GORE TOWN BOARD.

Mataura Ensign, Volume 7, Issue 358, 20 May 1884, Page 2

GORE TOWN BOARD.

Friday, May 16th. Present— Commissioners Green (chairman), Piller, Canning, Heherr, . and Beattie. ' ' . Mr W. A. Bews, the Board's engineer, ] 1 wrote suggesting that as the drainage 1

contractor was again about to lay heavy pipes tho work should be supervised by some competent person ; he was in favor of the appointment of a man well kn own to him at a salary of hi per week. Messrs Canning and Piller were in favor of reappointing Mr Eldred, and Mr Beattie created a stot in by asserting that he had been told by very good authorities that a portion of the drain now completed had never been inspected. This statement was characterised by Messrs Piller and Canning as a base accusation against a man who was not present to defend himself, the latter asserting that both the contractor, for the work and Mr Mldred were willing that any pipe should be taken up for Mr Beattie's inspection. After a heated personal discussion, it was agreed to defer the appointment of an inspector until the following morning at 11 o'clock, before which time*' Mr Eldred and Mr Duff Ellis (who had applied by letter for the post) could be communicated with. Mr J. Neill called attention to the necessity for gravelling the foolhpath along Ardwick street from its junction with Irwell street to the school gate. It was agreed, on Mr Canning's motion, to comply with the request and also to place a temporary crossing over the creek at the junction of the footpath with the Croydon road. By letter the Secretary qf the Gore Athenaeum Committee thanked the Broard for its donation to the funds of the institution. - A petition was presented calling attention to the unsatisfactory state of the water channels _ in Mersey street. — Referred to the Engineer, Mr Canning observing that repairs were urgently heeded. Mr Piller's notice of motion that a rate of Is in the £ be struck on all rateable properties in the Town. District of Gore was postponed until compliance had been made with the statute of publishing an estimate as at 31st March, last of receipts and expenditure for the 7 year"lßß4-5. The clerk laid/. this estimate on the table : it showed probable receipts at L 1221 ,. and expenditure of L 2637. On the motion of Messrs .Canning and Piller it was adopted and ordered to be published. It was agreed that the clerk should make formal application to the Governor foran extension of time for preparing the electoral roll for the town. Mr Piller moved that gravel from the river bed and the Board's reserve near the Mataura should be supplied free. The mover pointed out that some contractors paid and others didn't, which seemed to him unfair. — Mr Canning, in seconding the motion, pointed out that the Board's .reserve was an_ y excellent place for sand, and he had read' in ' ""' that morning's EjSTSI&n thaV§and and gravel had been found to be a cure for dyspeptic and bilious people. It was— therefore desirable that there should be no restrictions placed on their.. use, but apart from thia He> •'"'•' thought that ).Jjuople in a growing" town . should be offered every "facility for getting I gravel for; concrete, which would, yet .come .-x more into favor for building purposes. — Mr '• Beattie urged that a charge should still be made for gravel removed from the reserve. Its removal near the bridge, did. no harm, but it was unwise to meddle with river banks. — The Chairman supported 'a Charge of 3d per * load being still made for gravel taken from the reserve. — The motion was withdrawn. r.y Mr Beattie moved that 'permanent levels Ihe forthwith > obtained : for ' \\v> ■ o .v n , the ..• County Engineer to be cousu'i • ; regarding the main street. — Mr Canning. ... secouding the motion, said he would lis- to see the thing done. at once, in case of any error in I_he levels, given for the ( Bank, of New Zea- , land;' The new building would be ho less than lft I lin above the present level of the footpath. — Motion, carried. . . Mr Beat/ie moved and Mr Heherr seconded that aU committees of the Gore Town Board be abolished. — Mr Piller said the Works Committee consisted of three members : Mr Can- ____ ning, Mr Beattie, and himself. Mr Beattie (J) was the most dilatory of the lot, and instead uf aLlendi'ig to his duties made accusations against the contractor for the drainage scheme -which he waa unprepared to sub* stantiatc by a practical test. As a member.. Jf of the:. Works Committee and -'therefore" aq&gal ■^ts^a^.^,cy.y^^^!^w^ ■ ■•^aa^^ajjSjpS rote one war or the other. Pes^onaliy, how- .'■-•"• ever, he did not care whether it was abolished ; or not. — Mr Canning looked upon the motion as uncalled for. He believed that its origin was due to the fact that two chimneys had been added to the Town Hall presumably , {s$ the instance of the Building Committee, ."■ , hut he would show later on that there were peculiar circumstances requiring special and "urgent treatment. ■ ' The motion ■ was a stab in the dark by a dog in the manger. Committees were essential to the proper conduct ' of ; business- — Works ' Committees ' es- .. penally — and if the Board passed Mr Beattie's motion it did not understand its duty. Members of the Works Committee had' power generally to supervise the contractor, see that he placed the proper quami tity' of cement in the drain pipes, etc., and any' member who sought to take those pow;ers away by abolishing committees was, , nothing less than a lunatic. — Mr Bealttie re-, marked upon the excitable condition of Messrs Canning and Piller, and went on to ridicule the former's assertion that' any member of the Works Committee could judge ._> as to the quantities of cement being placed in drain pipes. That required critical exa- i urination by an expert. The reason" for thfe ? " motion was that committees had .exceeded';^ their duties, which were to check abuses by reporting to the Board. In ' place of that, ; '" ' what did they find ? . That any committee ",... could authorise works without consulting the Board or calling for tenders 1 The principle of the thing was wrong. He was not fighting for any particular thing, and instead of. . ; his motion being a stab in the dark it waa as straightforward and open as the day-.. •; The Building Committee had let a coraAract. ' for chimneys at the Town Hall, and Uinless ife was of powers which eaabled it to dp this he should have nothing more to do with;it,becauseif cpntracts were tobe let without consulting the Board,what need was there for the Board meeting at all ? — Mr Canning replied that no. contracts had been let ; but before again going into the matter he would take occasion to contradict some statements; in h letter to the Ensign under the- heeui"tingr " Nuts to Crack." He had reason to feejieve: that that letter was written by tw^>> gentlemen at present in ' the ' r00m,,; SuJd' thai th& y. information it contained hftds been secured fromj the Board's boo*fcs, -However, tbat would come out by-^and-bye. Now, regarding those.twQ chimneys : Fires were greatly. ' y needed at conversaziones,' soirees, and the " like, this having been pointed out both by ratepayers and in letters to the press. The-. Building Committee saw that the work,. SE. ';>. done at all, should be done before the- halli was ."in-'snch an advanced state that greats • expense would have to be incurred.. „Theie-r,...; fore the Chairman had been consulted, ahd &, clear Imajority in favor oi th,e work obtained ? . . so th£,fc there was nothing so very extraordinary lin the whole, proceeding. — The Chairman -said it; was generally agreed that the hall : would be incomplete without;. these chimneys, He agreed with Mr Beattie that committees should generally simply recom-. mend! to the Board. ; but this case was aft exceptional one. ' It was imperative that if th* chimneys were to be erected at all they should be authorised before a meeting of. the. full Board took place. — For the motion :• Messrs ""Beattie'. arid Heherr. Against : : Messrs Can- *'•'. ning and Piller (who only recorded his vote under pressure) and- the chairman. Mr Beattie thereupon • intimated his intention of severing his connection with all committees. The Chairman said one of the conditions ©£ .:& the Town Hall contract was that the buUder- ' '"" should put up the town coat of arms,, whatever they, might be, in front of the building. — It was suggested that a motto for the gabel of the building should.be a bullock and sheep,\vith a wheaten sheaf in the centre ; but eventually the matter was allowed ta stand over. , . - In reply to Mr Canning, the Chairman) "'" said nothing had yet been done regarding the? letting of thehalL. -..;,, It was agreed on Mi Canning's motion that tenders should be invited for-seating the building, and that Mr Beattio be requested , .-. to arrange fpr suitable lighting material.

