LOWER HUTT BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Hutt News, Volume 2, Issue 27, 28 November 1929, Page 7

LOWER HUTT BOROUGH COUNCIL.

The fortnightliy meeting of the Lower Hutt Borough . Cpuncil on. Monday evening. Present: Sir A. F. Roberts, (Mayor), and Councillors A. Mcßain, W. Gr. Meldruni, J. R. Boyd A. E.. Carver, F. Campbell, j. Mitchell, A. G-rierson and X. j. Hobbs.

The Mayor (Sir A. F. Roberts) was appointed the Council's representative pn. the City and. Suburban, Highways'

Board. The present Board expires on November 30th.

The Railway Department' asked that if the Department should cut a drain f rom,/Randwick Road to the river ■would £he Council be willing to lease the strip o£ land, maintain the flooding etc and drain and also accept all liability for future maintenance. The rental to be a peppercorn one. The drain, will relieve the Jftpoding of Randwick Crescent and land 6n the' north, of the railway line. " The Council agreed to the request. . The Lower Hutt Municipal Band was granted t x jei>inission to give occasional concerts in Riddiford Park on. ■Sunday afternoons. • "•'-. - ■ . , Pursuant to notice .Gr. Grierson moved that the permission. ' given to establish a shopping" area at the corner of Norton Park- Avenue and Waiwetu Road be rescinded. .The- motion was carried .on the casting vote of the Mayor, j .The following report by the Finance and Estate Committee was adopted Cr Campbell severely criticising the" officer, responsible for the failure to earmark the amount of £250 mentioned in clause 1. Cf. Campbell also criticised the failure to estimate the extra expenditure on the bridge. The Engineer explained that the present officers were not on the Council staff when the bridge was commenced. ■ v . '

Expenditure on Moera Reserve: ,It was reported to the Committee that, expenditure on the equipment in. the Mdera playing area, which, at the end" of October amounted to £243 13s 4d has in the monthly statement, been included in^ the expenditure of the Seenie Reserves Department. The actual position is that the sum of- £250 --for-the equipment &f~^ Children's Playground was donated last financial year and has been spent this year, and unfortunately no provision was made on tlie current year's estimates for the expenditure. Your - Committee' desires to place the above facts before Council, and to point out that the cost of this work has jiow been separately charged and shown as an over-expei*di-ture unprovided for;

Loan Expenditure: Your Committee has to report- that the Works Committee has advised that the" funds provided for loan works has been insufficient' fcr the reasons set out below.

(a) Bridge Loan: Originally 69000 was provided in two loans, one of £6000 and one. of £2000, *for the Borough's share of. the cost of; this work. Certain

charges which have not been estimated for and could not. have been foreseen, such ns> Surveyor's and Engineer 7s fees, legal expenses'and advertising paid additional eofct of paving will have to be pi*ovided for. ""

(bji £70.00 Sewerage Loan: Over-ex-penditure on this, loan, amounts to £1720 and is accounted for by the fact that the estimates were bas^d-on "the work being carried putin summer time whereas it was . actually carried * out in the winter and to a considerable extent with unemployed 'labour. .Tbfoughout the whole length of the Kings road sewer considerable trouble was experienced not only with heavy water but with the soil itself. Even though the trenches were 'close timbered the surrounding . soil cayed in for several feef outside the trench, "disturbing the adjacent gas nlain and connections and destroying parts of the footwalk. The replacement of the gas-main alone cost well over £100. Trouble was also- experienced at Rossiter Avenue both with ' the lifting sstation and the sewers. The water metwith here was excessive, the subsoil and foundations was essential whilst wet weather the caving in of trenches on several occasions, necessitating re: placement'of "fences ..■"and hedges which fell in. The big earthquake caught us with, no bottom in the lifting station and the violent oscillations caused con-

siderable damage to it, and it has subsequently been found that due -to this

shake a considerable length of sewer in Roseiter Atenue' has been upheaved nearly, a foot, necessitating relaying.

(c) £3220 Borough Improvement Loan: Certain sewerage work done out of this loan, viz Waterloo, Road and Witako Street were also carried out under great disabilities owing to underground water and timber. The reduction <of tWe crown in. Main Street also cost considerably more than was estimated owing to the excessively boggy nature of the sub-soil which had to be removed and entirely replaced with rock.

Your. Committee therefore recommend (that steps- be taken to' raise in the ease of (a) £950;; (b) £1720. •

. (c) Thi£ is a 10 per cent loan of the £42.000 Borough Improvement Loan and while it is doubtful if the Loans Board will- sanction the-raising of further money under this heading' it is suggested that--the possibility-^of—get-ting an additional loan should be investigated.

Renovations to Buildings: Your Committee lias authorised renovations to the operating room of fixe Dental .Clinic at ft eosfc of £9 15s and renovations at the Pi re Station to the extent of £12. -

The Parks. Comniittee reported that soil was disappearing from the Moera Reserve. Tlie police had been notified. It was decided to-; aus^ the Moera^Community League to • keep .an eye on

the reserve

Mr E. Hunt and Mr H. E. Edwards v.ere congratulated on their "exhibit at the Flower Show.