TAIHAPE BOROUGH COUNCIL

Taihape Daily Times, 20 July 1918, Page 4

TAIHAPE BOROUGH COUNCIL

The ordinary monthly meeting of the Council wsa held last night. Present: Cr. Wrightson (i n the absence of the Mayor occupied the chair), Crs. Joblin, Champion, Healey, Dashwood, Tjurnbull, and Eeid.

His Worship the Mayor applied for leave of absence, on account of having important business to attend to in Wellington. At the same time he took the opportunity of thanking the Council for its kind expression of opinin towards himself where the question of the Mayor's honorarium was discussed in his absence.at the last meeting, and to assure Councillors that he greatly appreciated the assistance received during his term of office.

A communication was received from the Acting Premier with reference to the Government taking over control of arterial roads, stating that it involved a question of policy and could not be dealt with until the return of the Prime Minister.

A letter was received from Mr. E. A. Williams, engineer to the Napier Borough Council, in reply to a request from the Taihape Council for his services in connection with the proposed damage and water extension scheme. Mr Williams stated 3ie would take the necessary levels-, etc., and furnish report and estimates for proposed works for a sum equal to 1§ per cent, of estimated value (or contract price, if let by Council), or a maximum sum of £IOO, and should the loan proposed bo carried would be prepared to furnish plans and specifications for a further one per cent. He would be prepared to meet the Council on a date to be arranged. It was decided to engage Mr Williams in terms of his letter.

•Cr. Wrightson said it would be necessary for the Council to appoint a committee to make arrangements to meet Mr Williams, and to have all the information ready for him.

It was decided'Cßat the Works Committee, with the addition of Cr. Wrightson, be a; committee to meet and confer with (Mr. Williams.

The question of the internment of enemy aliens was the subject of a communication from fhe 'Gisborne Borough Council, this body asking, the support of the" Council to ,a, resolution calling for the Government to intern all enemy aliens during the period of the war, and to utilise their services in a manner which will be useful to the State. The definition of "alien enemy," as laid down by the circular, "means and includes every person who is or has .at any time been a subject of any state with which His Majestyis now at war, notwithstanding that such person may also by birth, naturalisation, or otherwise be a British subject, or may have in any manner ceased io be a'subject of .any such State." '.'''

Cr. Eoid proposed and Cr. Dashwood seconded that the proposal of the Gisborne Borough Council be given effect to. the proposer and seconder speaking briefly in support of the motion. Cr, Joblin sale] while generally in favour of interning enemy aliens, he thought the proposal was too drastic. He took exception to the inclusion in the reslution of a native or British born person, though of alien descent. He moved as an amendment that those born in New Zealand be exempt from inclusion in the resolution.

Cr. Champion also spoke in support of Cr. Joblin's exception.

Cr. Turnbull, in seconding the amendment, considered it was only right te except those born in New Zealand, as wo have the offspring of Austrian and 'German parents fighting for us.

Cr. Wrightson did not think much harm could be done by passing the resolution. He would support the! Gisbornc resolution. He considered the Government of New Zealand could be trusted to give a correct definition of the words "enemy aliens." A resolution like the one under disucssion would give the Government an indication of the feeling of the people in the matter.

The motion was then put and lost, and on Or. Joblin's amendment being ,put as the motion it "was carried by four .to three. On a request that the voting,bo recorded, the division resulted as follows: For the amendment: Crs. Joblin, Champion, Healey, and Turnbull; against: Crs. Eeid, Wrightson and Dashwood. Cr. Joblin proceeded to explain his position, but the chairman, said that as the amendment had been carried further discussion weuld do no good.

'The Works Committee's report was read as follows: Tour Committee recommends having authorised the Foreman'of Works to place cinders on the footpaths in Huia Street, and to interview the Railway Department with reference to the state of the overhead B'ridge at the south end of the town, and to effect certain small repairs etc., to the footpath entrance of the above bridge at an estimated cost of £3 ss. The Gommittee considers that the matter of obtaining Street name plates be left in abeyance in the meantime, but if the Council decides that they should

be procured, recommend that they-i be- . made of wood, owing to the prohibitive price of enamelled iron plates. That the Council experiments by tarring portions of the sides of the roads with the view of growth of |f> grass and weeds. >

The Town Clerk reported that he had interviewed Mr Thompson with regard to a renewal of his contract for the removal of nightsoil and rubbish. Mr Thompson said he was not prepared to take on the job under the old conditions owing to the increase in the price of horse - feed and loss through bad debts, and the great trouble he had in collecting his accounts in some cases. However, he had received a written offer from Mr Thompson of. Sd per pan for nightsoil and 4s per Toad for rubbish —This offer the Council decided to accept. The question of name plates for streets was referred back to. the Works Committee, and authority was also given for experimenting with tar in side streets. With these amendments the report was adopted.

The Electric Light and Water Works Committee report was read as under, and adopted:—

Your Committee recommends that a new 15 h.p. motor be purchased for use in connection with the low lift pump. That the present 9 h.p. motor be sold when the installation of the above mentioned motor is completed and another 15 h.p. motor purchased as a stand by. Eeports having instructed the Acting Electrical Engineer to exercise his own judgment in regard to connecting new consumers within the lighting area, and have also asked him to interview consumers, where, in his opinion excessive illumination of windows etc., is made in order that the Council may be in the position of connecting a few more householders with, the main.

Cr. Joblin brought up the question of the sanitary by-laws, saying that it was time something was done in the matter, as the subject had now come before the Council spasmodically for close on two years. He recognised that it was inopportune to go into the matter that night in view of unavoidable absence of the Mayor, whose assistance would be valuable. They should have a special meeting to consider the adoption of sanitary bylaws.

Cr. Wrightson said it was quite useless to call a special meeting until the by-laws had been dealt with by the Council's legal advisers. ; Cr. Joblin moved that a cOpy of sanitary by-laws be referred to the" Borough Solicitor for perusal and comparison with the present' sanitary bylaws and that he be asked to report on the matter at the earliest possible moment.

Cr. Wrightson' said they probably would not get them back from the solicitor inside of two months. Cr. Champion agreed with Cr. Jbblin He would like to see a start made on them.

The Town Clerk pointed out that the preparation and printing of these by-laws would cost approximately from £IOO to £l5O. The amount provided in the estimates for contingencies, was £l3O. Most of this amount lad . already been hypothecated. The cost of the new by-laws had not been provided for in the estimates. The work could be prepared and got ready to come into force on the Ist April of next year; then the cost could be made a charge on the revenue of the coming year. Cr # Wrightson said that by the time everything was arranged and the bylaws printed some six or seven months must elapse. There was another aspect of the question to be borne in mind. The cost of all sanitray work had increased from 100 to 150 per cent, and it would not be fair under these circumstances to compel residents to connect with the sanitary system of the borough. V The matter then dropped. Captain Beid, of the Taihape Fire Brigade was appointed Fire Inspector for the Borough. The Council then adjourned.