Foxton Borough Council.

Manawatu Herald, 16 December 1897, Page 3

Foxton Borough Council.

INSTALLATION OP MAYOB. Last night the Town Clerk took fIU chair at the Council meeting whilst he read the corresjlondenc'e relating to the re-election of the Mayor. Tbe Clerk then called upon the Mayor to sign the usual declaration. Before leaving tbe chair Mr Gibson congratulated the Mayor on his re-election and expressed a hope that the business of the Council would be conducted as pleasantly in the future as it had been in the past. On the Mayor taking his seat he made the following statement :— Foxton, December 15th, 1897. To the Foxton Borough Council, Qbhtlemen,— In taking offioe for the second time as , Mayor I wish to make the following state* < mint along with figures to back it up : — When I took office last year, in my address I pointed out that the late Mayor, G. Nye, Esq., had pledged the Council to four contracts, the Lady's Mile, part of Norbiton Road, Cemetery Road, and past Mr Nye's gate on No. 3 Line. The following was ihe estimated cost adopted on May 4th, 1896 :- ESTIMATED COST. £ s. d. Lady'BMile .. .. 57 10 0 Norbiton Road . . . . 36 15 0 Cemetery Road 32 0 0 No. 2 Line .. .. 66 10 0 Total .. .. 182 15 0 ACTUAL COST. Lady'i Mile -294yds metal at 5s 3d .. .. 77 3 6 Norbiton Road — 12 chains for. mationatSs, £3; 171 yds metal at Ss lid, £33 9s 56 9 0 Cemetery Road . . . . 113 13 6 No. 2 Line . . . . 57 18 6 Total .. .. 285 4 5 In addition — 1060 yds metal at 6d .. 26 10 0 258 yds clay at 4d .. 4 6 0 Day labour about .. 15 0 0 Grand total . . 331 0 5 You will see that the actual cost was nearly double what the estimate was as signed by G. Nye, Esq., in 1896. By the balance-sheets of Maroh 31st, 1896, the Council bad a credit at Bnk and cash in hand of £397 16s Bd, against £50 Is lOd of balance-sheet Match 81st, 1897. My reason for making the above statement is that the ratepayers (or some of them) had an impression that we had expended the whole of our revenue on road maintenance- as shown in balance sheet of 1897, whereas the Council had. paid £331 'Oa £d for the above four contracts that were let just previous to my taking office, and our iatea for the year were £380 Is sd, thus leaving the large margin of about £50 Daring the last Mayoral year tbe Council has secured some good material for the footpaths, also good road metal, both articles at a price that was never anticipated, in fact was said could not be got at the price. The cost for tht year for the footpaths metal was £26 19s 6d, including carting from tha railway trucks to where required. The Council during the same period converted the Reserve No 466 into a park, and owing to it being the Record Reign celebration of Her Most Gracious Majesty's glorious reign of 60 years named it Victoria Park, and opened it in conjunction with the School Committee by giving the children Sporis, by which the School Committee derived a nice addiiion to their finances (olose on £16.) The Mayor, Mayoress, Councillors. Town Clerk, Chairman Sohool Committee, Mrs Thynne and | the Rev. Young all planted trees to commemorate the event. The Park has a fine Bicycle Track in it, about a dozen seats placed under the trees, and a 2 roomed shed which is very useful. The Counoil also erected a fence on the road by the Wirokino Main Drain, a work thtt was badly required, as it was a very dangerous place in time of floods, and am r happy to say that it has stood the test lince being erected. The Council have petitioned the Government to get 2000 aores of the Motoa Estate swamp reserved for flax cutting purposes, and have sent a petition with applicants to lease the whole of it at 5 per cent and £2 per acre valuation. Tha Council have got a report from the Government engineer re bridge site, and it is in favour of tht Wirokino being the best ; since then the Council have applied to the Government for £ for £ subsidy to enab a them, with the local bodies interested, to erect a bridge over the Maaawatn River at the spot above named at a cost of under £6000 according to engineer's estimate. The Council have also applied through J. Stevens, Esq., M.H R., to the Government to allow Mr Wilson to prepare plans and specifications for said work, the local bodies interested not having a bridge engineer in their employ. In conclusion allow me to thank the past and present Councillors for the cordial und friendly way in which they have Assisted me to conduct the business of the Council, and hoping the same feeling will •orevail during the coming year. Also the Town Clerk for the assistance he has given me on various occasions. I remain, Your obedient Bervant, J. R. Stanbell, Mayor. Tha Mayor explained that he made this statement so as to put the Council's actions fairly before the public. Cr Westwood congratulated the Mayor on his re election and said he believed he was voicing tbe feeling of the other Councillors. He hoped the good feeling would be continued He noticed with pleasure in the statement made by the Mayor that the rates had all been used in new works, which he had not been aware of. He regretted not seeing any appropriation in parliament for the Wirokino Bridge. Tbe Mayor thanked Cr Westwood and Councillors for their good wishes. He paid he had that day wired re the Wirokino Bridge to Mr Stevens, and had received the following telegram : — " How was it possible to vote money for which no official application has been made by local bodies concerned, the Wirokino proposed bridge is I un-

