METALLING THE ROADS.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume LIII, Issue 2804, 15 September 1903, Page 2

METALLING THE ROADS.

The public meeting called by the Akaroa and Wainni Road Board to consider the question of borrowing £3.000 to metal the principal roads in the district, was held at the Council Chambers, Duvuuchelle's on Saturday afternoon.

There was a good and representative at* rendanoe.and Mr J.R. Newton, Chairman of the Road Board, was voted to the Chair. The Chairman explained that, the Board had met in Committee on the subject and considered it would be advisable to metal about 24 miles of the roads in tl c district, ■-, x This would cost aboub £6,000; but that sum would have to be borrowed in two years, as the limit of Road Board Borrowing was £3,000 per annum. Owing to the alteration in the Loan Ait, they would have to pay 4 per cent, for the money, or £240 per annum, for 32 years, at the" end of which time prinoipal and interest would alike be paid off. At least, half of the up-keep of the roads would be saved by this meaoe, and he was sure the borrowing would be a very great economy ; besides, ensuring the ratepayers the almost immediate use of good roads all the year round, He himself wae tired of travelling in the mud every ' winter and believed that other ratepayers were also.

Mr H. White asked if the j£6ooo would metal all the roads in the dio'rictj The Chairman said that .all roada, on which three or more ratepayers resided, would be provided for by the loan. There would be some five miles of small roads left unmetalled, but these could be dealt with out of the ordinary revenue of the Board.

Mr E. Watkins asked what roads it was proposed to metal on the Little River side. The Chairman explained a schedule of the roads had been prepared and could be Been by anyone. Of oourse, the roada would . be specified in the loan piopoaals, bo that all ratepayers would know exactly what they were voting for. Mr White said the Little River Board were considering the question of metalling their roads by loan, but they considered the first step bo be taken wae the reforming and regradiDg of many of the roads, To permanently metal badly graded roads was a great mistake. The Chairman said that all their roads, except the Old Pigeon Bay Road, were , fairly graded. All alterations of this kind needed, oould be done out of ordinary --' revenue.

Mr White instanced Dudding's Traekai ■ a road that badly required regrading. Hβ urged them to prepare the roads for mefcall* , , iDg before they borrowed the money; Besides, they should waib to ccc •if the Fremier's Local Governmeiib Bill were passed, which might take away the control of the roads from the Road Board,' and yet ' » leave them saddled wilh the debt. Hβ should .. , like to see all settlers have good outlets and all the roads properly graded before any money was borrowed for metalling. He ■■ congratulated the Board on their endeavour; ■■ >l to improve the roads, and the proDOHals|ma'de' had his good wishes, but he thought they should wait and see what legislation-was paseed this session, before borrowing' the « money, : t - Mr James Reid congratulated the Board on the action they had taken in the matter, and considered the money should be bor' rowed and the metalling proceeded with straightaway (hear. hear). He differed en* tirely from Mr White in thinking the mat" ter should be deferred. Whether a new Bill passod or not they would haye r . to meet the debt in any case, and why not have good roads at once? (hear, hear). The borrowing money for metalling was no extravagance, but a great eoonomy. In his part of the district a few chains had besn metalled, had not had a penny expended on it foe nine years, and was a good road now. He was sure the repairing unmetalled roada wae a much greater expenditure than paying in* terest on the cost of metalling could be, and at the same time left them with roads un6t to travel on. Any grading required oould easily be done out of the ordinary _ revenue, but the metalling was too big a job to be paid for out of the rates. He believed the proposal would receive the support of the great majority of the ratepayers. j Mr Watkins said before the rate wee , struok he would like particulars as to the expenditure. He said that on Little River side there were 14 chains to be metalled from the Valley Road to the Railway Reserve, 16 ohains of Montgomery's Road, 23 chains of Smith and Vanetone's, and 17 chains of Allan's. There were other roadfc that aleo required attention. The Chaijman said additions and alterations could be made before the polling took place. Mr T. MoDonald asked if it were proposed to metal the roade to the dairies.

Dhe Chairman said owners of dairiei would be sure of some help from the Board. Mr Reid moved—That this meeting ii. in j favour of the Akaroa and Wainui Road j Board's proposal to borrow £3000 for metal- j ling a portion of the principal roads in the j diatriot. i Mr Checkley seconded the resolution. Hβ ! did not think the passing of any looel government legislation would affeot the case, as if the Road Boards were abolished in favour of County Councils, each Riding of the County would be sure to be responsible for its own expenditure. To borrow £6,000 to metal some 25 miles of roads would , r b*a,« sure to prove economical insteadtof extravagant. They would have to strike a very email rate to meeb the £240 of intereeb; bub he was sure they would not have to colleot ■''■■ it for more than three years, and, after that time the interest could |be baaly paid out of the ordinary revenue. The did not think it would ever bo necessary to. colleot any special rate at all, though they might have a bigger overdraft.

Mr H. W. Piper said most of them were of opinion they had waded through mud long enough, and were not going to wait till they were old men for good roads to travel on. Leti them go en with bhe work at once instead of spending large sums in uselessly repairing alay roads. Aβ to the cost, he was certain they should save monoy after the first year or two. If they oaloulated the cosfc of maintenance of euoh roade as Okain't Le Bon's, Jubilee, or Gough's, they would find it oame to a great deal more than the interest on the cost of their permanent metalling would be. What they had to pay extra in interest they would save in labour, would always have good roads, and would be able to get along with fewer horses. Mr White asked if the Board intended in future to make roada for ratepayers, or if they would have to pay half the coat them' sclvee.

The Chairman said if they were relieved of the expense of maintaining 25 miles of roads, they could spend the money so caved on the side roade and make them all good. He felt the Board were only doing their duty in jutting the whole matter before the ratepayers. Mr Watkina thoroughly agreed there were many ratepayers warmly in favour of the proposals, and all that was wanted wae a full explanation of how it was intended to expend the money. The Chairman said that if the resolution was carried, e> schedule of the roads, on which it was determined to expend the moneyi) mue,b be pu , ; before the ra.tnpayere,

afil the money must be spent on those roads alone. •q* Mr Watkins aeked if it was intended to nee metal broken by the crusher only, as they knew some metal hr- "■ been broken and spread at Little River for 3a 9d per yard, which was 1-ss than it would oost from the m crusher. In such caseß he hoped the Board wouH use their discretion, >■' The Chairman said that, tre metal would 4)e procured frrm the best and cheapest source. For instance, in some places they would uee beach metal. The resolution was then put and oarried, all voting in !♦*• favour with the one exception of Mr H. White. A vote of th<vnks to the chairman dosed an animated meeting.