TU IKARAMEA.

Waikato Times, Volume XIII, Issue XIII, 15 July 1879, Page 2

TU IKARAMEA.

The annual meeting of ratepayers iv this distriot took place on Saturday the oth iust., at the Ngahinapouri School. There was one of th© largest musters wq

have ever had, all the occupied propertie on Avhich rates aro levied being represented, Avith one exception. Mr John Glasson having been voted to the chair, tho Secretary to the late Board read a statement of receipts and expenditure during the year. The recoipts wore > Balance m Bank Ist July, 1878. £470 lis; Govenment grant for Clark's Road, £680 ; Government subsidies, £115 16s 2d ; contribution receiyed from County Subsidy, £50 ; ratos coliected, £138 6s; interest on the. cash balanoe m Bank, £38 ls 8d ; deposit on contracts, £42 10s. Making a total £1,554 14s Ocl; of this, £1,122 9s lOd had been expended ou variousroad works, £80 had been transferred*^ the Newcastle District Board, to assiwMn making their portion of Clark's road, £42 10s had been repaid to the contractors, being amount of their deposits, and £145 5s 6d had been paid m salaries to Engineer, Rate Collector, and Secretary, and for advertising, stationery, &c, making a total expenditure of £1,390 5s 4d, leaving a ballance to credit of £116 10s. In addition to the above, the snm of £500 had been placed at the disposal of this Board, for the the purpose of opening a road between this district and -Hamilton, on Avhich work, the sum of £578 15s 7d had been expended. Mr Cox had' contributed £30 towards an outlet draiu on this road, and £12 had been obtained from the Hamilton District Board towards a bridge over the Koromatua Creek, leaving an exesss of expenditure over amount granted for this work,, of £36 15s 7d, for Avhich amount, a cheque had been received from the Hamilton District Board. On the motion of Mr Carter, seconded by Mr O. Vickers, the report was passed. Mr Hadfield wished to explain m connection with the road between this district and Hamilton, that the sum placed at the disposal of the Board had been found quite inadequate to the proper opening up of this road, and as it Avas very neccessary that residents m this vicinity should be able to get produce to the railAvay, ah application had been forwarded to Mr McMinn, requesting him to use his influence to procure a further grant «f £200 to complete this work. In reply, the following letter had been received : — " Harapepe, June 22nd, 1879. "The Secretaiy Tahikaramea District. " vSir, — " I have to ackuoAvledgo receipt of your letter of the 14th and inclosure, and to request you Avill be good enough to inform tho Board that their application will receive careful consideration on my arrival m Wollington ' but as I expect to leave within a fortnight, I do not think it would be advisable to correspond on the subject.— "Yours, &c.Edavard McMinn." ELECTION OF NEAV BOARD. Mr Charles Vickers . proposed that Mcssi'3. Hadfield, Lang, F. Vickers, R. N. Buttle, and Joseph Drabble be the trustees for coming year, seconded by Mr Reid. In amendment, Mr Carter proposed that the name of Mr W. Aldcrson be inserted m lieu of Mr Joseph Drabble. The amendment having been seconded, tho sense of the meeting Avas takeu, when the chairman declared the original motion carried. Messrs. James Davy and R. Drabble Avere re-elected fence-A'iewers, as Avore also Messrs. W. Reid and J. Glasson auditors. PUBLIC POUND. In accordance witli* notice given m advertisement, the meeting then proceeded to the consideration of the question of erecting a pound. Mr Lang^ as Chairman of the lato Board, explained that a considerable sum having been expended by the Board, during the past year, m laying down all the roads m grass, the Trustees thought it was not fair to tho district to let sheep have the run of them. If such Avere allowed, the money spent iv grass seed might as well have been thrown away. Nor, was that the only consideration, the reputation of the district would suffer. People from other parts, or strangers, m search of land, knowing that grass had been sown, would not believe that the ! fact of sheep being allowed the run, was the cause of a poor show, but -would attribute it to the fault of the land. Mr Hadfield thought a pound was desirable., Cattle belonging to settlers I should not be impounded, but he did not see why those from other districts should Jbe allowed to run here. He also felt very strongly ou the sheep question, it being Avell knoAvn that, to allow them on young I grass, Avas the ruin of it ; under these | circumstances, the Trustees wished to get the opinion of the ratepayers on the subject. Ho Avould, therefore, move, " That the Impounding *\ct be brought into forc--5 m the Tuhikaramea Highway District." The motion was seconded by Mr F. Viewers, and carried, only four hands being hold up against it. ENGINEER. A letter was read from the County Counoil, requesting that the Chairman of this District Board vould, at this meeting, get the opinion of rahepaj'ers, as to ' the advisability of one Engineer being appointed by the Gouuty, wWsc services Avould bo at the disposal of all the HighAvay Boards m tho County, but Avhose salary Avould be paid from the CSunty Fund. Cr. Hadfield, as member of the Council for this district, explaiucd the matter to the meeting, and a decided expression of opinion m favor of such au Engineer being appoiuted Avas the result. A vote of thanks to outgoing Trustees, aud to tho Chairman of this meeting, concluded the business. — Correspondent.