TIMARU BOROUGH COUNCIL.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2658, 27 September 1881, Page 2

TIMARU BOROUGH COUNCIL.

An ordinary and a special meeting of the'Timaru Borough Council were held last night. Present—His Worship the Mayor, and Councillors Jackson, Cullman, Shepherd, Sherratt, Gabites, Bush, Gibson, Ross, and Filraer. COBEESPONDENCE. The minutes having been read and confirmed, and correspondence forwarded read over, tho correspondence received was read as follows : From’ E. Malcolmson, and others, asking that the water pipes be laid in Eeid’s paddock. The Mayor said that tho pipes had not been laid down the right-of-way through the paddock, because the road had not been dedicated to the Council.

From Mr G. G. Eussell, Otipua, relative to exchange of portion of old water-race reserve, now not wanted for race purposes, owing to the race being taken over a shorter course. Mr Eussell wished the Council to fill up the old race, to give him £8 an acre for the land taken for the new course, and he would take the old reserve, giving £8 per acre for the agricultural land and £2 per acre for the pastoral land; the Corporation,to do any fencing required, and make a couple of crossings for his convenience if required. It was unanimously resolved to accept Mr Eussell’s offer. From the Levels Eoad Board, in reply to the request of the Council that the Board would pay tho account for expenses incurred by the Fire Brigade at Parsons’ fire, which took place outside the Borough boundaries. Tho Board replied that the Eoad Board Acts gave the Board no power to apply their funds in such a direction. The Mayor said that was a mere excuse, as the the Act did not preclude the Board from paying such accounts. The Act gave them authority to spend the rates on any matter of general advantage to the ratepayers. It would have looked better if the Board had simply refused to pay the accuont. STBEET LIGHTING. The Town Clerk read certain information which he had obtained, concerning the cost of street lighting in different places. The cost in Timaru had been about £7 IGs per lamp per annum, for an average of 18 nights per month, the lamps being lit at sunset and extinguished at 1 a.m. In Ashburton the lamps were lit eight months in the year only, at £G 10s per lamp. In Christchurch “ large” lamps, such as those used in Timaru, cost £9 per aunum for the whole year, and £7 14s for small ones. In Lyttelton gas lamps were lit for 16 nights per month six hours per night at an average cost oE 6d per lamp per night, the charge for gas being 14s 6d per thousand; cleaning being extra. Kerosene lamps cost 2J-d per night. In Sydenham the lamps were lit 18 nights per month for eight months in the year, 23 gas lamps costing £lO each per annum, and 9 kerosene lamps £6 each per annum. In Oamaru the 71 lamps were lit eight months in the year, from sunset to 12.30. a.m. at a cost of £4 10s per lamp. (In Oamaru the gas works belong to the Corporation.) In response to the Council’s request the Gas Company submitted an offer for lighting the street lamps. The company offered to supply 41-ft. of gasper lamp per hour, light and extinguish, and clean the lamps, and effectordinary repairs for £8 per lamp per annum, if the lamps were kept burning from sunset till midnight, or for £8 10s if they were kept burning until 2 a.m., in either case an averagejof ten moonlight nights per month being excepted. Or Jackson suggested that the lamps should be lit, as in some other places, only eight months in the year. On the 58 lamps a saving of £l5O or so could thus be made. It was simply a question of whether they could afford to pay nearly £SOO a year for lighting. He thought a gas rate would have to bo put on.

