BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Grey River Argus, Volume VII, Issue 513, 1 May 1869, Page 3

BOROUGH COUNCIL.

The usual weekly meeting of the -Council was held in the offices, Gressonetreet, on Thursday evening. Present — The Mayor (in the chair), Councillors Kilgour, Rae, Strike, Coates, Ashton, Moore^; and Wickes, The minutea of the last meeting were read and confirmed. '; A letter was read from the County 1 Solicitor requesting to know under what portion of the Municipal Corporations Act the Council proposed to make certain regulations and bye-laws. — This had been replied to by the Town Clerk stating the clauses referred to. An application was made on behalf of the Rechabite Society for the use of the hall, on the 24th May, for the purpose of holding their annual festival.— The application was granted. An application was made by 0. H. Rhodes for permission to erect a lamp at the corner of Albert street. —Granted, subject to the Town Surveyor's approval. A letter was read from the County Chairman's office stating that there was no objection to the Council removing the powder magazine to the Hospital Reserve* and using it as a dead-house. — Received. The Town Clerk reported that', by order of the Public Works Committee, he had written to Mr Millar for further particulars with respect to his application for protection for a punt over the Grey river. In reply he had received the following . particulars : — Protection was sought for a period of two years, the punt to be in siae „; 30ft. by lift., to be worked by a wire rope ; vie rates to be charged being, horse and man, 25. ; cattle, under ten, Is. 6d. each'; over tan, Is. each; sheep, 255, per hundred; horse and dray, 45.; passengers, 6d. each. . On the motion of Mr Rae, the matter , was referred to the Public Works Commitiiee, with power to act. / ' An application was made for the formation of a proper entrance and gate to the Cemetery. — The work was ordered to be done. Another application was read for permission to out a drain-race, seven chains long, oommencing at the north side of Nelson street, running through .^tjie reserve,, £$ w,as enclosed, .takeover the cost of survey.— The Town Surveyor was instructed to examine the ground and report. '■'- ■;>■ '■ ■••-> ■'• »-■■■■« Mr Wickbs presented a petition from Williams and party stating that they had ' cWaway their danvin 'High street without further contesting the judgment of the Resident Magistrate. This had deprived them of their livelihood, and they requested that some reasonable compensa-*! tion 'should be granted to them. The petition to be considered at next . meeting. Mr MOore presented a petition to the County Chairman, signed by 115 ratepayers, asking that the town should be divided into three Wards. He wished that it might be presented through the Council, and for this purpose he asked that it should He on the table, and test the feeling upon it at next meeting, Mr KrtGouß : This is the first I have seen or heard of the petition. Mr Moore: Noneof the councillors have signed it yet. . : : The Mayor : This is not a petition to , the Council. Mr Rae : It is not addressed to us, and would require another petition before the Council could receive it. The Mayor: Yes, strictly speaking; but we can get over that difficulty, if there is no objection. ' ' ■ Mr Kilgour : I have a right to see this petition, and give my opinion upon it Jt must; be a one-sided affair. It would be better to call a public meeting to get an expression of opinion, before such a thing as this is sent round for signature, on the proposal.of two or three. Mr Moore : It is not a one-sided affair., Mr Kilgour: I represent one-twentieth of the whole of the rates in town, and I ought to have seen the petition. Mr Moore : Whether Mr Kilgour owns one-half of Greymonth or not, there are names attached to the petition as good as his, which had an equal right to be considered. This has been done strictly in accordance with the Municipal Corporations Act. There is no doubt as to the genuineness of the signatures*. If the petition is not received here, we know what course to pursue. Mr Coates : I have not seen this petition *ither until to-night. I pay a proportion of the rates, and do not object to it. The Mayor : But you may have been ''aware of the contend of it./ ; Mr Coates : I was not. Mr Kilgour : It is an outside manner of doing it, quite in accordance with the other business done by parties leagued together to carry out their own ends knd purposes. The Mayor : You are out of order. Mr Ashton : Is the petition in proper form? The Mayor ; ,It is not j it is.not a petition to this Council at all. ' Mr Wickes : The proper course iB td ; forward the petition to the County Chairman, and we must abide by his : decision. . No doubt he will communicate with this Council on the siibject. "Mr'MboßE -Laying the petition before ; ' jouwaA simply an act of courtesy. If you are pleased to forward it with your memorandum of approval you can do so ; if not we know what to do with it. . The petition was handed back to Mr Moore', being out of order. Reports were read from the Town Sur--1 yeyor to the effect that on making enquiries with respect to the powder magazine, he found it was private property, and he had taken no steps towards the erection, of a new: morgue t until the matter was brought before the 05;uhciL — That Williams and party had complied: ' -with the decision: of ;the /Magistrate, and cut away their dam. — That he had ex--1 amined the river frontage in' order to ascertain the best site for coal wharves, and found that at the present coal *wharf there was not sufficient water for vessels to lie alongside^ and thii river there was gradually making up. He advised the . Council not to erect wharves;. Out into the river, but on the protective works, and not higher up thaix the front of theUnioh Bank. They would be extended lower down as the demand increased for wharfage accommodation. Also that the materials were ready for driving the 50---feet piles near the wharf, and lie wished

