ROAD BOARD MEETINGS.

Waikato Times, Volume XXX, Issue 2451, 27 March 1888, Page 3

ROAD BOARD MEETINGS.

Toatoaroa Road BoardThe above Board nipt at Bach's Hotel, Ca- , bridge, nil Saturday lust, ut 11 ;i in. PreHKiit: Messrs N. 1. Hunt (chairman,) 0. M. and If. R. Urunskill. Tin; minutes of the previous meeting having beon read and confirmed, the clerk reported that he had received ii circular from the Treasury DcpartiiiDiil asking for a return of tho Board's inrlcl.)t'!(liu'S!i. To this lie had replied, the amount being £2'.:!) 14s 3d, viz. 25A years interest, at £!) Oh 2d per annum. The Di.sruTK with thk County Council.—The fullowinp letter had been received from the clerk to the Piako County Council:—" March Ist., ISBB.—Sir,—l have tho honour, by direction of the Chairman of the Piako County Council, to acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 20th ultimo., and to state in reply to your request that the TaoUoroa Koad Board may be authorised to collect and pay the rate lately levied by the council over tho Taotaoroa Road District, that your Board is ewdently under a misapprehension as to the meaning of the sections quoted by you, as they are in no way retrospective, and consequently the council has no power to delegate to your Board authority to collect a rate already made. If you will refer to Sub-section 1 of Section <i, of the Rating Act, 1882, Amendment Act, 188. r >, you will seo that if your Board was directed to collect a rate, it would have to ''make, levy, and collect," such rato which shows clearly that the Act docs not refer to a rate already inado by tho council. I think after further consideration, you will agree with tho county chairman that the council has no power to accede to the request of your Board in so far as the present is concerned. I have by direction of my chairman made the demand in the usual manner.—l am, &c, C. Tuck, Clerk, Piako County Council. The Clerk said he had replied that the rate could be unmade and be made afresh if the County Council thought fit.—Mr C. M. Brunskill said Mr Chepniell, the chairman of the Council, would not give way from the strict letter of the la-w.—The Clerk said it was not necessary, and referred to sections (J, 7 and 8 of' the Rating Act, 18S5, which he contended met the case.— The Chairman said the Council would take a cheque if it was tendered to them.— The Clerk: " I dare lay they would, but we must have authority to pay it or we shall be surcharged."—After considerable discussion it was resolved to let thu Council collect the rates, as the Board did not feel justified in paying it without having the power delegated to them by the County Council. Camdiuiic;k-T.\lto Road.—The County Council wrote, saying they could not repair the above road, as it was a Government one.—Air C. M. Brunskill said he had brought the matter up at the Council meeting, but had not been able to carry it. One of the most bitteropponents to the Council taking tho road over, was Mr W. L. C. Williams. Why, he did not know; but_ the moment the subject was mentioned, Mr Williams always opposed anything being done in the matter. The Clerk thought the Council shirked doing any work in the Toato.iroa riding. Mr Brunskill rema-rkod there were other ridings Biniilarly treated. The money had been spent on the To Aroha side of the county. Ho thought they would eventually have to take over the road. The Chairman said it would soon be in a bad state. If someone did not repair it before winter, it would bo impasaablo. The subject then dropped. Balance in Bank.—The clerk reported a credit balance at the bank of A! 313 2s. Mill. R. Brunskill proposed that as they were not £?oing to pay thfi Comity Council rate out of it, they should put £200 to deposit account; but upon it being pointed out, that if they had to repair the CambridgeTiuipo road it would bo required, he withdrew his motion. (tOKTON Road.—Tho Chairman reported that the three large holes in the Gorton road had been filled in. Accounts.—The following accounts were passed for payment:—G. V/attam, £-t Us ; R. Wattam, £7 13s (id; clerk, £0 2s 4d. This was all tho business.

Cambridge Road Board.

Tho Cambridge Rond Board met in Saturday at 'A p.m. Present: Messrs J. Tiiylor (chairman), E. Pickering and .Tamos Forrest. The minutes of the previous mooting were read and confirmed. Jin Saxiiks' Account.—A long letter was received from Mr T. O. Sandes, the engineer, re his claim of lSs, in which he stated that the remarks made by Mr James Forrest at the last meeting of the Board, about his having only inspected the work as ho journeyed to Cambridge, were utterly false. The letter thoroughly explained the transaction, and so satisfied tho Board that the amount was ordered to bo paid forthwith. A New Road.—A petition signed by 31 settlers of the Hautapu-Fenconrt district was received, which requested tho Board to open the road as originally laid out on the plan through the Auckland Agricultural Company's land, from the Fencourt station to a point on the Victoria road near the Cambridge Cheese Factory.—Mr Forrest said they had now .€250 in hand and if they spent that, they would havo to strike a special rate for hospital purposes. Next year they would have to pay £121;, and they must be prepared for it being £l") 0 the following year after, and the following year it would probably he £200 for he felt convinced that it would f>o on increasing. He did not think the individuals who had signed the petition had any idea of the probable cost, or he very much doubted if one of them would have done so. If the road was opened, it would mean a special rate having to be struck, and was only wanted by a few who sent milk to the factory. Mr Pickering said it was all very well for Mr Forrest to talk, now that the roaiJa near his property were all made, but he thought the persons who had bought property adjoining tho site of the contemplated road should receive some consideration. Mr Forrest said he would not oppose the road, if they were in a financial position that would warrant them making it. The chairman said he thought somo of the land would lmvo to be taken under tho Public Works Act, and that would be expensive work. It was eventually left to the chairman and Mr Forrest to report upon, at the noxt meeting. Fkncoukt-Maungakawa Road.—A petition, signed by Messrs T. Brown. J. li. S. Richardson, J. Calvert, Jno. Wilson, S. Medhurst and James Bailey, was received, praying that the Board would cause the roads between Fencourt and Maungakawa to bo put in a state of repair, and complaining that a fair share of the rates had not been spent upon them. During the past threo or four years promises had been inado that the work should be done, but they had not beon fulfilled. Tho petitioners now asked tho Board to let them spend their own rates upon the roads, if they (the Board) found any difficulty in complying with the former request. It was also stated in the petition that some of the settlers had to drive round by Cambridge in order to get to the cheese factory, in consequence of the bad state of the roads.—The Chairman said he thought they should re-form tho zig-zag road, but there were a number of roads in the locality that were very little used.— Left to the Chairman and Mr Forrest to inspect, with power to act. No 2. Cnoss Road.—Mr Forrest > was authorised to put a 50ft. drain of β-inch pipes across No. 2 Cross road. Tkxiikbs.—On the motion of Mr Pickering, it was resolved to call for tenders for keeping the main roads (in the riding), between Cambridge and Hamilton and Crawford's Gully and the Narrows, in a state of repair for a period of twelve months. The distance is about 12 miles. Accounts. —The following were tho accounts passed :—T. G-. Sandes, l.Ss ;U. W. Russell, 18s ; Clerk, £(> (is Gd. Thj_, concluded the business.