PAEROA BOROUGH.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIX, Issue 5288, 18 June 1928, Page 2

PAEROA BOROUGH.

MONTHLY COUNCIL MEETING. ROUTINE BUSINESS. The monthly meeting of tire Paeroa Borough Council was held last Thursday night, His Worship the Mayor (Mr W. Marshall) presiding over Crs. E. Edwards, P. E. Brenan, F. E. Flatt, H. J. Hare, J. W. Silcock, W. Turner, and’ the town clerk (Mr W. C. Alexander). HIRE OF PLANT. The resident engineer of the Public Works Department forwarded a circular issued by the. Main Highways Board and indicating the method to be used in arriving at charges to be made when borough plant was being used in connection with maintenance or, construction work subsidised out of the main highway funds. The council was asked to adopt the method when assessing charges in connection with claims rendered for maintenance of the highway through the borough. The letter was received and referred to the Mayor. COST OF RAILWAY CROSSINGS. A letter was received from the district engineer, N.Z. Railways, acknowledging receipt of an account for £Bl Ils Bd, being the cost of bituminising railway crossings in. the borough. The engineer pointed out that in October last, when the council submitted an estimate for the work, authority. to expend the money was declined by the department, but in February of til's year, when the matter was again brought under his notice, ,an endeavour was made to obtain authority, but only the work unfinished at Belmont Road crossing, at the estimated cost of £4,0, was approved. He regretted that he had no authority to pay more than the £4O, which would be handed over on receipt of an amended account.

The Mayor said he had hoped that t.he £BO would have been paid- In his opinion the department ihad been rather petty over the matter, especially tj.s it got the benefit of the council’s road; The matter could be referred to the Minister, of Railways, but he doubted if it was worth while. The council had received the £4O, which was better than nothing. Cr. Brenan said that ’in view of what the council had already received the matter migjit be dropped. DUMPING OF METAL.

The following letter was received from Mr J. H. Mclntyre, Hill Street : “I received your letter after last meeting with reference to the metal dumped in- front of my gate and conveying the information that when the weather was favourable the metal would be made use of. A® you are probably aware, the weather has beeii remarkably fine for th’s time of the year, yet.. the metal still, remains where it has been for the past seven or eight weeks. Your letter states ‘that the inconvenience is hot as great as to warrant the expenditure'of ratepayers’ money in. having it removed.’ Who is the judge of the inconvenience ?’ Certainly not the Borough Council. ■lf any member had- ta.ken the trouble to visit the obstruction he would certainly have njoticezi that it would not have driven the council into bankruptcy to have given some measure of relief, especially, when it ’s the ratepayer who has to find the money a,nd who has also to put up with the inconvenience. Furthermore, since the council seems so zealous of the ratepayers’ money, what is going to be the position, if someone happens to meet with an accident through this unlighted obstruction. Will it have to be the ratepayers’ money which will foot the bill- ?

“I was not given .any reason why the metal was dumped in front of my gate, and the only conclusion that I can arrive at is that little consideration is shonn the ratepayers, and there I'as been some first.ra.te muddling by those responsible for having metal dumped there. I clai’m what every ratepayer should be entitled to—access from iny gateway to the road, especially when the footpath and the side of the roa,d is in the condition that it is.” The letter ivas received without comment. PERMIT FOR SHED. A local solicitor, writing on behalf of a client, applied for a permit to erect a small- shed for fish-curing pur. poses; in Bemont Roa,d. The proposed building would be 12ft by 6ft, and situated inside the brick area, on the extreme south-western end of the section. The estimated cost was £5, and plans and specifications were attached to the application. The Mayor said that the- application opened up two phases : Firstly, whether’ such a building would be approved of by the health inspector ; and, secondly, it meant a wooden building inside the brick area, it was necessary to keep in view that the back of several of the premises in Belmont Road frequently caused' visitors to adversely comment on them. They were old buildings, but the council should see that they were kept in as good order as possible. Cr. Turner said that layge nlumbers of old fish boxes were scattered about the rear, of the premises, and that added to the general untidiness of the place. It wa.s decided to refer the matter to the health and building committees to look into and submit a report for the July meeting. HOSPITAL LEVY. The Thames Hospital Board forwarded a statement of the estimated revenue and expenditure for the year 1928 29 and advised! that the contrL butioh required from the council amounted to £549 19s Bd, payable by quarterly instalments. The Mayor said that the levy was slightly less, than that of last year, aikl also -less than the amount originally estimated.