NEW PLYMOUTH BOROUGH COUNCIL

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 59, 26 March 1907, Page 3

NEW PLYMOUTH BOROUGH COUNCIL

The New Plymouth Uorough Council met oil Monday night. Present: 1 lis Worship tbe flavor (Mr. K. IKickrilli, and Councillors' Browne. Colls, J J utchen, Monteath, \Yeb>ter, and Wilson. ELECTRIC UCIITIXC. Mr. 1!. L. Mestayer, consulting engineer, reported that the i>ro>h Company was entitled to an immediate payment of .UftU IDs lid on the electric light contract and .I'll) as soon as the two new transformer cases were delivered in good order. The amount will be paid accordingly. Mr. \Y. <J. Meddiugs, Acting-Superin-tendent of Electric Lines, reported that insulated wire must be used in the first mile of the breakwater extension. Bare wire could be used here temporarily, and permanently for the remainder of the distance except in one or two places, such as at the oil wells aud the Moturoa Hotel. j SHOP HOURS. I

Ten Xew Plymouth hairdressers and tobacconists forwarded a petition asking to have the hours of closing fixed, and that none of these, shops should be allowed to open on Sundaj's.—To be certilied as the petition of the majority of the hairdressers and tobacconists in the borough, and forwarded to the Minister for Labor. RAILWAY PROPERTIES. Mr. l'\ P. Cork ill wrote, in connection with outstanding rates 011 properties !bought by the Railway Department, that It-lie Department would pay the rates on 'this property up to the end of the iinan- ! cial year.—Received. SLAUGHTEREDi TROUBLE. I .Alt'. George Riddell claimed 22s (id for damage done ty hides of his cattle killed at the abattoirs, and, unless the claim were settled, threatened to put the matter in his solicitor's hands. The abattoir's committee the Mayor explained, had disclaimed liability, but it would be well to look into tbe matter. In the slaughtering and freezing works slaughtermen were lined if two hides in a hundred were damaged j here Mr. Riddell claimed that live in fifty were injured. Referred to the abattoir's committee 011 the motion of the Mavor and Cr. Colli*. THE MUNICIPAL BATHS.' Mr. David Ogilvy, caretaker at the baths, asked for an overllow pipe put in the baths on account of the soot from the boiler chimney; that ue baths' coniImittee iix days for the hot water baths; ! and that his salary be raised to £IOO,

as the present remuneration was not sufficient to live on.—Referred to the Baths' Cominittee. MANGOREI. PIPE BillJXii:. Mr. R. Ellis, Clerk to the Taraniki County Council, forwarded the resolution of the Council requesting the removal of the piles driven in the Mnngorei River on the county road. The county foreman had reported that the supports to the pipe bridge obstructed the waterway in time of Hood, and had on more than one. occasion endangered the pipe bridge and the county bridge by a considerable amount of driftwood being lodged against the former.

Cr. Browne said this was a serious matter, and he thought it would be necessary to place the pipe bridge above the road bridge, besides raising it a few feet.

The matter was referred to the Works Committee, who will oblaiu an estimate of the cost from the engineer. At a later stage the engineer said that the pier should certainly be removed, and Ik- thought it would not be a costly work. i TKK POST OFI-ICE.

Mr. G. 1,. Cook, District Kngineer of Public Work*, wrote I hat he could scarcely agree that the improvements of the footpath at the entrance ito the -new Post Ollice were required "solely to improve the entrance to the Post Ollice, as the footpath was part of the main thoroughfare of the town. i>ut it" it were considered that the present footpath met requirements in the latter respect, slight adjustments could he made to suit the steps of the Post Ollice at small cost, lie suggested that any contemplated improvement of the footpaths around the entire Government block should be deferred until after the erection of the new buildings to face Silver s-lreeL Left with the foreman to confer with the Public Works Kn-ineer. The foreman will be iuMvuited to reform the kerbing and channelling where the water trough formerly stood. Till-: lll'ATOkl DIVKP.S cX.

