LEVELS ROAD BOARD.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 4977, 9 April 1889, Page 3

LEVELS ROAD BOARD.

An ordinary monthly meeting of the Levels Road Board was held to-day. Present—Messrs C. N. Orboll, (chairman), FI, T. Rhodes, W. Balfour, W. Hall Jones, and A. Mee.. On the reading of tho minutes a conversation took place .on the improvement of access to the trucking yards at Washdyke. The Public Works Department had declined to do anything in the matter, but members thought tho Commissioners might be inclinedtoimprove'tho access. It was suggested that their attention should be drawn to the numbers of stock trucked at Washdyke.

Formal letters were read from tho Geraldine County Council rc annual returns” tho Public Trustee re payment for land taken on Henry’s section, and from the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board with list of patients. Mr G. S. Raymond pressed for something to be done to the Mount Horrible Road from the back of Mr Archer’s to the upper Saltwater Creek bridge, which was in “ a disgraceful state.”—Tho Overseer admitted that was so, but nothing useful could be done without picking up the whole surface and taking out the boulders. It was the worst piece of socalled metalled road in tho district.—Tenders to bo called for, for reforming, reducing some knobs, and shingling.

Mr W. B. Howell asked the board to clear out road drains near his place. Uo had cleared them sometimes himself. Some of them had not been cleared by the board for years.—The work to bo done.

Mr T. Homo wrote that the road from Mr Balfour’s to tho Brothers is in bud condition. Overseer to report. Mr A. Grant complained of the road between the trucking yards at Washdyke and Neabitl’a. —Overseer to report. Mr G. H. Rhodes asked for attention to a broken culvert on the road Whalebones to Hamlyn’s.—Had been seen to. Mr 8. McCulLuigh offered to sell shingle at Seadown, at 3d per yard. The board considered this “an awful price” to ask for shingle.—The managers of Seadown to bo written to, asking them to sell an acre or two of land for a shingle pit. Mr S. H. Kirby offered to supply broken metal for twelve months for roads north of Timaru, delivered as required. No price was quoted. The offer was not approved. Mr T. Priest stated ho had some thousands of bushels of wheat to cart by the middle zigzag road, and there was one place impassable in bad weather. —The board concluded that tho road is better without shingle in dry weather, and Mr Priest should take advantage of tho drv weather.

An application by Messrs Hedley and Campbell for a culvert was granted. The matter of tho approach to the upper Pareora Bridge was again brought up, and it was stated that the Waimate County Council have taken a legal opinion, and it was understood the opinion was that the Jaw is somewhat vague. The County Council, it was said, are willing to make the approach, but it“was doubtful whether they had power to enter on the board’s territory to execute the work. The chairman was authorised to confer with the County Council, and if necessary afterwards obtain legal advice. THE UNEMPLOYED. A deputation of six representing a larger number of unemployed waited on the board. The principal spokesman, Mr Travis, said they had waited on the borough council last night, and had been advised to wait on this board, as most of them lived outside tho borough. They wanted work badly. Mr Rhodes: What sort of work?—Any sort,—pick and shovel, breaking stones, anything.

The chairman said the hoard had very little work of any kind near town. What there was to do was chiefly at some distance, they would have to camp out. The board hud very little work suitable for day labour anywhere. The only thing tho board could do was to talk over tho matter with Mr Annand, and if there was anything that could be done that would suit them, it should bo offered to them.

One of the men said they would take work of any kind, lie had been walking about for months and could not get anything to do. Mr Mee ; Do you mean to say you could not get work in harvest P— No, I had my swag on my back all the tjme looking for a job,"and all I gob was 255. There’s only one ipan in a paddock now at cutting, there is a few dayp’ work to bo got in leading in, that is all. Another man said ho had been at Makikihi, and had travelled all round Wahnalo and the Waihao and only got a fortnight’s work, Mr Rhodes; What wages arc you asking P Anything fair. What do you call fair P—l suppose five or six bob a day. The chairman : I think all wo can do is to

see if there is any work that can bo found suitable, and if so we will give it to you. Another speaker said they had interviewed Mr Turnbull this morning, Hand he told them to come to the board, and if they got no satisfaction they were to go back to him, and he .would send their names and an application to the Government, and if no satisfactory reply was received ho would'advise them to go straight to the Charitable Aid Board and demand tucker.

