Borough Council Meeting.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXII, Issue 42769, 24 August 1905, Page 2

Borough Council Meeting.

A special and the ordinary monthly meeting of the Te Aroha Borough Council were held last evening in the Council’s office. There were present The Mayor (A.. J., Farmer, Esq.), and Councillors J.,Hetherington, E. Devey, P. OrMcagher*. J -> Rowe, A. F. Thomas and C. Wallis. 4 ;? At the special meeting the | balance-sheet from April Ist, 1904, to March, 31st 1905, was read and passed. The ordinary business was then proceeded -with. Minutes of the last moeting were read and confirmed.-: / . The question of exemption of chemists from the Shops arid Offices Act was raised, and a letter read granting the exemption asked for. „ ELECTRIC LIGHT.

A letter from Messrs Steuart and Fenn stated that most of the material was landed. The Clerk stated that all the machinery and apparatus was here except the switchboard.

A letter received from Messrs A. and T. Burt, Ltd., read as follows:—We have been in communication with Mr Fenn, and he has informed us that the pipes have been thoroughly tested in Dunedin, therefore final payment is due if Mr Pavitt would inspect the pipes and say that they were not damaged in shipment, and has ascertained that the quantities are correct. It would be better to store the goods until the whole of them arrived, as double handling would be dearer than storage. We are forwarding alternator and wheel by N.S.S. Co. A letter from Messrs Stewart and Fenn stated that Mr Fenn would be coming to Te Aroha shortly. Permission was granted by Mr Bairie, for overhead wires to run through his land. A letter from the Mayor of Invercargill gave his opinion that there is no necessity for the construction of a board to manage firebrigade matters, as proposed by the Fire Brigades Bill now before Parliament. RE STABLE TO BE ERECTED IN WHITAKER-STREET BY HR JOHN BRADLEY. Mr John Williams wrote objecting to the erection of stables adjoining his property saying they would be an intolerable nuisance. He also drew the Council’s attention to some other buildings adjoining his property, which were roofed with shingles. A letter from Mr Jas. P. Frengley, health officer, said that it was impossible for him to write the certificate for the present plans. He recommended that a water-tight floor of concrete, wood paving, or double boards pitched between, be provided, with a means also of draining same. Livery stables were, he said, legitimate business premises, therefore they could not very well stop the work from being carried out, but that the Council could stipulate that the horse stalls should not be within a certain distance of the public road. Mr Bradley had promised to comply with these recommendations and permission to build was therefore granted, the plans being approved provided that be abide by the alterations and additions. A latter from the District Traffic- Manager for Railways stated that the question of a train from Frankton and hack, would receive consideration when the service for the Waihi branch was under review. Application was made to the Council by Mr R. Mackay to contribute to cost of repairing a bridge leading into his property. Or. Hetherington: We cannot pay for repairs to a bridge leading , into private property. Cr O’Meagher: Perhaps this would be better left in the hands of the Works Committee. Carried.

OPINION RE LOWER END OF BOUNDARY-STREET. A letter was read from Mr T. F. Martin as follows: — “Thatconsent of adjacent owners is not necessary in law to the devoting of a disused part of a street to a purpose of public utility under section 240 of the Municipal Corporations Act, 1900. But on the other hand the Governor in Council has a discretion whether to approve of the work.” Report from Building Inspector: With regal’d to the Catholic Church, three stays on one side are in a rotten condition ; the porch vibrates very much with certain winds, but seems to be well secured to the main body of the Church. The Mayor: Here is a letter calling attention to the waterrunninginto Whitaker-street'; it is of an objectionable nature, and runs into the sewer. I move that this matter he left to the Wcrks Committee.—This motion was carried. It was stated that a case of diptheria, reported recently was found, on the patient’s arrival at the Hospital, to be only a severe case of sore throat. This kind of thing would get Te Aroha an undeserved bad name. The turncock’s report recommended an alteration in tho position of ’boxes in the waterfall creek. Cr Thomas said it was a very risky matter clearing out those boxes and a pole was very necessary. The Mayor said that in regard to any new schemes they would have to be very careful of their finances, but they would refer this matter to the Committee who would arrange it between now and the next meeting.

