LEVELS ROAD BOARD.

Timaru Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 5263, 14 October 1891, Page 4

LEVELS ROAD BOARD.

The rogular moDthly meeting of the Levela Road Board was held yesterday. PresentMessrs 0. N. Orbell (chairman), S. A. Bristol, A. Mee, E. T. Rhodes, and W. Balfour. COBBB3PONDBNCE. Among tho correspondence was tho following :— The Mount Peel Road Board wrote that on the consent being obtained of the owners of land through which it muat paaa, the new ,road near Opihi bridge, Rainoliff, would be formed and metalled without delay. Meaars Perry, Perry and Kinnerney wrote that thoy had been inatructod by tho proprietors to dedioate the roads on the Beadown estato, ahown on sale plan. — In reply to Mr Mee, Mr Balfour aaid tbere were not many roada — Mr Mee said it would mean a large outlay for the benefit of tho company's proparty. It would not be fair to the ratepayers to tako up a lot of roada, without knowing how many roads there were, or whether they were neceaaary. There were far too many roads in South Canterbury, far moro than they would find in tbe Old Country. — Mr Balfour ooneidered that a man who bought 200 aorea from the company ought to bo in aa good a poaition as one who bought 200 aoret from the Crown, — Mr Me« sbid there waa a great difference, as the new roads mado a better price for the land when cut up. When the land wbb sold by the Crown ao much of tho procoeda waa given to make roada. Now the componieß, though geting £16 and £17 per acre, gavo back nothing. — Mr Balfour said tbere waa not another road that the board need be afraid of, besides that they undertook to do something for at the previous meeting. — Mr Mee was afraid of haviDg forced upon tbem roads that were J unnecessary. — The chairman aaid in that case the board oould close and Bell thom. The I aueation was raised by Mr Mee, what are tho conditions on which roads can be forced upon the boards. Could he lay off a road within his farm for his own convenience, dedicate it, nnd demand that it should be taken over and made by the road board ? — Mr Bristol said the condition was, he believed, that a road could not bo dedicated unless the land was sold on both sidoa of it. — Mr Rhodea said he bad been through the Acts, and could find no limit laid down, except that ths board could rcfuio to take any road less than a chain in width. — The aolicitora' letter was received. A circular from the Property Tax Department requested that facilities should be given to persons intending to apply for appointment as valuators, to inapeot rolla and maps. — The clerk, Mr Granger, Baid two persons had called so far, and he had given them all the information he could. — Ilie chairman aaid he thought tho local bodies should be consulted before any appointments were made, as they would be better able to say whether a person proposed waa auitable or not. Other members etrjngly approved of this suggestion, and it waa decided that it should bs brought under the notice of the Goverment. Letters were received from Mr W. J. Steward and tbe Land Office, re work* on Adair settlement ; the Government would increase their offer from £30 to £100 if the board would contribute £50. The board was also aaked, if tbere wore Do local unemployed, to give the work to unemployed at Waimate. — Members condemned tho propoaal as a bit of " political jobbery," a feeding of Waimato electors at the Levela expense. Tho same thing was tried (auccesafully) on the Mackenzie Council, for work on Cannington village settlement. Mr Mee suggested tbat the board should agree to spend the Government's £100, but-ahould not guarantee to spend £50 of tbeir own money.— The chairman supposed the board were morally bound tn spend some money on tho settlement, aa they got ratea from there.— The Overaeer .explained that the £150 mentioned, waa made up on an estimate of requirements Bent up. — It was decided lo offer to supplement tbe £lovem_eut grant by 25 per cent, which would como to more than tbe rates received. Mr A. Nioholls asked for and was granted five pipes to put in water-race in a Jitch at his gates. Mr W. Ziesler complained of the nuisance io the back yard of the board's office, caußed by the accumulation of birds and eggs during laßt reason, and expressing a hope that the infliction would be aparsd them this aeaaon. — The iate chairman admitted that " it was something awful." Mr Bristol recommondeG the aae of lime or something of tbe kind. -The clerk aaid the 8me!l waa very bad although the receptacle was emptied twice a week. — It. waa decided to make inquiries for eome person out of town to receiye the birda and eggs. BMALI BIBDS. An interesting conversation took place on the aubject of small birds. A letter waa read from a Mr Ames, an old colonist now living in Timaru, bringing under the notice of the hoard the system of netting sparrows which the writer had formerly practiaed in England with success, and pointing out that the use of poisoned graiD, whilst it had cleared off feathered game imported at great coat, had made no appreciable difference in the number of sparrows. He had been engaged in netliDg birds at Home for 20 years, and caught aa manv as 50 dozen on a single morning. Every farmer ahould purchase a pair of neta, and by working tbem five hours a week for three months in tho year he could keep down the sparrows on bia farm. A boy or girl could uae the nets, and he waa willing to show anyone how to manage them. Mr Mee aiid theapaTows were bad enough, but the larks were worse. Tbey pulled up turnipa, clover, gorse, wheat, any kind of young plant Mr Orbell alao condemned the larks as the worst offendera. He had just eown 70 acres of rape and ho believed they had pulled up every bit of it. Mr Amen was sent for and asked to explain the netting process. He suid it waa neceaaary to get the birds together by feeding them, juat aa one doea domestic fowls, and like domestic fowla tbey will congregate if fed. A quiet place should beeelected, anrl tho birds fed Lhere a few days with common fowl feed, spread in Ihe eveninga roady for them in the rooming. The neta wore made in pairs and »ero four and five yards long ; they were rolled up in eueh # way that by pulling atringa from a distance thoy spread over and entrapped tho birds as they fed on the ground, before they could rise, and fchdn ihey were «a»i!y killed through the net, it wa? better to arrange the note over night nr ono muat be a»tjr Tory early; nothing could be done after ounriae. He hid caught as many as eight dozen at one haul. Mr Meo : At Horns thoy would be hungry in tho winter time and here you could not get them to go togother in aufeh numbers. Mr Ames i We do not net them ip winlcr, but from pairing to hatching timo, when Miey aro most hungry. You may work while they are hatching, and any young birda in tho neat a muat die. You con do nothing with tho neta when tbe grain ia full. Of course you have to uso a drug, or scent, when they get aby. If you kill many birda at one i>pot the smell of tho place will frighten them away unlnae you uao this aeent to neutralise it, und that ia the case too with tho poisoned whent. 'Jhero is a naaty atnell about it. You can throw poiaoned wheat about, but it is quite another thing to get the birda to eat it, 1 nover heard of poisoning in the Old Country, where tbey always net as many aa .nay bo necesnary to keep tbo numbers down Xho birda ought lo fao fed for poisoning too, in one spot. It is a very simple thing, juat. liko feeding fowla. The sparrows soon grow uaed to being fed and will gather from long distances to the feeding place. Mr Meei thought it would be something like atiifting the ahinglo at the breakwater. It would be an immense job to net all the country, and if they caught every bird within 10 miles of Timaru, a couple of showers of snow on the hills would bring them moro larka than thoy could net in seven yoara He hod seen them, after a fall of snow coming down from the rocks and gullies on Mr Wiglev's country bo that tho air waa black with them. All tho netting they could do on tho low country would be like shifting tho /mingle. Mr Amen said the sparrow wae like a domestic fowl, it did not travel about much, and if thoy were fed in ono spot thoy could he gathered into thick Hooka for feeding. He never board much complaint about the epavrows at Home. i Mr Mee : No, the Bovere winters keep them] down. .Mr Ames thought not, sparrows wore not fkittv/i by t.bu winter,", at all evente not in tbo jouth, of England.

