WAIOTAHI HIGHWAY BOARD.

Thames Advertiser, Volume VIII, Issue 2046, 17 May 1875, Page 3

WAIOTAHI HIGHWAY BOARD.

The usual meeting of the members of this Board was hold on Saturday at the Secretary's office. Present—Mr Bowe (Chairman), Messrs Courts, Hill, and Brodio.

. Eoad METAL.~Mr Hill slated, in reference to the metal broken by Mr Gallagher, that he had inspected it, and it was not fit to go on a road, as a good portion at the bottom was too soft.—Mr Coutts said that a good part at the bottom of the heap was very bad.—Mr McNiece, Foreman of Works, said bo thought that with the exception of about twenty yards, the rest would be passable.—lt was agreed that Mr Gallagher's account for the work should stand over till the stone had been further reported upon.

Ukiuid B axes,—Mr Brodie said ho had spoken to the Collector to issue summonses against all those who had not paid their rates, but ho said that it would not pay him to do so unless ho was specially paid. The rates were mostly for smail sums, such as 4s or ss.—The Chairman said the residents in the Waiotahi District, above all others, ought to pay the amounts for which they had been assessed —Mr Coutts said some of them were well able to pay, but would not.— It was decided that the Collector should bo ordered to issue summonses at once against some of the defaulters, cs tho unpaid rates amounted to £'10.

Tuck to Tairtu.-Tlio following report was rend from Mr Macfarland, engineer to the Board, on the subject of the road to Tairua:—"According to your instructions I hare made a preliminary examination of the- country between the Candlelight claim at tho Waiotahi and Tnirua goldfield, to ascertain if the Waiotahi road could Be extended so as to form a convenient road from the Thames to the Tairua. I have the honour to report that tho Candlelight claim is about 1,500 feet above tho level of Graliaui3town, and from thence the road would have to descend to theKauwacrauga. Creek, and agaiu ascend to the'leading range on south side of the Ksuwaeranga on which the goldfiold h situated, and which is about 2,000" feet above the level of Gra'bamstown. Under tho above circumstances I could not recommend a leading, track to be made from the Waiotahi to Tairua, but I would sirougly recommend a leading track to be cleared and formed on the above line for tho purpose of allowing the country to bo conveniently prospected, and several branch tracks from it towards tho East Coast, as there is a very extensive district on the line of tho auriferous reefs of tho Thames, .which cannot bo prospected owing to the thick and tangled nature of tho forest. I believe that if a number of suitable tracks were cut to tho Hast Ooa3t from this portion of tho golds that it would be of the greatest advantage to the wholo district. I have marked out a track from the end of the Waiotahi road to the top o.f the Mangakirikiri Creek, and will have it extended to the Kauwaerauga in the directionoftbeTairuagoldfleldinafewdays.''— Mr Brodie said he believed there was a 'road from tho top .of,the Waiotahi to tho Maungakirikiri; where they could have a railway. • The peoplo of Grahamstown wero beginning to see that some-J thing should'bo done to opoa up the back country. Oho gcntlemau told him he was prepared to give £o 'towards a subscription for that purpose, As to " illegal '.expenditure," which had been spoken of tnUhe Borough Council, were the trustees : to sit down with a large district and see it idle. He wondered what the people hero would do when the Waio-Sar3ka mines gave out. He knew r one piece of ground up the creeks which some men had lately worked, and got out 50 tons, and it yielded 57ozs, but that would not pay owing to tho cost of conveying it to the mill.—The Chairman said it appeared to him that something must bo done, or the people of that placo would lose all the advantages which might be derived from the Tairua goldfield. It would be much belter, however, to fix upon one line, and let all parlies concentrate their efforts, upon it. lie thought one lino as much as they could undertake. He did not know where tho money was to come from. Tho Provincial Council had none.. It was for tho people who had property hero to take some stops, or tho road would go on the other side, r'o far as this expenditure was concerned, ho thought they were justified.—Mr Brodie said it would be much better for the goldfield to be formed into a county, for while it was divided into separato boards, they would bo squabbling with each, other where the road was to go. Plan of the DisTiiior.—A plan of the district, which had been requested for tho use of the Provincial Council,' Was laid oh tho table, and on tho suggestion of Mr Brodie it was agreed to put (ho mines into the plan.-It was agreed to transmit the following memorial v.itli tho plan :— " To his Honor tho Superintendent of tho Province of Auckland. Your_ memorialists, the members of tho Waiotahi District Board, desire to draw your Honor's attention in an especial manner to tho Waiotahi Highway District, a district comprising by far tho largest and most important portion of the Thames goldfield. Tho map'accompanying this memorial will not only show this, but will also cnablo your Honor to see the roads made this past year by the District Board, and also the connections yet necessary to be made to assist miners in bringing quartz to the crushing mills at a cheap rate or to induco miners to_ prospect further back. Your memorialists would point out first, that although a largo district requiring.a great deal of work to be dono on tho roads and tracks, yet but a very small proportion of tho property can bo rated, land used for mining being

