WAITAKEREI EAST.

New Zealander, Volume XXI, Issue 2265, 3 November 1864, Page 8

WAITAKEREI EAST.

treasurer's report. The following report reached us too late for insertion in our Inst issue : „ _ •„ Gentlemen.~ln retiring from offije, y««o™™J sioners Lave to report that a ™eungof e ectog for the district of Waitakerei. East, held at the ureat Nor;her" Hotel, on Tuesday, the 4th day of June. m ", nnde the Public Roads and Works Act, for the p„rpo£of electing O mmissloners and leg m 0 £ rate n accordance with the conditions of the sa d Act, n rate of two shilling per acre on all rateable claims was SricS and the following persons were duly elated Commissioners to carry out the .mentions of tho said Act viz.. Francis White (Cbauman), Andrew Dilworth Frederick Willis, William Wasley, Lraanuol Hesketh, Tiios. George, and Thos. Green. At a meeting of the Board held on the 12th Jane following, to take into consideration what po.t.on Of the two shilling rate should he collected, it was decided that sixpence per acre shon'd as early as possible be collected. Mr. Thomas Green accepting office as Secretary and Collector (wihout salary) was authorise 1 to receive the rates. At a meeting held on thn 23rd of A..gust Mr. Green resigned his office on account of leaving this country, when, at the request of the meeting, Mr. Hesketh accepted office in hia stead. It was also proposed by Mr. White and seconded by Mr. Willi*, that Mr. I. George should act as Treasurer, and that the funds should be placed in the Bmk of New South Wales. At a meeting held on the 13th of September the Treasurer reported that he had in hand about one hundred pounds, but. the meeting deferred to commence making road? till the first i-stalment of the rate was was collected, and as many of the claimants refused to pay their rates, it. was proposed by Mr. Wasley, seconded by Mr. Willis, that Mr F. White (iho Chairman) be appointed collector of the rates, with power to take such legal proceedings as he may find necessary fur their recovery. , At a meeting on the 22nd of October, Mr. White s'nted that he had taken out a summons against a t'aimant when the Board deemed it desirable tint he should have the assistance of a solicitor, and that Mr. Wynn be retained for the case. This case did not come before the Court for hearing, the defendant having paid the amount and costs into Court. Notices were then sent to all parties in arrears to pay the amount of their rates, in default of which proceedings would be forthwith taken for the recovery thereof. Several persons were then sued with the same results till a case was defended bv a person whoso rate amounted to one pound only, when it was found that the magistrate had no power to enforce payment, the claimant not having a Crown Grant. Further proceedings being stayed to avoid expenses, and there being but little prospect of collecting more than the amount now in hand, being £l5O, it was proposed bv Mr. Wasley, seconded by Mr. Willis, that the Commissioners proceed to examine the best line ot road into Waitakerei East, and that a respectful request be made to the Superintendent and that Mr. Montgomery accompany them. Accordingly three of the Commissioners, Messrs. F. White, VV. Wa<=ley, and T. George, with Mr. Montgomery, left Auckland for Waitakerei in April, 1862, being nearly a week in examining the lines of road to the block, and travelling the front line, and one of the main lines to the west coast, thev have, for your information, to report as follows:—No. 1. Road by the Pukematekea; distance from Auckland by this lino, about 18 miles to the front of the nearest lot, requiring two and a half miles of bush cutting from the clear land to the nearest lot, also rebuilding a bridge across Swanson's Creek, cost about £75; the cost of clearing bush, two and a half miles, about £IOO, clearing to be made half a chain wide, and the stumps and roots to be cut level with the ground, 16 feet wide. This line is objectionable, because it eaters the block at its farthest front corner from Auckland, and with the exception of a icw lots, would require settlers to travel an extra distance of five or six miles ; however the road would be a pretty good one, as, with the exception of the Pukema-ekea hill, the remainder of the ridge, is pretty gradual in the ascent. No. 2 road by Henderson's bush distance of cutting from clear land to summit of main range, about two miles, entering the block near the centre of the front, and near the head of the Waitakerei River and Big Muddy Creek, thereby affording the back settlers pretty direct access to their allotments in the shortest distance from town. There is at present only a creek up to this block this way as a line has not yet been surveyed, which, if done, an I connecting i\vith Parr's road, already laid out through this paddock, the distance from town would be only 15 miles. There are two steep but insignificant hifls on this line, which might be cut for £100; if found necessary to economise, might bo rendered passable by sidecutting for half the amount. The present bullock road from the mill to the bush is about four miles fatther than if the road was laid out to Parr's, as before mentioned. To open this, there would be four bridges required, costing about £2OO, and to cut the bush from the clear land to the top of the main range or ridge, about £7O, cutting sr.me as No. 1. No. 3 Road, by the Frenchman's old saw mill, ascends the main ridge upon tho block recently sold, and is pretty level, for a distance of nearly two miles in, when the road becomes obstructed by a rocky hillock, which would require to be cut down, to render it passable, there is also an abrupt rise, in ascending the main ridge, which would require a considerable amount of side