BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2410, 27 January 1909, Page 6

BOROUGH COUNCIL.

FORTNMjH'X'J.y MJSETJXG

•Th© ordinary fortnightly meeting of the Gisborne Borough. Council was held last evening. Present: The Mayor' ('Mr. W. D. Lysnar), jCvs. Sheridan, Dartbn, Mann, lawyer, Somervell, Petti©, and Whim-ay.

€ ORRESPONDEN C'E. The Gisborne High School Board asked tlhe Council to cfif.l the vacancy on the Board caused iby the. retirement of Cr. J. W. Bright by effluxion of time. Cr. Bright was unanimously reappointed to represent the Council. Mr. D. J. Smith offered to hire >.i Strakar waggon to the Council for the purpose of carting metal. The Mayor said it might be advantageous to accept the offer if the loan proposals were curried. Mr. W. Lissant Clayton (acting for an agent) (wrote inquiring . the cost of Pataitahi metal Handed in Gisborne at the present time, and asked for sorno idea of the price the Council would he willing to pay for broken .granite. . , r The Council -decided to inform Mr. Clayton that any offer of the broken granite could not 'be enter tinned at present. ■ Mr. F. Stafford wrote asking to have five cottages in Russell Street, Whataupoko, connected with tun water supply. Mr. Stafford attended the meeting, and spoke in support of the application. Ho was, lie said, charged the service rate and had no water connection .

It was decided to inform the applicant that he had permission to connect the properties at his own expense.

Sergeant Hutton reported that ho thought there was quite a sufficiency of billiard saloons in the town, and he could not recommend that any additional licenses he granted. An application for a license for a billiard-room was. therefore ref used. The Gisborne Racing Club requested that the. shopkeepers be asked to close tlicir shops "at noon on (February 4, and the Poverty Bay Turf Club made a similar request for February 11th.

Both requests were acceded to. THE WATERWORKS CONTRACT. In reference to-the repair work at To Aral, Mr. Hay wrote as follows: — “I have visited .and inspected the •works on the main pipe line, and have to report that the work is -progressing slowly, there being only seven men employed. The foreman has, however, promised to increase the number. lam notifying the contractors of certain work to ensure the stability of the pipe line, and that work is now in hand. At two points above the temporary intake I intend to miter the dine by shifting the pipe;: into solid papa, rock and ‘bed in concrete, also to lower the pipes into the papa and replace the right bank. I recommend that a weir be built above tho intake to check the run oi boulders .and gravel into the dam. 1 have fixed the position of the second break-pressure tank and it will be necessary for the Council to acquire land at the site for a caretaker’s residence.” The- question of acquiring a site was referred to the Finance Committee, and the (letter was received. Mr. H. Hay, C.E., wrote asking that his responsibility for the payment of the- Inspector at the water supply works should cease, as enrough no fault of his the contract had taken three years to complete instead of one year. , , ~ The Mayor said that it was not the Council’s fault "that the contract had been delayed, as nothing had been done to delay the work with on u the advice of Mr. Hay. The application was declined. The Investment Registry, London, wrote informing the Council that the institution iiad largo sums oi money to lend at interest, and were prepared to purchase the debentures -of local bodies in New Zealand. The letter was received and was reserved for future consideration.

THE ENGLISH UNEMPLOYED. Mr. Whittaker, of Petone. forwarded a circular appealing for funds Rathe unemployed in England. The Mayor said he thought a number of farmers might kindly send a few carcases of mutton, and that the freezing works and shipping companies might put them through tree oi charge. He would be prepared to o-ive six sheep, and thought the total rnigl.it easily, be made. 100 ii an appeal was made. Or. Whim-ay said the suggestion was an excellent one; but lie would like to see the Council give a subscription. x The Mayor said the Council had no power to make such, a donation. The money, the circular sta.teo, would he distributed by Mr. Robert BJatchford, editor of the -■ Clarion.. Or. Pettie said he thought the Councillors should -subscribe before an appeal was made to the I a rmors. Mr. F. Stafford, who was in the room, handed in £1 Is to the fund,, and Cr. Wliinray gave a similar amount.

REPORTS. Dr. DeLisle reported that lie had inspected the houses where cases of enteric had occurred* in the borough, and found .them in as satisfactory a condition as could be expected • with the present primitive sanitation of the town. He could not recommend that permission be given to construct a septic tank for the new building for the Bank of New South Wales.

The report was adopted. The Overseer (Mr. M. Morgan) reported that he thought the smell at - the Ballaneo Street drain was cause! by seaweed from the river rotting there. If some stone was placed where the drain entered the river he thought the seaweed would he kept from the street drain and the odour done away with. He did not favor watering the streets with a. hydrant I as it interfered with traffic. The 1 lines for the crane were being laid I down at Kaitaratahi. )•;' The Overseer was instructed to j; place a load of stones at the mouth 1 of the Ballaneo Street drain. J,’ The acting Borough Inspector roll port-ec} that the sanitation of the, town | was in a satisfactory condition. Only | . a small number of ratepayers had pvo- | vided rubbish, tins. Ho had stopped |c a number of .persons from putting | drainage from their properties into | the street drain at Ballance Street, it and found everything satisfactory in ;< the conduct of campers on the Kaiti I beach. He had warned a number of I ' ■

boardinghouse-keepers to provide adequate fire escapes.. The report was' adopted, and the Counoil adjourned.