PETONE BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1778, 17 June 1913, Page 7

PETONE BOROUGH COUNCIL.

The Pet one Borough Council met last night, and was attended by: The Mayor (Mr. J. W. M'Ewan), Councillors List, Cox, Brocklsbank. Anderson, Wright, Findlay, Townsend, Jones, and Trueman. Beford proceeding with the. ordinary business, the Mayor moved"That this council express its deep regret at the los 9 sustained through the death of the Speaker of the House, Sir Arthur Guinness." The motion was carried in silence. The Wellington Rugby Union wrote advising that the match Petone v. Victoria College was ail extra game at Petone, and they desired to make it clear that it did ■not supersede certain other obligations '#ith respect to Petone ground.—Received. The Wellington City Council advised that the eastern approach to the Hutt Bridge had to be disturbed in order to move the water main on to the new bridge. The Hutt River Board suggested that their chairman and overseer should meet the borough engineers of Petone and Lower Hutt regarding the question of culverts on the western side of the river. Re erosion at the sanitary depot,_ the River Board's overseer was pf opinion that the heavy south-west seas were responsible for the damage, and not the river.—Received, It was decided to agree to tho conference. A letter was received from the Post-nvaster-General, per Mr. Wllfoi'd, M.P., advising that, under present condition*, communication from Wellington to Petone could not bo obtained- with a slot telephone. The matter would be further considered when machines of another type are obtained.—Received. ... . The opinion of tho solicitor to tno Municipal Association (Mr. Martin) regarding lands below thei level of streets was that the council cannot compel owners to fill up low-lying sections. The Mayor remarked that he rather thought that this was the law all along, but did not say so.—Received. Tho Mayor moved that the Town Clerk write to the Prime Minister asking him to favourably consider the re-valuation- of a certain section for rating purposes.— Carried. It was deoided that a progress payment of £200 bo granted the firm which delivered tho town clock (as against .£350 asked by tho contractors), and that steps be taken to insure the clock in tho Statu opinion regarding tho council guar anteeing interest on a sum of monej necessary to construct a boat harbour wa* r-nd from Mr. Martin. ,This was to tho effect that the council nad no power to do this—Received. . Councillor Fuwllay moved r- That facilities b« Riven to work carsto at the Petone Wharf a3 follow:—(1) That rails sufficient to carry I tons be laid;_(2) & shed large enough to store 1000 tonsvbe erected at the root of the structurer (») that electricitv be the motive power, in conjunction with the drainage Am t; (4) that a small committee be appointed to confer with the engineer, ro the combination or electric power for both orainago and wharf. ... , ... In speaking to the motion. Councillor Fimllay claimed that the power of the c-owerage works could bo utilised for his scheme. Coal could be landed on Petone Wharf for Jit 3s. lOd. per ton, judging by figures obtained from otlior P'acM It this cruncil found the .£'loo of the old wharf loan, the Harbour Board would be bound to supply the balance. Unfortunately the counoil had little or no power to spend money (on a boat harbour) without an Act of Parliament. However, the . onty way to make use of the wharf was to elcctrify it. . . ' The Mayor was of opinion that coal could be landed at the railway station as cheaply as at the wharf. Ho believed, however, that the counc-'l should consider the question of supplying the gas works with coal from 200l)-ton boats rather than by small boat-loads as suggested by the mover. . , After an animated discussion it was decided to form a committee, consisting of the Mayor and Councillors Findlay, Townwad, Anderson, and Trueman, to go into . tho tnatter ( . ,