LOCAL INTELLIGENCE. MEETING OF THE GENERAL BOARD OF ROAD TRUSTEES.

Otago Witness, Issue 283, 2 May 1857, Page 5

LOCAL INTELLIGENCE. MEETING OF THE GENERAL BOARD OF ROAD TRUSTEES.

MINUTES.

A meeting of the General Board of Road Trustees was held on the 21st ult., in the Provincial Solicitor's office. Present — Messrs. M'Glashan, Macandrsw, Burns, Todd, Andrew, Johnston, Fulton, and M'Diarmid. Mr. M'Glashan in the Chair. The Minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. The Minutes of the Acting Committee appointed at the last meeting of the Board were also read, which Minutes, with the acts of the Committee, were approved of, and the appointment of Mr. Oliver to the office of Road Engineer and Inspector of Works was confirmed. Resolved— That the salary of that officer be £250 per annum, he finding his own noise. Resolved— That the salary of the Clerk to this Board be fixed at the rate of £50 per annum. Resolved— That John M'Glashan, Esq., be appointed Treasurer to the Board. Resplved— That no money shall be paid by the Treasurer excepting under the warrant of the Chairman of the Board or of the Acting Committee for the time being, countersigned by the C'erk. Resolved— That the Road Engineer be instructed to take the earliest opportunity of laying oft" a proper main road line from Abbot's Creek to the Taieri side of Saddle Hill. The Clerk reported that his Honor the Superintendent had proclaimed the North and East Taieri districts, to *be Road Districts, the boundaries whereof were defined in a Proclamtaion by his Honor in the Provincial Government Gazette, No 51. The Clerk laid on the table the report of the Committee appointed to ascertain the most suitable boundary between the North-east Valley and the proposed new Road District of Port Chalmers. Resolved — That the Report of the Committee on this matter be refeued to the Road Engineer, with directions to take the proper steps towards defining the same on a map in accordance with said Report, and that thereafter his Honor the Superintendent be requested to proclaim the said district of Port Chalmers accordingly. The Cierk read the following communication from certain members of the North-east Valley District Board of Road Trustees :—: — North-east Valley, "27th March, 1857. Sir, — The General Board of Road Trustees having declined to authorize the levying of a district rate by this District Board when applied to for that authority, in the prospect of a sum being voted by the Provincial Council for the purpose of 'opening up and repairing main lines of road, and money having been voted by the Provincial Council for these uses; and this Board, having applied for a portion of that money to repair a portion of the main line in this district, the Committee of the General Board decided that the road thi ough the North, east Valley was no part of a main line, and therefore not entitled to any share of the money except on certain conditions, which (for reasons already stated to the said Committee) this Board do not feel it to' be their duty to accept ; and this Board being without funds, and having_ no power to raise money, and the road requiring immediate repair, the members of this Board feel that the only course left them is'to resign their trust ; and they do hereby resign accordingly. (Signed) ' L>avid Hutcheson 1 ' James Sim Wm. Chapman Andrew Watson ' • ' " James Gebbie. The Clerk to the General Board, of Road Tiusteel. ■ . ■ .

Having heard the foregoing communication from the North-east Valley District Board of Road Trustees, announcing their resignation of their oW fice of Trustees, for reasons among others " that the Board. had declined to^ authorize the levying of a district rate," the Board- resolved — That the reason assigned as abpve- is- incorrect, and that this Board never declined to sanction such rate ; on the contrary, the Board has always been quite prepared to do so, and not only so, but has repeatedly offered to supplement said rate by a vote of £60 ; and that the Clerk be requested to communicate a copy of this resolution to' each of the members of the aforesaid District Board.

Moved by Mr. M'Glashan, and seconded pro forma by Mf. Macandrew — That the road through the North-east Valley be declared and classified as a Main Road.

Moved as an amendment by Mr. Johnston, seconded by Mr. Burns — That th.c proposal made by the Acting Committee of this Board to the Northeast Valley District Board of Read Trustees was fair and equitable, and the same be approved of by this Board. The amendment was carried. The Green Island District Board of Road Trustees having obtained a report from the Road Surveyor as to certain alterations on lines of road within their district, the same was read, and Mr. Johnston moved that said report be approved of, which motion, having been seconded by Mr. Todd, was agreed to. Mr. Macandrew asked leave to withdraw his motion — " that the road leading frosn the main road at Caveisham to the Ocean Beach through the Forbury be classified as a main road" — notice of which was given at last meeting. The motion was withdrawn accordingly. Mr. M'Glashan also withdrew his motiou — "ihat the line of road from the Half-way Bush road to the Maori Hill be classified as a main road" — notice of which had also been given. A memorial received from Mr. M'Master and others having been read relative to lines of road within the East Taieri district, it was resolved that the memorial be referred to the East Taieri District Boaid of Road Trustees for their consideration.

Read Report by the Surveyor as to bridges over branches of the Tokomairiro river, and examined a relative plan prepared by him. Resolved that the plan be approved of, and that the Engineer be instructed to take the necessary steps for the immediate erection of said bridges over the branches of the Tokomairiro river at a cost not exceeding £250. It having been represented to the Board that the construction of certain stone culverts between the Tokomairiro river and Lovell's Cieek are requisite, in Older to the proper conducting of traffic on said line, and it having been ascertained fiom the Engineer that the number of such pulveits will be five, Resolved — That the Engineer be authorised to get the same erected, provided the cost of the whole do not exceed £30.

