BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1749, 21 August 1917, Page 3

BOROUGH COUNCIL.

The ordinary meeting of the abftve was held in the Council Chamber last night. Present; The Mayor (Mr John Chrystali! • and Os, Geo. Coley, R. MeMnrray, Hurley, Bryant, Stevenson, McColl, Thompson, .and M. H. Walker. HYDRO-ELECTRIC SCHEME. The Mayor briefly out lined hivisit to Wellington as representing Foxion on the deputation which waited upon Ministers re the above. The .Ministers were conversant with the Dominion's natural resources in tin's connection, hut made it quite (dear that nothing would be done until after the war. GAS .MANAGER’S REPORT. In speaking to the above report, Cr. McColl asked why.'if they were mnking more gas, the consumption was les-. In reply to an cxplanatoi'v interjection from the Town Clerk, Cr. McColl -aid he wanted an explanation from the gas malinger, not the Clerk. —The report was adopted, WANDERING STOCK. When the ranger's report was read, ('is. .MeCofi, Stevenson and Walker called attention to the fact tlml despite previous warnings -lock was still being allowed to graze on the rend in the vicinity of Park Street and Xorbilon Road. If was suggested (hat Hie ranger watoo easy-going, and that owners should he prosecuted. The Mayor said tin 1 ranger's attention would be called to llu' complaints, and hoped that this would pul an end to the nuisance. TOWN CLERK'S REPORT, A discussion took place on the a - hove report, In reply to a urn-li-on, the Town Clerk -aid the metal removed from Harbour Sired had been used a- a foundation in the corporation yard. Cr McColl aid dais metal should have been n.-ed for footpaths. A discussion took plain on the quality of the indad procured from Tiakifnhmia. Cr Stevenson are! :i was md up to the ilia rk. I food met a 1 was required to protect (he road- ; in Johnslou and Rit-seli Street- now tlml the heavy 1 faille was diverted there. Cr Coley .-aid Pie fault was not the metal. They could ii■ ■ t gd better re-nlt-unles . it \s; t - -pread to a greater depth. If the Behnoiil mein! was so good, why did not the Wellington City Council procure it at a elamoer rate limn what (hey were a ■repaying. Cr. Harley -aid the 'Belmont mdiil wa- roMmi ro"k. The Town Clerk -aid Brimont metal was being sen I as IT r a ml h a ■; Ta ;-anaki. Cr. Thomp-on -aid the Council should make a trial ( ,c |i, r Belmont crushed metni before putting a large quantity on order. The Mayor said the engineers of ilea Rangilikei and .Marmwalu Counties recommended the Belmont crushed nii*la I. Cr Coley made some disparaging remarks about (he opinions of tin- engineers quoted by the .Mayor, and referred lo the Maimwaln County rends a- the worst in the Dominion, The recommendations in the report were not earned but it was subsequently decided to purchase a trial order oi' the metal. THE PRICE OF GAS. Cr- Stevenson and Coley mvi >1 (lint ;in increase of Mid per 1.000 ft. be made on gas. The Mayor and Cr Bryn ill moved as an amendment that an increase ok ,1 Oil per l.nllO ft. lie made on rootling and heating only. Cr Coley said Pm works would md pa v hee,m e they were oveire-apilaii-ed. He objected to ratepayers outside the lighting area being burdened v. :lii the gas works. The Levin works had eo.-t between .21.00(1 and £5,11(1(1, as against Foxton's £1 I.dOH. Cr Sieven-on said, in view of the increase in the cost of coal, etc., the alround rise of 10d was jii-iilied. The Mayor strongly objected in an increase on 1 lij* lighting rate, ns the present price paid t hem well. The eo-l of preduel ion was roughly Ss 5d per J,OOO ft., and the nel lighting rale is !)- 2d. To stimulate an increased consumption mn- mast be kont at bedrock prices, Tae receipts from gas -ale-- for the l:,-l li im ne in I year were £3-15 more than was received the previous year. The reason of the increase was the lower price, There were various -et charges which would go on irrespective of the amount of cas produced. Interest, sinking fund, and wages have T. be 'paid whether we produce a or i million I eel per annum, if the price is lived on our pre-ent sales of lire million tool per year to cover set charge-, plus other working expense.-, any increased product ion is only subject to (he eo-l of eon!, £1 HI- (id, from which i- mannlTeliired 11.000 tt. <d gas at a cost of 4s per l.ddd It. This, continued the Minor, give- a handsome profit. If, on Pie other hand, we increase the price .it gator lighting it will tend to restrict eon-umplion. What i- the u-e oi. spendim; £l,ldd on increased holder enpaeilv if we do not encourage increased consumption. By keepingthe price of gas as low as is consistent with our revenue, the .Mayor held that the Council was serving a double pur]»ose, by assisting the ratepayers and heneliting the consumers. The Mayor said that an inerea-e wa- necessary, owing lo the lack of shipping and the unwarranted action of the coal companies in unduly raising the price of coal. The average cost of coal at the work- during tlm last iinaneial year wa- £1 12- 11c] per ton, the present price £1 Ids (id, an increase of Os 7d per ton. Gas was therefore costing 8d per 1,00(1 ft. more to produce than last year. If the Council continued selling at the present rate on present consumption the Council would be faced with a

