KIHIKIHI TOWNSHIP HIGHWAY BOARD.

Waikato Times, Volume XV, Issue 1260, 27 July 1880, Page 2

KIHIKIHI TOWNSHIP HIGHWAY BOARD.

The annual meeting of the ratepayers of the Kihikihi Township was held in the schoolroom on Saturday evening last. Major Jackson having been voted to the chair read the audited financial statement, which was as follows, viz. : — Eeceipts: Balance from last year, £31 Us 7d ; rates, £26 13s 3d ; from County Council, £21 175-; Government subsidies, £41 9s Gd— total, £121 Us 4d. Expenditure : New streets, survey, and construction, £31 Us 9d; repairs and improvements, £26 Is 3d ; material for culverts, etc., £12 ; printing and advertu-ing, £4 lla 9d; collecting rates, £2 7s; postage and stationery, 7a Gd— total, £77 2s 3d; | balance in the Bank, £44 12s Id, which sum would in a few days be considerably diminished by liabilities to existing contracts. As the statement seemed satisfactory, Mr Elmsley moved, and Mr Maunder seconded, the adoption of the account, which was unanimously agreed to. The following ratepayers were then proposed, seconded, and declared duly elected Trustees for the ensuing year, viz. : — Major Jackson, Messrs Farrell, Gordon, MoncriefE, and Anderson. Auditors : Messrs Elmsley and Ballin. Fenceviewers : Messrs Qualtrough and Maunder. Regarding the large number of absentee rate defaulters, of whom there are over 100 on the roll, the Chairman said he would like to take the opinion of the meeting as to the advisability of going to the expense of legal proceedings for the recovery of the numerous small amounts, which ranged from Is lOd to 7s Gd. The meeting after deliberating and discussing the matter pro and con for some time, resolved, on the motion of Mr Moncrieff, seconded by Mr Maunder, " That the new trustees be empowered by this meeting to take such action as they may deem necessary for the legal recovery of all arrears of town rates." The Chairman at this stage said he had an explanation to make touching the naming of the streets, as he had received a few weeks ago a lithographic view of the town&hip fiom the Chief Surveyor at Auckland, and he was surprised to find that the names as fixed and decided upon at a meeting of the Board and transmitted promptly to the Department were completely discarded. The names of the officers of the Imperial and Colonial forces who served here in the eaily dajs were substituted, then the names of the members of the late Ministiy, and then the names of the members of the present Ministry were brought into requisition and exhausted. Now, he said, after all there are some streets not yet named. When in town last week, he called upon Mr Percy Smith for an explanation, and that gentleman acquainted him that he had not received the letter of the Board giving the names, but he had no sooner reached home when he received another reply from the ( 'hief Surveyor stating that '* wonderful to relate," he had found his letter in which were given the names of the streets on a file in his office. " Now, lam completely puzzled," he adds, "as to how this letter could have come in and passed through my hands, as it must have done, witkout my noticing it. I can only suppose that I must have been interrupted before reading the letter, and &o it got passed on to the clerk." Major Jackson said he did not at all blame Mr Percy Smith in the matter. He knew that gentleman had a deal to do in his department, and it was very probably I an oversight through pressure of work. Sleps, he said, would be taken to put the matter right if possible, and also to fix the magnetic bearings of the streets. The next business before tho meeting was the consideration of the erection of a Public Hall in the township. It was well received, and The meeting l'esolved that immediate steps be taken to raise funds for the purpose. Further particulars connected with the proposed building will be sent you for next issue. A vote of thanks to the Chairman closed the proceedings. The new Trustees met immediately afterwards, and unanimously re-elected Major Jackson as Chairman of the Board for the current year. — [Own Correspondent.] The war cry of the army of tramps : To Alms ! It is reported that 1000 Kurds have died from famine in Central Asia. Frightful suffering has been experinced by the tribes. It is expected that many thousand more will succumb to the terrible calamity. The possibility of any immediate relief, with a view of saving the population of hundreds of villages of unfortunate people from perishing, is very remote indeed. Statistics lately published shew that the entire wool clip of Great Britain in 1875 was 320,000,0001b5., having increased four fold since 1801 ; the wool clip of the United States in 1875 been only 200,000,0001b5., or scarcely two-third of that of Gieat Britain. The t)tal of the world last year is estimated at about 1,497 ,500,0001b5., worth, at a low estimate £300,000,000,