PARAWAI HIGHWAY BOARD

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2039, 17 July 1875, Page 3

PARAWAI HIGHWAY BOARD

A meeting of the ratepayers of the Parawai Highway District was held yesterday evening in tbe schoolroom, -Para- . wai. The meeting was very well attended, several Maori ratepayers being present j who took part in the voting for Trustees, Nikorima Pbtatata was elected from among .number to; act on tho; Board; and it. will be seen by the list of votes j given below that lie headed the poll. We aro quite sure that this is a step in tho right direction, and hope it will go far to reconcile the Maoris to pay : the. ,ra;tps at which they are assessed, which, in many cases, they have hitherto refused to do except upon compulsion. We trust, . however, that now they see that the money paid by them is made uso of to form roads for -their own advantage,; they,- ,will; pay' and; what is tjkjnore consequence, give more fac^i^p^fi^Mpfeave hitherto existed, fc vov&s being, formed; we more particularly allude to the hill termed IJewi's hill, which they have persistently refused to allow to be cut. We would also draw nttenfionjto the great success which Mr Vernon, the secretary, lias had in collecting rates, and the amount of arroars obtained by him this year. The Secretary, having read the notice calling the meeting, on the motion of Mr CriclrV .-seconded .by Mr : Miller^ .Mr Brassey took the cliair and called on Mr Vernon to read the report and balance sheet. Mr Vernon then read the report which was as follows::— ; The secretary read the report and .balance-sheet as follsws :—" G-entlemen, —Your Board,have the -Honour to submit to you the fifth annual report for this district; and, in doing so,, will fir-1 draw your attention to the-st'ate of the finances when office was accepted by them, viz.: —Cash credit to board on Ist July, ,1874, was r£69 il4's 7cU - The disbursement sy being liabilities to the 30ih June, 1874, amounted to £7617s 4d. This shows that although there was'in-reality a balance in the bank, the amount of the liabilities exceeded that sum by £7 2s 9d. Your Board will now draw: your attention to the present state of finance, and feel assured you cannet but contrast it favourably with that of any previous year:—Balance in hand Ist July, 1874, £t<9 14s 7d ; general rates, £38118s 2d; subscribers by ratepayers, £7; contributions Provincial Government, £150 ; same under Payment to Provinces Act 1872, £108 4s ;* receipts from oth.tr sources, £4 15b 6d—£72112s 3d. Disbursements: forming roads, £150 17s 5d ; ' metalling and channelling, £78 6s 6d; bridges and culverts, £211 11s lOd: other works, £129 3s -Id; commission collecting-rates, £19 6s lid"; salaries and rent, £26 12s 9d.; legal expenses £12 12s'; "planting forest trees, £14; Dog Nuisance Act, £2 5s 3d; sundries, £46 17s 10d; cash in bank, £15 19s 2d; cash, in secretary's hands, £14 .9s 6d —£721 '12s 3d. Balance cash credit £30, ,8s 8d; rates due 18701, £7 4s lid r ditto 1871-2. £6 7s; ditto 1872-3, £28 Is 6d ; 1873-4, £37 10s 9d ; 1874-5, £44 6s—total assets of Board June 30th, 1875, £153 18s 10d, We desire to draw your attention to the amount of the rates collected during the present "year as contrasted with that or the two provious years :—0872-3, rates assessed, £319 16s ; rates collected, £219 9s Bd. 1873-4, rates assessed, £340' 6s; rates collected, £273 5s Id. 1874-5, rates assessed, £318 19s; rates Collected, £38118» 3d. The working expenses were as follows -.—Secretary, £25 12a 9d ; collector, £19 6s Id; rent, £1; stationary (gay), £1 10s; law expenses (paid Mr. Tyler, and Mr Grace,' native interpreter), £12125; total, £5911s Bd—of which isum for law expenses, ten ' pounds (£10), was paid to Mr Grace, and may be considered as outside the'usual routine, embracing as it does the work of a sories of years. * Your Board paid over to the Thames Borough Council the sum of £100 upoh Tthe completionof the Grey^street bridge, which leaves a balance of £100,.10 be paid by the Provincial Go» vernment upon a bridge being erected in Bawen-street, and which this Board has several times offered to erect, but the offer has never - been' accepted by the Borough Council, who are entitled to one? half of the £100 still due from the Provincial Government, Your Board arc in hopes of receiving"some'support from'the Government for the maintenance of this road, in consideration'of the traffic occasioned by the conveyance of water-pipes, and of the anticipated increased traffic for goldfields purposes, winch will necessitate new metalling the road. Your Board have, in drawing your attention to this matter; to explain' that after a vast amount of correspondence with the Provincial . Government and the Thames Borough. Council, an, arrangement was l made by the Provincial Government for .the , purchaso of property lately in the occupation of - Mr George Wilson and, .which we understand has been conveyed direct to J^k^Borough Council, regardless p,f any ■^^rusts upon which it ought to be held. As yet no arrangement has been arrived at for the maintenance of the road, which yQur-r Board ; consider ought Ito allooated between the whole of the Thames Highway I)istripts^and>-the Borough Coimcil, 1 in proportion to the population in each. Your Board,' before leaving this subject, view with, regret the action of the Provincial Government -' in:; expending ' the whole of the money which was voted for the formation of the roads and approaches as well as the extention of the present Cemetery, in the 1 purchase of the property referred to, thus leaving the roads and approaches to beinade by the.ratepayers. A large number^ of trees' 'have_fae.?n. whish^will'^prn'ameht and '"'in*-! prove the district Your. Board have' taken the: advantage :bf the 65th; clause of the Act, and applied to! the Government, for a grant sufficient to cover the : present outlay, and , assist in further ' planting, Th.c Water s.nppjy hasfceen/ handled plter. $q the.^Beravigh;'Gpun'cil. /During ;the. past year a large ameurit of natives, rates hire b.een reco,Yered,'aiid your Board congratuliite the'rafepayers upon the'fact that the natives now acknowledge the right to be assessed as occupiers and owners of property in a highway district.—Thos. Spenoeb, Chairman. . - ..:.-.■ ■ , . Mr Spencer made a few reniarks in reference lo the land "purchased by the Borough Council for an addition to the cemeteryrwhitihj though it had cost £500, was entirely detached from i .the present cemetery, whereas, a much more suitable piece of land jnight have been obtained for about half the money ; in addition to > this the waterworks passed through the ' new cemetery, which was hot a 'pleasant thought to water drinkers generally. He hoped, however, that Hh'e- Borough Cpun,: ] cil would put the" present pieeVof 1 |i> j

