Feilding Borough Council

Feilding Star, Volume XIII, Issue 108, 10 March 1892, Page 2

Feilding Borough Council

A special meeting of the Feilding Borough Council was held in the Council Chambers on Tuesday night. Present —His Worship the Mayor (presiding), Crs Chamberlain, Sandilands, Carthew, S. J. Thompson, and Watts. The business for consideration was the stoppage in the working of the artesian well. The Mayor stated that he had had an interview with Mr Marten, who explained that owing to the unusually hard material to be driven through, the pipe had collapsed, having become bent about four feet from the bottom thus preventing its being driven any further. Mr Marten's suggestion was to put in a charge of dynamite to loosen the metal, and then drive another pipe alongside the old one. This would mean an extra cost of £30, one-third of which he was willing to bear himself. The Mayor would ask Cr Carthew to give his opinion of the matter. Ci* Carthew would like to know how the drill could be passed beyond the pipe if it was bent. If Mr Marten's suggestion was accepted what guarantee would they haye that after driving a few feet deeper the same accident might not occur again. One of the assistants had informed him that water had flowed over the pipe, and and Mr Marten also stated there had been a flow of 4 or 5 feet above the surface. Cr Sandilands said the agreement drawn up with Mr Marten was very unsatisfactory. It bound him to nothing, and he considered the agreement should have been drawn up in a proper form by the Borough solicitor. If Mr Marten had any faith in the representations made to the Council, he ought to take the responsibility upon himself. If he had bored more often instead of driving the pipe would have been all right. He would not sanction any further expenditure on the scheme. Some remarks had been made about the apparent unwillingness of Mr Marten to give any information to the councillors on their paying a visit to the work. He might state that a recent visit cost him four shillings for ginger ale. The Mayor concurred in the views of Cr Sandilands, and he would not incur any further expense unless Mr Marten would guarantee to bore until water was procured. Cr Carthew said Mr Marten had asserted that he had never failed before in the course of his 25 years' experience ; this statement, coupled with the testimonials presented, induced the members of the committee not to be so particular as they otherwise would have been in drawing up the agreement. The discussion then flagged a little, and Cr S. J. Thompson remarked that 11 The subject was getting rather dry." The following resolution was then Proposed by Cr Sandilands, seconded by Cr Chamberlain, that this Council decline to entertain the proposal of Mr Marten, the contractor, for sinking the artesian well, as to driving the second pipe, and suggests that if the contractor has any faith in the representations made by him to the Council that he sink a second pipe to the depth of 80 feet ; all distance sunk beyond such depth to be paid for by the Council at the rate provided for in the agreement. — Carried. The Council then adjourned.