BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1572, 3 December 1885, Page 2

BOROUGH COUNCIL.

LAST NIGHT. - Tlio usual monthly meeting of the Borough Council was" held last evening. Present— His Worship the Mayor, and Crs. Hawkins, T. anil J. King, Wood, Grace, and Rush. Messrs Snelson and McNeil, newly -elected Crs, also took their seata. The minutes of last meeting were read and confirmed. Also correspondence dealt with ag follows — From Hopkins, asking permission to conduct a shooting • gallery m the Square, and to pay for same by looking after footways and trees twice a week.— Declined. " Letters read one from Mr Parkes aik- - ing Council to grant a transfer of the lease of the race-course reserve from himself to Mr H. T. Akers ; and from Mr Akers asking the Council to clearly define the division of such reserve from other sections adjoining. The Council resolved, on the motion \ of Cr Hawkins, seconded by Cr West, to graut the transfer, and decided to refer the other matter to the Reserves Committee to define what improvements' are required under Mr Batchelar'a" bond. From E. Sexton, asking that a crossing should be made from roadway to his premises m Fitzherbert-street. Referred to the Public Works Com-, mittee. The Borough Solicitor wrote m reference to the position of the Council m the erent of their ' wishing to sell the Town Hall site. The letter was received and on the motion of Cr T. King, seconded dv Cr West, it was resolved to let the matter stand over for the present". A number of ratepayers residing m College-street applied to the Council to have drains m said street put m order, and street repaired. Referred to the Public Work* Committoe. THE LATE TOWN HALL. Cr West here wished to know what had been done with the insurance money on the Town Hall. He did not think anything should have been done without the consent of the Council. The Crs present looked askance at thig remark, and the Mayor rising informed Cr he must be suffering from having a very bad memory that evening, ag this matter had all: been attended to m Council, and everything done with by the expressed desire and instruction of the Council. Cr Weafc, however, refused to be satisfied, and the whole matter had to be explained from beginning to end by the mayor, the latter remarking when he had finished that he could not imagine' why the matter should so suddenly be introduced just then by Cr' West. J . The business of the meeting then pro* ceeded. MISCELLANEOUS. Application from Hopkins to erect a patent closet free of cost to CouncilGranted. Mr Hankins, agent for the Public Trustee, wrote informing Council tha m future arrangements would have to be made for payment of rent of premises. * Resolved, on the motion of Cr. Snelson — That the Finance Comraitte attend to this matter. The Foreman of Works report. was , read and received. . • CR WEST ON THE WABPATff. Cr West rose m an an excited state and asked the clerk to point out to him the resolution authorising the work to be done m Lombard-street. Ho had a special motive for asking the question. 3e believed that the work was done before its time and that a good deal mor« was done than ought to have been. Water-tables were authorised by the Council, andf the Cr looking after such work ought to be satisfied with getting done the amount of labor recommended by the Council without endeavoring m an underhand way and by baekstair influence to get oxtras - performed. He had visited the street referred to, and he found the whole roadway being constructed from end to end. ■ The Foreman of works told him that- he had seen Cr Grace, and that, the latter had instructed him to go on with the work and be would make it right with the other two. Crs. for that ward, viz.* Crs West and Rush. Now he (Cr West), as Chairman of the Public Works Committee, entered hig protest- against such proceedings. During the time he had been on the committee no such transaction as > this had taken place, and he would emphatically object to the same being sanctioned by the Council. He was surprised that Cr Grace should lower himself to perpetrate such a gross job as he had m this instance, and hoped that the Council would express its disaproval of th« transaction. .Work. had been authorised to be done m Ferguson street long before that now being dtjne : ; m Lombard- street, and yet m defiance' of a resolution of the Council Cr Grace :;y7as' hiving thji work executed, - and .a considerable " amount more being emended; than wag ever intended. The works should be proceeded with m the order upon which they were brought before the Council and no mean advantage taken, by one Cr over another. The Mayor - remarked he ; was glad the . work was nearly finished at any rate, and much good he hoped the residents | would experience by it; As to " backI stair influence," &c* he was -Very aorrjc^ to hear such remarks coming from a Cr sitting at that table. Cr West, he thought, was rather inclined that evening, for some reason or other, to be crotchety, and could not see anything m a right light. He believed Cr Grace would not act otherwise than .straightforwardly, and such cross accusations being made against him by Or West were unwarranted and uncalled for. As to the work being executed before its time he believed, as a matter of fact, the work' was authorised ' months before that m Ferguson-street referred.tp.by Cr West. Cr Grace stated that -with regard to " baekstair influence " he was not going to trouble about such insinuations. Hig actions ag a Cr had always beenjopen to. the light of day, (hear), and he dared say the Council knew the proper value at which such statements should be estimated. The facts of the affair were' simple enough. He' had not promised the Foreman of 'Works to see the other two Crs and make ft all right with them. The Foreman of Works had found it im. possible -to construct the -water channels properly without grading the road, and he believed the manner he had adopted was by far the cheapest m tha long run. He, however, was quite -prepared to stand by what he had done. If the Council thought he had exceeded his duty ho was willing to take any responsibility m the matter. _, : Cr Hawkins thought Cr Grace ' should feel aggrieved at the, manner of the at? tack made upon him by Cr West. The Public Works Committee he kne'wex^ seeded their limit sometimes, hut i| is. well knq\va th,as this must.be done on certain occasions m the interests of the Council, as to half do certain.- works, would be worse than leaving them alone altogether. It was, he considered, very* unfair that Or Grace, simply because he lived m Lombard-street, should be sab- ? jected to such an attack as Cr West' had thought fit to make upon him. ' He, however, would not assist m prolonging x useless and unnecessary di3cu3sion, but lie thought . that Cr West should be sailed upon by the Council to. prove th.c r assertions he had u}ade. Cr McNeil thought every nian should get his roads jn.,ide« m the bestrinanqef *nd the soonest way possible. As far aa

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