BOROUGH COUNCIL

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 184, 10 April 1915, Page 4

BOROUGH COUNCIL

FORTNIGHTLY MEETING. The ordinary fortnightly meeting of the Taihape Borough Council was held iu the Council Chambers last evening, there being present: the Mayor (Mr. A. L. Arrowsmith), and Crs. Doherty, Healey, McCormick, Aldridge, and Wrgbtson. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed and the'correspondence outward was verified. Crs. Bebau and Wilson were granted leave of absence for that meeting. The undecided question of firemen attending public entertainments war discussed. It was generally agreed that four firemen were-necessary at all large public gatherings to adequately pr vide against outbreaks of fire and of panic. It was urged that public property would thereby be safe-guard-ed without cost to the Council. CORRESPONDENCE.

A letter was received • from Messrs. Meldrum, MacLeau and Davies, solicitors for Mrs. E. E. Wilson, with re-

spect to an account rendered by the Council for drainage work done by the Borough, and stating that the account seemed to include cost of connection made between the main sewer and the kerbing of the footpath, and, as their client did not consider that she should pay for that work as sectiou 8, block V. was included in the area covered by Drainage Loan No. 2, they asked that the account be apportioned showing the cost of this work, and asking that it should be deducted from the amount owing. They also assumed that the account for pipes and work done, £9 10/11, was included in the amount of £39 .1(5/9, as that was within a few shillings of the original estimate. As their client did not consent to a manhole being added to the work they also asked that its cost be deducted. It was further stated that Mrs. Wilson was called upon by the Council iu 1909 to do certain drainage work to these same premises. The work was done by the Council, for which their client paid £l4. When the new work was effected that expenditure had been found to be useless, and was condemned by the Health Department. They therefore considered the Council should make some allowance for this work.

The Mayor said the account furnished to Mrs. Wilson seemed to bo quite in order; no property was entitled to mere than one connection. With respect to the manhole objected to, it was required and, in fact, if it had not been put in there would have had to be four extra connections made, so it. was a saving of expense. He moved that payment of the account be pressed for those reasons. —Carried. A letter from the Premier, the Hon. W. F. Massey, was received acknowledging the Council’s resolution regarding the price, of foodstuffs anfl promising that, it should have the. careful consideration of the Government.— Received.

From various eatinghousc-keepers, asking the Council to certify that they represented a majority: of such businesses in the town in their appeal to the Department to be allowed to keep their shops open at night till eleven o’clock and till twelve o’clock o* Sat-

urdays. —The Town Clerk was instructed to give the certificate asked for.

From the Hon. J. Allen, Minister for Finance, forwarding a copy of resolutions arrived at at a conference of Patriotic Associations and Bt. John’s Ambulance Association, held recently in Wellington, with reference to finding the money asked from the Dominion for Belgian relief. The following letter was also reeeiv- i ed from the Mayor of Wellington on the same subect: “1 respectfully invite your do-operation in giving effect to the enclosed circular. You will see that the estimated sum of £978 per month is the amount to be raised Py the W r ellington Provincial District,the population of which is, approximately, 200,000. The sum of IJd per head per month .will be ample to meet the desired response. Aa the appeal is sent out to the Mayors of Boroughs, County Councils, Town Boards, and Road Boards, also Chairmen of Committees now raising funds, it is necessary that united action should be taken to secure the object set out in the circular. T would suggest that a Central Committee be sot up to act in a general manner to ensure success of the scheme; the Committee to consist of the Mayor of Wellington, Hon. C. J. Johnston (Belgian Consul), and C. P. Bkerrott. K.C. (chairman of the organisation that has been so successful in raising funds for the relief. If you agree, will you please let me know as soon as possible. You can readily ascertain from the New Zealand Year Book the population of your district.

•Oil the motion of the Mayor the scheme was agreed to. REPORTS. The Treasurer’s report was adopted showing accounts-to stand *as follows-. —District Fund Account (dr.) £2951 14/S, as against £2O2G 1/2 at last meeting; Loan Account Mo. 1 (dr.) £034 1/9; Loan Account Mo. 2 (dr.) £lB2 2/11, both exclusive of bank charges amounting to £3l 3/5; Domain Acount (Cr.) £52 3/4. Accounts amounting to £73 3/4 were passed for payment. The Mayor drew attention to an additional item—Mayor’s honorarium £SO, which had not been passed, or allotted by the Council in accordance with the Corporations Act. Some discussion took place, all present expressing regret at the Council’s oversight.

