TAIHAPE BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Taihape Daily Times, 20 October 1917, Page 4

TAIHAPE BOROUGH COUNCIL.

The ordianry monthly meeting of the Borough Council was last night. Present: His Worship the Mayor (A. L Arrowsmith) lin, Champion, Wrightson, DashwW, Turnbull and Reid. Cr. Reid introduced a petition, signed by 160 ratepayers, re letting of the Three Stars Theatre on Sunday evening for an address

His Worship the Mayor, after perusing the petition, said it did not comply with the standing orders of the Council. Cr. Reid: Why?

The Mayor: The standing orders specify that a petition shall be typewritten and contain a prayer at the end This is not a petition but a printed demand calling upon the Council to grant a certain thing.

Cr. Reid: It seems strange "that so> representative a petition should not receive some consideration.

The Mayor read the standing order and ruled the petition out of order,, and the other business of the Council, was proceeded with.

A request was received from St~ Margaret's 'Ladies' Guild, for a re* bate on hire of the Town Hall fr* their late bazaar. It was decided to grant a rebate of 30s

The Secretary of the Taihape Fire Brigade wrote, asking th supply the Brigade members with six new uniforms, at the rate of two a month.

Cr Joblin considered as the Brigade did so much for the town they should be considered in every possible way. He moved that the request be granted.

Cr. Reid seconded, saying it was eight or nine years since the Council had supplied uniforms.

The Rangitikei A. and. P. Association asked for a reconsideration of the Town Hall charges for their last Winter Show which amounted to £l7 15s 9d

Cr. Joblin said awing to various circumstances the Winter Show last held had not been so successful as formerly. The Show was of undoubted :educational value and was the:■; means o,f bringing people into Taihape: , Cr.;Wrightson endorsed, Cj.-Joblin's,-remarks, and considered- some, ; reduc-', ticn should be made, especially; as it was-a; ;purely local institution He< sjiggested the,.Society should ;be charged for two nights, plus lightingand other charges. i Cr. Champion said the institution being such, a deserving one should have every assistance. •^•;

The Mayor was entirsly m accord \v with the previous speakers' opinions*and said the Society should be en- ;; couraged; but, without particularly k referring to the Society it appeared, to him that the Council was a fair-: milk cow to the public. Eventually Cr. Wrightson's suggestion was embodied in a resolution and, , carried/ -. A communication was received from, Messrs Baird and Macintosh, signify-, ing their willingness to enter into agreement to maintain the OtaihapeRoad for two years, at the end of which period they considered the road would be consolidated. This course was agreed to by the Council. A letter was received with regard to a right-of-way in Luke Street from Messrs Loader and Dymock, and asking the Council's consent to the execution of the necessary document. The request was granted, and Cr. Wrightson was appointed the signatory. ; A communication was read from the Board of Trade with regard to the price of fish, also one from the Auckland City Council outlining the operations of the municipal fish markets. After some discussion during which. it was held that the prices of fis&rafc present ruling in Taihape were not excessive, it was decided that the letters be received, but that no further action be taken at present, but the matter will be brought up again if the prices are unduly raised. A request from Messrs Edlin and Eteveneaux for a reduction in the license fee for a taxi was refused.

The District Engineer of the Railways wrote, saying the Department was not prepared to enter into an agreement for the supply of electric light for so short a period as three years, and intimating that a draft agreement of what they required would be forwarded. It was decided to refer the matter to the Electrical, Committee to deal with.

The question of the drainage of the area on road between Messrs Aldridge's and Bradley's came up when the Borough Solictor's opinion on the rating for this special purpose was read.

The Mayor said the drainage ill thi s locality, though outside the drains age area, was for the of th(3 borough T-bey this an<J j similar places sanitarily drained soon as possible. Though tbJPrate fixed by law was somewhat less thai* in the drainage area, it was sounif 1 policy for the Council to extend th£ J drainage as far as practicable.