to know •if it was the intention of the Council to "proceed with the work. These reports were received, and orders given not to proceed with the pile-driving at present. The matter of wharfage accommodation to be considered in committee at the close of the other business. . Consideration was resumed of the petition from the ratepayers y in Tainui street, asking that the street should be repaired before the winter months set in. .! Mr Ashton thought that #ther, streets ; reqi|ired repaijingas, well as Tainui street. BesideSjheicouid^not see, where the money was to come from until the loan was obtained. Mr Kilgour moved- "That the -Town Surveyor be authorised to make those portions of Tainui street of which the petition complains." Mr Strike would support the resolution if the sum required was mentioned. No doubt it was a street of importance, and the residents contributed considerably to the rates, but they had no more reason to complain than residents in the : other streets. ; ; Mr Wickes would answer this as he would all other similar applications — that Tainui street was included in the general estimate, and would be constructed whenever the loan was obtained. Mr Coates thought something should bo done to Tainui street at once. It was in, a disgraceful state, and almost impassable for traffic. He seconded the motion. • < \ Mr Kilgour added to the resolution, < ' the cost not to exceed £20." Mr Ashton moved an amendment— <c That no money be expended upon any of the streets in our present financial position, and that the Town Surveyor report to the next meeting as to the cost,, of repairing Tainui street." Mr 'Moorb seconded the amendment, because members had to thank the opposition they had raised to the proposed loan for the streets not being already'made. He was opposed to any further expenditure until the loan v&i either granted (r refused. ' • Mr Coates was surprised that any Councillor should oppose the making of this street. Mr Strike supported the.motion. ; The Mayor also supported the motioji. The street was in a disgraceful state, and it ought to be remembered that it lead to a hospital and a church. . Mr Rae said there were no funds. The Mayor : It can be done on deferred payments, Why, it had been said that the removal of the material for pile-driving fijom one end of the town to the other had cost about <£30. Mr Moore had heard this stated before, and he called upon the Town Surveyor to say whether.it was true or not. The Town Surveyor said the cost of shifting the material to the upper portion of the town, and taking the engine off the work into Arney street was £7. The item hi the sheet was for surveying the. streets, shifting the plant, and repairing the engine, <£21 65. . - The amendment was lost, and the resolution carried by the casting vote of the Mayor. Mr Moore, before moving the postponed resolution with respect to the proposed loan, asked if any information had been received from the Bank of New Zealand. . The, Town Clerk had seen Mr Lapham, but no information had yet been received from Auckland. . . Mr Moore could not see what could be gained by further postponement. Every opportunity had been given to the Bank of New Zealand to take up. the loan, and now they ought to give the others a chance. The Mayor said his opinion was that they should now apply to all the banks, for they had not been fairly treated on this subject by the Bank of New Zealand. Mr Moore then moved the resolution for borrowing ,£SOOO for a term of seven years' on debentures. This was agreed to, and Mr Moore, by special permission, moved " That application be made to all the "banks in town, in order to ascertain upon what terms they are' prepared to negotiate the loan." This' was carried without discussion. Mr Wickes moved— : " That until a proper officer' r is appointed ; Mr Sub-, Inspector James be requested to ask one of the constables to act as Inspector of Nuisances jpro.' tern. —Carried. ; Mr Kilgour moved — "That owing to the present disadvantages of vessels loading coal at the wharf, platforms be erected a 6 suitable distances, and not longer than [ one chain long each." Mr Strike seconded the resolution; and a discussion took place as to the advisability of postponing the matter, and considering it in Committee along with the report of the Town Surveyor on the site for wharves. An amendment to; that effect was moved by Mr Wiokes and carried. ' - After a short adjournment for refreshments, at 11 p.m., the Council resumed, and, by leave, the Standing Orders were suspended. Mr Coates moved — " That this, the Religious Institute Building,' be taken over in accordance with the lease now produced ;■ also that sundry accounts due, and'the account rendered for drawing up the lease, be paid by the Borough Council." Mr Strike seconded the motion, which was carried. The tenders were opened from the cipplicants for the office of collector of wharfage rates and tonnage dues, as follows :— W. Wright, 15 per cent. ; E. Tyler, 15 per cent. ; W. Lahman, 10 per cent. ; G. W. Moss, 7£ per cent. ; J. W. Hall, 5 per cent. , Mr Strike moved— " That the tender of Mr Moss be accepted. ' ? Mr Coates seconded the motion. A discussion ensued, during which, Mr Wiokes moved an amendment — "That the tender of Mr, Hall be ac•cepted." ) The Mayor seconded ,the amendment. v. A long and very acrimonious discussion took; place, after which the amendment was carried. - , , ■ ■'■ ■■ . .17 ■■.■'■■ Mr Moore moved— "That Mr Hall be informed that he will be appointed for one month, and if found satisfactory, he could keep the appointment until discharged by order of the Council." — Carried. The Council went into Committee, in : order to consider the report of the Surveyoron the most suitable site fprwharves, on D. Maclean and Co. 's petition deferred from last meeting, and Mr Kilgour's 'motion for -the erection of coal wharves. Mr Kilgour moved—" That four oner

chain platforms for coal whavves be erected," at certain sections named. Mr Strike seconded the motion. Another long and strong personal discussion ensued, during which the Mayor and Councillor Kilgour left the room. Mr Strike was voted to the chair ; consideration of the matter was resumed, and Mr Moore moved— "That the Town Surveyor be instructed to draw out plans and specifications for the erection of five one-chain wharves" at sections mentioned. This was carried, and the Council adjourned at 2.15 ahn.