THE ROAD BOARD.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume I, Issue 29, 21 July 1880, Page 3

THE ROAD BOARD.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE STAR.

Sir, — With your permission, I will make a few remarks and corrections re your report Hawera Eoad Board, and your local about Mr. Gane. Your report states that a petition was presented from twelve* residents on Whakamara block : I would inform you that they are not residents, but property owners. You omitted to add to Messrs. Gane and Allen's report what I said, A*iz. — that if there was not sufficient funds, we must taki less. On Mr. Williams' motion re Ingahape bridge approach, I stated it needed immediate attention, and if it was not attended to at once, the bridge and approaches may be washed away. Mr. Allen's amendment was that the engineer report and call for tenders, to be opened by me and Mi 1 . Williams tliat day week. Then I again stated that a few days' delay may cost several pounds more, and it would be better in this case to get the work done with as little delay as possible, there being a great deal of traffic on that road. I would, for your information, state that some time during Monday, one wing was washed into the river, and another opened very wide, allowing a great deal of earth filling to be washed" away,On Tuesday morning I and Mr. Williams went to see to the approach. We had to make some sort of an approach to cross the bridge, and then get to Manutahi and telegraph to the engineer to come at once, which he did without delay, he agreeing to go to the mill and arrange to get timber and get it down at the very earliest opportunity, before (if possible) any more freshets came down the river.

Your report has it that we got no money appropriated for the Ingahape. If you refer to the mirmtes, you will observe that £8 was voted for this particular work, and if that was not sufficient, we were to get enough to finish the work. I also stated that Mr. Lysaght's rates, which were spent on the Noouan road, was for his interest, viz., to cart firewood, &c, from his land. About saj-ing the money was fooled away on the Noonan road, I say the same again — that if the Noonan road had a lot more money spent on it, it would not be a dray road to any one but Messrs. Bremmer and Dewer's estate, as the Whakarnara road, whichever way you took from the Noonan, would require another large cutfciug and filling, and that by spending moiv on the Ingahape, a very large number, if not every farm or section, could have a dray taken to it. Your local says that Mr. Gane was nonplussed, and when the time came for resolutions, he moved that .£ls be voted for Ingahape road, and £5 for East road ; also that £15 had been advanced by Mr. Riddiford : the result being that the Ingahape and East roads were left out in the cold, and the money was voted for other roads in the block. I would inform you that if you had stated what I am about to state you would have been nearer the mark. There was allotted .£35, to be expended this side of Tongahoe. Mr. Allen moved that a portion should go on the Mells and "West road, but I moved that j£ls .to Noonan road, i>ls to Ingahape road, and" £5 to East road ; . total,- £35 ; remarking at the same time that, as there was; a petition signed by the land owners beyond, the Mells and West roads- to open the Noonan road, I surely thought that they, all knowing the state of the roads, were willing to have their rates- expended on the Noonan road. Surely they could not expect 'to get other people's rates when other people required the outlay on roads adjoining themselves ; and, as I likewise said, the '•lngahape -road at the .present time was the dray road {o nearly, if not

all, the land in Whakamara. I also stated that if the Board would do for the Ingahape the same as they did for the Noonan last year, viz., spend .£ls out of this year's rates, and j-15 out of next, the settlers would do the work in like manner as Bremmer and Dewer, and wait until next year for the money as they have done ; or, if the Board liked, I could say on the same principle, although I do not approve of the Board mortgaging out of the future year's, rates. Instead of the Ingahape>and /East' road, being left out in the cold; as your reporter has it, it is thus: — : Noonan '"r#ad/" £iS; Ingahape roadj'-^8/ anymore if bridge ©*■ approach , ■reqaud* uV; East :roadj ■£5 ; Mells - and West' roads, £7 ;r; rl _ total, £ 35. You were also in error in stating it was £'120 to be appropriated; it was £15.0. By giving space to the above; you will oblige. — I am, &c, '•' . - . - ' . George Gane. P-S-t-As to the non-plussmg of Mi\ Gane, Whakainava, I can say lie can stand that, and not get grey-headed through it. [We are glad that our friend Mr. Gane has recovered from his slight discomfiture : a public man who cannot take defeat as well as victory is not worth his salt. If he will again refer to our report, he will find that the total amount of the appropriations given was £153, and not £120, as he states. Our reporter was under the impression that the sums voted for the Ingahape and Eost.jroads were to be taken from the contingencies until he referred to the secretary's minutes. But as to reporting everything that takes place at the Board meetings, and every word spoken, that is out of the question in a bi-weekly paper like ours. Why, even the daily papers do not, as a rule, attempt to give anything more than a summary of the proceedings of local bodies. Mr. Gane mubt not look for any more from us. But until such time as the Board adopts by-laws for the conduct of its proceedings, and prevents members speaking half a dozen times to a motion, and from carrying on conversations amongst themselves, instead of addressing the chair, it will be difficult to avoid slight mistakes like that pointed out by our correspondent. — Ed. Star.]