MASTERTON ROAD BOARD.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1811, 11 October 1884, Page 2

MASTERTON ROAD BOARD.

{Continued.) Messrs Chamberlain, Hunt, Bannister, and Paine, waited on the Board to ask its intention with respect to the upper Waipoua bridge at Miki-Miki which had been partially destroyed by the late floods. The estimated cost of repairing the bridge would be £290, and they wanted to know whether the Board could-..undertake the work, They were already sb 1 - heavily handicapped with rates as to be unable to bear any further rate, and if the work could' be done out of the ordinary revenue, they would rather. -sell- the remains of the bridge and ford the river as of yore.

The Chairman explained the impe-1 cunious state of the Board, they had just gone through a statement of their financial position, and found that thoy had already anticipated the rates up to the end of the financial year, and they had nothing to qarry on the ordinary work of the Board with, They had the power to strike a' further general rate of one farthing, and that no doubt would have to be done, but if it were done it would not be sufficient for road maintenance. It seemed to him a great pity for the inhabitants of that district to let go this bridge after what had been expended on it, By breaking it up and selling it they would lose all the value of labor and cartage it had cost them in erecting it, and he would

strongly recommend them to secure the present structure by an outlay of £SO, and wait till next year for a chance of its being properly completed out of rates.

The deputation took time to consider the matter,

Messrs Herbert and Welch, the subcommittee of the Opaki Waipona Overflow Committee, attended with plans and specifications of the work necessary to turn back the Waipoua into its proper stream at the Pirau and erect protection works there. The estimated cost was nearly £SOO. It was resolved to cut a channel at once, at an expense of £lB, to allow tho water to return to its bed, and copies of plans and specifications were ordered to be sent to the Minister of Public Works, and the Wairarapa East County Council. The Chairmen of the County and jßoad Board were also to wait upon the Government to ascertain the sum that would be forthcoming, that the work might be proceeded with without delay,