WAIROA.

Patea Mail, Volume 1, Issue 39, 25 August 1875, Page 3

WAIROA.

(from our own correspondent. The first meeting of the Wairoa Highway Board took place to day. Present — Messrs J. McLean, J. lon, I. Lupton, D. Fleming, and G. S. Bridge. Resolved — 1. That Mr G. S. Bridge be Chairman of the Board. 2. That the members form a quorum of the Beard. 3. That each warden take charge of the works in his own ward. 4. That the rates raised in cadi ward be spent as far as practicable within the ward, and no rates shall be taken from one ward and spent upon a road in another, unless such ward shall be benefited by such road. s..That the Chairman make an offer to a gentleman offering his services as collector. G. That the Chairman be" Treasurer of the Board.

7. That any persons allowing furze hedges to spread over any road, or neglecting to trim them, receive notice to attend to them. 8. That the Chairman write to the Wan-ganui-Waitotara Highway Board requesting them to furnish this board with a copy of the rate book for this district. 9. That the Chairman write to the Provincial Secretary requesting him to forward a plan of the district, and five copies of the Highways Act. 10. That the Chairman procure printed rate-forms, and any other stationery required by th i Board. 11. That the meetings of the Board be held in the Wairoa Town Hall on the first Saturday in every month, at 6 p.m. 12. That tie Chairman write to the General Ge vernment concerning the grant of £SOO promised last year to the Wan-gamd-Waitotara Highway Board for the Kohi and Okotuku roads, and asking if the grant is still available for the Wairoa Board.

Messrs J. Old and H. Nowing waited upon the Board to request that the bad places on the road from their land to the main road bo formed. Resolved—That the Warden examine and report upon work required at the next meeting. Received a letter from the Manager of the National Bank soliciting the Board’s account.—Deferred till next meeting. Received memorial from H. Collins and others requesting the Board to repair the lower Mangataugi road, and to open a road from Mr P. Elmslie’s land to N.E. corner of Mr Collins’ land. Resolved—That the Board call for tenders at once to repair the lower Mangatangi road and Kohi road, and that Mr McLean prepare specifications, but that the consideration of the proposed new line of road from Mr Elmslie’s to Mr Collins’ property be deferred till next meeting of the Board. Consideration of memorial from Mr Mclntosh and 10 others for ploughing road from Mr Bornie’s to Maori Bridge.— Deferred till more pressing wants of the district shall be attended to. The building of the schoolmaster’s residence at Wairoa is again delayed, not, however, on this occasion through any fault of the Education Board, but owing to a certain Patea contractor having “ jacked up ” as we say in the classics, so our worthy Durrie and family are doomed to exist yet a little longer in the cow shed, as nothing can now be done until the next meeting of the Board, when no doubt all will be set going. A public meeting took place this evening in the Wairoa Town Hall, to consider the effect of the proposed abolition of provinces and local Government measures. Mr G. S. Bridge, chairman of the Local Board, having been called to the chair, and some six or seven speakers having addressed the meeting all strongly in favour of immediate abolition, the following reolutions were unanimously carried ;

“That it is the opinion of this inerting that the ] r posals of the Government for abolishing tno provinces and substituting local administration combined with central le pslation, if carried, will prove a great benefit, to the colony, particularly to the outlying districts, and that no good can po.-i.sib y a; iso from any delay in carrying the propo e l policy into effect.’’ “ That the Chairman of this meeting be authorised to telegraph the substance of the first resolution to the mt mber for the district, urging him to spare no effort in supporting the Government in carrying out th -ir proposals during the present SI ! s ni.” 'Jh- meeting was nmnermisly attended, and not one word was spoken in favour of Provincialism. After the above meeting a conversation took place about the non-appointment of J.P.’s recommended b}' a previous meeting, and much surprise was expressed that Major Turner had not sent some sort of reply to Mr Swinbourne, chairman of the sdd meeting, who had requested him to forward the recommendation to the Minister of Justice. Without expressing any opinion on the merits of the case, I must say I think it was clearly due to the public cither to forward on their recommendation or to return it to their chairman, declining to do so. It was proposed to send a memorial to the Minister of Justice direct, complaining that the Major had not forwarded what was sent to him, but the majority of those present decided it would be more courteous towards the Major to allow a week for Mr Swinbourne to again write to him asking if lie forwarded his enclosure or not, and I feel quite sure that Major Turner is too much of a gentleman to treat such a letter with silent contempt, as some few would have us believe. As you will see by an advertisement in another column, a public meeting is called for next Monday, at which it is hoped the reply of the Major, or of the Minister of Justice, will be forthcoming, and that this troublesome question may be finally disposed of. Wairoa, August 19,1875.