SHANNON BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Shannon News, 28 August 1925, Page 3

SHANNON BOROUGH COUNCIL.

FORTNIGHTLY MEETING. The above meeting was held in the Council Chancers on Tuesday evening. Present: The Deputy-Mayor (Cr. Butt) and Grs. Roberts, Thwaites, Dowries, Spencer, Richardson ana rfook. „„ CORRESPONDENCE. From Howard Andrew, Ltd., accepting the Council's terms'for improvements tot footpath on Plknmer lerrace on condition tha,t half cost is paid, and thanking the Council tor having passed same on the understanding that it will not cost more ihan £H' 10s per chain. From A. J. Paterson, City Engineer, Wellington, stating he would be only too pleased to give an opinion upon the stone submitted for road construction. . t . . , From office of the Minister ol internal Affairs re licensing of driver* under the Motor Vehicles Act, stating that representations have recently U"n made that motor drivers licenses are being issued by local authorities in cases where applications for such licenses had previously been refused by another local authority, without any inquiry being made from the local authority which refused the license, pointing out that a local WXly should in every case ascertain Irom the local authority in whose, district the garage of the motor vtehicle is situated, or, if the applicant is not tue owner of the motor vehicle, from the local authority in whose district the applicant is resident, whether an application had been • received by n from the applicant, and, if so, whether such application was refused and the grounds for such refusal.. Trie letter also submitted a list of qualifications in respect to tests necessary for granting a license.—Left to the By-law Committee to deal with. From the Wellington Committee ol thle New Zealand and South Seas Exhibition asking the Council to "be represented at a meeting to be held in Wellington on August 27th, when, matters having a distinct bearing on the character of the Wellington Provincial'.Court will be discussed.—Received. ROAD COMMITTEE'S REPORT. Cr. spencer,-cliairnian of the Roads Committee, reported us follows: — Have procured the 6-inch (pipes and completed the work as requested byMessrs Swindlehurst and Turley.; Have alscj inspected with Cr. Curran uie dram from W. Gardner's to outlet and decided to have the work of cleaning out done- as early as possible. Cr. Curran to attend to the getting of this work done. When this work is completed, there will be no excuse lor Mr Gardner not complying with the request of the Council. Slaiford and a poirtion ol V'ogel and Grand Streets have been treated with the grader, a gr-eau improvement having been effected and after these roads have been surfaced once uv twice will give a good shape and even running surface. These roads are being increased in width from 10 and 11 feet to 14 and 15 feat.

HOUSING COMMITTEE REPORT. The chairman of the Housing Committee ('Cr. Spencer) reported as follows:—The trench having been completed as requested we inspected the understmctuirie oif the Council building and find it in good condition and wadirants lilting as suggested. Would ask thatt the plan ' submitted toe corrected if thought necessary to allow of a definite cost being\ brought down. The implement shed is completed and is perfectly-, satisfactory in every respect and only requires the necessary filling to allow of its use. Have procured .the necessary lriing for Mr H. Butt's whare and this Work is being done.

Dealing with the report Cr. Thwaites said he favoured lifting the present Gouncil building and making improvements iii preference to placing a proposal for a new building before the ratepayers. 'ln referring to the. plan of the alterations he objected t o toe sanitary arrangements being under the same roof, not. only from a health point of view, but it would W, (necessary to employ an attendant. He also questioned whether the Health ] Authorities would allow a septic laiiK \ to be put on the section. If the Cou." cil were allowed to. put in a septic tank on their sections, private ownerwould want the sarnie privilege. Cr. Roberts said he noticed on the plan an office for letting was Included This being so, provision would have to be made for a convenience. Cr. Spenoer estimated a septic tank to cost £l5O, but he pointed out that there was no need to alter the building on account off sewerage, whuii could be dealt with later Cr Roberts then moved and Cr. Richardson seconded: "That the Com, cil approve of the plan of to the Council Chambers, but refer same back to Housing committee a; ascertain if the ladies' convenience cannot be included n the building. —Carried. ,„„ DOMAIN FENCE. Cr. Richardson reported having inspected the new fence around the Domain and found that the work is not satisfactory, lie said that the strainers at the corner of Vogel anu Stout Streets and corner of Wh Maker and Stout Streets are not erected to be Plumb and stays are badly fixed by not being mortised into strainers as per specifications, one stay being held in position by a staple .The posts are not in a uniform distance apart, some being four yards and others five yards and over The spacin°- to be 1 correct, should be five post* to°the chain, of equal distances apart In many instances posts are not plumb and in line. The wires have sagged through bad workmanship in fixing battens, the battens having been suspended by the top wire when fixing. This has caused the wire to sag. Mr Brown the contractor, was present and explained that the strainer at the corner of Vogel and Stout sts. had inulled over owing to the son. nature of the ground and the numSer of drains atthte paint made it impossible to put in a PT«pCTfoot He tontended that the posts were plumb

and in line and that the wires had sagged owing to people climbing over mx: 'iunci.'. he was questioned by tho Council re the angles and gates and lie held the positions were not properly stated in the specifications. Mr Brown then withdrew and the matter was discussed by the Council. Cr. Richardson gave an outline of the work done which was on the lines of his" report. Cr. spencer was of opinion that the weak link was in the specifications. If the work was not being satisfactorily done it should have been stopped and the mistakes pointed out to the contractor. Cr. Richardson said-he had tried to stop the oontractor from proceeding with the work, but lie had refused to do so unless paid £1 per day as he held that the work had been allowed to proceed too far. He asked Cr. Spencer what he would have done under the circumstances.Cr. Spencer said he had no knowledge that the contractor had been asked to cease work and he would therefore retract a lot he had said, but he would have compelled him to stop work. It was estimated to cost- upproximately Jft to put the fence in order. On thJltiotion of Cr. Robert it was resolvedr r "That the committee •■summons Mr Brown to meet them on the Domain and go over the job with them and the faults be pointed out and he be asked to rectify them or as an alternative to agree to the sum of £6 being deducted from the contract price, failing this nothing to be paid until compelled to." GENERAL. Cr. Richardson drew attention to the danger at the rainp in Sheehan Street. He said that motorists were apt to go over the bank and haul in the stream and he re coin mended that a danger notice be erected—This was agreed to. BARBED WIRE AND FENCES.

Cr. Thwaites said some of the residents were taking exception to persons fencing in roads in different portions of the Borough. Hie said he understood the Council did not have the power to grant permission;, but had winked the other eye.—lt was pointed out that the Council had power to grant an application, and m, resident had the right to fence in a piece of road without making application to the Council. It was stated that some persons had erected barb wire on fences on portions of road they had fenced in. The Council were of opinion this was a danger and a notice is to be inserted that where barb wire is erected on fences that encroach on roads this is to be removed within fourteen days. THE TRAIN SERVICES. Cr Thwaites asked if the Council received a reply to the wire sent by them to the Railway Department re the Napier express stopping at Shannon in the morning which asked that they be given equal privileges with other towns along the line. The Clerk said no replv had been received. Cr. Thwaites said the Chamber of Commerce had received no reply to their wire and he asked if the Council was coin"" to co-operate with the Chamber in the matter of writing again —lt was decided to leave the matter of writing with the Town Clerk.-»