TOWN CLERK’S ANNUAL REPORT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 1233, 16 April 1914, Page 3

TOWN CLERK’S ANNUAL REPORT.

The Town Clerk presented his annual report to the Borough Council on Tuesday evening last as follows :

In April, 1913, Mr G. H. Stiles was elected as Mayor with the following Councillors, viz., Messrs G. Barber, J. Chrystall, G. Coley, L. R. Freeman, D. Green, T. Henderson, S. Read, A. Speirs and G. Whibley. The Council has held 27 meetings, the attendances being as under : His Worship the Mayor attended 27, Cr Chrystall 26, Cr Coley 26, Cr Read 26, Cr Henderson 25, Cr Barber 24, Cr Whibley 23, Cr Freeman 22, Cr Speirs 20, Cr Green 15. At the beginning of the past financial year Mr A. Fraser resigned the town clerkship and the undersigned was appointed to succeed him. ROADS AND STREETS. During the past twelve months the roads, footpaths and drains have been kept in as good order as the funds of the borough would permit. Three biggest works and causing the most expenditure as separate items, were the removal of the obstructing knob on the Moutoa road, and the concreting, kerbing and asphalting of the footpaths in Union Street and Avenue Road. One of the earliest works to be put in hand will be the kerbing and making of a proper footpath along Park Street. The other works needed will be inspected by the Works Committee during the course of a few days. This year we must try and spread our expenditure over the whole year so that towards the end we will not be left with nothing to come and go on. As the matter of tarring the streets and footpaths is bound to increase 1 have obtained prices and drawings of tar boilers and sprinklers and I would suggest that the Works Committee take into consideration the matter of obtaining one for the borough, LIBRARY. The number of subscribers has practically remained the same as last year. Mrs Mitchell, the librarian and custodian, continues to give the very utmost satisfaction. The committee have now Instituted a course of obtaining a fair number of the very latest works of fiction etc., each month, so as to make the library right up-to-date and so increase the interest in it. RESERVES. During the past year the rotunda at Victoria Park has been painted and repaired. The cottage in Francis Street has also been repaired and painted. Gas has also teen installed in the baudroom. cemetery. The number of burials during the year was 18 adults and 11 children. Mr Reay having resigned and left the district, Mr Hoffman was appointed sexton in his stead. The need of a new plan for the cemetery having forced itself upon the Council, tenders were called for the preparing of one and Mr A. J. Paterson was the successful tenderer. The work is now completed and there is every reason to hope that there will not be any further trouble at the cemetery. The total cost of laying off the whole cemetery on the plan and pegging out 300 new graves has run into £BB. I would like to suggest to the Council the advisability of cutting off a small portion of the mortuary shed and boarding it in and so making a proper place for locking up tools etc. The present shed has seen its best days and the want of a proper lock-up place is evident. At the same time, might I also suggest that a bier be obtained lor carrying coffins to the graves. In most cemeteries now such biers are provided, as it is not considered healthy to carry coffins on the shoulders, as heretofore. The cost of such would not be much, and it could be kept in the new shed, if such is provided. SANITATION. The sanitation contractor, Mr T. W. Mitchell, has carried out his work during the past year in a most satisfactory manner, and complaints have been practically nil. The. cost of such work for the past year was £315, against £320 in the previous year. A new night cart will have to be provided for at a very early date, as the present one will not stand any more patching. • GAS WORKS. The gas works have done very well indeed during the past year. Although the receipts and expenditure only show a credit balance of £284, yet it will be seen irom the profit and loss account supplied to Councillors that the gross profit was £649. During thejyear it was decided to obtain a report on the works from Mr J. W. Blackman, of Masterton, and this was accordingly done, and in consequence of his report it was decided by the Council fo ask the ratepayers to sanction a loan of £3,000 to erect a new gas holder and put in new retorts and purifiers. It is hoped to put this proposal to the ratepayers at a very early date, and it is to be hoped that the loan will be sanctioned, as the works are working now at a great disadvantage, not being able to give such a good article as could be done if the iterations were made.

CORONATION TOWN HALL. From the balance-sheet it will be. seen that the pictures have more than held their own. The gross receipts from the same, there has been strong opposition and prices had to be reduced,, were £1,408, and the expenditure £1,663, leaving a qet - profit of £344, which may well be increased by nearly one hundred pounds which had to be spent on

legal expenses, through the Council being forced to defend their right to run the pictures. A few weeks back, Mr McArtney, the operator and custodian of the Hall, resigned, and Mr W. S, Leary has been appointed in his place, and from all appearances there does not seem any room to doubt but that the same high standard oi work as shown before will still be maintained. RATES. The whole of last year’s rates were collected before the end of the financial year, and the subsidy has been applied for. It will be necessary to collect the usual interest rates again this year. BUILDING PERMITS. During the year 37 permits were issued, representing £26 in fees. public debt. It will be noticed from the bal-auce-sbeet that the public debt has fallen to £21,554 8s 2d, from £21,872 7s 8d of last year. The greater part of this reduction has been caused by the repayment of £3OO off the Coronation Hall loan. THE BAND. From the balance-sheet it will be seen that an amount of over £26 was given to the Baud by way of donations, refunds, etc., so that the Council acted in a most liberal manner to the Band, As a certain section of the members are antagonistic to the Council, it is hoped that at an early date a meeting will Le called of all members, honorary or active, and the question of the Band being taken over as a regular Borough Baud, and porperly subsidised, will be discussed, and some agreement come to. WATER AND DRAINAGE. Before concluding my report I think it would not be out of place to give here a brief resume of what has been done relative to the above matters. On July 20th rqis, a resolution was passed’by the Couucil that immediate steps should be takeu to obtain reports re water and drainage, the reports to be based on the reticulation as previously supplied by Mr Ciimie. On August 26th, the Council accepted the tender of Mr C. Suggate for a report on a gravitation water scheme from the Shannon hills,

and a sewerage scheme, also a a report on an air compression artesian scheme. On December 13th, the plans as supplied by Mr Suggate were adopted. His estimates being;—Cost of a gravitation water supply, £23,931 ; cost of air lift artesian supply, 11,527 ; cost of sewage scheme, £7.728. In making estimates as to rates, etc., the Council have bad to make sure that no unlocked for expenditure should occur. On January 12th, 1914, a resolution was passed that the Council as a whole visit Shannon and see the site of the proposed head-works. On January 16th, the Council visited the headworks with a committee of Shannon residents. In the afternoon a meeting was held at Shannon, when tbe Council and Shannon residents discussed matters relative to a combined water scheme. Resolutions were passed asking on what terms Shannon would be allowed to ioiu in with F'oxton. On January 26th, the Couucil considered the questions Irom Shannon, and decided that Shannon’s share of the headworks and mains to Shannon be in the ratio of one third to two thirds, but that the catchment area if required afterwards be paid for at half rates also all expenses re maintenance. These terms have been accepted by Shannon, and their residents have promised to do their utmost to carry a poll for their part of the works. Since the last mentioned date the Couucil has spent many long, laborious hours as regards the amount of rates required to pay the interest and sinking funds on the necessary loans, also in trying to define an area which would meet with the wishes of those most interested if the whole borough is not put in as security for the proposed loans. It is hoped that this matter will be finally fixed shortly, and that within a very few weeks the ratepayers will have the option of voting either for a gravitation scheme from Shannon and a sewage scheme, or an artesian scheme and sewage scheme, and that one of these proposed schemes may be carried.