BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume III, Issue 545, 27 January 1882, Page 2

BOROUGH COUNCIL.

An adjourned ordinary meeting of the above was held last evening. Present : His Worship the Mayor and Crs Roberta, R. Friedlander, Hugo Friedlander, T. Bullock, J. Orr, Ivess, St. Hill, and Harrison. mayor’s statement. The Mayor reported the overdraft at the bank to be LI,BII 5s lid. Received since last meeting : dog licenses, L1410s; rents, collected, L 4 ; rates, LI ; pans, LI Os 8d CORRESPONDENCE. Letters were read as follows : From the manager of the Union Bank of Australia, Ashburton, stating that he had been advised by the branch at Dunedin to credit the Borough account with L 1,350. or any part thereof, on receiving railway receipts for the despatch of 200 tons of water pipes to Dunedin.—A letter was read from Mr Hutchinson, the purchaser of the pipes, to the same effect.— After some discussion it was resolved that Mr Hutchinson be written to, asking him j;o instruct the Bank to pay the Council |;he purchase money, on that body undertaking to load the pipes as soon as they are advised how they are to be consigned. From Mr Jas. Bradley, offering to lay down and keep in repair for a term of three years, 100 chains of good asphalte kerbing and channelling at Lslos per chain.—The offer was accepted. From the County Council, enclosing sundry resolutions passed at the conference re charitable aid between members of the County and Borough Councils on Wednesday last.—The Mayor remarked after the resolutions had been read that he had no doubt that that Council and also the County Council would effect a very considerable saving by the taking over of the administration of their own charitable aid. According to the Charitable Aid Board’s own showing in their published statements of accounts for the past half year it appeared that they were spending little more than LIOO per annum on the Borough.—After a long discussion the resolutions as adopted by the conference were passed by the Council.

THE OPENING OF HAVELOCK STREET. A letter w'as read from the Railway Department, acknowledging receipt of Council’s petition, re Havelock" street, and stating that that street could not be opened across the railway line by a level crossing being formed, the extension of the Ashburton Station preventing it. From the same, offering to form a level crossing at Her mode street, provided the Council would construct the approaches. —lt was resolved that the Engineer be instructed to form the approaches. THE EXHIBITION. A circular was read from Mr Jameson, of Christchurch, asking the Council’s aid in forwarding the interests of the Exhibition, and in making it a success. —At the jjuggestion of his Worship the Mayor, a (lommiitee, consisting of the mover and Crs St. Hill and Ivess were appointed to confer with the Industrial Association, re the Exhibition. TOWN LIGHTING. Tenders were read for town lighting as follows : From Mr Hyde, offering to supply 24 lamps with kerosene for three years, from February to October, for L 5 10s 6d per lamp ; lighting and extinguishing, 3 years at 6s, and 1 year at Bs, extra. From the Gas Company, offering to supply gas at L 6 per lamp, for 3 years ; or, for one year for L 6 5s per lamp, lighting and extinquishing 25s extra per annum. . After an animated discussion it was resolved that the Gas Company’s tender for lighting at L 7 10s per lamp be accepted for one year. WORKS REPORT. ■ This report was read as follows : The Works Committee make the following report on the subjects referred to them : Men’s application for increase of wages.—lt was resolved by the Committee that all the men except Spien and Smith be discharged till the end of harvest. Asphalte Channelling.— That it be a recommendation to the Council to instruct the contractor to prepare 100 chains of asphalte channelling and kerb, to be laid as directed; also, that as in the Committee’s opinion the asphalte channelling and kerbing in Moore street having been sufficiently tested, the contractor, Mr Bradley, be paid for the same. The labor gang has been engaged forming parts of Havelock street and Wakanui road west and Winter street, and metalling in Park street; ploughing furrows in streets north-west of railway ; for fire prevention, laying water pipes from West street to East street j

