RANGIAOCHLA HIGHWAY DISTRICT.

Waikato Times, Volume XV, Issue 1263, 3 August 1880, Page 2

RANGIAOCHLA HIGHWAY DISTRICT.

The annual meeting of Ratepayers of the above district was held in the Public Hall, Te Awamutu, at 2 p.m., on Saturday last. Mr. W. S. Rutherford was chosen chairman, tind opened the meeting by reading from the Waikato Times | the advertisement convening the same, i Mr. Sloane, chairman of tho retiring boaid, was called on to read the statement of accounts to 30th June, which ran as follows, viz.: — Receipts : Balance from last year, £132 7s lid ; rates, £303 Is 6d ; Government grants, £305 ; County Council, L 232 4s ; rent of public pound, LG ; for timber on bush road Kihikihi L 7 ; total, L 1075 13s sd. Expenditure ; survey and construction, Llob' 8s ; bridges and culverts, L 468 12s 7d ; repairs and improvement 1 ?, L 177 10s 3d ; new roads, LloO 6s 3d ; right-of-way to a ratepayer's farm at Ohaupo, L 3 ; salaries L 32 10s 3d ; drain-pipes and cartag*, L4l 7s 3d ; collection of rates and valuation, L 27 10s ; printing and advertising L 9 17s 6d ; telegrams, postage & stationery, L 5 5> 9d ; total, L 1072 8s 8d ; balance remainiug in hand, L 3 4s 9d. The Chairman said he had drawn up a report and would now call upon the secretary to read it. It was as follows :—: — "Your trustees', in laying before the meeting, and the ratepayers generally, the statement of receipts and expenditure for the pnst year, beg to submit therewith, a brief report of their administration and, in doing t>o, desire to record that, this is the termination of the third consecutive year of office of chairman, and several members of the board. That during that time your trustees spared no pains or trouble to advance the interests of the district, in every way, by judiciously keeping before the Government at Wellington, the many and pressing requirements of this large and important inland central thoroughfare. Not only have they done so in the way of improving its highways, bridges, and public works generally, but they were mindful, and solicitous for its frontier defence, its police, its telegraph and postal arrangements cis well." The first, and unquestionably the most important work of the past year, is the construction of the fine substantial bridge across the Mungahoi, at Te Awamutu. The completion of this work was an absolute necessity. Its approaches, too, during its progress, required incessant care and supervision. They have recently been planted "with willow cuttings at the water's edge, so as to bind the banks where the action of the current is felt, and where the wash from the drainage is likely to prove injurious to the sides. Your trustees having in view the fact that each succeeding year considerable sums of money have been spent on the church road, near the cemetery, Te Awamutu, without the public deriving any benefit whatever from such expenditure, but on the contrary, on the first rainfall after tha contractor left, it became an almost impassible dense slough of mud ; the Board therefore, came to the decision to go to the expense, once for all, of doing the work satisfactorily, clem and durable. The Board, at the commencement of the r year of office, resolved on undertaking many useful and much required works in several parts of the district The funds for which your trustees were led to believe would be forthcoming from the land fund of their own locality, but, to their surprise, when this fund became payable, your Board, instead of the 20 per cent as allowed by the Financial Arrangements Act, received only its prr rata dividend amongst the other nine Boards in the County; consequently trustees were reluctantly obliged to forego those necessary works resolved upon at the commencement, amongst which may be described the following : — The opening of a road by Mr Corrigan's on the Te Awamutu-Ohaupo road, to the Alexandra road, would require a bridge. The cost of the whole would be about £70. The opening and forming of a road between the properties of Messrs. "Walton and Slator, Te Awamutu, thence across Swamp to Matthew's Hill. . The Board went so far as to invite and receive tenders for this work. "Your trustees are most favorable to the opening, from Te Awamutu, of the lower Kihikihi road, by the Mangahoi creek and Mr Short's mill. This would relieve the road on the upper level to Kihikihi from a good deal of traffic ; besides, it is already a convenient and good summer road. Last year a portion of the work was commenced, but want of funds prevented any progress possible. The Board desire specially to call the attention of the trustees to the completion of this useful line. •'Trustees applied to the Government for a special grant of £730 to form, metal, and make footpaths from Te Awamutu to the new railway station, but ociy