MrJßhodes; Whatfwages do you expect now ? ~1, said one, will take 6s a day. So will I, said another, a bricklayer,—but we are not going to take a job at our own trade at that. We are stonemasons, bricklayers, and builders, and there has been no building done since the big mill. If we ask for general labor people say, “ Oh, you area mechanic,” and so we may walk about and starve. Mr Mee ; It is very unfortunate that the board is so short of money. Tho first speaker requested a straightforward answer. They did not want to bo sent backwards and forwards from tho council to the board. They had been waiting and waiting, and nothing turned up. Mr Mee : It’s a bad state of things. The chairman add the board could not give them an answer at once. They must look

into it and see if there was anything that

could be given them to do. If they had given notice & week ago of their application, the board might have been prepared with an answer. As it was they could not give an answer at once, but would by night. Tho deputation then retired.

Mr Jones said he know all the men and knew them to be good tradesmen, stonemasons or bricklayers, and builders’ laborers. He considered it a moral duty of the local bodies to provide work for the unemployed as far as possible. If they did not the men must go to the Charitable Aid Board and the bodies would have to increase

their contributions and get no return. It would be much better to give them work and get some return for their money. The Borough Council last night agreed to take on some of those living in the borough, thinking they should look after those living within their own boundary first. At Wnimafe, ho understood, they got one or two hundreds a year for the relief of the unemployed, from the Government, This was a bad system ;it would bo better to get it from the local bodies. Mr Mee said there would be a great many men thrown on the labour market when the threshing mills stopped, in about a fortnight or three weeks. Mr Ehodes : The men in the country want big wages still. Mr Mee : You cannot get a man for less than 20s a week and food. Mr Bhodes: And some of them wont stop at that. Mr Mee : What will it be like before winter is over if this is the state of things now ? Mr Balfour did not think it would be so very bad. There was more money in the pl'sce and so there would be more work found. The overseer’s report was then read, in order to see if there were any works mentioned in it that would bo suitable for the unemployed. OVERSEER'S REPORT. The overseer reported ns follows for the month ending 9th April, 1889 : “Contracts in hand.—Contract Ho. 21, metalling etc., Swamp road, will be finished in a few days. Contract No, 25, metalling Washdyke-Point road, will bo finished in about 14 days from date. I have found it necessary to considerably increase the contract amount, owing to the bad state of the road. The watertables and ditches on the road require cleaning, more particularly at the lower end to improve the drainage. “ Eopairs to roads, etc. attended to.—Repairing Washdyke flat, and Totara Main roads with metal j repairing formation of lower Washdyke road ; improving ford and repairing lower end of Levels Yalley road. “ Works, etc., applied for.—Woofinden’s application, the dry hollow known as “ 'fount’s Creek ” has been banked two feet in forming the road, backing the water to this extent on his land ; a 12 inch culvert would draw the water off after floods. Mr Parr’s application : I have found on carefully inspecting that part of Totara Creek which runs through Mr Howell’s property that a number of willows had been removed. Mr Howell is willing to remove some more of tjiem ; also to allow the board to cut down and straighten the bend in the water course. If the ford at Mr Howdl’s back road was lowered about a foot, and the ford embankment raised a like amount, the capacity of the creek would be considerably increased at this point. The ditch clearing on main north road, from Point railway crossing, and work authorised on Mowbray road, will bo done when the gorse is cleared. The necessaay notices have been sent to owners.

“ Main North Hoad : —Tenders ought to bo called soon for about 400 yards of pit metal for repairs to main north road from railway crossing to foot of downs; also for the supply of spalls for repairs from the latter point to the borough boundary. In connection with this annual supply of broken metal for bare repairs, it would bo well to consider whether it would not bo belter to maiatain the main and other roads witlii j reasonable distance of the coast with beach shingle (which could be done for at least one third of the cost of broken stone) until the present very thin coating of broken stone has worn out; the roads would then be in a good condition to receive a thorough coat of broken metal which would last for years.” It was ordered on the report —That some of the unemployed be set; to clear the water tables and ditches on Washdyke Point Road ; that a pipe culvert be put in Young’s Creek ; Overseer to attend to Mr Parr’s application and Mr Howell’s ; unemployed to clear ditches on Main North Road ; tenders to be called for by Saturday for 600 yards of spalls, and unemployed bo set to break them as soon as laid down. The overseer in giving work to unemployed to engage first those with largest families. TENDERS. Tenders were received for works as follows : —No. 27, metalling Seadown road, J. Pearson (accepted) £54 6s 3d j W. Stevenson £57 16s 3d. No. 28. carting broken meta 1 , Claremont road, B. Porgan (accepted) £27 0a 4d. No. 29 reforming chains of main road south of Town Bolt and shingling same, James Rogers (accepted) £l7 lls 4d ; I). Hughes, £2O 19s lOd j R. Porgan, £2O 12s 6d. ACCOUNTS. Accounts amounfing to £204 were passed for payment, and the dork was authorised to sue for all unpaid rates.