BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Kumara Times, Issue 1071, 6 March 1880, Page 2

BOROUGH COUNCIL.

♦ The Usual fortnightly meeting of the Borough Council was held at the Town Hall on Thursday evening, last serit—His Worship the Mayor (in the chair), Councillors, Seddon, Blafce, Boh lock, O’Hagan, Campbell Fitzsioions) Home, Hanna,.and BearsdU. The minutes of the lash meeting WeW read and confirmed.: The outward correspondence read and approved of* and the inward read and raceivd&;, ’ , " ‘With rieference' 16 a. letter received from the acting Coroner forwarding the rider attached W the verdict of .the jury in the late sad accident Uy drowning in Third : street, Cr. Campbell moved "That the' Town Clerk bring up a report at the next meeting, oh the various dangerous holes in the borough;” ! • ' ' .' Cr. Sedddh suggested! that as the Education Board disputed their rights to certain Streets, it would he better for the Coudbil to first . ascertain what streets Were legally Vested in the com trol of the borough and moved ** That the Town Clerk write' to the acting Coroner, and inform him that the holes are on the street® over which the Council has no control, and that they Were made by the Board of Education.” Cr. Campbell accepted the suggestion and the motion was carried. Cr. O’Hagan Wanted tQ .knqw if the Cduneil had taken any steps to get the Control of the streets in dispute from the Education Commissioners since the recent decision given relative thereto in the Magistrate’s Court. The Town Clerk said no, official steps had been taken in the matter. The appointment of Mr. R. J; Seddon as a delegate from the Arabura Road Board to attend the Conference on the Hospitals and Charitable Aid BUI dan ing the present month was ordered to be acknowledged; The report of the hye-laWa Committee was read, received) and adopted. The following report on the drainage of the town by the borough engineer was read and received ; Report op thr Borough ENditfaEfe rb Drainage; I have to report that the drainage of the sections fronting on Seddon street cannot be much longer delayed without great risk to the health of the borough. There being no drainage froin the sections on the south side of the street except into the water-table of the Street, the ground is saturated with the slops from the houses) and is in a very foul state. As it will be absolutely necessary to make a drain at the back of these sections, .1 would suggest that -the School Comndssiohers be requested td reserve th(j sections at the back of those fronting" oh the street, for a right-of-way and for drainage purposes ; in which case a drain could be cut to discharge into Quinn’s Creek. If this is not done, it will be necessary for the Board of Health to take action in the matter, and compel all parties, including the School Commissioners, Id drain their sections. I Jambs Wylde, Borough Engineer. 4th March, 1880. Cr. Seddon thought they might

Tnodify the report by asking the School .'Commissioners to reserve them some portion of the sections required for ‘drainage purposes without specifying any particular extent, Which, the Council coinciding with, 4 resolution was passed to that effect and the report 'adopted with the amendment. Cr. Pollock moved “That the following resolution, passed at the meeting of the Council on the sth instant, be revoked: ‘That at the termination ‘of the present contract for the supply of gravel, tbe maintenance of all roads 'and streets within the borough be let by contract for the term of one year.’ ” Cr. Hanna seconed the motion, and in so doing skid he considered they Vere working the maintenance of the streets as economically as they could, . und he thought ‘they would cost far Moore if maintained by tender. In replying to a request of Ca Pollock, tbe Town Clerk read a memorandum he had prepared at tbe suggestion ■of Councillor Pollock, shewing the duties of the present day-labor' man. Cr. o‘Hagan expressed surprise that such a resolution should haVO been 'tabled without due notice, as h'O hud "only heard Of it that eVening. He that the moVeT of the resolution should have said something in its favor; and, as for the memorandum they had heard read, certainly it was a Voluminous document, hut it only enumerated a number of duties tbe daylabor man was credited with performing, which could be hardly called duties at till. He failed to. see any reason why the resolution Whs brought forward, as nothing had been said either by its proposer or seconder in support of their taction ih the matter. When the ten-- : 'der| for the maintenance of the streets wore called for, tbe Council, if they could not see their way financially Vicar, were not bound to accept any of them. It was the duty of the Council to carry out the Works in the Borough in the most economical manner, and with this object in view they intended to ascertain whether it could be dotte cheaper by con tract. He believed the resolution passed at the last .meeting was a step in- the Tight direction, an'd be trusted the good sense vf the Council wbnld prevail in this instance in spite of the resolution now brottght before them to revoke the previous action. As be learned tbqt a number of tfie streets were not,legally vested ini the borough, this was. all, ; the - better for the Council as they would have less to maintain. He should ■Btrongly bppose the resolution. The Town Clerk explained, by leave Of the Mayor, that be bad duly posted a notice to Cr. O’Hagan of the resolution before the meeting. Cr. Seddon had asked Cr. O’Hagan at a previous meeting to adjourn the Question of the inaintanance of the streets by 'Contract until there Was & full meeting of tbe. Council present. [Or. O’Hagan: “ No.”] He always respected the action of a majority of the Council, but still he was unavoidably absent from the last meeting, as was also, another fconhciltei', and he did not consider there Was a Tull meeting of the Council on that occasion. He felt a great delicacy in speaking ott this subject, ns one of tbe persons .most in- 5 forested in the issue was on relative, of his (Cr. Seddon’s), but at the same time he sank all personal motives when arguing & matter on principle ahd in the interests of the ratepayers. It was well known that the engineers of Westland had found out this maintenance by contract was a great mistake, as no Specification could be made so' complete as, to bind the contractor down to the genuine performance of his wdrk. TKe Westland County Council had adopted the system of putting good day-laboV men on the reads, and they found it far more successfully than letting the wOvk by contract. lie did not think it right of the Council to ask the people to tender, and then not ac-' cept Any of the tenders. He believed the maintenance 'contract of the borough streets should not exceed £l5O per annum, as he considered there was only Main and Seddon streets to be looked after. The Council had no right to let streets and toads by contract When they might any day be told by the contractor that the street or road was not legally vested in tbe Council. What was there to L'e done, he would ask them as practical men, now the streets were completed.! He hare argued the same way had he present at the last meeting, as he thought it was a subject that required discussion. He would ask them to rescind the previous resolution and let matters remain in stato quo; It was the gravel contract that got the Council into financial difficulties, not the clerk’s and day-labor man’s salaries. His argument -was always “ strike ftt the roots” in" financial reform, but not at the branches, as £2 or £3 a week Would not make or

