BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 1124, 19 July 1913, Page 2

BOROUGH COUNCIL.

MEETING OF WORKS COMMITTEE.

A meeting of the Public Works Committee of the Borough Council was held yesterday afternoon, in connection with the application of the flaxmillers for improvements to portion of Harbour Street. There were present His Worship the Mayor (G. H. Stiles) and Crs Chrystall, Coley, Henderson, Speirs and Whibley. Crs Freeman and Read were also in attendance together with Messrs Bock, A. Ross, Rose and Gibbs. Mr Bock said that, as those present could see, the road was in a very bad stale at present, and they therefore asked that it should be put in good repair for traffic. Practically nothing had been done to it for years. The Mayor said that the portion of the road referred to, from the Pound Reserve to the Borough boundary, measured 20 chains, and to make anything like a good job would require about 20 yards of metal to the chain.

Mr Gibbs in giving reasons why the road in question should be put in good order said that it was the flax industry that kept the town going, seven-eights of the peop’e were dependent upon it. The Mayor said he fully recognised the importance of the industry, but he considered that the millers should assist the Council in this matter.

Cr Chrystall said he would be quite agreeable to maintain the road out of rates if the traffic was only ordinary traffic, but this was extraordinary traffic, and the millers should be prepared to meet the Council by paying the difference in the cost of the difference in the upkeep of ordinary and extraordinary traffic, Cr Coley estimated that to properly form and metal the road would cost full The Mayor said that he did not think the Council would be justified in spending a tenth of the rates on any street, and considered that the millers should be prepared to bear poatiou of the cost. Mr Bock suggested that the Committee should report to the Council, and suggest getting an estimate of the cost of the work, and in the meantime the millers could meet and discuss the position.

Cr Speirs said that this particular heavy traffic should not te singled out.

Mr Ross considered that before aug definite arrangements should be made the matter of forming the whole of Harbour Street, from the borough boundary to the New Zealand Shipping Coy’s shed, should be gone into. If this were done it would greatly relieve the Main Street traffic.

Eventually it was decided to act ou Mr Bock’s suggestion, and the matter will be dealt with at Tuesday night’s meeting of the Council when the millers will submit a definite offer, lu the meantime an estimate of tje cost of the work is to be furnished by the overseer.

It was also decided to get an estimate of the cost of metalling that portion of Harbour Street between the pound and the cutting near Messrs King and Co’s mill; also to repair the road from the north end of Park Street to Russell Street, and to effect some repairs to the road near the N.Z Shipping Co’s shed.