some other use, and: purchase" th' 6 piece contiguous to tho cemetery.. Mr Stillwell and Mr Chappell asked questions which were satisfactorily' ansvrcred, and on the motion <M' MrS{ noj. seconded by Mr Lloyd .the re; orfc.and balance-sheet were adopted. Mr Stoney then proposed that the rate be struck at 5 per cent, on the annual value. This was seconded by Mr Crick and carried unanimously. _ ■■■ .) The-riext business, was tho election of a board of directors, when the following ' gentlemen were proposed: —J. A. Miller, Nikorima Potofcara, W. Murdock, D. G. MacDonnell,.T. Fponccr, PI. Stillwell, D. Tookey, J. 13. Stoney, J. McKoberts and — kxexy. ':-A Mr., Stdnoy, being a Government official, did not stand, and Mr Tookey, not being present, his name was withdrawn. The voling was then taken by a■ ishow of- hands, and- the following' gentlemen- were elected—viz; Nikorima Potarara (29),- .1. A. Miller-(2sJj'-W. Murdock (2.5), T. Spencer (25), D. G. McDonnell (22). !; ;_ ■ _ • v, t ;■'.' Mr Spenepr declined to act in conjunction with Mr Miller, but the Chairman ruled that he was already elected.," Messrs. Stoney, Crick, and A 116 m were then pi'oposed as-auditors, and on being -voted for» in the same way, Messrs Stoney and Crick were declared duly elected. Major Cooper then.proposed a TQte of thanks to the retiring board —this was seconded bjr Mr Grace, and carried. Mr Spencer returned thanks, and after votesfof a similar nature had • been given to the^ Secretary ':■ and Chairman, the meeting broke up; : -■ v : ;; ! At a meeting of the newly elected Trustees held 1 immediately" aftervritrds, Mr-D/Gi. MacDonnell was elected chairman;'- ■■•■■•■. " -■^■■_y>; ■■-■■ : - ■■■■■■■' ■ ■/■■■