cutting, the the earth cutting of these hills would probably cost £4oo,—and the bush clearing to the nearest lot, about three miles, would cost £l2O. distance from Auckland, by this line, about 17 miles. Having decided on the line of road, crossing from Parr's through Henderson's fern and bush land, as the nearest, and best, application was made to the Superintendent, requesting him, with the least possible delay, to have that line, surveyed for our use, but in consequence of a private interview with Mr. Henderson, the result of which was, that as a consideration, for a line of road, he required us to fence 280 chains of posts and two rails, the cost of which would have been about £3OO, and on that account it was abandoned. The Board then decided that the money collected as a rate to open roads in the district should be expended for that purpose, and that the roads be opened 12 feet wide, and all trees felled on the said 12 feet of road so opened, that the stumps be adzed level with the ground, that the clearing commence on the front line, from let 86 on the north-west boundary line, to lot 91 adjoining the reservo on the south-east boundary line, and from the junction or cross line, fixed between lots 79 and 89, clearing and opening the same to the west coast. That tenders be called for forthwith for that purpose, and that the Chairman be authorised to receive them. There were eight tenders received, varying in amount from ss. 6d. to lis. 9d. per chain, the accepted tender was for 6s. per chain. The lines of road, as specified, to be completed in six months, bearing date from the Ist. of July, 1862, or the contractor to forfeit 25 per cent. The contract was completed by the sth of November, the length of the road made being, as measured and approved by a Government surveyor, 12 miles, 1£ chain. Having done thus much in the block, we felt still more anxious to get a road to it, if it was only a track that a horse could travel on, and we understood that a line of road had been surveyed for our use, from the Pukematekea, down to Smiths, we would try to get a road cut six feet wide, our funds from the rates beinu- then nearly exhausted, we raised the money, by subscription, to enable us to do this, and soon after it was finished, Mr. White, with two friends, travelled up the road, with their horses, to the 12 feet road, on the front line, and from thence to the west coast, a distance of 12 miles of bush road ; since then it has been travelled by others, with pack horses, and very recentlv by a claimant, who has taken his family and furniture there to reside ou his land. On going up this road, a short time after we had opened it, we noticed some part of it blocked up by trees having been fallen across it, we instantly gave a written norice to the person we supposed to be the cause of it, requesting him to remove the trees out of the road at once, with a caution as to the future. A few days after this, we were very much surprised to hear, through the Superintendent, that Mr. Henderson having been informed oi this had called on him, to say that we were trespassing on his land. We found we were in a dilemma again with Mr, H. who some time previous, on our calling on him to get permission to pass through his land, said it was not likely he should stand in the way of a public good. We have recently examined a line of road, by wav of Titerangi, which the claimants in Waitakeri South, are disposed to adopt as a road to their block, which by amalgamating with them, may suit our purpose. There is another line, which has been very lately surveyed for us, crossing a creek through Parr's Paddock before mentioned, and continuing np a gradual rise behind Captain Cable's, till we reach the level road, leading to the rock before named, which at first sight appears formidable, but on examination we find could easily be removed to either side, being apparently very loose, and of no great length. By this way we should enter . the other road, nearly at the top, thereby crossing the Reserve, connect it with the 12 feet road, in the block. We think this would be the nearest and least expensive line, and Ave consider it requisite to have two rop.ds to the block, ore by way of Titirangi, the oth:r, by way ot Pukematekea, which is the best road of any we have been able to discover.

In mnking a statement of receipts and expenditure, we find that the amounts of rates nnpaid, is only £*s Us and about half of this is owing by absentees, whose land will be forfeited ; the amount of rates collec'ed bcin" £l9O 18s., the amount received from the Superintendent, £144 4s. 6d. being half the amount expended by us in making roads, as provided for by the Highways Act, and £3 3s. 7d Bank interest, which together amounts to £338 6s. Id. The expenditure has been for making roads in the district, 12 miles H chain in length by 12 feet wide, at 6s. per chain £2BB 95., stationery, printing, advertising &c, as'per balance sheet for which there are vouchers, £372 2s. 2d. cash in the Bank of New South Wales, £l2 14«. Ud. ; total £338 6s. Id. In lookin" forward to another year, we have the satisfaction of knowing that the trustees you will elect to-dav will be in a much more favorable position than we have been, for as soon as we begun to act, we found wo were beset with difficulties which it was impossible to surmount till we had a new Act, which we used our utmost endeavours to get. We can now enforce payment of rates, adding interest at the r.i>e O five per cent, ou all arrears; and the Superintendent has power to take land for roads, by giving land in exchange. We can now choose a road, to the block without four of trespassing, as before, and we trust long before the next general meeting to have roads to the block, as well as roads in it.