MATAU ROAD BOARD.

Clutha Leader, Volume II, Issue 103, 30 June 1876, Page 6

MATAU ROAD BOARD.

The ordinary monthly meeting of the Matau Road Board was held at Mr Smith's, on Monday afternoon.

There were present . Mr G. Inglis (Chairman), and Messrs Smith and Macdonald.

The minutes of previous meeting were read and confirmed.

The Chairman reported that the repairs ordered to be executed upon the road between Stirling and the railway terminus would be completed in a few days. He anticipated that with a little attention to filling up the ruts, the road would now be serviceable for light traffic , throughout the whole of the winter.

A letter was read from several inhabitants of Stirling township, pointingout the necessity for an. enlargement of a culvert, or the erection of a new one, for letting the water from their properties during wet weather. Consideration of the -matter was deferred till next meeting.

Air Macdonald called the attention of the Board to the condition of the swamp road leading to Kaitangata during the recent flood. All the water from the Crescent farm — Messrs Watt's — and Mr Blackie' s bad been drained towards the road, and was carried on to the, township, flooding it. The drainage of about six square miles of ground had been carried in this direction, instead ;of being taken towards the river. There were six or eight" large drains leading from the Crescent farm and Blackie 1 s towards the township, and the road for eight or ten chains had thus been submerged in water. This ought to be put a stop, to, and the Board or some one else was responsible for allowing it. In consequence of the drains referred to having been cut to the road, the ditch on the one side overflowed across the road, while the one on the other was nearly empty/ He suggested' a culvert be put c in to. let the water through below the road, and' also that an outlet should" be- made from the end of the road to the river. , He held that parties had no right to drain their -ground infp the ditches alongside the

road, which were made only to preserve r he road, not to drain the adjacent ground. He would move, " That the mouths of the drains leading to the roadside ditches be filled up." Mr Smith thought it very wrong for parties to drain their ground into the road ditches. This injured the road, and the drains should be stopped. These ditches were cut simply to protect the road, not to form an outlet for drains from the adjoining grounds. Mr Macdomdd said about a mile and a half, of the road had been injured through the water being thrown upon it. ' •

The Chairman said it ivas very hard, and thought the box at Clement's should never have been removed.

Mr Macdonald would move that all the mouths of the drains be shut up The township of Kaitangata ivo'uld not have' been nearly so much flooded but for these drains.'

Mr Smith said thQ Messrs Watt should form an outlet to' the river for the drainage of their own ground. - On the suggestion of the Chairman, it .was . agreed that the' Clerk be instructed to write to Messrs Watt, in : forming them of the injury done to the road by their drainage operations, ahd requesting them to find an outlet for the water from their farm. '

An application was' made by the contractor for the erection of Mr Roy's store at Stirling, for permission to put in a box in the water-channel in front of the same — Granted.'

The following accounts were passed for payment : --f'LUTiTA Leader, £7 lis; li. Macdonald, £4; D. Sullivan, (labour,) £3 12s ; Clerk's salary, (halfyear,) £10; Ranger's salary, £10; Gillies and Street, £1 10s 6d. '

A letter was read from Mr Fynmore, Dunedin, mentioning that it had been found that a portion of ground which hitherto had been supposed to be within the Municipality of Balclutha had been found to be within the Matau Hond Board district... -He therefore requested the Board to forward to him the .map to be corrected.— Agreed to. The meeting then adjourned.