43 15s from .Messrs Ireland Bros, for file hose was ordered to to be paid. The Chairman staled that lie had examined the hose, which was a good one, but squirted at the cross-joints. This did not arise from any defect in material. Some other accounts for small amounts were ordered to be paid. It was stated that the 'wheels of flic fire-engine required repair, and the Secretary was instructed to make inquiries and to report at a special meeting to be held next day. .V letter from Mr Milled was read, stating that he had no objection to (lie Board making alterations to the fireplugs. A plan of the proposed new fire-engine bouse was laid before the Board. Mr Anthony suggested (amid some laughter) that a painting in oils of his Honor (lie Superintendent should be procured and bung up inside. it was resolved to call for tenders for the building. The Board then adjourned.