break the Council. He trusted they would support Cr. Pollock’s resolution, and rescind the one passed at the last meeting. Cr. Blake thought that the resolution passed at the previous meeting was to call for tenders, so that the Council Would be enabled lo arrive at ah estimate of the probable cost of the maintenance of the streets by contract. He was glad to see they had such a good debating society present, and the ratepayers would not require to look far for men in future who could make themselves heard. Documents had been brought forward in support of the resolution now before them of a most voluminous nature, which, if sent to Wellington, would be at once-identified 1 as coming from the same place as the ; railway petition. Cr. Seddoii had made a long speech-, and the whole pith of it was in the end that the gravel contract had Cost the Council a large amount of raontey. : • H’e should strongly support Cr. O’Hagan’s opinidil; Cr. Campbell, after making a quotation from some favorite poet, said that there had been a discussion about little or nothing. He thought that the mover of any resolution, especially one like the present, should have something to say in support of it; but Cr. Pollock bad dot said One wofd. The idea was abroad among the ratepayers that the streets could be maintained at a 'cheaper rate, and although he (the speaker) did not think so, still he should vote for the resolution to see if the result Would be beneficial to the interests of tbe ratepayers generally: He considered the time had not arrived for the Council to go into the merits of the question .> when the tenders were called for and came undeT discussion would be time for that. They would hold themselves up to the ridicule of everyone if they now stultified their previous actions by rescinding the resolution they had as a Council already passed. Cr. Hanna rose lo speak, but was ruled out of order by the Mayor, on the objection of Ca Campbell. Cr. Seddon would see no councillor’s mouth gagged, and moved the adjournment of the debate in some lengthy and pointed remarks. Ca Campbell seconded the adjournment, pro foim, to be enabled to repiy. Crl Hanna supported „ the adjournment j and again spoke. Cr. O’Hagan entered into an explanation relative to some personal remarks made by Cr. Seddon. Cr. Seddoh asked and obtained leave to withdraw his resolution, to adjourn the debate, and, [amid cries of “ Hear, Hear,”] said he should, if the motion was' negatived, Vote fob the lowest tender, no matter what price (if any) were called for by the Council. This he would do on principle. Tbe resolution was then put and the Chairman declared in favor of the nb&i when a division was called fbr With the following Result I—Ayes: Councillors Hanna, Seddon, Pollock, Pearson Hothe, Noes ; Councillors Campbell, P6arn,Pitxsimons, Blake, O’Hagan. The Mayor gave his casting Vote With the noes, and the motion was negatived. Cr. Campbell moved that the Town Surveyor be instructed to ascertain what streets are legally under the control of the borough, and to report thereon at the next meeting. Cr. Hanua seconded . the motion, which was carried. The Committee appointed at a previous meeting were empowered to take the necessary steps for tbe reception of the Hon. the Minister of Public Works, who is expected in Kumara next wOUk. Cr. Seddon, before the Council adjourned, wished to state that he considered it most unfair of the ex-presi-dent of the Hospital Committee to state, as he did at a public meeting at Dillman’s Town, that the Hospital had received no su baity from the Borough Council, as Mr M'Kenric knew the money Was voted, and immediately the Council were in funds it would be paid. Cr. O’Hagan held that the Hospital Committee were entitled to receive the £SO voted. The Council had promised it, certainly; but promises would not meet the liabilities of the institution,, and he considered Mr M'Keorie was not far wrong in his statement. Cr. Hanna considered the statement a most uncourteous one, on the part of Mr M'Kenzie and he (the speaker) thought that the Hospital Committee could not reasonably expect to receive a subsidy of more than £SO per annum out of the Council funds. Cr. Campbell was well aware the money had been voted, attd it was time it was paid ; blit it was from no ladk of sympathy With the institution that such had been the case, and he knew Mr M‘Kenzte had no reason to make such a statement, as he (the speaker) had informed him the subsidy would be shortly paid previous to the

public meeting in question taking place. The subject then dropped, and the Council adjourned for, a fortnight.