Waimate Road Board.

Opunake Times, Volume IV, Issue 184, 9 June 1896, Page 3

Waimate Road Board.

The montly meeting of the above board was held on Thursday. Present —Messrs McCarthy, Watson, Peaice, Bleunerhassett, Wilkie and Palmer, the last two taking their seats for the first time. ELECTION OF CHAIBMAN. The Clerk took the chair and noti-fied-that Messrs Palmer, Wilkie, and Blennerhassett had been elected to seats on the Board. He asked the members to elect a chairman for the year. Mr Pearce proposed Mr Palmer as chairman, but Mr Palmer declined to stand. Mr Blennerhassett proposed that Mr McCarthy be chairman.—Mr Palmer seconded. Mr Pearce complained that Mr McCarth 7 had not acted fairly iu his capacity of chairman. He had hoped that someone else would have been appointed. He considered that the chairman's private business was also a good reason for his rejectiou as chairman. He thought he was always trying „to draw money towards money. He also complained that personally he could not get fair play at the Board's meetings. Mr Blennerhassett said he thought perhaps as regards Mr Pearce's last complaint that each was somewhat in fault. There ought to be a little give and take in the conduct of the Board's meetings. ■ The motion was carried and Mr McCarthy thanked the Board for the continuation of its confidence, and would, as he had done in the past, endeavor to act with perfect fairness to all parts of the district and also its members. UPPER AUBOA BOAD. Messrs Rochestrow and Rawstron waited upon the Board, and said that a meeting of settlers had been held a few days ago to consider how best to raise enough money to complete the 6£ chains on the Auroa Eoad. He said that the meeting suggested that metalling be done out of general rates account.- The unexpended balance of loan under £SO could be paid to the credit of general account and afterwards advanced to the road so that the Board would not lose anything. ' Resolved, That the 6£ chains of gravelling he done and paid for out Of rates due to Auroa Road.

FREE OSE OF HALL. Resolved (Messrs Bennett and Righton in attendance), That the free use of the hall onoe a week be granted to the Waimate Football Club for " serum " practice ; the club to find its lighting, and not to wear boots. RAMA ROAD. Mr McLean attended and asked for a small amount to be expended on this road out of d.p. account. —Agreed to expend £lB 16s Id. DEPOSIT RETURNED. - Resolved (Mr Warner in attendance), That owing to Mr Warner's contract being held over until next spring he be paid his deposit. HONI ROAD. A. Magill wrote askiag that a culvert on this road be replaced by a new one.—Agreed to. PIHAMA STREETS. David Barlow and others wrote asking that about £8 d.p. money be expended on Titahi Street—Agreed to. Mr Pearce undertook to find the money until it is received from the Land Board. * KIRI ROAD. Thomas Powell wrote stating that he could not complete his contract owing* to the heavy stones met with and applying for his deposit.—Agreed to under the very exceptional circumstances. OPUNAKE-STRATFORD ROAD. A. McHarrie wrote asking that a swampy place be made passable before spring, so that he and others could get out with their milk. The foreman said the work had been done. roadman's whare. A. W. Budge, on behalf of Peter Watson, wrote stating that the roadman's whare on one of the side roads belonged to him, and asked permission to remove it on offering it to the Board for £17 —Permission granted to remove the building he had erected. DRAINING CONTRACTS. T. Maloney, T. H. Brooker, A. Coffin, P. Bourke, T. Whitmore. d.p. (county) fund. The county clerk forwarded a cheque for £4O 12s lOd for expenditure on Auroa Road, and another for £340 16s lOd refund of d.p. money wrongly received from the Treasury. foreman's report. Kaupokonui Bridge.—Recommended that £SO be expended in making a groin or training wall in order to protect the western bank. He considered it his duty to inform the Board that if a very heavy flood occurred the western bank would be in great danger. Otakeho bridge.—He reported having repaired the damage caused by the heavy rain.—Resolved that willows be planted.—Mr Pearce said that £5 or £lO expended in putting in a very small groin considerably above the bridge would have the effect of turnthe course of the water by degrees.— Matter held over on account of having no money. eltham-punehu bridge. Resolved, That an estimate for a footbridge be laid on the table at the next meeting. special meeting. Resolved, That a special meeting be held on next Wednesday week for the purpose of receiving and dealing with the report of the committee appointed to report on d.p. accounts. HOW WORKS TO BE LET. Mr Pearce, speaking to the Chairman's motion that the accounts be passed, said that he opposed the letting of the work on the Motumate bridge, and to-day they»had been told by the foreman that he had let—privately—a small bridge on the South road. He objected altogether to these repeated acts of illegality and would

record his vote against it. He i'i! not object at all to the men employed but. ti the principle. Thoforeman said that in \he ca-o of the South road culvert it w< ui<l have been dangerous to hive left thu the matter over for tendering as there was baivly room for the coach to pass:. Mr Pearce asked by whose authority rimu had been used iustead of totara. Mr Cave had told him that it might last three, or perhaps five, or perhaps ten years. The Chairman said that the Motumate bridge had been let by tender, and the whole Board had agreed to it but Mr Pearce. All members of the Board agreed that tenders should have been called. The matter then dropped. LOWEB WATINO BOAD. Mr Pearce asked if the loans committee htfcreported upon the petition of the for a loan. bate. Resolved that the striking of a rate be held over until the county rate had been struck. LOANS COMMITTEE. Mr Pearce gave notice to move that the resolution requiring a report by a committee on the fairness of any proposal for raising a loan be rescinded. —Star.