Mr. .J. C. Webster complained that the new course of the lluatoki stream, at Vivian street, was too shallow and too narrow, cau-ing the ilood waters to sweep over thai portion of Baiuc's Terrace leased to him. The Ilood on Monday last had caused some loss to him, •and some of the punga ferns had been washed away. Prior to the diversion no such damage occurred. Cr. Monteath said that Mr. Webster should have his lemcdy against Mr. Collctt. The Mayor: We've done nothing to the stream.

The foreman said he thought the overhanging trees caught the debris, and caused the* blockage, and. on the motion of Crs. Wilson ami Browne, he was authorised to remo\ e the tree .Messrs. Govett and <>uilliam. in whose ! hands this matter was left when Hie i Council changed its solicitors, wrote tint they considered the proper way to ellW-l the exchange of land required by \lr. Collet! wa- by way of a .special Act. but were as confident that the exchange eould be made by slopping the bed of the old river as though it were a publie road. t'niler tlr.ie circumstances lliev proposed to relieve themselves of a duty that was more or distasteful. end asked the Council to authorise the Town Clerk (as borough solicitor), or Messrs. Standish and Kerr to carry the matter through. The Mayor said that Messrs. Govett end Oiiilliam hail undertaken to complete this work. It was a peculiar position.

Cr. iliitcln!) >aid tli;\l certainly 11k 1 Council could not hand Ui;il matter over j ii they liki'il. He though the solicitors wen- rather late iti the day. The Mayor lln t Ihe Council should vlecdine to lake any action. Cr. Monteath 1 bought the Council should til Covell ami Qui!Hum's advice, ami inform Messrs. Stan-di-h ami Kerr that (he exchange ; be effected iu accordance with their opinion. and in no of her way. Cr. 1 luUheu asked leave to speak a«jain. Messrs. Covet t and 'Juilliam had acted in a peculiar manner. They should have jj'iv;*u an opinion and stood by it. The Mayor said ill" Council could not allow flie solicitors I'or tin 1 other side to act alone. and lb" matter should he deferred until after the appointment of a borough snlii-ilor. Thi- cour-e wib adopted. . OCTAVICK PLACK.

The foreman reported a pipe drain for O.lavius Pine would cost Ull H)«. The in answer to Cr. Mmi tealb. said lc« would like tic- work delayed until h' had. (ompleted his levcU Lhaf it could cvenluallv he incorporated in that service. T'd-. re.-onnuendat ion was accepted. r.LKtTUICAL KNCINKKIIS KKPOIiT. The Kleclrie Li;rht reported th" accident near the power-hou>e. a falling tree having severed (he t rails - mi.-sion wire.-, lie the installation of a telephone at his house connecting both with the exchange and the power-house, so that he would be within call in rise of emergencies, jiesides the ailditional lamp ordered to be placed opposite the Presbyterian Church he suggested a temporary lamp on the pole in front of the lied House Hotel, pending the arrival of suitable arc The report was ru-dved, uud left to

tin* Electric Light Committee to report FOOTPATHS. * The foreman recommended that the footpath in Vivian street, in front of St. .Mary's Church, should be made up and tarred, at a cost of CIO. —Referred back for particulars, and an estimate of tarring portion of Courtenav street between Cover street to Eliot street, Cr. Wilson voting in the negative as regarded Vivian street. Cr. Monteath mentioned the fact that footpath asphalting work in Devon street east had been promised 1110111 lis ago. The Mayor mentioned that this work had been impossible owing to the shortage of tar. RESERVES COMMITTEE. The Ueservcs Committee's report was adopted. It was decided to lease the cemetery paddock to Mr. Stephens at a rental of ClO per annum for two years; to grant the custodian of the Town Hall a holiday: to remove the Town Hall llagstati. and place it in a more suitable position; and that the building inspector report ;.n the buildings leased to Messrs. Natlr.n and Co., ami L. M. Monteath, whose ; leases shortly expire. GENERAL. Mr. Cecil Wright complained of the untidy and unfinished state 0! the path in IVndarves street, east ot Lover sheet. —Referred to the Works Committee. It was decided to reeomenmd the incoming Estimates Committee to lake into favorable consideration the mattei of laying a 11-iuch water main in D.unell street, Fitzroy; cost, COT 15s, and revenue ,Cl-i Is.