*" -;\ ',(]■; :-;f\ l^..Carming.aske.dlQrJbhe.jßse.of. the hall ,on June 10th in order that he might celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of his wedding day. — Granted unanimously. Mr Canning moved that the section on which the hall stood should be f enced~6ft close boarded at the sides, pickets in front ; also that necessary outhouses be erected. — Carried. Tenders for the foundation and gravelling ' of Denton street were opened,' that of R. Rusha (L 9)' being accepted. In'r'eply to Mr Piller the clerk intimated that no reply had yet been received to the .Board's application for an additional constable for Gore. Inspector Buckley, while sending the request on to the proper quarter, failed to see that it should be granted,because the town had now a very efficient officer in Constable Fretwell, who need not leave Gore unless the Mataura man came up. If the Mataura man could not come, Inspector Buckley would send one from Invercargill. The following accounts were passed for payment : — Eldred and Johnston, L2OO ; W. W. White, L 52 6s 3d ; Hunter/JLIOO ; Black and Christie, L 42 6s 9d '; Leen and Co., L 22 13s 6d ; Town Clerk, sundries, L 5. The Board then adjourned till 11 a.m. on Saturday. - ■- Saturday, May 17. Present — A full Board; Commissioner Green in the chair. Three applications were received for the po'st'of inspector of the drainage works, the Board's choice falling on Mr Duff Ellis, who agreed to do the work for a lump sum of L 7 lOs— considerably the lowest offer. Monday, May 19. • Present— Commissioners Green(chairman), Canning and Beattie. It was agreed that Mr Beattie should purchase necessary chandeliers, lamps, and footlights for the hall from R. S. M'Vickar, Dunedin, who had offered to supply them at a cheap rate. It was further agreed that tenders should be caHeidfor 14 backed and 20 plain seats for seating the building,contractors to submit designs along with prices. The drawing of specifications for fencing, closets, urinal, etc., was entrusted to Mr Canning,;.apd ■-;.-.■ 5 THe Board adjourned till Thursday at 7 P- m - yrSy'rrr i "■ '. • "" <■ •■