exempt under the Highway Boards Empowering Act from highway rates; hence it is only on the miners' cottages that a rate can be levied, and consequently from the small sizo and small value of miners' cottages generally, a very small sum can era- be raised in rates. Until the last year the Provincial Government have maintained the roads and tracks in this district, but since last Juuo this duty has devolved on yoirt memorialists, and they have been kept iu repair by the men engaged on the maiu roads, Ihe greatest aud most important work entered into this year by your memorialists has been the formation and metalling of tho main Waiotahi Boad from the borough boundary to the Few Caledonia shoot, a distance of '10 chains Up to this dale 20 chains are completely finished, and the ■other will be completed and half it 3 length metalled before the end of June, The tolal cost has been £-. This has, during the fine weather, already reduced the cost of cartage on this creek nearly one-half, and if tho Borough Council complete and m-:tals their portion of this same road, the miners will derive tho same benefit in the winter as they have done this summer. It is purposed at a future date to metal and continue this road to Punga Flat. Tho read up tho Moaoataiari Creek is now being formed aud metalled from tho Borough boundary to the Bed White and Blue claim. To do this the Board has had to build a stone retaining-wall, and clear away a largo heap of debris the wholo length of the mullock tip and shaft of tho Golden Calf mine, and to form a culvert over a considerable length of tho Moanataiari Creek, so that the road may be formed over the culvert. This road, although rather narrow, will be of great value to all the mines near which it passes, as at the present time, should they require coals and mining limber, they have to wait until, traffic is going down tho Moanataiari tramway sufficientlo balance tho mining requisites required to be brought up. 'Ihis road should bo continued a much greater distance. Your memorialists, knowing that a largo block of country at tho back of tho Waiotahi district is full of valuable gold-bearing reefs, have expended £25 in surveying a good level road from Nolan's Candlelight to their boundary eastward (a report on which, by tho Board's engineer, is appended to this memorial), and would urgotho importance to tho whole goldfield that this road should bo formed, and and tracks leading from it cut at half-mile distances. This would enable the miner to prospect, and consequently open up a considerable district. Tour memorialists would urge upon your Honor tho importance of devising s;ine way by which quartz-obtained about JNolan'a Candlelight and the back country can bo got down to crushing mills at such a rate as will enable reefs going loz to tho ton to pay, for at tho present.time, with the present means for transit, mines in tlic back of this district yielding 3ozs to the ton will not pay to work; that the tracks of'goldfields must be kept open, as after 30th Juno tho Waiotahi Board will not have funds, without an especial rate for this purpose."

Doctobs and Footpaths.-! letter was read written by Dr Payne,, and signed by.Drs Fox and letbbridge, in reference, to obtaining leave to ride on the footpaths. Tho letter stated that to medical men a few minutes sometimes made all the difference between life and death, aud Dr Payno asked for himself and for those who also signed the letter permission to ride on the footpaths in cases of urgent jnecessity.—Tho Chairman said if they gave tho doctors permission to rido on tho footpaths, they must also give it to other people. There was no u'so in forming footpaths to bo ridden over. If those gentlemen had sent a subscription of £20 towards keeping up the footpaths they •might hare dealt with'. them.-The Foreman of Works said, he had made a rough road from tho Moanataiari to tho (op of the spur at the Waiottlhi, which could be used by butchers, bakers, and doctors.

"Planting Tras.—Mr Brodie said that it bad been agreed to plant trees on somo of ihe roads at this time, and they ought now to seo about it.—The Chairman said thoy would havo to see first whether tho money was available.

Finance —Accounts to tho amount of £90 15s 5d wero passed for payment. Some conversation' took place respecting the nuancial position of tho Board, during which it was stated that £300 would, be due to it from the Provincial Government in June, and there were £80 of outstanding rates.—The Chairman said he was not going to have any liabilities. Be thought the Waiotalii Creek had got a larger proportion of the money than it was entitled to. He would finish the Moanataiari road, and then'seo what they had left for theWaiolahi.-HMr Brodie said the Provincial Government would havo to maintain the tracks during the winter, as tho Board had not got money. , . . ' ."..;'' '•