BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Kumara Times, Issue 3129, 13 November 1886, Page 3

BOROUGH COUNCIL.

The ordinary meeting of the Borough Council was held in the Town Hall on Thursday evening; preseut—His Worship the Mayor (H. Burger, Esq.), Councillors Anderson, Fitzsimons, Jorgensen, Maloney, Ziegier, and Olden. The minutes of the previous meetiD" were read and confirmed. CORRESPONDENCE. The outward correspondence was read and approved of. The inward correspondence was read and received, and considered. Letter from S. M. Spiers, calling the attention of the Council to the state of the footpath at his premises in Alain street.—Referred to the Public Works Committee, with power to net.

Letter from R. J. Seddon and others bringing under the notice of the Council the absolute necessity for a drain to take the water from the south to the porth side of Upper Seddon . street,

Owing to the drain being blocked the health of the people in the locality is endangeied.—Referred tu the Public Works Committee, with power to act. Letter from Louis mhl Herring re progress payment on conttac .—On the motion of the May ir, seconded by Cr. Filzsimons, the sum of .£l6 10s was passed for payment to Louis and Herring. Letter from Mr W. Wells, requesting the. Counci' to make an approach to his dwelling in Seddon street, which at present was in a deplorable state. —Referred to the Public Works Committee to report. BOUNDARY ROAD. Letter from Mr E. Rogers, Inspector, as follows: To THE KUMARA BOROUGH CoUJsX'IL. Mr Mayor and Councillors.—l beg leave to report on the Kumara Boundary Road Contract. This work has been carried on very slow ; there has been very little progress made for the last month. I doubt very much if Mr Spyer would complete this work in the next six months, if he is not compelled to do so. I would recommend your Council to write to Mr Spyer, and request him to employ three more men on this work until it is finished, and to have them on the work in three days from the date of your letter. Failing to do this, that the Council will employ men to complete the work and pay them with the contract money; or will strictly enforce the fine which binds the contractor to complete the contract at a given date. I have, &c, Edmund Rogers, Superintendent Boundary Road Contract. Kumara, November 11, 1886. Cr. Killeen stated that there was not much progress being made with the work. Cr. Ziegier aaked when the contract time was up? The Mayor replied that the time was up on the. 7th iust., and moved—- " That the letter be referred to the Public Works Committee, with power to act." The motion was seconded by Cr. Maloney. Cr. Ziegier moved as an amendment—" That the contractor be written to to put on more men, and be allowed a fortnight to finish the contract; otherwise the Council would finish the work at the expense of the contractor." Cr. Jorgeusen seconded the amendment. Cr. Olden testified to the fact of there being no headway made with the work. The Mayor, with leave of seconder, withdrew his motion, in favour of the amendment. The amendment was agreed to and carried, and then made, the substantive motion, and carried. MAIN-STREET TANK WATER SUPPLY. The Town Clerk read the Report of a Committee of the whole Council (at which all tiie councillors were present axcept Cr. M'llroy) relative to Mr Home's claim for right of watercourse through his section as fo'lows:—"The Committee beg to report that, having inspected the ground, they recommend that no compensation be granted for allowing the water to go through the sections at back of Main and Seddon streets, and that the recommendation of the Committee be adhered to." On the motion of the Mayor, seconded by Cr. Jorgenson, the report was received, and it was resolved that the recommendation of the Committee on the 2Sth October be adopted. FINANCE REPORT. The Town Clerk then read the Finance Committee's Report, which tecomniended—1. "That the accounts, to the amount of £6O 10s lOd be passed for payment. 2. "That the Mayor's salary be fixed at £SO for the ensuing year. 3. "That the Loans to Local Bodies Act, 1886, be not adopted for the present." The report was received and considered. Clauses 1 and 3 were adopted as read. SALARY TO MAYOR. Cr. Anderson moved—" That the sum of £SO be paid as salary to the Mayor for tlte ensuing year." " Cr. ZiegW seconded the motion. He thought the salary now paid was little enoti'.'l). The Mayor thought whoever held the chVr was entitled to that amount. Other councillors expressed thenl- - to the same efFect. The motion was carried on the voices. MAYOR AT COMMITTEES. Cr. Jor«en*en moved—" That f he resolution of the Conr-cil on the "21 -• t Sep'f|.|!«ei', 1883, so far v.* i f , rproint'-d tlie Mayor to bn an ex officio member of all commit tees, be now rescinded." He thought this resolution gave the Mayor work whic': the Act never Hitended. Cr. Maloney seconded t.h« motion. Most of the committees, t!io Mayor in-

cluded, formed one-half or even a majority of the members of the Council, and the evil was in committees having too much power in the Council, inasmuch as whatever a unanimous committee might do, their recommendations to the Council were a foregone conclusion. He thought this should not be the case. The Mayor remarked that he must say it would be a great saving to the time and work of the Mayor to be relieved from attending the various committees. He believed there was a record that all standing committees were discharged. However, he agreed with the principle cf the Mayor attending all committees. Cr. Olden thought the Mayor had a right to sit on every committee. Cr. Fitzsimons thought that the Mayor, by being on the committee, could make himself more familiar with the business of the Council which in his official capacity it was advisable he should be.

Cr. Killeen expressed himself to the same effect.

For continuation, see last page.

Cr. Zippier agreed with Cr. Maloney, bul argued as a reason that the Mayor should be a committee-man ex officio, that then; was often a difficulty in getting a quorum at committee m«ntiugH. Or. Jorgeiiscn replied urging that the committees weie too large. The motion was lost on the voices. TENDERS. On the motion of the Mayor, the Council adjourned for twenty minutes for the consideration of tenders, with leave to sit again. On resuming, The Town Clerk read the Report of the Committee of tin* whole Council on tend'Ms -(-reived for felling timber on the Borough Reserve. It was resolved that the tender of Lewis Morgan, being the lowest, be accepted. The Council then adjourned.