GREY ROAD BOARD.

Grey River Argus, Volume VI, Issue 365, 16 May 1868, Page 2

GREY ROAD BOARD.

The weekly meeting of the Board was held yesterday afternoon. All the members were present. After the minutes of the last meeting had been road and confirmed, the following correspondence was read : — A letter from the Secretary of the Arahura Road Board, enquiring if the Grey Road Board will bear half the cost of the subsidy for the maintenance of the upper ferry at the Teremakau. The letter stated that previous to the establishment of .Road Boards in tho County of Westland, the Government were paying a subsidy for the maintenance of the ferry ; and. that the amount of subsidy required from the Grey Road Board was L3O for six months. Letters from the County Secretary, respucting the surplus revenue and other matters, but which were not of public importance. A letter from the Nelson Government, declining to contribute anything towards the protective works at Greymouth. The following report from the Engineer was read : — "Public Works Office, " Greymouth, May 15, 1868. " To the Chairman, and Members of the Grey District Road Board. " Gentlemen — In accordance with your resolution at last meeting, relative to the propriety of cutting openings in or constructing steps outside the protective work, I have the honor to report that I carefully considered the subject, and am of opinion that openings will have a great tendency to weaken the works. " In order to make the openings easy of access (from the depth of the bank inside the protection work) the roadway up from the openings would come so far into the street that the public traffic would be much confined. On the other hand, to make a steep gradient of, say, 1 in 4, the roadway to the openings would have to be slabbed, to prevent a scour in time of floods, which slabbing would be rendered useless for the landing of horses, if a scour of a few feet should take place outside the lino of protection, which we may reasonably suppose will happen. " Sets of steps, six chains apart, such as I am now constructing, will afford every facility to passengers and cargo boats — their only disadvantage is the inconvenience to landing horses, but as horses from Cobden can land below the protection work, and those proceeding thither can take the river above the wharf, the inconvenience is so slight that I consider \ it should not be the means of inducing the Board to undertake works, such as openings, which would throw a shadow of ' doubt on the future stability of the prctection works. "I am, &c, " R. J. Johnston, "Road Board Engineer. Mr Whall moved that the report of the Engineer be adopted. Mr Wickes seconded the resolution. Carried.

Mr Whall proposed, and Mr Wiokes seconded, that an acknowledgment of indebtedness be given to the contractors who have taken contracts on deferred payments. Carried. Tlio following tenders were opened ; — Capping: J. M'Veigh, Is 4|d per lineal font ; It. Lynch, Is 6d ; Hall and Co., Is JOci. The decision of the contract was referred to the Sub-Committee. Tenders fur metallmg Gressoii street : J. N. Duke, L6o^%Fullarton, £58, Mr fiikcflP moved tha,t the work be commenced" forthwith, if the inhabitants guarantee half the amount. Seconded by Mr Baunhii,i, and carried. On the motion of Mr Whall, the sum of L 25 was authorised to be paid to the pontractor for the Saltwater protective works. Mr L^Acg moved that Mr Rochfort be communicated with, informing him that his services are required to continue the survey of the trun'c line of road from Paroa to Welshman's. Seconded by the Chairman, and My Whalii moved as an amendment that Mr Bonar be written to, requesting that the services of Mr Rochfort be placed at the disposal of the Board. Seconded by Mr Wickes, and carried. The Board then adjourned until the 29th inst.