GREY BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 13 December 1901, Page 2

GREY BOROUGH COUNCIL.

The regular meeting of the above Council was held last night. Present: — The Mayor, Crs M'Lean, Thomas, Steer, Joyce, Petrie, Sheedy, Gieseking, and Bignell. Cr Sheedy and Thomas hoped the enforcement'of the by-laws in regard to condemned buildings would be proceeded with. The Mayor said he would see to the matter to-morrow.

HEALTH PKECAUTIOKS. The following letter was received from ;hc Health Department :

Under the Public Health Amendment Act (No 2) of this year, clause 26 of " The Public Health Act, 1903." has been amended, and in future infectious diseases are to be notified to the local authority as well as to the District Health Officer. By this means it is hoped to simplify the action of the local authority in dealing with cases of infectious disease that may occur in the district under its administration.

As with few exceptions local authorities seldom hold meetings at shorter intervals than once a month, I would respectfully suggest that your Council empower one or more of your members or some responsible official to see that the provisions of the Act are carried out in the intervals between the sittings if tbe Council. I need hardly point out to you the extreme importance of promptitude as regards tie isolation of infected persons, and also of the necessity for warning people as to the liability incurred in selling food that has been exposed to infection, There is another matter in which I would invite the co-operation of your council: —borne infectious diseases, nofably scarlet fever and diphtheria, are particularly prone to be disseminated by children attending school. Under section 87 of " The Education Aet, 1877," a teacher is empowered to prohibit a child from attending school from an infected house. If your Council would promptly notify teachers of the existence of infectious disease in the neighbourhood, and give tho names and addresses of those infected, the children from the infected house or locality could be prevented from attending school. This would go a long way towards preventing the spread of the infection, and would also anticipate that last resource of the Health Officer—viz., total closure of the school.

Some forms of notification under the new Act will be forwarded as soon as tbey are out of the printer's hands. The Council agreed to give full attention to circular. BATES AND LEASES. The lease of Mrs O'Key was, on her own request, cancelled. Prom Mr Ashton, relative to re-valua-tion owing to being burned down.—Besolved that same|be sent on to ValuerGeneral with a recommendation thereon. The application of Messrs Hildebrand and Co for slaughterhouse license was ordered to be sent on to proper authorities.

The applications of several persons for renewed leases was referred to a committee of the whole Council to bring up a report upon. FINANCE AND THE LOAN. Mr Steer brought up the Finance Committee's report as follows : " That all accounts have been' passed for payment as follows : General Account ... £27117 9 Loan Accout 762 6 9 Gas Account 270 4 11 The accounts stand as follyws : District Fund, No. 1. Cr £1,466 010 District Fund, No. 2. Dr 2,331 3 3 Overdraft Account Dr 3,343 22 Loan Account Dr 1,481 17 0 " We have the pleasure to inform the Council that both loans have been fully subscribed, and we recommend that the tenderers be allotted the debentures applied for in each case. We may mention that £5,005 was subscribed from Christchurch and £4,843 locally. Total £9,848. " We recommend that the loan money be placed on deposit at the best terms possible with the bank." • Iu answer to Cr. Petrie, the Mayor said the whole of the debentures had been taken up by private persons; the banks had not taken up a single shilling, and some of the debentures fetched a

premium. The.total cost of raising the loan wm under £3O. There was no brokerage. The Committee's Report was then adopted, after a good deal of discussion upon Mr Napier Bell's account of £133 8s 9d. Mr. Bignell holding that the first charge ot fifty guineas had been practically thrown away and should have been merged in second charge. GAS AND LIGHTING. The committee reported as follows r—- " Your Committee have the honor to report that we visited the sites for street lamps, petitioned for from time to time, as set down in the following list : "1. At Government workshop, Mount Street. "2. At Judge Ward's home, Smith Terrace. "3. Chapel Street West, on turn to Elmer Lane. "4. Turumaha Street, near Mr Kettle's residence. "5 Alexander Street, at Town Belt North.

" 6. Shakespeare Street, at Buccleugh Street intersection. "7. High at Raleigh Street intersection. ."8 Cowper Street, on bank opposite Mr Blair's House. "9 Cowper Street at Raleigh Street intersection. " 10. Cowper Street, at Franklin Street intersection. " 11. Leonard Street, at Preston Road track. " 12. Preston Road, opposite Mr Shilton's. '* 13. Sawyer Creek Road, opposite Mr ' Dixon's. "14. High Street, opposite Marlbro' Street. " 15. Shakespeare Street, opposite Volheide's. " We recommend that the first ten be erected at the [rate of two lamps per month. The remaining five lamps are in the vicinity of proposed works, and we propose that consideration of them be deferred until such works are completed." " Application Railway Department for reduction in price of gas."

We cannot see our way to recommend any further reductions at present. " Before benches and retort house." We recommend that tho Borough Engineer be instructed to bring up plans and estimates at tne nex r < meeting of the Council, for additions to retort house and two benchos of retorts. " New Ga? Holder." That the Town Clerk be instructed to writo to the makers and obtain prices of gas holders ranging from 40 to 60 thousand cubic feet capacity. Accounts amounting to £270 4s lid hß,ve been passed for payment. A long discussion ensued as to the places at which lights should be erected. An additional lamp—at present to be lighted with kerosene —was ordered, on the motion of Cr. M'Lean, to be put up opposite Mr Shilton's. residence, Preston Road,

engineer'* report. The Town Engineer's report was read and the Mayor authorised to convene a committee of the whole Council after the holidays to arrange about new town hall. The report was as follows. — " I have the honor to report that I have prepared detail drawings for the reservoir, pumping station, collecting gallery and reticulation, and written the specifications for the same, and tenders will be called for the whole of the water works as soon as the lithographic plans are to hand and the printing of the specification finished. These works are well in hand and should be finished next week. "The plan 3 for the proposed Town Hall should be put in hand as soon as i possible after the holidays, and I submit W a sketch plan for the approval of the Council of a building which I am of opinion will answer the purpose and be creditable to the town. Will the Council kindly instruct me as to what coiirse they wish to be pursued in regard to this matter." WORKS REPORT, The Works Committee reported as follows : "Application of T, P. O'Donnell for more soil on his section. —Your Committee have no recommendation to make, as

the carrying out of the work is in the hands of the Borough Engineer. " Di Ming's application for renewal of leave Borough Keserve 197.—Consideration deferred till next meetiug." On the motion of Cr, Sheedy it was resolved to instruct ths Inspectors to start a crusade against rats ; also that threepence be allowed on all dead rats delivered at the gas works.