The Mayor—lf we keep it up at all it will cost more, for we shall be bound to put up more lamps, there are so many applications coming in. As for a gas rate, a requisition that one be put on would be necessary, and there was not much likelihood of their receiving that. Cr Gibson said be would like to say a few words from the point of view of the Gas Company, The charge to private consumers was 15s per thousand, and some of these private consumers ran the Corporation very close in the matter of quantity consumed. The maintenance of the street lamps involved the risk of serious loss by leakage. The fittings of private consumers were generally under cover and well protected, and if a leak occurred it was very soon discovered, and if it were not the gas would not be lost by the company, us it would be registered against the consumer by the meter. There were no such checks in the case of street lamps, and the loss from leakage was very considerable in amount. On one occasion, through a post being carried away by a dray, and the damage not at once reported, 50,000 feet of gas was lost in a single night, and 4000 or 5000 feet had often heQn lost, in this way, The Mayor said that the information received from other places showed that Timaru had been very cheaply lighted.

Cr Jackson moved a resolution to the effect that the Gas Company be offered£7 10s per lamp. Cr Shepherd moved as an amendment that the offer of the Gas Company (£8 per lamp) be accepted. The iMayor asked the Cogncil to excuse him from voting, as ho was interested in the Gas Company. Or Gibson desired His Worship to have the courage of his opinions. He should ask him to vote. The amendment was put and lost, the Mayor and Crs Shepherd, Cullmann, and Gibson voting for it and si?; against it. The original motion vvas than put and carried by, six to four, tho voting being just reversed. The Mayor assured the Council the offer of £7 10s per lain]) would not be accepted. Arrangements would be made to have the lamps lighted until next mooting, when the reply of the Company would be received. FINANCIAL. A letter was read from tho Manager of the Bank of Hew Zealand, advising, that a fixed deposit of £SOOO at invoke months matured on fhp Ifjth instant, aritj that the same with interest,' £2OO, had been placed to the current account of the Waterworks account. A report of the Finance Committee

showed that after the payment of the accounts to be passed that night, the general account would be overdrawn by £594,19s 2d, and there were liabilities outstanding to the amount of £564, 16s 4d, or a total liability of £1159 15s fid. Against this were to be set amounts receivable within a short time, £4,75, leaving a debit balance of £684 15s fid. After the report had been read it was shown that the cost of fire plugs and hydrants must be paid out of ordinary revenue, and the cost of these, £260, would bring up the deficit to £944 15s fid.

Ordinary accounts amounting to £594 19s 2d, and Waterworks accounts to £2OIB Is 2d, were passed for payment. The expenses in connection with the fire at Mrs Hope’s were £8 Bs. The Mayor reminded the Council that the broken metal was a valuable asset to be reckoned as an offset to the debit balance. There were some 2500 yards now broken. EXTENSION OF THE BOROUGH. The Mayor said that since the previous meeting, when the matter had been under consideration, he had given a good deal of attention to the question of extending the water supply beyond the limits of the Borough and the conditions on which it could be done. He had spoken to a number of persons residing outside the Borough, who had shown themselves exceedingly anxious to get the water, but he did -not see how it could be given to them unless a considerable quantity of suburban property was brought into the Borough. He thought a considerable area should be taken in if possible, sufficient to give the Council control of the watershed of the local drainage, and, to effect this, the boundary should run, starting from the sea on the south side, along the present Belt past the cemetery, then on the south side of Mr Shaw’s,and thence along the Upper Otipua road to the Wai-iti road, along that road to its junction with the Old South road, following this to the bridge over the Wairaataitai Creek, near Mr F. Lo Cren’s, and thence down the Creek to the sea. This would take in the most populous suburbs. From his conversation with people residing outside the Borough he concluded that they would not oppose their amalgamation with the Borough, but they would not take steps to bring about the amalgamation. The Council must therefore make a move on behalf of the Borough, and if one-third of the ratepayers inside the Borough, or onethird of the ratepayers in the area proposed to be brought in, did not petition the Governor against the change, the proclamation w'ould be made, and the boundaries extended as desired. If those of the outsiders who were furthest away did object and prevent the whole area being brought in, he believed there was a fringe of suburbs the residents of which would themselves afterwards seek to be brought into the Borough. His only reason for proposing the boundaries he did was that the Council could thereby obtain control of the whole area drained by the gullies running through the town, the drainage of which must flow through the Borough sowers. One result of tne extension of the water supply to where it was wanted would be to lighten the water rates on the present Borough from 2s to about 13d in the £.

