ASHLEY FORD INQUIRY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6123, 9 March 1898, Page 1

ASHLEY FORD INQUIRY.

At the instance of the Kowai Road Board, and by . commission from the Governor, Mr H. W. Bishop, S.M., held an inquiry at the Rangiora Magistrate's Courthouse yesterday morning, to take evidence -with a view of . determining what proportion of cost of constructing and maintaining the ford " over -the Ashley River, from the Ashley township to the north end of the Ashley Road leading to Rangiora, should be borne by the Kowai Road Board, Rangiora Borough Council and the Mandeville and Rangiora Road Board. Also to determine what portion of the cost of managing and maintaining the said ford in the past, incurred by the Kowai Road Board, should be paid by the Council. and the Mandeville and Rangiora Board. The proportion the Kowai Board had proposed should be borne by the different bodies was Kowai 50 per cent, Rangiora 40 per cent, Mandeville and Rangiora 10 per cent. Mr Johnston appeared as counsel for the Kowai Board ; and Mr Helmore for the other two bodies, who objected to pay any part of the cost. G-. S. Hickman, clerk to the Kowai Board, gave evidence that his Board proposed to straighten the present track, make cuttings into the streams, and clear away boulders, &c, at a cost of ,£4 ; to make where necessary fascines of boulders and gorse, and plant willows at the approaches to the various streams, at a cost of .£4 ; also to make an approach to the ford on the Ashley side of the riverbed at a cost of .£l2. It was the intention to make the claim retrospective to 1894, when the Act came into force. The amounts ex- . pended on the ford since that date were : — Nov., 1894, to March, 1895, .£3 15s ; April, 1895, to March 31, 1896, .£l2 6s 6d ; April, 1896. to March 31, 1897, .£l3 4s ; and from April, 1897, to date, .£l6 14s. The estimated cost of maintaining the ford for the future was .£2O per year. The ford was used to a large extent by persons in Rangiora. Business people used it for the delivery of goods. He estimated that af least twelve tradespeople used it regularly, as did also the doctors. The distance by the ford was a mile and a half shorter than by the traffic bridge route. The majority of the residents from the Kowai district used the ford to reach Rangiora. He could not say how many of the residents of the Mandeville and Rangiora district derived any benefit from the ford. Evidence was given in support of the Kowai Road Board by A. P. Tutton, B. Flynn, J. Tombs, J. Drummond-Bailey, R. Stringer, W.R. Booker, M. Peach, E.Rossiter, T. Wyllie, D. Gorrie and M. Robertson. The principal objections offered by the Borough Council were that the borough was already contributing a considerable proportion of the cost of maintaining the Ashley traffic bridge and ford leading to the same road as the ford from the Ashley township; and that recently about .£l2oo had been spent on the traffic bridge and protective works, to make a safe and good means of communication between the Kowai district and the borough even in flood times. In view of the facts, it was urged that it was unreasonable for the Kowai Road Board to call upon the borough to contribute towards a ford so near to the bridge. Dr Baber, H. Rule (carter for Blackett and Sons), J. Patterson and J. Burt gave evidence that the bridge was preferable to the ford as a means of crossing, except in times of longcontinued drought, when the riverbed was dry and the track good. C. 1. Jennings (Mayor) and E. R. Good gave evidence in support of the Council's objections, to show that the ford was a convenience and not a necessity ; and that it benefited the borough, if at all, to a very small degree. G. Wallace, chairman of the Mandeville and Rangiora Road Board, and D. Buddo gave evidence in support of the Board's objection to be made a tributory body. The former stated that his Board agreed to the allocation, owing to the amount (10 per cent) being so small, until the Kowai Board signified its intention to make the claim retrospective. At the conclusion of the evidence, Mr Bishop heard counsel on two or three points, and then stated that it now rested with him to make his report to the Governor.