PETONE BOROUGH COUNCIL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 189, 30 April 1918, Page 3

PETONE BOROUGH COUNCIL

Mostly routine nnd committee business was discussed at last, night's meeting of tho Potone Borough Council, over which tho Mayor- (Mr. J. W. M'Ewan) presided. There were also present Councillors C. P. Brocklebank, W. Cox, J. Foster, J. Churcliouse, Jas. M'Uoiigall, I). M'ivenzie, and E. Tovoy. ' It was decided to ask the town clerk and borough engineer to report, upon the advisableness oi' acquiring the freehold of section 29, Maungaraki, containing 39J acres, under oli'er to the council bv the Lands and Survey Department. The land is adjacent to the council's water*works area.

The gasworks manager (Mr. H. Appleyard) tabled his itiinual .ejioi't, which was adopted without discussion. The amount of gas manufactured showed an increase over 1817 of 1,Gu.5,000 cubic feet, equal to 3.7'1 .per cent. The average make of gas pt>i' ton of coal carbonised showed a large increase over that of last year, viz., C 72 cubic feet per ton. The receipts for gas represented a decrease of .C 92 on the estimate, but an increase of .£lO2 over last year'V; receipts. The amount of gas manufactured was U,239,000 cubic feet. Of this amount 21,957,001) feet were consumed locally, 1-1,901,000 feet were sold to Lower Ilutt, 1,131,100 feet used by borough works and buildings, aud 1,030,000 devoted to streot lighting. Groat difficulty was experienced at times in' getting sufficient supplies of coal. Prices had also advanced—Newcastle coal by Is. 6d. per ton and State coal by ss. 6(1. per ton. RaiUge' from Wellington had been increasod by 3Jd. por ton, and cartage frooi the Petone station tx> the works by 4d. per ton. Tho quantity of coke produced, estimating nbont 13cwt. per ton of coal carbonised, was 2319 tons. Coke receipts showed an increase of .£lOl over tho estimate. Tho stock of tar at the beginning (if the year was 9000 gallons, and sales amounted to 20,531 gallons. The stock on hand at the end ot the year was 12,370 gallons.