CROMWELL TOWN COUNCIL.

Cromwell Argus, Volume III, Issue 144, 13 August 1872, Page 5

CROMWELL TOWN COUNCIL.

A special meeting of the newly-constituted Council was held in the Town-hall on Friday evening. There were present: His Worship the Mayor (M. Fraer, Esq.), Councillors Dawkins, Marsh, Grant, and Wright. The minutes of two previous meetings were read by the Town Clerk for the information of the new members of Council. The Mayor rose to make a few remarks regarding various matters which would pro- i bably engage the attention of the Council j during the current year ; and in doing so he expressed a hope that the changes which had j taken place in the personnel of the municipal' government would prove beneficial to the interests of the town, and that the members of the new Council would cordially assist him in devising and carrying out, as far as practicable, such municipal improvements as they might consider it expedient or desirable to initiate. Among the subjects to which their attention would be directed were the following : —First, and most important, the question of water-supply ; second, the dust nuisance ; third, the reserve in Melmore-ter-race ; fourth, the formation of the west end of the main street ; fifth, the planting of ornamental trees in Melmore-tarrace ; six hj, fixing the permanent level? of the streets ; seventh, the formation of side-streets; t ighth, the creation of a third Ward, whereby the number of Councillors would be increased to six ; ninth, the improvement of the mail service between Cromwell aid the Metropolis ; tenth, the necessity for a weekly mail service between Cromwell and the Nevis, via Bannockburn, QuartzvUio, and Oarrickton ; eleventh, the formation of a track to Car-d-.-ona over Mount Pisa : twelfth, the formation of a horse-track to Quartz Reef Point ; thirteenth, the desirability of obtaining a Resident Warden and Magistrate for Cromwell ; fourteenth, the appointment of a bailiff in connection with the Resident Magistrate's Court ; fifteenth, the necessity of obtaining better Police quarters ; sixteenth, to endeavour to get a Road Engineer or deputy stationed at Cromwell as formerly ; seventeenth, the subject of commonage for the district; eighteenth, the establishment of a Side Hospital in Cromwell ; nineteenth, the desirability of having periodical sittings of the District Court held at Cromwell. He would be glad to hear other matters suggested which should engage the attention of the Council. : Whatever the Council did should be done | well and promptly. For some time past the | Council had been accustomed to meet once a | month, but he was of opinion that it was now | desirable they should meet more frequently, —sav once a fortnight; and that the night of meeting should le altered so as to afford the local newspaper an opportunity of reporting the proceedings for the information of the public. He apprehended that the first business of the present meeting would be the appointment of standing committees of the Council.

Cr. Marsh considered that as the meeting was a special one, a suspcision of the Standing Orders was necessary to enable the Council to proceed to business. He therefore moved, "That the Standing Orders be suspended in order to allow of the immediate despatch of general business." This was seconded by Cr. Dawkins, and agreed to. Cr. asked the Mayor what had been done respecting the appointment of an Inspector of Nuisances ? His reason for asking the question was because of the danger avis" ing from the practice of depositing hot ashes on the edge o f the Kawar.iu bank.

The Mayor stttod, in reply, that Constable Walsh had been appointed inspector, but was almost immediately removed to Clyde. The constable had since returned to Cromwell, and had, he believed, entered upon the duties of the office on the Ist of the present month. Cr. Marsh urged the importance of getting the permanent levels of the streets taken while the township was yot ia its infancy.