Mr Bristol. said sparrows wore not even J killed by the winters in Scotland. Thoy took I shelter in sheds aud old buildiDga. Tbey wore very tenacious of life. In reply to a query Mr Ames said he wbb not sure, "but from the price of materials he thought a pair of nets would coat about £3 here. . Mr Mea and Mr Balfour said netting would not do here, people would not take the trouble. . But it's the beat fun out, said Mr Ames. If they were going on with the poitoning they ahould uae tbe drug he had mentioned to take away the nasty taste j it was no use throwing the stuff about if the birds would not touch it. They should feed the birds and aooustom them to feed together, and then give thom the poison. Mr Ames was thanked for his information and withdrew, and the members of the board continued the discussion. Mr Mee said he would not mind engaging a man like Mr Ames to go about the country poisoning birde, but he did not believe in netting. Mr Annand thought a drug to neutralise the taate Of the poison (it could not be the smell) was a capital idea, and there seemed good senae in the remark about feeding them and bringing thom togethor firat. Mr Orbell said he had tried feeding them first. Mr Mee said netting would be too slow. They could eee single flocks that would tako them weeks to net. , JMr Rhodes : He knows we pay so much for birds. If he can kill so many why does he not go iu for it ? He ought to make good wages at it. Mr Balfour : And why could he not try poisoning too ? Mr Orbell : The only way we oan treat with him ia lo give him a chanoe to show what he can do. It wbb finally agreed to ffer certain terms to Mr Amt-i to try the efSc. . nf bis netting Byatem, anc . l'o to f nga. ■■■ a un • who knows the dietriot to go round wuh a horso and cart to lay poisoned grain. MISCELLANEOUS. Mr Mitchell requested a further gr.int for the improvement of road ou Rockwood, aa the amount named at tho previoua meeting — equal to one years rates— would not be sufficient —Decided that the board bus no more money to spare for this road at present. An application for further work on Mrs Day's road, iu the same locality, was refused aB other works are more preseingly required. Mr Haskins waited on the board to ask for the closing of a uaeleaa road at Briggs' Gully; he would pay tbe necessary expenses. — Overseer to report. Residents of Cross street, off Wilaon street, requested the board to crown and shingle the atreet, and drew attention to a dangeroua part of Wilaon Btreet.— Overseer to report. The overseer reported as follows : — " Contracts.— Contract No 70, Cbisholm's zigzag, and No 71 Walton Mill bridge, are now finished. Those for work on Blue's road, Three-Mile-Bush road, and lower Seadown road, will be completed during the month. " Worka &c, attended to— Makrag cuttings and forming portions of Sullivan V to Cliff'a roid, cleaning watertables of Gleniti and suburban roads, breaking Btono on Otipua road, and doing sundry repairs to upper Washdyke road. " Works &c , applied for. — Bock wood road — With reference to tbo money granted for work on thia road at last meeting, on looking over my former estimate I had that the sum named would bo quite inadequate for tho purpoae of opening the road for traffic." The overaeer reminded the board of tbe need for repair in wood or the reconstruction in stone, of three culverta on Ihe main south roud, and gave estimates of the coat of each.- The chairman pointed out that tho repairs Would be cheapest, as in a fow yeara the coat woull be leas than the interest on the coat of stono work. - It was agreed to uee timber, and to get tho timber at once Bnd have it dried for use. Tenders for works were openod as follow : — Contract 74— Beforming from foot of hill to junction of Mount Horrible road (Brigg's Zig-zag)— J. Hampton, £73 5s ld (accepted) ; J. Pearaon, £86 3s 5d ; R. Porgan, £96 7a Bd. Contract 75— Forming road from Opihi school to Gay's Pass road.- J. Pearson, £47 17s 6d (accepted) ; R. Oarthwright, £53 7s 6d ■ Accounts were passed for payment-=-Road Board aocounta, £277 5a ld ; Harbour Board rates collected, £25 9a 9d. The meeting then closed.