BOROUGH COUNCIL.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 340, 25 February 1911, Page 5

BOROUGH COUNCIL.

SPECIAL MEETING. A special meeting of Te Kuiti Borough Council was held last night at the Council Chambers. Present— His Worship the Mayor (Mr Jas. Boddie), and Crs Lusk, Julian, Hardy, Stevens, Young and Hetet. Loan Debentures, —The full amount having been duly received (±'27,275) the Mayor moved and Cr Steven.- 3 seconded that the debentures be signed hy the Mayor and Town Clerk and duly sealed —Carried. Aharoa Road —Tne Mayor said that sevreal applications had been made to the Borough Council to complete the Government road between Te Kuiti No. 2b and the bridge. He had visited the site that day with the Borough engineer, to see which was the best way to deal with it, but they found it a difficult matter to decide. It would have to be carefully gone into. Two or three routes offered themselves. He thought it would be best to leave the matter in the hands of the Works Committee and the engineer. It was very desirable that whatever route was decided upon the sooner it was doue the better. The making of the Government road was going on and the three-mile point would soon be reached. People were building and it was necessary for the Borough to give them access to the town.

Crs Lusk and Young moved that the mattter of connecting Aharoa road with the Borough be left in the hands of the W 7 orks Committee and the engineer.—Carried. Borough Sites.—The Mayor said that the Finance Committee recommended that Messrs Gillanders' and Weir's land be acquired as proposed and that steps be taken under the Public Works Act to acquire ten acres of land at Te Kumi for general borough purposes and the site upon which the pound stands, and that it be left to the Committee and the borough engineer to negotiate for the gravel reserve and the deviation of the river land.

Cr Lusk moved the adoption of the recommendations. Cr Stevens seconded.—Carried.

Borough Offices. - -The Mayor said there were a couple of rooms downstairs which would be more convenient for the genera! public to come to and would allow the Town Clerk to keep his papers together. They ought to be able to get the extra room for a very few shillings a week.

Crs Julian and Young moved that application be made to the Lands Department. —Carried. £2OO Loan.--The Mayor and Cr Lusk moved that application be made to the Treasury, asking it to authorise the County Council to hand the money over to the Borough. —Carried.

Passenger Carriage on Goods Trains. —The Mayor moved that support be given to the request of the people of the district for application to be made to have a passenger carriage attached to the morning and evening goods train between Frankton and Te Kuiti.

Every now and again, said the Mayor, great hardship was occasioned by the refusal to let passengers travel on tlie goods train. Nothing but persistent agitation would get it. If only between Frankton and Te Kuiti, it would not be so bad, but he saw no reason why carriages should not be attached to go to Taumarunui. Cr Stevens seconded.—Carried. Metalling Plant.—The borough engineer said ha had hnd difficulty in getting gravel. There not as much in the river as was thought. He suggested getting a plant of their own for crushing metal and while they were at it, to get a road roller. When the Borough loan was spent they would find the plant would cost them nothing, because they would have saved it and would be getting better roads. The cost of a complete f)lant would be £ISOO. They might get a second-hand roller, but it would be difficult to get a crusher. The Mayor asked what streets he proposed to metal at an early date.—The engineer said he proposed to do Carroll street first. All the heavy traffic to the railway station would use it. lie proposed to put live or six inches of limestone on it and two or three inches of gravel on top, which would make it a first-class road.

The Mayor said if they could show a saving of £SOO to the ratepayers they would be justified in getting a plant. Discussion then ensued as to what the saving would be, and after careful calculations had been made it was estimated as anything from £SOO to £IOOO.

Cr Lusk said he had heard much discussion on the way the roads were to be made, and if they got a road roller they would have first-class roads.

Cr Young said they should get the cost of production from private enterprise and if it could be done at a fair price to let it have the opportunity. The Mayor agreed. He did not believe in rushing in blindly, but that didn't cover the road roller. If they had the inetal and the plant they would find they finished up with getting the machinery at a very trilling cost. They could then either seU it, or keep it for use and lease to other local bodies. They were all agreed that it was unnecessary to raise an additional loan as the plant could not be bought out of the present loan monies. The engineer could make enquiries and then if not satisfactory they could go 0:1 with their own proposals. Crs Lusk and Stevens moved that failing a satisfactory tender for doing the work being obtained SLeps be taken to acquire a crusher and roller. —Carried. _ _ Accommodation for Vvoikmen.' Cr Young raised the question of accommodation for the borough workmen, who found it difficult to get quarters. —lt was left to the engineer and the chairman of the Works Com~ mittee to sse the men and 3llot 3 site.

New Loan. —It was decided to go forward with the £3OOO loan, dividing it into £2500 for lighting and £SOO for fire brigade building and land purposes. Gasworks Site. —The Mayur and Cr Lusk moved that the works committee make enquiry and report as to a suitable site.—Carried.