CHATTON.

Otago Witness, Issue 1903, 24 July 1890, Page 19

CHATTON.

; July 23.— A meeting of ratepayers in the Knapdale road dlttriot was held at Ohatton yesterday (:42nd inst.). The objeot of the meeting was to disouss the aotion of the Southland County Counoil in limiting the loads allowed on the county roads, and also general matters. Over 30 ratepayers attended, and Mr James Donald was voted to the chair. Mr Jamet Paterson moved—" That this meeting views with extreme didsatisfaction and disfavour the iction of the county authorities in regard to he bye-law restricting loads o»rrled on twovheeled vehicles to 27 cubio feet of lignite or 18 >ags of oats, and takes tbe present opportunity of )rotestli>g against the harsh and unreasonable treatneut of being compelled to answer at Inveroargill iharges of violating the absurd bye-law which was lever published in this pirt of the country, and the tiicumstauces of which tbe ratepayers wero entirely gnorant of." The mover thought that the motion vould entirely meet the views ot the ratepayers. He aw that at the last meeting of the counoil the mem)era gave ia reply to a request not to enforce the byeaw when the roads were good, that the time to reitrict the loads was before the roads were ;ut up He believed in keeping the roads good, but the members were elected to make the :oads for the benefit of the ratepayers. Before tbe roads were made 35 bags of oats could be taken on a waggon and 25 on a dray. Now the maximum alowed on a dray was 18 bags. Mr W. Nlchol seconded ;he motion. Mr A. Fleming said 14 bags' was tbe unit now, according to a copy of the bye-law which le bad lately seen. The Chairman said that the last reports of tbe county counoil in the papers circulating in thediatrict contained a notification of the appointment of an Inspector under the bye-law, but no publicity was given to the bye-law itself. MrM. Dillon said that for the sake of saving a few shillings in advertising, the council was going to post copies of phe bye-law at the schoolhouseß— places which were not conveniently accessible to the publio. Mr A. Fleming said that when he read a list ot the bye-laws it seemed to him a very hard thing that those who were paying tbe money to make the roads should be restricted to such an extent. On the ordinary 2§in tires only 14 bags of oatß or a cubio yard of lignite was now allowed. This he considered the hardest thing about the bye-law, as previously aa much as could be taken from the pit was always allowed— 2yds s<ty, and sometimes a few lumps more 'i Laughter.) The restriction would cost him £10 a year more on his own coal traffic alone. He was paylnn £8 a year In road rates, consequently tho present restriction was worse thau having to pay two fates. Then ihere waß che cartiugof grain to be considered. As matters stood nt present a man would havi> to be put in charge ot two horses, and the other norses would have to be left idle in the stable, or another man employed to drive them. It was 14 yeans since he came to the district, and he pad only one year the use of a finished i> avelled road. Broader tires had been suggested, but at the next election members might be elected who would reject this bye-law altogether. Pew cared, however, to have broader tires on the wheels juf their drays. Messrs Macartney and Calder also shoitly supported the motion, whioh, on being put, |w»S curried unanimously. Mr Robertson moved — "That in tbe opinion of thU meeting the member for the Mataura riding has shown utter want of consideration for tboße whose interests he is supposed to watch and protect, by assisting io pass and (enforce a bye-law whloh precludes the very people who pay for the making of the roads Irom uAuy, them to advantage, and that ,this want of consideration on hia partis intensified by h's not having used his best endeavours to have J;li s.most objectionable regulation published ia the local p ii>e> s for the information of thoße interested." Mr M-vcartnoy seconded tbe motion. Mr F. Milne did not Ihiiik iho member for the riding was a greater suiticr ' h vi the otb r members of tho council, iir Macartney said t>he trouble waa ciusedbythe fact thiil the ralepiytTs wore ruled entirely by storekeepers »ud auctioneers ; the coonerthey were kicked out the better Mr Puterson f nought no one wanted to repeal tha bye-laws altogether. He kno* that some contractors were carting from 45 to 50 bags with eight hor.es, aud sometimea 55 big 3. Motion carried unanimously Mr Macartney movrd-" That tho motion carried at the l:ist meoiiug of the county cwncil, that a copy of tli« bye-laws be posted up at ijacli sclioolhoufie iv the coun'y, instead of giving them publicity iv tho usual way, is, iv the opinion of thia meeting, at variance with the spirit of the Oouutlcß Act, contrary to usage ami the policy of the county fioundl." Mr Nichol seconded the motion, and said that according to tbe act the bye,-laws i

should be published in the local papers, after which there would be no excuso for anyone misunderstanding them. Mr M. Dillon asked how people were to know that copies of the bye-laws were to be 6een at the sohoolhouses. They might not know for weeks or months that copies were ut the sohoolhoubes The motion was carried unanimously. Mr John Mlntyre moved—" That thia meeting Is of opinion that the time has not yet arrived when a large amount of the rates in thiß district ohould be spent on the formation of part of a new road from Waikaka siding to Gordon ; that it would be of more Interest to the dlstriot to have the rates spent on pxlstlng roads than on opening up new ones, and that the £150 proposed to be spent on the proposed new road should be expended in repairing ex'stlng road from the Waikaka siding to the Terrace road." Mr Niohol seconded the motion. He eaid the £160 would not make muoh of the road, and that it would consequently be locke"d up aB before. The road along the railway would be a rather dangerous road. There were a sufficient number of roads to ba kept up at the present time without opening up new roadß. Mr Macartney Inquired who was asking for the new road, and Mr Milne mentioned that he had moved in the matter at the road board. He said that it was three miles shorter than the present road, consequently 18 miles a week would be saved to a large number of ratepayers. Mr Fleming thought the road was urgently required, and spoke nt some length in favour of making it. Mr Milne moved as an amendment- " That this meeting takes no steps in regard to the £100 voted by the council for the road from Waikaka siding to Gordon." Mr Caldcr seconded the amendment. Mr A. Harvey said it would be a dangerous road on account of the proximity to the railway. Being a hillside road, there would be no room to work a team in the event of a train passing. A show of hands was taken on the amendment, with the result that nine votes were recorded. A show was then taken on the motion, which was declared carried. Mr Nichol moved that — " The ohairman be request* dto forward to the member for Mataura rfdlnga copy of the foregoing resolutions reloads, aid express a hope that the member will see his way to urge on tbe counoil the necessity of allowing the roads to be used in a reasonable manner." Mr Fleming seconded the motion. Mr Milne moved that the various farmers' clubs and road boards in the county be asked to use their influence with the county council in the direction of amend!' g the bye-law. Mr Q. H. Elder, who seconded the motion, said it was a motioa lie' had been missing ; for he felt in dealing with the county council that they were rather weak without the support of other districts. It would be a great help to get the farmers in other districts to bring pressure to bear on their members. It had been said, he believed, iv fhe county council that this byelaw was working satisfactorily in all districts but the Knapdile district, but he tiould not readily believe that. Tbe restriction on Ipads had made him employ three men instead of two, and he could ; not see that the farmer* In other districts were placed in such different clroumitances that it did not operate against them in the same way. Mr Fleming believed there was only one road tjoard In Southland which had a bye-law in force re« strlcting loads, but thore was very little oats or wheat to be carted in the district that that road board was In. The motion was carried. A vote of thanks to the chairman and press concluded the busineßS.—Walkaka Valley Correspondent.