SHANNON'S MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS.

Shannon News, 13 September 1921, Page 3

SHANNON'S MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS.

MEETING OF BOROUGH COUNCIL. The meeting on Friday evening was attended by the Mayor (Mr Murdoch), and Crs. Fargher, Richardson, Hyde, Spencer, and Butt. CORRESPONDENCE. The General Manager of Railways wrote respecting the state of the Shannon railway offices and premises. These had been inspected without disclosing any insanitary conditions. He would be pleased if the Council would point out what it was considered by the Council that required attention. The Mayor stated he had taken the Health Officer over to the station that morning, and he was making a report on its condition. Dr. Faris, Medical Officer of Health, \ forwarded for the Council’s information regulations recently gazetted under section 48 of the Health Act, 1920.—Received: The Levin Borough Council sent account for Shannon Council’s share of the cost of the Palmerston North Hospital Board election. The amount ■was £3 5s 7d.—Passed for payment. Accounts amounting to £SO 5s 7d were passed for payment.. PLIMMER TERRACE FOOTWAY. The Engineer (Mr Edwards) reported in regard to the Plimmer Terrace footway as follows: In order that the Council shall have something before them at tonight’s meeting re the Plimmer Terrace footway, I have made a rough 'estimate of the proposed work, i.e., a tarred footway extending from Gunning’s shop along Plimmer Terrace to Grey Street, and into Grey Street 164 links. This job has given me a lot of thought and \vork in deciding upon suitable grades, owing to the very Irregular foundations of several buildings, some of which are sft 9in below the street gradient. I have, however, put in pegs to the only available grades in the circumstances. Cr. Spencer, who is a very practical man, with a fine grasp of construction, kindly looked into the matter with me on the site. I have decided to suggest to the Council to put in 9in by 2in H.T. matai wood kerbing secured to H.T. 2ft 3in blocks spaced 7ft centres. The water tables to be built up of solid metal with tar, the footway formation to be graded and built to the graded kerbs, and to be well rolled and tarred twice in thick, well-boiled tar, dusted with fine sand. The longitudinal measurement of the footway will Be 10 chains and a few links. 1 estimate the work should be carried out for £123 13s; the half cost to frontages.would be £6l 16s 6d, say at the rate of £l2 10s per chain, and £6 5s the half cost. I trust the work will be done at my estimate, and in ordinary circumstances it should be. I have to-day obtained a quotation for the matai kerbing at 24s per super 100 feet, f.o.r. Palmerston North: I think you will consider this a favourable price at the present time, and I beg to suggest that the Council supply all the materials. Within a few days I will forward a plan of this work, also a plan and estimate of the proposed bridge at Wilkinson’s, in Graham Street, together with a specification of the concrete kerbing and water tables around the reserve in Plimmer Terrace, including plans of levels.

The Mayor said the main point about the report was the cost of £123 for the footpath. Cr. Spencer said the work would require an enormous amount of lilting in addition to the footpath. The difficulty would be to get a grade; in fact, it would be impossible to get a grade, and they had to trike it as it was. • In reply to Cr. Hyde, Cr. Spencer said the matai kerbing would extend the whole length of the proposed footway. Cr. Butt said he took it that the £123 would cover the whole cost of footway. The Mayor said that was Apparently correct. He was in favour of going on with the work, debt or no debt. He would tell the Council, however, that the Finance Committee held a meeting on Thursday evening and after going into matters fully found thqre would be a deficit on the year’s working without taking this latter work into account. Cr. Butt pointed out that they had passed the worst part of the year, and their outlay need not necessarily he so heay during the rest of the financial period. In reply to Cr. Hyde, the Mayor said they would have about £3OO more in rates during the coming year than last. Cr. Fargher said they started off the year with a load on their shoulders. That should be taken into account. Cr. Hyde; How is our expenditure panning out as regards the esti* mates?

* \ The Mayor: It is working oul very well. Cr. Fargher said It had been suggested sut the Finance Committee’s meeting that a statement, should be prepared once a month and presented to the councillors to show the Council’s financial position, He moved 1o that effect. The motion was carried. The Mayor asked if the Council could do the footway with their own two men. Cr. Spencer: No. Cr. Fargher: I think we can. At this stage the Council went into committee, and on resuming in open Council, Cr. Spencer moved that tenders be called for labour only for kerbing and asphalting from Gunning’s to round into Grey Street. The motion was carried. In regard to the brid? 0 at Mr Wilkinson’s, the Roads Committee was authorised td call tenders (labour only) for same, the committee to draw up specifications for the work and the supply of material.