KARAKA ROAD BOARD.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 1, Issue 24, 21 August 1912, Page 2

KARAKA ROAD BOARD.

Meeting of Ratepayers. There were about 20 ratepayers (including all the members of the Bjard) at tho adjourned annual meeting oi ratepayers, held at tho board's office on Saturday. Mr J. Batty, who pro- ~ sided, congratulated tho ratepayers upon their largo attoudauce. Balance Subet. The items on tho debit side were: Balance £lßl 18s 7d, Government subsidies on rates £193 13s lOd, refunds £8 5s 6d, rates collected £705 13s 6d (No. 1 ward £76 6s Bd, No. 2 ward £316 17s, No. 3 ward £312 9s < lOd), total £IOB9 lis sd. On the credit side tho expenses totalled £41 5 2s 3d, leaving a credit balance as at March 31st of £674 9s 2d. In tho wards : —No. 1 ward receipts £76 6s Bd, expenditure £55 13s 3d ; No. 2 ward receipts, £316 17s, expenses £BB Is Id ; No. 3 ward, receipts £312 9s 101, expenses £39 3s 4d. DIG BALANCE I BAD ROADS. Mr Johnston wanted to know why such a large balance was held when the roads were in such a bad state. The chairman said they could not get contractors in the first place, but it was felt that in the event of getting the £6OOO loan they could undertake forming and grading on a bigger scale. Mr Walker: Don't you think it would have been better to have some of the holes filled in instead of leaving them as rat traps ?

Mr Moss said he did not see why the board should have let the roads get into the state they were; now the mending would cost five times as much as would have done at first and ratepayers had also had all the inconvenience. They could have put the money to better use than getting U per cent on it. The chairman contended that if the money had been his own he would not have frittered it away in the winter, and he wanted to guard ratepayers' money in the same way. Naturally they could do the roads much cheaper and much better in the summer time.

Mr Walker complained against filling the holes with mud instead of using metal or furze.

Reference was made to certain work done to which the chairman replied that i atepayers had no cause to complain on that score as Karaha Land Co. had provided the horse and cart to do the work. He used tho roads agreat deal himself, and nobody got scolded more than he did both here and at home, but he believed what he was doing was best for the ratepayers. Mr Halliday said he quite agreed with what Mr Batty had done.

Mr Swann said the general complaint was that tho board never spent any money at all; thoy locked it up aud now had £6OO in hand.

In reply to Mr Johnston tho clork (Mr H. Glassou) said thoro were about £l7 in rates unpaid. Mr E. (ilasson : We always want to see a good surplus; we have been doing it for years. Mr Moss : Well, I would rather see a little debt and good roads than a big surplus and bad roads. If you don't wait the rates why do you strike thom ? Mr Swann asked for particulars about a lump sum of £7l 18s 3d shown in the expenditure and after some discussion it was decided that future balance sheets should show more details. BLACKBERRIES AND GORSE. Mr Moss : Mr Chairman, why were wo sent notices to clear blackberry and gorse off tho roads ? The chairman: To get them cleared. Mr Moss said he and some others had cleared theirs but there were a lot more who had not. Why were the notices not onforcod ? The chairman said it was for the board now to tako steps to have the j gorse cleared. His idea was to do the | work and charge the ratepayers with ! the cost, rather than to summons. Mr Yates said that in a country like this that was covered with gorse steps should not be taken in too much haste. Eomo was not built in a day. Some patience must be exercised or hardships would be inflicted. It would be ridiculous just to clear the road while the paddock adjoining was still in gorse, and these big paddocks could not be cleared all at once.

The chairman said in some places the gorse was a nuisance and a disgrace and it should bo cleared. Mr D. Jamieson said this was about the third occasion that notices had been sent out; each time some cleared while others did not. And the bitter said that those who did the clearing were fools to do it. When they camo out to Karaka they f jund the roads cleared while if they went to Runciruan they would find the roads covered. A Surfaceman Needed.

Mr Swann said be had advocated that the board should get a surfaceman ; tho roads then would not be in half tho bad state they were, and it would save pounds and pounds A man riding round with a shovel on hv s back opening up the water courses and letting tho water off the roads would do a vast amount of g oo d What was the use of getting rates if money was not spent ? Work is done timber comes, pipes arrive, and there was nobody to check them, nobody responsible.

