PORTOBELLO ROAD BOARD.

Otago Witness, Issue 3040, 19 June 1912, Page 4

PORTOBELLO ROAD BOARD.

The monthly meeting of the Portobello Road Board was held on Thursday afternoon ; present—Messrs J. M. Dickson (chairman), Seaton, Grainger, Bransgrove, Bacon, Johnson, Millar, and Brunton. An apology for rion-attendunce was received from Mr H. V. Fulton. CORRESPONDENCE. Hugh Clark's arjph'cation f or the reTiewal of a slaughtering license was approved. A number of dairymen petitioned the board for permission to construct a place near Company's Bay where they could leave their milk cans, instead of leaving them at the roadside, as at present. They offered to do the work themselves.—Permission was granted. A. Francis wrote asking the board to metal about three chains of bad. road at tlie bottom of Manuka terrace. —Work to be done at a cost not exceeding £6. A. Mercer, secretary of the Broad Bay Amenities Society, wrote stating that tho society desired to erect a drinking fountain and horse trough at the road intersection opposite the church. —Permission was granted) subject to the approval of the inspector. Thirty residents of Portobello petitioned tho board asking that ateps be erected at the embankment which had been out away by the board near the jetty for road widenin" purposes. —Tho Chairman explained that steps had been in use- there for over 30 years, but had been removed for the purpose of widening the road.—Th© board agreed to replace the steps at the earliest opportunity. FINANCE. The Clerk (Mr A. Reynolds) submitted the following estimate of revenue for the year ending March 31, 1913: —Rate of Id in the pound on rateable property (valued at £224,412), £936 8s lOd; Government subsidy (maximum), £250; dog- tax, £25; hotel license, £25; —total estimated revenue, £1236 8s lOd. OUTSTANDING HATES. The Chairman said a large amount of outstanding rates had been recovered through

pressure from the board's solicitors, who awaited further instructions as to suing for the recovery of several small amounts still due for tho 10 per cent, penalty which had been imposed. Members generally were of opinion that the board should press for payment as a general principle.—lt was decided that final notice be sent to the defaulters, and, failing payment, that prosecutions should follow in due course. WORKS. The Inspector reported at length upon the work done during the month, and covered fully the maintenance and repairs to the various roads in the district. The report also embodied an offer from the owner of Clearwater's quarry offering to construct a culvert to give the board access to the quarry for stone and metal, for th© sum of £lO. A dangerous culvert had been attended to at Macandrew's. and tshe sea wall had also been repaired at various points along th© Bav road. The work of metalling Hoopers Inlet road and suffacinjr the camp road had been finished, and Clark's culvert had been repaired. Part of Jetty point had been out away, and the spoil had been used to fill in the foundation for the new hall, now in course of construction. —The Chairman explained that arrangements had been made to procure 500 yards of metal from this quarry, and 100 yards were now ready for removal, but the latter could not be effected until the culvert and road was ready for cartage. — Mr Johnstone 6aid the board should first get a lease or agreement giving the board the right to procure the metal from this quarry, and then form the road to it. —It was resolved to have the culvert constructed, and. the matter of arranging for a lease of the quarry was left in the hands of the members of the subdivision to report at next meeting.—On the motion of Mr Johnstone the board decided to put in two culverts and spread 20 yards of metal on a bad portion of Manse road, In response to request from readouts in that locality.—The report was then adopted, ANDERSON'S BAY BRIDGE. Tho Town Clerk. Dunedin, wrote acknowledging notice from the board that the grant of £4OO offered by the City Council towards the upkeep of tho Anderson's Bay bridge was not acceptable to the board on the conditions attached. As the bridge was likely to pass shortly under tne control of tho Bay Town Board, he asked if it would not bo wise to leave the matter for final determination by the then controlling authority. He referred to the proposal to do away with the bridge by forming a road round the inlet, and suggested that the matter might bo left in abeyance with advantage to all parties until the new arrangement rcgardincr tho control of the area was finally decided. It was also pointed out that the procedure so far adopted by tho board in bringing. the matter under the notice of the City Council had not been done in conformity with the provisions of the Public Works Act. The reading of this letter was followed by hearty protests from all present.—The Chairman said it had been proposed to close up the present roadway across the Anderson's Bay inlet, and deviate the road around the inlet. If 'that were permitted it would force all traffic to and from Portobello to make a lengthy detour around the shore instead of having a direct line across the inlet, as at present. He was certain that the residents on the lower side of Anderson's Bay would never tolerate the proposed deviation for a moment, and as a resident and member of bhe board he desired to record his emphatic protest afrainst the proposed change. —The chairman's protests were heartily endorsed by all tho members present, who said they could on no account acquiesce in the proposed deviation. As no satisfactory arrangement had been made by the City Council in re payment of portion of cost of repairing the bridge, the board resolved to apply for a commission in order that the cost of its upkeep might be equitably apportioned amongst the local bodies interested, the bodies to be duly notified of the step decided upon by the board. GENERAL. Mr T. Porterfield was appointed dog tax collector, vice Mr Reynolds, resigned. ' Mr Alfred Reynolds, clerk and inspector to tho board, tendered his resignation on account of ill-health, which precluded him from continuing his present duties. —Tho Chairman and several members of the board spoke in eulogistic terms of th© manner in which Mr Reynolds had carried out his duti<-s, and deplored the reasons for his retirement from office.—On the motion of Mr Millar, the clerk's resignation was accepted with regret, and a sub-committee was aopointed to secure a successor to Mr Reynolds. /