The Mayor said the amount must tuapportioned and passed by the Council before the Mayor is elected, therefore he had no other course than to mov that it I>e deleted.—Motion agreed t,>. The Works Committee reported as follows: —(1) That the Borough Foreman '» report on the work of the past fortnight be adopted, and that the Foreman be instructed to interview Mr. .1. G. Oldham in regard to the re quiroments necessary to provide for the disposal of storm water from the sale yards in Hantapu Street. (2) That the work specified in the report of the Foreman, re footpaths in Kiwi and Ellis Roads be carried out. The Committee inspected the road leading to the Otaihape Bridge, and they recommended that the proposed footpath be not proceeded with at present. With respect to the drainage of surface water from the sale yards, the Mayor said the auctioneers were willing to do anything that was reasonable so long as the Council would indicate what was required. Cr. Aldridge said it was important that this water should be carried away; it was a nuisance at present as it was charged with the manure from the yards and most of it drained over the footpaths. He thought ashphalting or wood-blocking would get over the difficultv.

The report ■was then adopted. The Borough Foreman’s report, as follows, was also adopted:— Borough Foreman’s Report. The major part of the past fortnight has been taken up in footpath construction, as authorised. The path in olua Street, adjoining sections 1/1, block XVIII., is now completed. Work is also well forward on the path alongside sections 1/10, block XV., and formation work is completed on the path adjoining sections 20/24, block XV. At the intersection of Birch's Road with the extension of Kuaka Road, there is a three-feet culvert to carry storm water from adjoining creek under roadway. One side of the culvert broke away; now timber has been put in, and the culvert lengthened on either side an additional four feet, which will give a crossing of eighteen feet instead of ten feet as before. While on this subject, I would pointout that a-number of storm water culverts require extending and repairing, and I would therefore ask that authority be granted to purchase, approximately, 1,500 feet of totara for this purpose. Auctioneers’ Sheep Yards —Ik wet weather, and more especially during the winter, the footpath in front of these saleynrds, in Hautapu Street, Is invariably in a dirty condition after each stock sale. I would, therefor*, recommend that the responsible parties be approached to make provision for the storm water from these sections, and also have the gateways tarred or asphalted, so ■as to minimise as tnueh as possible, the ineonvenjensa to pedestrians using the footpath.

Cr. Doherty said, while they were or the subject of water destroying and being a nuisance to footpaths, lie might draw, attention to one or two other instances. Water came down rights of way and washed holes in the .paths. He thought they should get aa estimate for the whole of these e&ses. with

a view to having the work done. 'l'bc Mayor said it was the duty of property owners to keep their storm water froi-a. injuring tiro footpaths. lIOf drew attention to water running from * his property just iu the same way, and the Council made put in a culvert. Ee pointed out that tkcv went saleyards people to them '...-iieep their water from being a nuisance and they could not very well lor others off from doing simihvrily. 7hoy u id no*make one pay othei off. lie had always been very careful not to do anything for private owners unless they were bound to do it, because it established a precedent—if they did it for one, they would be expected to do it for all others. Or. Doherty asked whether owners could be compelled to block or asphalt the footpaths in such places. The Mayor said they could not, and the discussion closed. The question of properties belonging to Mr. Carpenter not being in the water area and therefore not being liable to rating was "further discussed. Cr. Aldridge said he had suffered some injustice as a ratepayer had paid some £3O to have the water laid on and this had brought him within the area and liable to rates. He tlidjr’t want, the water, and next year lie would object to paying the rates. The Borough Foreman reported that in accordance with instructions he had had taken the lengths of water main along Birch’s Road from Moa Street. From the said intersection, a two-inch water main has been laid along Birch’s Road, a distance of 4 chains 52 feet, and to a distance of 70 feet from the boundary of Lot 7 of Section 36, with a frontage to Birch’s Road. The boundaries of Lots 8, 9 and 10, with a frontage to the extension of Knaka Street are within 40 feet, 12G feet, and 212 feet, respectively, of the two-inch water main in Birch’s Road. On Cr. Wrightsou’s motion, seconded by the Mayor, it was resolved to inform Mr Carpenter that it was found that Section 4, belonging to him, wajj outside the water area, and that he ImJS been wrongly charged for the . waTj|| rate. The matter would be adjujtuffl in future accounts.

GENERAL BUSINESS. Cr McCormick moved and Cr Dougherty seconded, "That no recommendation from the Health Department be discussed by the Council unless a copy of same has been supplied to the party or parties interested therein three days previous to the meeting of the Council at which it is to be brought forward.’’ The resolution was adopted without discussion.