deficiency on working account of £lO3 at the end of the current year. If the discount on gas used for healing and power is reduced by lOd per 1,000 ft. it will produce C 122 3s 9d. By abolishing special concessions, given whore one meter is used l-i register cooking and lighting, a further saving of .I*3l LOs will he effected, making a total -awing of £153 13s 9d, which will alrttosf c*>ver the increase in price of coal. Tim .Mayor’s amendment was carried. RENT OF TOWN HALL. An application' from the X.Z. Picture Supplies for reduction of rent of Town Hall was not entertained. PROTEST ACI ATX ST ERECTION OF FOWL HOUSE. Mr Xewth waited upon the Council and protested against the erection of a tow] house.within 20 ft. of his residence in Hail Street. He. considered that such erection in a congested nrea was a menace to health. (T Stevenson said that a permit should not be issued. It was decided to ask the Health Officer to inspect and report to the Council, and in the meantime no permit to creel the fowl house he issued. SWHOOL LIBRA RAN A communication was received from the Education Board, recommending the Buffalo system of •ending bool:- from the public library lo (he Stale sfdioo!, It was re-r-olved to inform the Board that the Fox loi i Public Library has lew hooks of educational value lo children, and in view of the fact (hat the Foxion State school hails own library, the Council is of opinion timt the proposed system would not he of any benefit io Ibe ■ choLar-. of the local Spite school. BEACH CM !MS iVEMEXT, Tim Foxion Beach Improvement Society wrote ■a.-king for a donation toward- improving the local -ca-ide by tree planting. Tt was hoped to have 1 ,000 (roes planted i hi- year, and i lie Inboiir was given free, Alnml £lO hnd been collected, and this amount is to he expended in {■reeling 1 ha filing sheds, elc. i'v Wary -aid if frees were plaid ed at the beach protection would he re-, ijtiiivd. t'r Hurley favoured assisting the -ociciy. it wa- deckled to make a yraid <d £5. HAY t)F NATIONAL PRAYER. N, respici to the circular from !he Mayo! 1 of Hokitika re the selling aren't of n day fur national prayer t[.rengliom tin 1 Dominion, it, ■was decided jo support same, and in niiiiim n.I the suggestion to the i a von r.n bio c.-in-nlern! uni of the Prime .Minister, Cabinet, and member- of the House of Representatives, and directs Hint a copy of this resolution he forwarded to the Prime Minister and the member for this con-lititency. FEN ERAL. The Council decided that no action he taken in tiie mate ■' of the Napier Borough Council's request for a resolution urging upon the Government to lake over the control ~| Pm fond -apply of the country. ft was resolved to arrange a eonferenee with the Foxton Racecourse Trustee- re di-pule in connection with hind claimed by the trustees and used n- n borough road near the Park. The Mayor explained (hat he had met the trustees, and hnd asked them to frame suggestions. He had also eon I erred with the borough solicitor on ihe subject. The borough foreman was granted -Is per week' extra for attending to the horse. The .Mayor’s notice of motion re war bonus (o borough employees was carried —Cr Thompson objecting. Letter from Me.-srs Kennedy am! McDermott, asking for payment of alleged shortage of .shingle, was received. A circular letter was received from the Minister for Finance asking that support he given the Wav Loan proposals. The Mayor said he hoped every one who could assist in this mailer would do so. It was divided to attach the f 'oiincii'- seal to the lease of the Target Reserve to Messrs King and