It was decided that Messrs Aldridge and Bradley be asked to sign a petition for the extension of the drainage. . ..' i^ The Works Committee's Report was read as follows: - ThJ||r owing to Mr" P. Kearins not having agreed to the Council's terms in connection with the proposal that lie should vacate the Oval Domain before the termination of his grazing right, that the right be now allowed to expire by efluxion of time (i. e. on 6th November 1917); that Mr Kuhtze be informed that the Council cannot see its way clear to metal Rauma road at present, but that repairs will be effected where possible; that the Taihape Domain Board be informed that the Council will grant permission* to cart firewood from the Domain as requested during the summer months, on thu conditions mentioned in the Secretary's letter of 29th September, 1917, subject however to the B'oard tmdertaking to make a properly metalled access from the Main Road to where it is proposed to come out of the Domain; that notices be placed at the boundary of Mataroa Road, the bridge across the Hautapu river at the north end of the town and at the ou&et bridge of the Otaihape stream limbing the speed of motor cars and cycles within the Borough to 12 miles an hour. That the attention of the railway loco, department be drawn to the nuisance and inconvenience caused residents and shopkeepers, in the vicinity of the Station yards, by large volumnes of smoke being blown across their premises from engines standing on the line to the north of the Station, and that the Department be asked if anything can be done to abate the nuisance. That Mr P. Smith, of Wellington, be informed in Teply to his letters of Ist and 9th i inst., re drainage of his property in Huia Street, that the drainage work ■has been inspected by the Borough Inspector and that his certificate has already been issued certifying that the work conforms with the provisions of the Borough by-laws. That the Building Inspector be given authority to enforce the by-laws relating to the: erection, alteration, or additions to, buildings in the Borough, and that he" be : *requested to have the matter mentioned" in hfs' report, of 11th inst. -attended to. Tsat the charge for' royalty on metal be in : ' creased to 2/6 per cubic yard That the foreman of works be instructed to issue summonses against all persons riding cycles, or motor cycles on the footpaths within the' Borough. ThaAffhe Buildings Inspector be authorised to supervise the erection of the stables by Messrs Sexton and Anderson, on behalf of the Taihape Borough Council. That the drainage permit fees, provided for in by-law 144 and in 2nd schedule thereto be collected when application is made in future. * ■

Foreman's Report.—l would respectfully draw your attention to the Swimming Baths. There are some bad "cracks and" holes in the, concrete, surrounding the pond and these holes collect a lot of silt and grass that makes it difficult to keep the baths clean. Further, the floor of the bates at the inlet end is very smooth and when used a few times becomes very slippery I would suggest that a coat of cement wash be put on this portion, with a hard brush, this would put a rough surface on the plaster •and prevent persons from slipping. In regard to cutting the grass in the Triangle and Baths the Borough Council's mowing machine is of a type that jwiil not cut grass if it is over 1J inches long. It is a very heavy machine to work and takes double the time it should do to put these places in order. I would respectfully a?k pex mission to purchase a new mach have the present one advertised for sale. (Estimated cost £3 18s.) The Building Inspector reported:— I have to report that a bathroom has been built on to premises situated on Mr Kinkade's property in Ruaka St., and that the work has been done without a permit The. new part of the bu'lding is not in accordance with the by-law and should therefore be built in a proper manner. The Town Hall and Reserves Committee's report was then considered, and the Council went into committee to discuss a certain recommendation. ! On resuming, it wa s reported that the report as follows be adopted:—That the acting-foreman's report recommending certain repairs to the Baths and the purchase of a new lawn mower be adopted. That the application !»f Mr Swedlund for a variation in his lease of the Town Hall by which pictures will be shown for two nights a week at a certain rental be granted, the period of concession to be at the pleasure of the Council. That the trees on the western jgjjti of the Oval Domain be lopped to"Vcertain height to enable, the public to walk thereunder, <*& cost of the work to be 3harged tp the Oval Domain Account. --Adopted. Cr Joblin gave notice of motion to ; iie effect that the resolution of the

Council passed recently refusing permission to Mr E. Hunter for the use of the Three Stars Theatre on a Sunday evening be rescinded, and the matter re-opened for further discussion. This being all the the Council adjourned.