LEVELS ROAD BOARD.

Timaru Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 1897, 28 November 1877, Page 3

LEVELS ROAD BOARD.

An adjourned meetingof tho Levels Road Board was held yesterday morning. Present — Messrs W. 0. Beswick (ohairman), Macintosh, and J£elland. A petition was read from Mr Gnmmie and others, requesting the Board to attend to the Point road. Tho Engineer was ordered to report on the matter. A letter was read from Mr Fieldman, complaining of the state of a oloset .near his house. The Clerk, was ordered to attend to the same. The following tenders were then received : — ' The tender of S. Sibly, of £218 11«, for building a retaining wall at "Whale's Creek, subject to certain arrangements with tho Engineer, was accepted. For widening Foster's road: E. B. Sibly, £217 (accepted). For repairing and metalling the main road, Point to Sutherland's : R. B. Sibly, £1900 18a and 8d ; T. Poff , £1066 16a 8d (aocepted) ; J. Xean, £1700 ss. For Widening Totara Valley Road: B. B. Sibly, £700 17s ; J. Thompson, £687 18s (accepted).- „...--. Forming, &c, Sullivan's to Blue's: B. B. Sibly, £153: J. J. Connor, £122 (accepted). Forming and fencing near Newton : No tender having been received it was resolved to call for fresh tenders. ' Repairing, &c, Zig Zag, near Cleland's Island ran— B. B. Sibly, £317 14a 4d (accepted). ..■• : Forming broken ground and road near Cbiaholm's— J. J. Connor, £66 18s. It was resolved — "That fresh tenders be called for, as this one is considered excessive." • ■ Forming near MoKerrow's, Mount Horrible — R. B. Sibly, £92 15s (accepted). Forming road from Levels Valley to Main road— M. Driseoll, £180 (accepted). ■ A letter was read from Mr White, solicitor, enclosing his opinion as to the course to be taken against parties allowing gorse to spread over the roads. The Engineer handed m a list of names. Resolved—" That notice bo given under clause 98 of tho Public Works Act, 1876." From Mr J. Leask, certifying that the atone breaking machine was m good order and condition.. _ Resolved— " That the Engineer take delivery of the machine at the price named, £350." The Engineer's account for £27 was passed for payment. Reßolved— "That Jones and Peters' tender for building a bridge on Seyb's road be accepted." Resolved — "That necessary steps fee taken to raise; a special rate of 2s m the £ on property m LeCren-street." The meeting then terminated. THE- SELECTION OF EMIGRANTS. Mr F. J. De Lisle, M.D., Napier, writes to the Herald the following description of the system which is m some cases adopted m the selection of emigrants for New Zealand :-— • In the case of hangers-on on the parish, no difficulty is ever experienced m obtaining the necessary certificates. Members of the Board iof Guardians come forward and certify m

their capacity of householder* to the respectability of the emigrant, and it is darkly hinted to the parish surgeon that if he desires reelection at the expiration of his term, it will be advisable not to thwart the Ouardians m getting rid of their pensioners and saddling our antipodean colonies with, a few loaf era. The following will showhow utterly unscrupulous some Boards of Guardians are m their actions when saving parish money is their end. In the workhouse m one of the Channel Islands was a widow with four or five children, aged from 14 downwards. Outside the workhouse was a widower with, about the same number of children. As he was unable to leave his children alone when he went to work, he was allowed a small weekly sum from the parish to assist him to pay some one to look after them. These two families being a tax upon the parish, it was deemed expedient to emigrate them ; but there was a difficulty — widows or widowers with children could not go as Government emigrants, nnd the parish would not pay for a steerage passage ; so the two were brought before the Board, and having expressed their willingness to emigrate, wore coolly asked if they would marry each other to facilitate matters. Tha man agreed, adding, " She'll do for the vojage"; and the woman added to her acquiescence, " When Iget to New Zealand, if I don't like you, I can soon get some one else." The rector, who was a member of the Board and present at the time, at once^gavo them a license. They were sent to the church under charge of a constable, and united m tho " bonds of holy (?) matrimony," and the next day packed off to London. This case came under my own observation. I was presont m the Board-room when the people were brought m ; and . if this ehoald meet the eye of the couplo allude 1 to, who are, or were a short time ago, m Napier, they will recognise (ho tale as true m every particular. Now how can these crying evils be remodied ? In the case of lazy, good-for:nothing men, if householders and rectors will declare them to be respectable, it is difficult to find a remedy ; but with diseased and brokGn-down. persons it is different. In 9 to id of haviujj tho examination conducted gratuitously by local practitioners, let tho emigrants be examined m London by eomo medical practitioner regularly appointed and feed by the Colonial Government, and let the local agent be debited with the cost of forwarding and returning any of the rejected candidates to and from London. Such a step as that would make the agents very careful how they sent anyono who was notoriously unsound, or tho proteges of tho Board of Guardians, lest they should ... find their commissions seriously mulcted at the end of the year.