The Mayor said that bringing to mind the fact that they should look into the matter of providing another reservoir, money was rather short, and this would have to wait! Mr Geo. Devey was granted permission to erect a sign. ' Tenders were submitted for building dam, erecting trestles, and laying pipes from the creek to reservoir on Tui Hill, as follows H. G. Frith £IOO Mackio and Duclloy ..102 F. Walkor .....107 E. Patterson 127 H. McCormick 130 The Mayor moved that Mr F. Walker's tender be accepted. This was carried unanimously.

Reservoir on Tui Hill.—Tho question then came up for discussion whether the new reservoir at Tui Hill would hold water or not, and whether it would need concreting. Mr Thomas : It would cost about £2O to concrete it. The Mayor : It would bo very tlrin concrete at that price. Cr O’Meagher: Cannot this question ho referred to tho Electric Lighting Pommitteu f The Mayqr : No one can really tell \yhctl\ur it will hold water or not.

Or Rowes uggested that nil tho councillors should go an 4 inspect tho roservoir, but it was again contended that they could gain nothing by this. The contractor had stated that the reservoir was located on what had at one time

been the scene of a land-fall, and in digging they had come across numerous tree yoqts, etc., ryliich contributed to iqako the porqqs ( soil even more unsafe. The Clerk asked if the pipes to tho powerhouse would he fixed by contract, and was told that they would he. Gr Devey said the msorvoir was an important matter, as in tho oyont of the electric light failing k° thought cqnsumers qaifld come upon the Council fqr- damages. , ' The Mayor said that one comer would j certainly have tq bo concreted, but Cr Devey said it would bo better to concrete it all oyer while the chance was there.

It was then suggested that tho porosity npght be tested by tilling only tho bottom with water. . The Clerk contended that this had praotic.:}lly been done, ns the oontvnotqr had stated that no water remained long on the bottom of the reservoir, although there had been heavy rains. Tho Clerk also said, that flood gates wou}d bo required at both inflow anfl outflow of reservoir, and said that quotations would be obtained from Auckland and Thames firms.

Cr Wallis brought up a matter connected with the water supply to ituakaka. He said that very often children turned the stopcocks off in the road, and that this involved a considerable inconvenience and waste of time, and that in case of a fire would be a very serious matter. He said that this was the first place he had ever known where the public had access to the water mains in the streets. Permission was given Mr Wallis to arrange with the turncock to lock up the bqxes containing stopcocks. SATING ON CAPITAL .VALUE. Cr Wallis gave notice that he'would introduce this subject at the next meeting. LIPSEV-TOWN DRAINAGE. It was said that there was a section at Lipsey-town where the drainage was allowed to run across the footpath, and was- most;objectionable. It was carried that the 'owner should be instructed to lay pipes across the footpath. The following acconnts were then passed for payment: —P. Baine, £l2 7s 6d : H. McCormick, £62; F. Walker, £200; H. Morse, £7 18s; M. Geaney, £9 Is; P. Dierk, £lO 16s 9d ; P. Paine, £l3 12s; To Aroha Timber Co., £3 lls lid; Annan and ■Jennings, £3 4s 6d; N. Baskett; £2lßs; T. A. Dudley, 18s; G. Lipsey, £1; D. Me. L. Wallace, £8 3s; W. Slaughter. £5; J. S. Crickett and C 0.,. 7s 6d ; Te .Aroha ,News, £1 Os 6d : McCormick (deposit), ’£lt; iOcean Accident Insurance Company! JSj .£«■§ Steuart and Fenn, £Bl 14s, ,5d,. £37 6s, £l6 12s, £IOO ss; A. and T. Burt, £354 3.

This concluded the business, the meeting tlien being closed.