In reply to Cr Jackson, the Waterworks Engineer said 4-inch pipes were being laid at a total cost for labor and material of about £GOO per mile. There would be plenty of water for 80,000 people, and there would be an ample supply for gardens for many years. Cr Gibson said that the only satisfactory way of dealing with the suburban residents was to get them to join the Borough or to combine themselves together in some way so that they could be dealt with as a body. A system of supplying water to them as individuals would not be found to answer. It appeared that the outsiders were not inclined to move for their incorporation with the Borough, and so the Council should do so, and if they opposed the action of the Council the latter would at least have done their duty. He would give notice of a motion for next meeting “ That the necessary steps be taken under the Act of 1876 for the purpose of extending the Borough boundaries, for the purpose of testing whether the inhabitants are willing to join the Borough and take advantage of the water supply.” The Mayor said that if the outsiders agreed to come in the Council would need to borrow four or five thousand pounds to make street*. The water pipes could not be laid in some places until culverts had been put down in the gullies. Cr Gibson—lf that is the case any reduction of the water rates in the town would be counterbalanced by having to take charge of a lot of bad roads and worse streets and put them into shape.

Cr Bush would prefer that no steps whatever be taken about extending the water supply beyond the Borough at present, There were a few thousands to spare, but they could not tell that they would not be wanted to construct filter beds at the reservoir. He would rather wait and see whether the supply to the Borough was satisfactory before extending it. The Mayor said there would be money enough to supply the suburbs and leave enough afterwards to construct filter beds if they were required. In any case they could not go on at once with the extension, and the borough supply would soon be tested ; the water might be turned on in a month, and the house services might be complete in a couple of months. A complete map of the area proposed to he incorporated would he required, and this had to be prepared. Mr Dobson said such a map would cost twenty-five guineas. Jn reply to Cr, Filmer the Mayor said the map would be useful if the water mains were carried beyond the Belt, but in the meantime as it was to be got for the extension of the Borough and not for Waterworks purposes it must be charged to the general and not to tho Waterworks account,

O. Hibson was afraid the boundaries proposed by the Mayor were too extensive, an I that the scheme would be jeopardised by trying to include too large an area, taking in some largo undivided properties. He suggested tnat Mr Archer’s property bad better be left out on ibis account. The Mayor said Mr Archer was very anxious to get water. He had, besides, laid out a township at the bead of street wlktg the water Ri’prjy woujd, be be required. HihgiVn fought it would be better to atlupt narrower boundaries, and let any persons left < ut side ask to have (hem extended if lbey thought IU. In view of the step's to bo taken to endeavor tu extend the Borough, it was resolved, on the motion of Cr. Ross, that

the Mayor write to l ie Colonial Secretary, asking him to delay taking action in the matter of dividing the Borough into wards, so that the extension and division into wards may be considered at the same time. In reference to the map that would be required, Or Boss informed the Council that two surveyors were now engaged on a large map of the town and surrounding districts, which they expected to have completed and ready for publication within a month. A copy of this might serve the purposes of the Council, The Works Committee were authorised to procure a plan of the area proposed to be added to the Borough, it being understood that if the map spoken of by - Or. Ross would answer the purpose, a copy of it should be obtained instead of a fresh one. The Waterworks Committee having since the previous meeting considered the proposed extension of the watersupply beyond the Borough, had recommended that a plan of the proposed extension should be prepared. A resolution was now passed, on the motion of Cr Filmer, postponing the acceptance of this recommendation. WATER WORKS BY-LAW. A special meeting was held at eight o’clock to adopt the Waterworks By-law, hut owing to several corrections and amendments having been made in it, which the Councillors had not had an opportunity to consider, the meeting was adjourned till Monday next. The Council rose at 10.15.