PUBLIC MEETING AT MANAIA.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume II, Issue 102, 6 April 1881, Page 3

PUBLIC MEETING AT MANAIA.

On Friday last a meeting of settlers on the Waimate Plains was held at Manaia at 2 p.m. The Chairman read a notice advertised in the Star, to the effect that the meeting was convened for the purpose of taking into consideration the best method of making roads on the Plains, and to protest against the appropriation of public money, as proposed by the council engineer. This was signed by fifteen settlers, and the meeting was attended by about double that number.

On the motion of Mr. Murphy, seconded by Mr. G. McLean, Mr. Yorke took the chair.

The Chairman explained the course which had been taken by the settlers who attended the first meeting in favor of a road board, which had been held on sth January. He pointed out that the County Council had declined to accede to the request of the settlers, and had undertaken to spend the money of the deferred payment settlers itself. So far a 6 he could learn, not one of the gentlemen appointed to accept the tenders which had been called for by the council, had taken any pains to inspect or check the work of the engineer, and they were, in fact, about to spend money on works of which they knew nothing. Even the specifications of the works were very meagre, and open to exception. He did not desire to question the ability of the council to do the work or spend the money, but he certainly thought that they ought first to have consulted the wishes of the settlers before undertaking to spend their money. He might mention that at the first meeting of settlers, it was resolved that no money should be spent beyond what was barely sufficient to give the first settlers access to their sections.

Mr. Duncan McLean then rose, and proposed the first resolution, as follows : — '• That this meeting views with alarm the manner in which the county engineer proposes to expend the portion of money applicable for road making on the Waimate Plains from deferred payment settlers' funds." He was opposed to the works proposed by the council, because he considered it very unadvisable to form roads previous to the pigs being destroyed. If the road lines were cleared, -and the creeks made passable by culverts and side cuttings, nothing more need be done as yet. He himself had suffered considerable inconvenience by the delay caused by the council. Mr. Geo. McLean considered it was a mistake to attempt to form roads 20 feet wide, and to leave them unmetalled. Setting the damage done by the pigs on one side, it would be much better to have the bye-roads ploughed and well harrowed than to spend the money in formation without metalling.

Mr. Livingston took exception to the wording and character of the specifications. There were lengths of road nearly a mile in length to be formed without any provision being made for drainage. The whole length of formation called for was about 15 miles, and there were only some seven or eight culverts specified. Acting as deputy for several deferred payment settlers, he had undertaken to copy the specifications, and obtain sufficient information to enable several settl rs to tender for the works. But the informotion to be obtained at the Star ofiice was altogether too meagre. He had served for several j'ears in the Public Works Department, and was quite able to judge whether the work was sufficiently well described. Under the specifications it was quite easy to " slum " the work, to leave Maori hole 3 unfilled, &c. He was not a deferred payment settler, but was asked to attend on behalf of several such, who were hindered from coming, all of whom thought they were quite able to manage their own road work without the assistance of the County Council.

Mr. Gideon Inkster said that he had been forced to cart timber round three or four miles to get on to certain sections near his own. He had had copies of the maps and plans of works advertised at the Star office sent to him at Normanby, but intending contractors could not possibly make reliable estimates on the basis of so slight an amount of information. He thought the engineer incompetent for his work, and it seemed to him that one contractor, the only successful tenderer, was the only man who knew what the engineer wanted.

Mr. Livingston pointed out that the engineer had taken out plans and quantities for several side and through cuttings, and there was no reason to doubt his professional ability. Mr. Felix M cGrtiixe ajjreed. tlaat tlie only work which was necessary was to cut tutu and fern, and make side cuttings and crossings at the creeks. He was not a deferred payment settler, but he consi-

dered that all the new settlers were interested in an economical management of the roads, and in a wise expenditure of the deferred payment monies, as it would tend to lessen or relieve the whole body of settlers of road rates. He appealed to the chairman to know whether he thought buyers of cash laud were entitled to have their say at the meeting.

The Chairman thought that there could be no doubt about it. Many of the roads passed through cash land on their way to deferred payment sections, and it was the duty of the cash settlers to see that good roads were made for the public to travel on. The roads were not meant for deferred payment settlers only, and if road rates were levied, all the settlers would have to pay.

Mr. A. Milne, as a member of the County Council, thought that it was evident that roost of those present were dissatisfied with the engineer's plans, and in fact the County Council had been at their previous meeting. In consequence, they had left the acceptance of tenders to a committee of four. The latter had not approved of the formation contracts called tor by the county engineer, and had therefore not accepted them. There had been very little time for the council, or for their engineer, to thoroughly inspect the district. He did not believe in road boards, because, as a rule, he found that members were put in by small cliques to urge on a particular work, and when that was obtamed, they ceased to take any interest in or trouble about the rest. The first meeting at Hawera was held by a few individuals, and he considered it quite premature, and thought delay was necessary to allow more settlers a voice in the matter.

