SHANNON BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Shannon News, 19 October 1928, Page 3

SHANNON BOROUGH COUNCIL.

FORTNIGHTLY MEETING. The above meeting was held in the Council Chambers on Tuesday evening. Present: Cr. T. C. Thwaites (Acting- ■ Mayor), and Crs. A. E. Hyde, R. Downes, R. Hook and Jas. Currau, jun. MAIN HIGHWAY SUBSIDIES. The engineer of the Main Highway Board, Wellington, -wrote stating tha 1 . at a meeting of the Board held on 20th September it was decided that an future the Board will subsidise m the business area up to a width of 66 foot and on, the-remaining .portions the Board's subsidy will be limited to a width.of 30. feet. It was pointed out that the circular applies only to tar on a bituminous sealing or surface treatment and not to bituminous penetration or grouting work or any higher type of surfacing.—The letter was received. PIKE STATION. The Shannon Volunteer Fire Bngade wrote asking to have .the new lire station vested in the Council. ■Cr. Hyde said that if it was not going to hamper the Brigade .he thought it would be wise to have the building vested in the Council, as the Brigade would always have, members coming and going and it no doubt would have its ups and downs, whilo there would always be a Council. The Acting-Mayor said the building was completed and would be handed over free of debt. It was the wish of the Brigade that the building be under the jurisdiction of the Council. Cr. Hyde said that the building was most creditable to the Brigade and he moved that a letter of thanks and appreciation be forwarded to the Brigade for the good work they had already done, pointing out that as long as this Council was in office it would always assist the Brigade to its best ability. The motion was carried. ' MAIN HIGHWAYS WEAR OF METAL,

Since its inauguration the Main High ways Board has been impressing upon local outjh|orities the extraordinary losses of material which take place on macadam and gravel roads through the agency of motor traffic; and to justify the Board's attitude a circular was received from them giving the results of an investigation carried out by a county council on two sections of its Tojad, whicih, proved conclusively the heavy cost to maintain metalled roads. Cr. Downes said he had perused the circular. The only way out that he xjould see was for them to bitumenise the roads. If they are going to lose metal, as was shown by the investiga.tions made, it is not going to be long before it was all gone, In reply to Cr. Hyde, the Town Clerk stated that the cost of maintaining the 93 chains of highway through the Borough last year was £239 6s 6d. Of this amount they got 30s per chain subsidy, but this year they received slightly more. He stated that the subsidy towards construction was £2 for £1 and in some cases £3 to £l.

Cr. Hyde said that £240 capitalised at C per cent, was £4OOO and the £BOOO BUI sidy from the Highway Board, made a total of £12,000, for which amount a good length of road could be bitumenised.

The Town Clerk pointed out that out of the £240, they received £129 back, thus leaving the cost 'to the Borough at.£lll. ■Cr. Curran, jun., asked if it would cost £4OOO ,to bitumc/mse the main highway through the borough. The Acting-Mayor replied that several, engineers had estimated that amount as the approximate cost. '' Cr,. Hyde said-any cost up to £4OOO would be good business. The Acting-Mayor said that four years ago he had advocated bitumenis ing the main road! It was the only solution where they had a. limited rrTenue. There was a continuous ioss ii. their class of road.

The Town Clerk suggested that a letter be forwarded to the Horowhenua County Council asking if it was convenient for their Engineer to give an estimate of the cost at) an early date. He said that this matter had been held up owing to change of County Engineers.

On the motion of Cr. Hyde the sug gestion was agreed to. NEW MOTOR REGULATIONS.

The Wellington City Council in forwarding a copy 'of the new motor regulations, asked the Council to sup port them in opposing the following, provisions:—(l) Every local authority shall upon every road crossed by railway or tramway, whether publicor private, which crosses a road after crossing land that is not a road and on each side of such crossing erect a traffic sign; (2) Regulations requiring local bodies'to erect signs in streets to indicate the areas in which speed limit* are reduced below those mentioned in. the regulations. The Council decided to write to the Minister of Internal Affairs opposing these provisions. HANGER'S REPORT. '.. The ranger (Mr J. Svvindlehurse) reported having impounded two head of stock found wandering after sunset. — Received. HEALTH OFFICER'S REPORT. The district health officer (Mr Huggins) report was as follows: —Diseases investigated; scarlet fever 1, T.B. 1; sanitary inspections: Habitations 11, food sellers 5, plumbing and drainage 11. Sample of borough water has been collected for examination in connection with goitre research work. Routine •work has been done in the five visits made during the past month. —Adopted. FINANCE COMMITTEE REPORT. Or. Hyde reported that the Finance Committee held a meeting when the Town Clerk submitted a statement of the finances. They found that the amount of rates outstanding was not serious, and they were likely to get the bulk in at an early date., They had looked into the question of putting another man on, but found the finances would not permit them, all the committees having used up the bulk of their grants. The Roads Committee would

need to conserve any money in hand to purchase tar to complete work in hand and to be commenced. The Committee advised them not to undertake any new work. ■The Town Clerk then read the statement of accounts to the meeting, at the conclusion of which the Acting-Mayor-said they could all see that the various accounts wore in a healthy condition. He thought the Road Committee would find that .they would have sufficient money to see work in hand through; but the Finance Committee advised them not to undertake any new work. On the motion of Cr. Dovvnes the Finance Committee's recommendations were adopted. The accounts were then passed tor payment and the meeting terminated.