TOWN CLERK’S BIENNIAL REPORT 1923—1925.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 2876, 28 April 1925, Page 3

TOWN CLERK’S BIENNIAL REPORT 1923—1925.

FINANCE AND GENERAL. During' the period under review the main struggle has been to secure finance, and that must he the excuse for anything that lias been left undone that should have been done. The present council has without doubt had a trying time from this cause, and it will without doubt be appreciated by electors how disheartening it is for volunteers for public office to be constantly reminded that funds do not permit of almost necessary works being carried out in their entirety; what has been done, however, it is now my duty to unfold.

Gasworks. —This public service stiff survives, and has been fairly well supported since the electric power was turned on in November last. At the time of writing on account of the meters recording the March consumption of gas only now being read it is not possible to give details of the Profit and Loss account, but the receipts and expenditure accounts shows a credit balance after interest and other deductions have been made of £454. Receipts from the sale of gas total £2565 against last year, £2890 a decrease of £331. The expenditure on coal, salaries and wages totals £2242 against last year £2301, a drop of £l4l. Repairs and renewals by a strange coincidence are exactly the same for both years £127 19s 7d. Receipts from the sale of coke show a decrease of £l7B, from £4BO to £302 owing no doubt to the reduction in price. Receipts from tar sales have increased by £44. The gas manufactured and sold to consumers stands at 4,837,500 cubic feet. In this year’s estimates I have not. increased the Gasworks Rate, this being the same as last year, 3d in the £ bringing in about £155. In view of the fact that the olee'tric power has been turned on for only five months it became necessary to seek to reduce expeiulitui'e with a reduced consumption. With this object in view the power Board were approached in an endeavour to create the Gasworks manager a liaison officer responsible to the Board for faults etc., and so reduce the charge to the Gasworks, the Power Board paying for a share of the service so rendered. Although nothing definite has so far come to hand the proposal should be very advantageous for all concerned. The recent reduction in the price of gas comes into force at the beginning of April and should stimulate the sale of gas for cooking purposes. The works have been maintained at a steady state of efficiency and no undue expenditure can be foreseen at present for the ensuing year. The services of the lamplighter were dispensed with when the street lights were electrified, but of course the use of electricity for this purpose meant a drop of £IBO per annum in the Gasworks revenue.

Public Works. —This is another important branch of the Council s activities, the principal item being the care and maintenance of roads, streets and drains. The sum of £llsO was allowed on the estimates for this work at the beginning of the year, and altogether £1304 has been spent, and no doubt there are many who will say that more still should have been done. To these, however, does not come the task of finding the money. This year I have without increasing the rates allowed the sum of £I2OO for road maintenance, and provided economies are again exercised in other directions the accounts should come out square, at the end of March next. The work done under this heading during the term of the Council would take rather long to enumerate in detail, but I will mention the following: —Erecting water troughs in Union Street and at corner of Spring Street and Avenue Road, asphalting Robinson Street path, asphalting south end of Main street, metalling and asphalting Johnston and Russell Streets, asphalting and kerbing path in Johnston Street, asphalting path in Whyte Street, and also Park Street. This work has all been done out of revenue. Considerable difficulty has been experienced in securing suitable tar for the work, and I am now in a position to report being able to obtain 3000 gallons of horizontal tar which will cost: 9id per gallon at Ire Railway Station. This should be sufficient for any proposed work during the coming season. The streets of the borough are uow lit with electricity and although a few more lights may be required here and there the service is a good one. An application from the road staff for a small hoot allowance while working witli tar was refused but I would like to see this matter reviewed later on.

The establishment of the Main Highways Board is now an established fact, and I think will go far to solve many reading problems. The greatest defect seems to be the fact that the Board has no power to declare a road thxough a Borough to be a Main Highway, although provision is made for the maintenance costs of roads through Borough joining the ends of Highways to be subsided. No power is given however for a contribution towards the cost of constructing or reconstructing such roads and it is hoped that this will be remedied in the near future. An impression seems to exist that the Council by tar sealing Johnston and Russels Streets has tended to push traffic direct through the Borough instead of leading it round through