Mr. Isaac Bayly thought that cliques were often formed in County Councils as well as Eoad Boards. The honesty of the members might be questioned in either case. The first settlers bad a fair claim for consideration as pioneers. If the members of a Eoad Board asked for at the first meeting of settlers in January last had been appointed, the works would have been well forward.

Mr. W. L. Martyn considered the excuse made by the county councillor for the action of the Council in calling for tenders for a lot of work which they did not mean to accept, was worse than the roads would have been if they had been formed.

After a few words from the Chairman, who pointed out the useless trouble given to contractors, and how badly their engineer must have been instructed if Mr. Milne's explanation were accepted, the resolution was put and carried almost unanimously.

Mr. J. Murphy proposed, as the second resolution, — " That this meeting respectfully urge upon the County Council the necessity of allowing a Eoad Board to be formed for this new district, as men having a local knowledge of its requirements can expend their own funds with greater benefit to the district than can possibly he expected of men living at a distance, who are not likely to know anything of our wants."

To this Mr. Glenn moved an amendment, which was seconded by Mr. Milne : — " That no Eoad Board be formed, but that it be left to the county to undertake all road works." He gave his experience of both bodies in Westland, and said that he was much in favor of the larger bodies. He had seen eight road boards rolled into one county, and the work done quite as well at a tithe of the cost. He thought the Counties Act needed amendment, so that the money raised by rates or licenses in each riding should be expended in it. It would be as cheap and better to form the roads than to put men on to fill up the holes by hand labor.

Mr. Geo. McLean and Mr. Livingston having pointed out that it was proposed to work the whole district north of the Manawapou as a new county, that a petition was in Mr. Parriugton's hands to that effect, and that the present movement in favor of a road board was a temporary refuge from a difficulty which might soon be removed by a division of the county, —

Mr. G. Inkster rose and criticised the action of the County Council in the past. He said that for one pound the Eoad Board had misspent, he was prepared to prove that the Patea County Council had misspent hundreds ; and instanced their bad management on the Mountain Eoad ; their neglect of the Hawera and Normanby line ; their lavish expenditure on the Patea hospital, where a staff was maintained to support an average of from one to five patients. In addition to this extravagance, a recently published schedule of expenditure during the past three years showed that the southern end of the county had secured by far the greater portion of the county revenue. He remembered that Eoud Boards did their work for nothing, but not long ago the County Council formed a working committee of four, and went wandering up the road like a troop of asses, voting themselves a guinea a day for expenses. That was the sort of County Council there was in this district, and Mr. Glenn did not know much about it, or he would not talk of economy and County Councils.

Mr. McGuire was in favor of the larger county, and once the Waimate road district were declared, it would return county members, and would then have the majority of tlie council, and the Patea people would be anxious for separation.

Mr. Glenn, in reply, urged that there would be still further delay of very necessary works, if the County Council were now interfered with.

The Chairman, before putting the amendment, pointed out that practically the question was whether the Patea County Council, as it stood, was likely to manage th • district roads satisfactorily or not, and hitherto their success was not conspicuous.

On the amendment being put, only three persons voted in favor of it. The original resolution was then carried almost unanimously.

Mr. Ramie moved — " That seven settlers be nominated a Road Board, and that their names be submitted to the County Council for approval. ' ' He though t the oldest and most experienced settlers should be chosen.

After some discussion, the following names were chosen, due regard being had to their distribution throughout the proposed district : Messrs. A. Sutherland, D. Wilkie, G* Inkster, Glenn, W. Crawford, and Yorke,. Messrs. Eainie, and McGuireas auditors.

The Chairman pointed out tlaat a new board would have to be elected in June, if a district were declared.

Mr. Inkster moved that Mr. Yorke, and Mr. Sutherland be appointed to attend at

the next meeting of the Patea County Council, to lodge the petition presented to the meeting, and to urge upon that body the necessity of complying with the foregoing resolutions.

The motion was seconded by Mr. D. McClean, and carried.

Mr. I Bayly proposed the fifth resolution as follows, — " That this meeting considers that before a county rate is levied on the settlers north of the Waingongoro. they are entitled to have representatives and voting power in the County Council." Seconded by Mr. Mitchell, who spoke in favor of the resolution. After a short discussion, during which Mr. Milne stated that be had been in favor of a voter's roll, rather than a ratepayers roll, the resolution was carried nem, con.

The meeting closed with a vote of thanks to the chairman. For remainder of Beading Matter, see Fourth Page.