derstand to be included amongst bridges to be dealt with under the "Government Emergency Loans to LoCal Bodies Act." Councillors would flee fflore about the bridge When the other Correspondence was read; ORDINARY JJE^Tifctt. Present— Crs Hennessy, Coley, Rhodes, Fraser, Walsh and Westwood. The adjourned meeting was then opened and the following correspond dence was read : — From A. S. Easton, refusing to purchase old road on condition named. From John Stevens, M.H.R.: "In reply to you* question as contained in your letter of the 27th ihst. respecting the subsidy for the proposed bridge to be erected over the Mamzwatu River, I beg to say that I am of opinion that the local bodies interested should have" plans and specifications prepared and submitted for the approval of the En-gineer-in Chief ; Ido not believe there should be the slightest apprehension as to the subsidy, as the Minister promised to recommend Cabinet to sanc^ tiort the expenditure of the required amount" From W. J. Brown (librarian): "I wish to draw your attention to the fact that ratepayers and others are continually complaining to me that they can't find the Town Clerk in his office, and wanting to know what his hours of at« tendance are, and I am unable to tell them. I have repeatedly had to send them to his house and workshop, times without number. They have often lost hours coming and going three or four times." The Mayor said the Councillors had all particulars now about the bridge. He understood that a formal application had been made to the Government by the deputation that went to Wellington and interviewed the Ministers. He had asked Mr Stevens to get ihe government engineers to make plans and specifications. Cr Westwood proposed and Cr Coley seconded, That the Mayor correspond with J. Stevens, Esq , M.H.R. for the district, in reference to the bridge question. Carried. In reply to the complaint made in Mr Brown's letter, Mr Gibson said he was surprised at his having written it. He had been away at time 3 but had never neglected his work. He thought the letter showed the spirit in which it was written. He thought Councillors would know that he bad never been away times without number. He had not always to be at the office, he had only to attend twice a week. Mr Brown wa9 called in. The Council then went into committee. The Council after a discussion resumed its sittings. Proposed by Cr Ehodes, seconded by Cr Fraser, That this Council is quite satisfied with Mr Gibson's services as performed to date. Carried. Proposed by the Mayor, seconded by Cr West wood, That sections 18 and 31 standing in the name of Phillip Hen oessy in Borough Bate Book be transferred to Charles Aognstus Spring as occupier. Carried. Proposed by Cr Fraser, seconded i by Cr Rhodes, That the Borough I Clerk's days and hours of attendance at Borough office for the transaction of business for the future be Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and that a notice to that effect be posted in the porch of the Public Library. Carried. Proposed by the Mayor, seconded by Cr Westw'ood, That the Works Committee be empowered to pay the accounts for the current month on Thursday, 28rd December, 1897, and also accept tenders for the dog tax collection. Carried. PUBLIC WORKS REPORT. Gentlemen, — We beg to report having examined Harbour Street j and recommend that the day men be employed to secure sand in cuttings and farcine them and form the road with flax waste and then shingle with metal for a-*- distance of about 10 chains at an estimated cost of about £35. J. E. Stansbll. Cr Hennessy did not coincide with the report believing it better to call for tenders and get the whole job done at once. Cr Westwood was also of this opinion. Cr Coley agreed with the report. Proposed by Cr Weatwood, Ft>. conded by Cr Walsh, That the report of the Public Works Committee be adopted and that tenders be called for formation and metalling Harbour Street. Tenders to be in by January sth, and the Works Committee be empowered to deal with the same. Carried. Proposed by Cr Westwood, se conded by Cr Coley, That a letterbox be procured and be fixed in a convenient place. Carried. Proposed by Cr Westwood, That the Town Clerk have the ÜBual fortnigh's holiday and that the day men's holidays be Xmas Day, Box* ing Day, New Year's Dav and the 22nd January, Anniversary Day. Carried. 'Jho following tenders were received:—Lamp lighting, P Gnerin, £81; Carting, C. H. <\>l ins, 10s per day ; Banging, T. Chamberlain 17s 6d per month. S. Trask "80s, and 1\ Guerin 29s 6d ; Cutting hay in cemetery, A. Beeve £2 ; Pound, B. F pel man, 80s a year. The following resolutions were agreed to : — Proposed by Cr Weßkwood, seconded by Cr Wa^h, That the

tender Of C. H. Collins for carting at 10s a day be acceded. Carried. Propo?ed by Cr Hmnessy, seconded by Cr We3twood, That the tender of Thomas Chamberlain for ranging* at 17s 6d par mont'i. Proposed by Cr Rliode'3, seconded by C* Eraser,- That Mr A. Reeve's j tender fee accept&d fdr cutting. gtflßS at the cemetery for the sum of £2\ Proposed by Cr Westwood, seconded by Cr Hennessy, That the tender of P. Guerin for lamp lighting' for tfne year at £81 bo accepted. Proposed by Or FrttSer, sedoflded by Cr Ehodes, That B Spelman's tender for the pound be accepted. Cr Westwocd thought the amount offered was ridiculously small for Borough properly. The resolution was negatived". Proposed b* Of Westwood, secodded by Cr ColdV, That th«J Eeserves Committee be empowered to report in the matter of the removal of the pound and that the Committee be empowered to make arrangements for the carrying on of the business as poundkeeper until the next general meeting. Carried. Proposed by Cr Htennessy, seconded by Cr Walsh, That B. Spelraan be appointed poundkeeper duriug the pleasure of the Council. Carried.