Mr Yates quite agreed that a foreman was needed: Iu the winter time a man speuding a fortnight letting the water oil the roads would save many pounds and bad boles would be provented. The ABC of successful road maintenance was to keep thotu dry. Tho chairman said he- was very glud of the suggestion rnado and ho had no doubt it would have weight with the board. Tho employment of a foroman would be money well spent. The Loak Monev. Mr Walker wa3 concernod about tho proposed spending of the raonoy on v the Drury-Waiuku road and wauted to know at what end of tho road it would be spent. They had allocated 1 £SO for bridges, but at the four-mile it would take nearly all the money.

The chairman said the fair thing would be done; if more had to be

spent on bridges there would bo less to spend on roads. Mr Swann said the Board should consider the erection of concrete bridges, which were the cheapest in the end. He asked whether a rate was to be struck this year. The chaitmnn said as they expected Mo have £6OOO in hand they did not to striko a rate. Mr Swunn : Then you will have to doublo it next year. Tho chairman thanked the ratepayers for their attendance ami the meeting dispersed. ' Meeting of Board. Members present at the monthly meeting of the Karaka Road Board (held before and after the ratepayers' meeting) ' were: —Messrs J. Batty (chairman), G. Sutton, K. Qlasson, W. Johnston and G. Swann. Mr Batty welcomed the new monibers of the Board and expressed the hope that they would get on amicably tegether. A Road Matter. The minutes of the previous meeting contained the following: The chairman announced that a letter had been recoived from Mr Swann's solicitors threatening an- action in the Supreme Court in connection with the exchange of roads through section 55. Mr Batty said that he had left the matter in the hands of the board's solicitors, who assured him that the action taken about exchanging roads was perfectly safe, and that any legal proceedings to stop it would be futile." [The text of the letter referred to has already been published in the Times. 1 Three tenders were received in connection with the work to be done. After these had been read, Mr Swann moved, That none of the tenders be accepted. " I warn you," he said, " that you will be personally • responsible." He said that Mr Batty should have txen in a position to produce the Government gazette showing that the one road had been closed and the other taken over. But he defied Mr Batty to produce the gazette. He had written to Mr Massey, been to the lands office in Auckland, seen the land transfer people—but the reply everywhere was that nothing had been done in the matter of taking over the road. If they accepted a tender they would have a writ from him within a week. Mr Glasson: I would like to see this writ; it would be curious. Mr Bwann: If you spend the money you will have to pay it out of your own pockets. If the road had to be done the Karaka Land Co. should do it. Those to be benefitted had been there two or three months, they had never paid a penny in rates and now the board proposed to spend all this money. Mr Batty: It would cost £4O. Mr Johnston seconded the motion (that no tender be accepted.) Mr Batty said he did not want anything done that was illegal or unfair. He had been assured that everything was in order; tho transfer was under the Land Act, not under the Public Works Act Mr Swann: Well, that is worse still. By the Public Works Act you would havo had to advertise it, and notices would have to appear at each end of the road regarding its closing ; that would not need to bo done under the Land Act. So it was the back door nay. Mr Batty strongly protested against the use of the term " tho back door way." There had been nothing improper in the mutter. The surveyors had said the thing was all right. Mr Swann: lam not referring to V nn hut to tho surveyors. Ml l',;v!tv Then say it when they sir. urn . )v:t J -tiii obj t to you sav>n~ sudi * tiling. Mr Swaan wont on ;<• 'hat this r work might cost £!<»>: tin-■ lantities !ta«l not b' rii mad** up •mii nobody toui'l sa\ what th- io.V. « :;'.M je. He would guarantee it would cost over £BO. Mr Batty said there might possibly be some informality and ho moved a3 an amendment, That no tender be accepted until the road be properly taken over. . Seconded by Mr Sutton and carried by three to two, Mr Swann's motion being lost. Not Meroino. Consideration was given to the question of merging into the County Council and it was decided not to merge for twelve months, at any rate. Members brought forward several small works required and accounts were passed for payment.