WAIMAKARIRI-ASHLEY WATER SUPPLY BOARD.

Oxford Observer, Volume V, Issue V, 26 May 1894, Page 2

WAIMAKARIRI-ASHLEY WATER SUPPLY BOARD.

An adjourn meeting of the above Board was held at the Municipal Chambers, Rangiora, Tuesday morning ; present— -Messrs J. O'Halloran (chairman), J. Wolff, S. Heywood, M. Dixon and J. D. Dickinson. The Chairman 'read the following letter from Messrs Garrick and Co. : — m receipt of your letter of May. 15, requesting us to advise how the Board is to meet the present outstanding liabilities of about £2000. These liabilities ..were incurred, m con** nection with a water supply scheme submitted to and approved of by th. ratepayers f ' and. ' the Board was authorised 1 to raise a loan for the pur pose oi'the works. The new Boaro has decided or: will decide against proceeding with the scheme, which was the construction of head works, leading from the Waimakariri RiveFai Rock Ford to, a point on the terrace about 120 chains to -the east of. the Waiinakiriri George bridge, and distributing channels leading therefrom sufficient to supply water to the whole district.- If ; the Board does not intend fco proceed' with this work, it ought not, and we think • cannot . proceed to raise the .loan of £3.1,000.;. There is npj other pvpvision m the Act by which the IJpard. can obtain money except By borrowing and then rating. It will be % that the discription of the work. for which the .loan.i s: authorSed is very general^' and if the preße&t^ Board intends to jnake :the intake at Rock Fdfd^thij der6ription of the purpose for which the loan •is authorised -will allow the Board very considerable latitude m the, process .of distributing ..t^^ater..; If; the Board should be of ppinipn that the head works ought \o be constructed at .Rock; Ford, then it will be a matter for coiMderEtion as to how inuc&of tfie pre \ipus Vp'roceediags will'or should be Rescinded. Unless Uie-Board avails itself^of, the authority .tp-i^^g^ t_^^si^|!?iaLlc^j there is- at present no meajig of raising money 4o

pay liabilities already incurred. It seems an absurd defect m the Act that no provision whatever should have been made for providing a fund to defray preliminary expenses." We are informed that Mr Gordon Chief Inspector of Mines, or Mr Gower . Inspector of Mines m Otago will be requested by the Government to report on the Works. . The balan .e-sheet m connection with the financial proceedings of the late Board, extending trom August 1, 1892, to March 31, 1894, was laid on the table. The receipts were : — From Bank of New Zealand £1210 2s 3d ; "**" Debendtures lodged at bank by Mr Joyce, £50 ; total, £1260 2s 3d. The expenditnae was — Salaries, £533 6s 8d; wages, £366 2s Id ; office expenses, £12 14s ; advertising, printing and stntionery, £93 6s 2d; contracts, £60 10s; miscellaneous £46 8s Id; i bank interest, £112 9s ; legal expenses £1 Is; total, £1260 2s 3d. The r liabilities were : Bank overdraft, £1210 2s 3d ; debenture, J. Joyce, £50 ; salaries, £533 6s 8d ; wages, £118 3s ; election expenses, £3 3s ; advertising # and stationery, £112 Os 10 ; legal expenses, £105 l-2s 6d ; contracts, £100;. consulting engineer, £15 los ; ex-p3-_se=; classification of land, £26 2s I'd ; liuencial agent for raising loan, • £17 17 3d; petty cash, £6 17s sd; mi-.cv.HanfeO.-S, £20 Is 9d ; total £2019 Is lOu. It was agreed that the ballance-sheet should be open for the inspection of j. any rafcspayer interested. On the motion of Mr Heywood, -.ocnnded by Mr M.Dixon, it was resolved — " Ti, a t this Board approach Parliament through the member for the district (Mr Buddo) for an enabling Act for the purpose of providing means for paying liabilities up to the date of enactment, either by loan or rating." Mr Dicker. son moved and Mr Heywood seconded — " That the Rock Ford irrigation scheme as submitted to and appro vei of by the ratepayers be not .proceeded with.'' The motion was carried. It was resolved that the secretary v(Mr.Te...pler) should receive a month's I notice, of the termination of his engage'ni ent from June 5, m consequence of the Board's determination to remove the. office from Rangiora. Tlie meeting then terminated. '