PUKEKOHE BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 6, Issue 288, 29 June 1917, Page 2

PUKEKOHE BOROUGH COUNCIL.

The adjourned monthly meeting of the Borough Council was held on Wednesday evening when there were present, the Mayor (Mr H. O. R. Mason), Crs A. B. Barter, G. H. Armstrong, R. Bilkey, F. J. Morrott, A. P. Daysh, J. Patterson, J. T. Stembridge, with the Town Clerk (Mr J. F. Deane).

A DEFECTIVE CULVERT. Mr E. Harris (Pukekohe Hill), wrote that the culvert recently put in on the side road between his and Mr Webb's properties was not sufficient to carry off the water and in his opinion was too small. Referred to the Works Committee for an inspection. WEREST"ORD STREET. O Daysh drew the attention of the Council to the unsatisfactory state of Beresford Street and suggested that the whole Council should \ isit it. Cr Stembridge agreed with Cr Daysh that repairs were vitally necessary and Cr Armstrong also expressed himself in favour of the Council regarding the matter as an urgent one. It was ultimately agreed that the matter should be referred to the Works Committee and Cr Stembridge for a report. ELECTRIC LIGHTING The Lighting Committee recommended that the rent of meters shoulrt be 9d per month. The progress of the work was reported on by the Committee as follows:—Poles have been erected along Harris Street from Manakau Road to Queen Street, King Street, West Street, along Edinburgh Street and Hall Street. All the poles for the feeding line from the Power House to Harris Street have been erected. One or two corner poles have to be erected to complete the above work. Mr Cutten, the Overseer, would like us to inform the Council that he has had some difficulty in finding survey pegs but that owing to the great assistance given to him by Mr Clews much delay has been avoided. The Committee paid a visit to the Power House and found all the parts of the engine purchased from the New Zealand Dairy Association had been delivered on the paddock and Mr Wyatt informs us that he will have it all assembled m a week or a fortnight Arising out of the report, Cr Patterson urged that the charge for meter hire should be kept as low as possible. He also contended that the Council should undertake the wiring or that a local tradesman should have the preference of doing such work. Cr Stembridge raised the question whether the Council should undertake *uch work and exclude private contractors.

It was ultimately agreed, on the motion of the Mayor, that private contractors should be employed as far as possible. The report was adopted. REFERRED TO THE POLICE The Captain of the Pukekohe Fire Brigade (Mr N. L. Brown) reported that some person broke into the Fire Brigade Station one evening last week and he asked that protection should be given to the Brigade's property. The matter was referred to the Police. ESTIMATES AND RATES

The Finance Committee submitted an estimate of receipts and expenditure for the current year. The proposed expenditure totalled £4226, the principle items being: —Debit balance brought forward, £558 ; salaries (clerk, assistant, foreman and inspector), £493 ; office expenses, £SO; printing, advertising £SO; fire prevention, £SO; hospitaand charitable aid, £245 ; legal ex' penses, £55; street lighting, £9O - library, £2O; miscellaneous and con: tingencies, £2OO ; waterworks - £1055 ; machinery and plant, £2OO ;, teams, £ 1 ?,0 ; upkeep and repairs o general roads, £IOOO. The receipts were scheduled as follows: General rate Id, £1520, hospital and charitable aid, £245; license fees, etc, £180; dog registration, £25; Government subsidy, £lB7 10s; hire of road roller, etc., £100: hire of teams, £175; water rates, extra charges, meter rents, etc, £IO7O. Total, £3502 10s leaving a deficit of £723 10s. The estimates *ere adopted and the Mayor gave notice of his intention to move at the next meeting that a General rate of Id in the £, a Hospital rate of one sixth of a penny and a Sanitary rati of 61 pnr pan per week should be struck. The question of making the forthcoming rate payable in two instalments, as rec3ntly raised by Cr Patterson, was considered, but the Mayor stated that it would cause some complexity in bookkeeping if adopted and that the method suggested could not accordingly be recommended.—On the motion of Cr Bilkoy it was resolved that the rates should be collected in the usual manner.

NIGHT-SOIL DEPOT With respect to the petition presented at the last meeting protesting against the establishment of the night - soil depot near Cape crossing the Sanitary Committee reported that they had carefully considered the petition and found that it contained the signatures of 47 people, 10 of whom were outside the Borough and were not ratepayer;?, three did not live in the Borough but were ratepayers and twenty - one were not living neir the site complained. That left 1 ■> who might have any justification for f >niiiluining. '.Chose thirteen were really the members of three or four families. The only clause in the po'ition whica the Committee considered deserved consideration was the one dealing with the nature of the soil. That difficulty, tho Committee thought, they could overcome and would give their earnest consideration to it before the hot , weather arrived. They rrcouimended that a reply should be sent to the ! petitioners stating that in view of the Health Oliver's report and the satisfactory way that the work was being earned out the Council could not see its way to acceding to their request. The Committee added

that since the petition was presented the Town Clerk had received a letter from Messrs Nicholson and Gribbin, solicitors, and they recommended that if the writers' client persisted in her demands the matter had better be settled in court, the Ctenv mittee considering that there was nothing in the contention that the security of the mortgage was in any way deteriorated. The report was adopted.

SANITARY CONVENIENCES 3UC-OEBTEL' The Inspector of Nuisances in his report drew the Council's attention to the fact that some public conveniences were necessary in the borough and he suggested that one should be erected in Hall street and one in Seddon street, a short distance from King street. No action was taken. BANQUET TO THE PRIME MINISTER Mr Alan P. Day, Clerk to the Franklin County Council, in advising the Council of the approaching visit of the Rt Hon W. F. Maeseyj M.P., Prime Minister, and of the afternoon reception and evening which the County Council are arranging, invited the Mayor to act on the sub-committee appointed to make the necessary arrangements and asked the Borough Council to support them in their effort to make the function a success. Immediately after the reading of this letter, Or Patterson enquired who was responsible for the payi ment of the proposed function and the Mayor replied "The County Council."

Cr Patterson then said if the Committee was in any way responsible he was not going to be liable for the "shivoo." As a Courcillor he raised his protest against the banquet as he understood 15s was to be the charge. Economy was being preached everywhere and yet 15s was to be paid for attending a banquet whilst the people "at Home" were starring. The Mayor remarked that although he had promised to attend the function the question of the charge of 15s was not mentioned to him. He certainly thought that the charge of 15s at Buch a time was inconsistent. Cr Steiubridge also expressed his disapproval of the amount to be charged. The Council ultimately agreed that the letter should be "received;" and it was understood that they would assist in the arrangements. ACCOUNTS Accounts amounting to £l6lß were passed for payment.