BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Manawatu Standard, Volume X, Issue 1451, 10 September 1885, Page 2

BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Ari adjourned meeting of the Council was held last evening. Present — The Mayor, Ors Hutcheson, West, .Larcomb, Hawkins, Bentley, Beck, Grace, and J. King. Tho clerk read the minutes of last ni'Viing which wore duly confirmed. The Mayor informed the Council that since their last meeting the minute book had travelled m some mysterious way and consequently that had lost the history of the place they lived m. The loss m one sense was not to be regretted, as the book m question acted as the main witness against themselves m cases of information which might be laid similar to the one just decided against Cr Park, but m another point of view they had sustained a loss which deprived them of the only authentic record of their previous proceedings. They had no clue to the whereabouts of the book, but the clerk had taken the necessary steps to procure its recovery. The .Finance Committee's report was then real, (previously published).' ■ ! The application for payment of the ; insurance on the Public Library received from the Committee was acceded to. TOWN HALL PROPERTY. The. application from the liquidators of the Town Hall to pay "the balanco due on the property -was considered, and after .some discussion agreed to as recommended. The recommendation that the application from the latecaretaker of the hall for reimbursment m.; consequence of loss sustained through-the fire, be acceded to, was adopted on the motion of Cr Grace, seconded by Cr Hawkins. The list of accounts read at last meeting (already published) .were passed for payment. ' •;. v .. FIRS : BRroADE. The payment of the ,£3o' bonus to the Fire Brigade was discussed. Cr West, Secretary to . the Brigade, elected to stand out during the discussion. •• 7 V: ' ■■'•'■ Cr King proposed that tha amount be paid. Cr Larcomb. thought that a statement should be laid before the Council, showing what they were paying this money for; he believed that the- property of tlift Brigade was not properly '•* taken care of> and they should know exactly what thej wore doing before payment was made. Cr Grace seconded this propositionThe Mayor thought it would be better to puss the account subject to a detailed statement being supplied, which suggestion was acted upon, and the account passed. A. telegram from Mr Macarthur, V 9 tho Municipal Corporations Act Amendment, stating that he had interviewed Mr Stout on the matter and wonld endeavor, to get the Act passed before the close of the session. Cr King asked if it was still the intention of the Grs to resign as arranged to have taken place at the late indignation meeting. The Mayor remarked that he did not see there was any particular object to be gained by resigning now, as the matter of: having the Act amended was now before the House, and would very probably be passed. He also pointed out that if they all resigned their seats another difficulty would arise m connection with the burgess rolls, when there would he no person to sign them.. The amended Act would be passed, he had no doubt, m a few clays, and they could then proceed with the election of Crs required to fill the seats, of those members retiring. The nutter then dropped. A letter was received from Messra Bichter and Co., offering a site m Coleman Place as desirable for the erection of suitable Corporation buildings. After considerable discussion on the question of erecting new premises m the Square, the matter was held over for future deliberation. ORDER PAPER. Cr Larcomb moved that College-sfcieet West from Botanical Road to the Borough Boundary (west), be formed and metalled as far as necessary, end that the same work be placed on the list of works so that it may be done m its turn. Seconded by Cr Grace, and canied • Cr Hawkins proposed that Feather-ston-strect West, be formed and metalled, also that the following streets be formed and metalled — Lombard, Bourke, Camp bell, Domain, and Waldgrave-streets, and further that the paytion of Cookstreet, from Ferguson-street to Park Road, be metalled. Cr King objected to the resolution on the ground that if passed an undue preference would bs given to one Ward. If the resolutions were passed, he wou'cl oal.l for a division of the rates oqnaliy among each Ward. He would propose •is an amendment tint the work be ieferred to the Public Works Committee. Cr West also .opposed the proposition. He considered that a wholesale authorization of work like this was ridiculous. Cr Grace thought that the idea of the order paper system was to get all the the really necessary and urgent work 1 forward without delay, and if so the proposition of Or Hawkins was a perfectly t'air and just one. No. 4 Ward wts m iboufe the worst condition for want of oropsr attention of any, and if .Cr King wanted the rates divided as he- had sug-. nested they would not suffer. Ha would support Cr Hawkins' proposition. Cr Larcomb second Cr King's amer.dinent. Cr Hawkins stated that Cr King had spoken of. undue preference, but he could not see where it came m. Such a renark was uncalled for, and did not api)ly to his motion any more than to. the others on the order paper. Cr King could not substantiate what he had saic, md it was not fair on his part to enlenvour to oppose the work being done >n the grounds he had. The work was -wr.it necessary and more urgently re. juirod than any other applied for. One street mentioned was m a most disgracei'ul and impassable stato. Cr Grace and 'liinself hud had experience of this, not long since, when they had to pilot themselves through a sea of mud and tussocks. The Mayor did not see any harm m dlowing the resolution to go on the list to be attended to m its turn. He be'ieved they would have another oolipse >efore the work would be done. The amendment was then put that the work bo referred to the Public Work s Committee. Four voted for, an, I the same number against. The Mayor gave his casting vote m favor of the amendment, and declared it carried. In the absenoe ofCr Abrahams, Cr I. King proposed (pro forma), the following resolution, the mayor remarking that as far as ho could see, Cr Abrahah'a iad dealt with all the streets not uiei.« r ionod m Cr Hawkins' resolution. Proposed that the following works be lone viz., Vogel-street bridge be rcshoathed, tint Grey-street be re-metalled, that tho unmetalled formation m firordtfreet be metalled, that Feathereton?treet East be formed and metalled from the end of the present metal to Vogelstreet, that Boundary Road be formed from end of present formation to railway line. CrWe4 proposed and Cr Hutchison seconded that the work be referred to the Public Works Committee. Carried, Cr Grace moved that the water chac. nels m Taonui-street be cleaned ard graded at the earliest opportunity. Seconded by Cr King and carried. Cr Larcomb moved that the Public Works Committee bo requested to corsider the qnestian that all main draft's throughout the Borough be cleaned oi t and also branch drains m like manner, Seconded by Cr Hawkins and earned,