The Mayor ruled that Cr. Marsh was out of order in bringing these matters b jfore the Council until the standing committees had I been appointed. He would thank s >ms I Councillor to make a motion in accordance j with his suggestion. It was customary to appoint two Councillors to act on each C munittee, —the Mayor being ex officio chairman of all committees. Or. Dawkins thought the whole Council ! should constitute a Public Works Cnnmittee: individual members of the Council would not then have an opportunity of shirking responsibility for the actions of that committee, as had been done by certain members of the late Council. Cr. Marsh expressed himself to a similar effect. The Mayor regarded the proposal as ultra vires, and declined to receive a motion giving effect to it. By selecting two Councillors for the Public Works Committee, and two for the Finance Committee, with the head of the Corporation as Chairman, ex officio, of eicli, the labour and responsibility would be equally divided. He would, however, be willing to receive a proposition nominating three Councillors as members of the Pu'd.e Works Committee. Cr. Marsh said that if the Mayor was to j be allowed to place his veto upon any motion brought forward in the Council which did j not suit his particular views, it was utterly ! useless for them to continue sitting anv | longer : they could be more profitably occupied at their own firesides. A tedious and irregular discussion ensued, in the course of which it transpired that the Standing Orders adopted by the Council in 1860 had been for a long time missing, and that the Council had been working tor a long time without having rules of any kind t > regulate their proceedings. It was ultimately agreed to postpone the appointment of committees pending the adoption of a new set of Standing Orders, as it was considered useless to continue " working in the dark." At this stage, Cr. Marsli rose and left the j Council Chamber. Cr. Grant moved—"That next meeting! of Council be held at 8 p.m. on Thursday, I 15th inst., and on every alternate Thursday! thereafter." Cr. Wright seconded the motion, which was agreed to. Tneu followed a desultory conversation on the subject of public dunghills and manure ! depot?,—the result being that the question was shelved till next meeting. A letter from Mr James Taylor, asking permission, under clause (i of Bye-law Xll. J to erect a verandah in front of his premises, j was received, and the required permission I granted. Cr. Grant, in introducing the "dust pestilence" to the notice of the Council, said he would not have mentioned the subject at the present meeting but for the urgent n icessity that existed for doing something at on.-e to mitigate the evil. Tne whole town suffered from the annoyance complained of, and an e'fort should be made to strike the epidemic j at its root. He moved a resolution re^mst-j ing the Government to offer the land for lease in one block, the lessee to be bound under ! stringent conditions to cultivate the land in ' siuh manner, and within such period, as might be agreed upon, with a view to the I gradual reclamation of the ground, and the j consequent removal of the dust plague. It was resolved, after discussion, that the \ Town Clerk be instructed to write a lett r in accordance with Cr. Grant's proposition. The subject of the Recreation Reserve in Mel more-terrace was discussed at cons'der- j able length, but v.as ultimately ordered to stand over till next meeting. The Town Clerk was instructed by icsolu-1 j tion to inform defaulting ratepayers that tin y would be summoned without further notice' | if the arrears owing by them were not pad | |at once. The Clerk was further instructed ! to prepare a statement of all outstanding lia- i j bilities due to the Corporation, showing I [ n unes and amounts, and to bring the same J up at next meeting. Cr. Grant said he understood that Mr ! i Bews, the District Engineer, would be in j Cr unwell within a few days, and urged th it j j the Government be requested to authorise i that gentleman to furnish a report to th .* I j Council on the question of water-supply. i Cr. Wrtght expressed his concurrence in Mr Grant's suggestion ; and The Town Clerk was instructed to commitnicate with the Secretary for Public Works in ! refeienc3 to the matter. j Two tenders for construction of reservoir (in accordance with the action taken by the i lite Council) having b-en received, it was! ris lived that they be returned, unopened, to j the tenderers, and to inform the parties that | fr ;sh tenders would be called for in the event! | or the scheme being proceeded with. The Mayor drew attention to the circumI stance that no record existed in the minutebook of anv correspondence between theCorjporition and Messrs Briscoe and Co. as to | supply o' wa'er-p'pes; consequently whatever J had been done in the matter must have been [done by the lata Mayor in his private j capacity. Cr. Dawktn-s, as a member of the f >-m r ! Public Works Committee, explained that the I ordering of the pipes was sanctioned bv that committee, and that instructions to Mess-s ' Briscoe were sent away hurriedly in order to obviate any unnecessary delay iu shipping the pipes from England."

It was resolved that the Town Clerk commun'cite with the late Mayor with the view or* ascertaining what had actually been done

in the m-ittgf. * The usual vote of thanka to the Mavor concluded ttie meeting.