BOROUGH COUNCILS.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17418, 31 March 1922, Page 10

BOROUGH COUNCILS.

[ RICCAKTON. 1 Jiht 0 Borough Council met last CJr°- V' A S °P i Maycr A " U-tfoKl), , A * ftaninn. A. E. Stoero a v j T. M, Ford, J. Muncings, W C W* | Charters, and H. W. Wise-. j Adv-ico was received that a Commission 2 °L 3r3 Wyvern Wilson, S.m' (chairman), G. H. Bullard, Commissioner of' Crown Lands, and D. H. P.Ular, District Valuer at Christchurch, would eit at tho Magistrate s Court on Monday to lake evidence in connexion with tho petition for the inclusion of a part of tho Waimairi County in tho Hiccarton, Borough. Cr. Wise said he thought tho public ougM to attend the meeting, as they would be benefited by the inclusion of the district in the luccarton Borough. The Mayor oaid anyone could go to the Commission and give evidence. The petition was from tho Council, however. It was decided that as many councillors as possible should attend at the Courthouse. The City Council wrote enclosing a notice of determination of tho agreement between tho Council and the City Council for the sale and- purchase of electricity. The notice stated that tlio determination, would take effect at the end of the current period of three years, mentioned in th,» agreement, namely, on September 30th, 1922. The Mayor said that according to a newspaper account, the Electricity Department of tho City Council bad wanted to canceJ the agreement, as charged ;t by the Public Works Department would probably be increased. This was incorrect. Clause 7 of the agreement between the City Council and the Kiccarton Council stated that "if during the continuance of this agreement the price or rate charged by tho Public Works Department to the City for the supply of electrical energy shall be increased or decreased then ipso facto tho rates and charges fixed by tbese presents, and to ha paid by the Borough to the City shall be increased or decreased (as the case may be) in similar proportion." Thus if the Public Worku department increased the price by 20 per cent, the price charge'd to the Eiccarton Borough Council would also be increased by 20 per cent. The matter was referred to tho Electrioity Committee. 1 The manager of the Christchurch Tramway Board wrote string ho was in receipt of a letter from tho Council which had stated that tho tram rails at Mandevillo street wero a serious menace to drivers of vehicles, through the metal being washed away, leaving tho lines badly exposed. He had conducted a personal investigation, and had found that for the last fortnight a gang of permanent way repairers, with tho road roller, had been working on Riccarton road. They were 'at Mandevillo road or past it when the Council's letter had been written. Aa he could find nothing ts correspond with tho conditions described, in tho letter ho had called to see tho k>wn clerk, who unfortunately was not in. The extensive area covered by the tramways, and" the increasing! ago of the system, mado the adequate and economical maintenance of tho permanent way easily the most' difficult matter which had to be handled, tho expenditure alone running into £25,000 per annum. Tho assistance of other local bddies in this matter was always welcome, and their communications, if reasonable, wero never resented, but when letters of complaint were written under the circumtances of this particular case, the effect was to discount considerably tho value "of subsequent communicants on tho same mattor.

Cr. Wise said he did not liko the tone of the letter. The hollows had been filled in with mud, and in three months' time the tramway employees would bo round again, filling them in. Th 3 only way was to put tar between tho tracks, and thin was done on most of tho other lines. ''Why don't tho Tramway Board do it to Riccarton, for its the best paying lino of the lot," said tho speaker The Mayor: It's tho best paying lino in tho system. It was decided to write* to the Tramway Board informing it that wlion tho Councils letter was written, the road was in the unsatisfactory siato complained of. Tho Mayor said tho ratc3 outstanuing to 1921-2 totalled £3B Is lid. At tho end ol the financial year there would b:> a crcdi balance of roughly £BOO. Cr. Chartais referred to the ol boutli Lincoln road, and said that when the roa had been re-asphalted, the P ot - hol ; 9 1 "' 1 d " d been filled in, with a result tha* tho road W lt w'ai 'decided to ask tha to tar-macadam tho north side oi tho ~ coin road, and to meet tho borough foreman in reference to tho matter. . m it was also resolved that tho CouncJ E hould be asked to sweep and re-asphalt tho footpath on the south sido of Lincoln