making and fiixng culverts; raking and carting stones off streets; clearing side channels; attending to water supply, etc. It has been reported to us this afternoon that the lamp-post at the corner of Tancred and park streets lias been damaged by the arms being broken off by some children. , Cr Ivess inquired why the labor gang a services were to be dispensed with. There was no reason stated. If it was for any remissness of duty or incapacity, well and good ; but, otherwise, it was not treating the men fairly. Or St. Hill rose excitedly to remark that the time had come when these men’s services ought to bo dispensed with. They were not good workmen, and they were not working eight hours a day. There were plenty of men that he (Or St. Hill) could get at 6s a-day. He would' call upon Or Roberts to substantiate what he had said. Cr Hugo Friedlander made some remarks to the effect that the Works Com--mittee were themselves responsible to a great extent for the shortcomings, if any, of the men. If the gang was to be disbanded he certainly thought that they should be first offered the option of accepting 6s a-day. This drew forth an indignant denial from Cr St Hill, who, while perfectly willing to allow Cr Friedlander’s financial abilities, thought he certainly was not a competent judge of what a man could do in the way of a day’s work. The Mayor said that he thought this was, after all, not a matter of very great importance. At harvest time it was a common thing for public bodies to dismiss their workmen, for employment was plentiful at such seasons. Several other councillors having spoken on the matter, the Engineer objected to the men being discharged on account of their incoinpetency. With one or two exceptions they were as good a lot of men as any to be found. The Council ought to remember that the harvest was nearly over now, and the work not so plentiful as they seemed to think. The Council were getting work done at 7£d a yard now that ordinarily cost Is a yard.

Cr St Hill remarked that the men were not so much to blame. They wanted a head to direct them.

Or Harrison pointed out the folly of disbanding the men in the face of what the Engineer had said. Let them weed out any bad workers by all means, but keep the rest. It was moved by Cr Ivess—“That the Works Committee be empowered to dispense with the services of any member of the labor gang whose services t hey may ~ consider it undesirable to retain.” Cr St. Hill said that if this resolution was passed he would take it as a vote of want of confidence in the Works Committee. Several Councillors endeavored to show the last speaker that he was laboring under a false impression. The resolution was seconded by Or Harrison and carried. This was the only clause upon the reading of which there was any discussion, and with the exception of the clause the report was adopted.

INSPECTOR OP NDISANCE3 REPORT.

This official reported as follows : I. Re Closets. —There have been several complaints during the past fortnight of closets not being properly attended to and missed, but I do not think it is from neglect of the nightman, but from his not having got his rounds properly fixed on, and from his not receiving authority to empty them ; however, I hope that he will, by the next meeting, have got more into the way of the work —There are also a good many closets requiring new pans which are being attended to. 2. Re Slops and other refuse matter. —There is no accumulation of refuse matter, and all rubbish, etc., has to-day been cleared from Quill’s, Saunders’ Buildings, and Prospect Buildings. Re Saunders’ Buildings, Mr Revans informs me that the Bank of New Zealand has bought some 15 feet more ground from Mr Cookson, and that as soon as his new buildings are sufficiently advanced they intend to at once alter the channel, and move the closets further back. 3. Re the complaint of the nuisance in the channel in Tancred street.—lt was removed the day after the last meeting, but I could not smell anything disagreeable from it, but a few days before there was a dead rabbit close by the footpath, which was removed, and which 1 thought caused the nuisance. There have been several dead animals during the last ten days lying on unoccupied sections, which have been removed, and I wish to ask the Council’s advice as to who is to pay the cost of same. I also beg to state that during the hot summer weather I will be at the Borough Council’s office every day from 12 o’clock until half-past 12, so that should there be any nuisance that I might fail to see, or any complaints, I will attend to them the same day. 4. Mrs Boswell informed me to-day that het husband had got some work up country, and that he would in two or three months time pay a portion, if not all of the rent of the cottage, and she desired to know what rent the Borough Council would charge her. The report was adopted. ASPHALTING SIDE STREETS.

The motion tabled by Cr Harrison at the last meeting was then brought up : “ That the Council asphalte side streets from East street and West street for one block, provided all owners sign an agreement to asphalte the other part, making in all half the sidewalk.”

Cr Harrison, in speaking of the motion standing in his name, remarked that the work done in East street had given every satisfaction. Seeing that the side streets were now rapidly filling up with shops and business places it was highly desirable that these side streets should be asphalted. He was quite sure the residents in those places would gladly bear a fair share of the expense attached to the undertaking. The Mayor app ared to approve of the proposal, and remarked that they could finish the work a block at a time. The motion was seconded and carried unanimously.

HELD OVER. Cr St. Hill asked permission to hold over the notice of motion standing in his name.—Granted. NOTICE OF MOTION. Cr St. Hill tabled a notice of motion for consideration at the next meeting, to the effect that the attention of Government be called to the dangerous state of the Burnett and Tancred street railway crossings, and asked to remedy the evil.

ACCOUNTS. The usual accounts were passed for payment, and the Council adjourned.