Read letter from Messrs. Strode and Chapman, the Wakaii District members of the Board, intimating that owing to their engagements they could not attend this meeting, and drawing the attention of the Board to certain bridging and repairs required on the main road line within their district. Resolved — To remit the application of the Wakari District Trustees to the Engineer with instructions to report the expense of the proposed works to the Acting Committee, and that said Committee be empowered to give effect to the application should they see fit. Read a Memorial from certain settlers in the Moeraki District.

Resolved — That the "Road Engineer be requested to proceed to, the Northward as far as the YVaitangi, and that he be authorised to take the necessary steps towards carrying out the proposed improvements at Moeraki and on to the Waitangi, as suggested by the Memorialists, provided the same are in accordance with his views, are economical and necessary, and can be effected at or under the sum of £500. Moved by Mr. Macandrew, seconded by Mr. Johnston, and resolved — That the Road Engineer be directed to talta the earliest opportunity of ascertaining the practicability of a main line of road from Dunedin to Blueskin through the bush by way of Mr. M'Glashan's mill, and that he furnish a map of the same, and report the probable expense to the Acting Committee, as also the saving in point of distance on the journey to Waikouaiti, which would be obtained by such a line ; and further, that in the event of its being found that said line can be opened at a cost not exceeding £300, the Acting Committee be authorised at once to take the necessary steps towards opening up the same. Read an extract from a minute of the Town District Board of Road Trustees, relative to a district rate proposed to be levied in that district. The rate was approved of and sanctioned by the Board, and the Clerk instructed to see that the requisite steps are taken for levying the same. Read an extract from a minute of the East Taieri District Board of Road Trustees relative to a special rate proposed to bq levied on a portion of that district. This rate was also approved of and sanctioned by the Board, and the Clerk instructed to see that the lequisite steps are taken for lewing the same.

Resolved to remit to the Road Engineer to report as to what lines of road he considers should be classed as main roads. Reso yed — That the Road Engineer be instructed to proceed with the construction of the road ' from the. Lower Taieri Ferry to the head of the ' Waihola Lake by the banks of the Lake, by contract, provided the cost does not exceed £2Q per mile. Resolved— That the Committee appointed by the Board upon the 23rd January last be re-ap-pointed a Standing Committee, to carry out all the objects of this Board. Resolved — That seeing nothing has yet bsenj done by the -Green Island District Board of Road Trustees towards the repair of the road between the bridge at Mrs. Shand's and Abbot's Creek bridge, the Road Engineer be requested to get the work done immediately. The Board then adjourned sine die. - ' ' TOWN BOARD. A meeting of the Town Board was held on the 27th ult. . Present— Messrs*. Young, Cutten, Jones, Robertson, Kilgour, and Rennie. • Mr, Harris in the Chair.--j Mr. Cu'tten, having reported in- reference to the;

North-east Valley road, and the Board having considered Mr. Charles Reid's tender for th.c culverta and ditches required on said road, resolved that Mf,, Reid.'s tender be'aqcapted; and that the; work be car-* ried on at once to the, extent of £150, under the superintendence of Messrs. Cutten and- X 0 - n gResolved— That .'the Treasurer pay the sum of £13 17s. 2d. to the Cwrseer of the Swamp Road for work executed on said road ; and the sum of £10 to Mr. W. Strain for ropairing the bridge at the Water of Leith. Resolved— That the tender of Messrs. Calder and Jenkins for building a stone culvert at- 'the* Survey Office be accepted, upon, the condition, that the time for the completion of the work contracted for does not exceed four months from this date. Resolved— That' the Treasurer pay Mr KUgour the sum of £49 65., being the amount advanced by him for improvements on Princes and R-attray Streets. The Board then adjourned sine die. Registrar op Brands.— We understand that Mt. Robert Chapman, Clerk to the Bench, Dmi-. edin, has been appointed Registrar of Brands under the "Sheep Ordinance, 1856," which came into operation yesterday. DruNER to W. C. Young, Esq..— A Public Dinner was given, to" W. C; Yojung, Esq., the successful candidate for the Eastern District, on Friday the 24th ult. The Dinner came off at the Royal Hotel, Dunedin, and was ser.ved up, in Mr. Smith's usual style. The entertainment, although resulting from a political event, partook rather of- a social gathering than a political dinner. No political object was contemplated, and the only circumstance worthy of record is that, the toast of the evening having been disposed of, the health of the defeated oandLdate was proposed and duly responded to by those present. , The Barq.ue ' Dunedin.'— We observe with much pleasure that the barque Dunedin has succeeded in navigating the passage up the Upper Harbour, and that she now lies within gun-shot of Dunedin Jetty. The- Dunedin is 208 tons burden, and is the largest vessel which has yet come up to Dunedin. The advantage to both importers and shipowners arising from this arrangement are munifold ; and should it be possible for the Government, notwithstanding the many demanda upon our funds, to find the means of deepening the channel, we may hope, within a short time, to see vessels of large tonnage lying off the town of Dunedin. If there is any spiiit amongst us, we shall assuredly order out a dredging machine at once. The saving of lighterage would, in one year, fully pay the expense of the machine.