.•&3§o> has ai yet beefu obtained. Your , in oimmunicatmg with Mr Stewart, engineer, aricf our energetic member, Mr WliUaker, caused the Public Works Department to take the work under its supervision and direct control, not so much to saw the trouble and responsibility inseparable from such an undertaking* but to avoid the engineering expense*, which would necessarily be a ■heavy item in the account. "Your ßoard took the opportunity of the good understanding that existed between tnem and members of the late Executive, as we 1 l as with the present Government, to obtain a money grant for the opening of a road v from Te Awamutu to the Puniu river. The grant in question, thanks to the perseverance of our member in the House, amounting to £300, was placed to tho credit of the Board. The work was proceeded with until, unfortunately, the Mangapiko trustees, in" whose district a portion of the proposed road lay, objected, at the eleventh hour, to its further progress. Some correspondence then took place between your Board and the trustees of the Church Mission property, who hold the land through which this road runs, and the ultimate result was that these gentlemen off red no objeotioa whatever to tha prosecution of the work, which, nevertheless, seems to be over-ruled by the decision of the HighwayTrustees alluded to. Your Board, however, have the pleasing satisfaction to announce that they leave £100 of tho grant to their successors in office for the completion of the proposed ■work. Your trustees jalso obtained from the Government some 18 acres as recrea- j tion park for Te Awamutu they caused it to be gazetted, brought under the Domains Act, and trustees appointed, but regret to say that up to the present ' time little or no pains have been taken to make this reserve either useful or ornamental. In like manner, two good bush reserves have been set apart for the public ; both conveniently situa f ed. One near TeAwamatu, another near Kihi ihi. Again, a site for a public Library and Mechanics Institute in Te Awamutu has been obtained ; and also a permanent reserve fir a district pound. " The Annual Meeting of ratepayers last year decided that, that portion of the road from Flemings corner to Turnwalds cro«s road, Ohaupo, should be handed over to the Pukerimu district, and »t was then arranged, that the respective Boards concerned should meet at a given time to define boundaries, but it seems some of the Pifkerimu ratepayers are not satisfied with " half a loaf " as they still persist in" desiring to take in the railway road, consequently no action has since been taken by either side in the matter. " The reading of the report being concluded Mr Andrew Kay said he would like to be informed by the Chairman of the late Board why the tender of Contractor J Kennedy being the lowest, was not aocepted for certain work near Kihikihi. ■ Mr Sloane replied that it was impossible for the Board to accept the tender as it was iuformal. Several of the Trustees spoke to the same. effect, but it devolved upon Mr Bearsley to let the full light in on the informality, and which completely supported the action of the Board in the matter. Mr Kay again said he would like to be informed of the amount of money spent on works in Te Awamutu during the year. Mr Sloane was prepared with a detailed statement of expenditure in the five recognised divisions of the district which showed as indicated in the report, that about £GOO was spent in and contigous to Te Awamutu during the year. Mr J. W. Bndgman wished to be informed of the amount of money spent ou the new road to the Puniu river. Mr Sloane's reply to the question seemed satisfactory, all the more so, as he reminded the meeting of their credit balance of £3 4s 9il, and that in reply to further questions from several ratepayers, ho stated all accounts were piid, there were no out standing debts, and no existing contracts. This statement gave great satisfaction. Mr Kay rose at this stege and propo>ed a vote of thanks to the retiring trustees. He said, notwithstanding the questions he had asked, he did so with a good grace. The old trustees were deserving of it, they had done a good deal of work, and brought a good deal of money into the district. The motion was seconded by Mr Kusabs, a'-id on being put to the meeting was caried by acclamation. The next business w.\s the election of trustee s. Mr Qunltraugh proposed that the old trustees b) elected, sec.nded by Mr Kusabs. Tho Trustees all declined, when the following gentlemen were proposed, seconded, and declared elected for the divisions of the districts stated opposite their names viz. : — MrC. Wlntfield, R-uigiaohia ; Mr William Corboy, Kihikihi ; Mr James Walton, Te Awamutu ; Mr Wm, Johns, Te Rdhu ; and Mr W. Bond, Ohaupo. Auditors, Mr W. Sloane, and Mr J. W. Bridgman ; Fence viewers, Mr H. Moncrieff, and Mr R. Bell The rate in the £ for the current year was then considered. Mr Burke proposed that it be sixpence. He said there was no use rating them selves high, for he knew, to his own knowledge, that money spent on a portion of the Ohaupo lload last year, was simply thrown away. Mr Corrcgan seconded the resolution. Mr Andrew Kay proposed an amendment, <l That the rate be nine pence in the £. " Seconded by Mr Bridgman, and on being put to the meeting Mr Burkes resolution was lost. A vote of thanks to the Chairman closed the meeting. On the motion of Mr Kay, seconded by Mr Floyd, it was unanimously resolved that the new trustees be requested to take immediate steps to bring the Depasturing Act into ojieration in the distiict. The new trusteed have not yet met for the election of their chairman, as there seems some doubt as to the validity of the election of one of the members.