BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 236, 29 September 1908, Page 3

BOROUGH COUNCIL.

The Borough Council met last night. Present: His Worship the Mayor, Mr. U. Tiscii (presiding), Councillors Boon, Bellringiu-, Coleman, West, .Mills, More/, Cattley, mill Browne. An apologv w;ls mcivul fur the absence of Couiicilbr W. A. Cullis. i THK I'IUK BOARD.

The secretary of the New Plvmoulh File Board wrote that with regard to [ any direction to issuing a license for the Theatre ltoyal as provided for under section 51 of the .Fire Brigades Ac'... that the Superintendent's requirements! bad not been fully carried out. All tire doors required patent fasteners, and fie dado in the passage had still to be fixed. The Board would recommend the issue ' of a license when this had been completed to the satisfaction of the .Superintendent of the Fire Brigade. The Board also requested that the Couii-jil should nee that all fire-plugs \wre examined regularly every month. Several instances li id occurred to the knowledge of the Board where the plugs had

been found blocked when urgently required. The Council was asked to' give L'H'ect to a resolution passed by the Hoard to the effect that the proprietors: )f the Drill Mall should have two lire-

men on duty when a public gatlieri.TiJ takes place there after nightfall, such, I firemen to be paid 2s lid each for such attendances. Cr. Mills could nut see why two liremen should be stationed at a place like the Drill Hall. With the big foldingdoors the place could be emptied'in ha'.C . a minute.

With reference to the fire-plugs the borough engineer said that these w-jre being inspected and renewed where

Or. Browne wondered how the plugs could have been ••urgently required'" when there had thcen only o'ue fire since the inception of the Board. Or. Boon said the Fire Board was not.j waiting for accidents to happen before taking preventive measures.

Cr. .Mills moved that the suggestion regarding the Drill Hall be not given, effect to.—Cr. Moiey seconded. Cr. Bellringer questioned whether the Council could grant a license to a building which luul not got a "clean, certificate" from the Fire JJoiird. The big doors could hardly be got open at tliej date of the last inspection.

I'lli! Council divided on the motbn, which was lost by six to two. The suggestion were then adopted, Cr. Hills asking that his vote against the adoption he recorded. DETOX-STREET WEST. A petition was received from nineteen ratepayers in the .West Ward asking the Council to proceed with ihc work of tarring and channeling the north side of Devon-street West from Dnwson-street to Outfield-street. They also drew attention to the had state of the road in Devon-street mini Morleystreet to Cutfield-street, anil asked I'-ic Council to have it attended to at tne earliest date possible.--Referred to the Works Committee.

WATRR F.XTIOXSIOX. Five Fitzroy residents applied to have the water laid on, agreeing to take water in terms of the Council's by-laws. —Referred to the Works Committed, (he engineer to submit an estimate.

CHAXXELLIXG REQUIRED. Cr. Bellringer presented a petici.r.i from seven householders in Lemonstreet whose properties were connected, with the borough sewerage, requesting that concrete channelling be placed in. Lemon-street, the gutter there being a source of danger to the public health on account of stagnant water.—Referred to the Works Committee, the engineer to report ou the cost. I KXCIXEKirS RETORT. The engineer 'reported that the authorised sewer in Woyinoulli-street wis well under way, and that the sewer extension in Robe-street and also that in Molesworth-street) were nearly completed. He bad conveyed the information directed by the' Council to Mr. Hodgson, and had informed Mr. Hodgson that a bonus of til) Would be paid to him and his furniture brought in:olown in addition to wages and 10s per week in lieu of house-rent for the balance of the period of notice which was given him. Mr. Hooker had accordingly taken up his duties as caretaker. MWXSWOItTM-STIiIOIOT EXT lON'S lON.

The special committee reported:—The members of the committee formed part of the deputation from the Council and lire Harbor Board which interviewd the Prime Minister and the lion. il<: AbTNitb with reference to the Mok-s----wort.h-street extension. The Ministers, whilst giving very little hope of the original promise for the extension of this street being given effect to, primised to assist by every means in their power to relieve the congestion of the traffic iu Devon-street caused by Cue increased business at the railway yards, mid the Prime Minister intimated that after communicating with the Minister for Railways he would place his proposal before the Council in writing. A letter has now been received from the General Manager of Railways practically withdrawing from their previous ofl'er re the extension of Moleswor'ustreet and suggesting an alternative scheme for the extension, of Gill-stre.:t, and tlie committee reported that the letter received from the General Manager of Railways having apparenty withdrawn the proposal for the Moles-worth-slrcct extension, and the Harbor Board having mow withdrawn from the negotiations, the committee have no recommendation to make. The committee having no authority'to deal with the question of the extension of Gill-street, this matter must now be dealt with by the Council itself. The report was adopted. The Mayor and Cr. Bellringer were appointed a committee to go into the matter with the engineer, with a view 7 of submitting a further scheme for securing a through street.

WOBKB COMMITTEE. The members of the Fitzroy Town 'Board were present at this committee mooting, and conferred with the committee on the question of acquiring the old railway line as a street. The com--mitted recommended The Vitzroy Town Board having 1 undertaken to purchase the portion of the old railway line between Baring Terrace and he Mangorei road, and to contribute the sum of £SO towards the bridge, the Council l>e recommended to acquire as a street the old railway line between Hobson-street and Baring Terrace, including the railway bridge {cost of land and bridge £IKM), alterations to bridge £175 additional); the Kail.wav Department to first put tke bridge in its ori- ! ginal condition; that Alfred Uenry Kendall, borough engineer, be authorised and appointed by the Council of the Borough oi New Plymouth on its behalf: to make and lay information and complaint* for breaches of the by-lays of the said borough for the time being and from lime to time in force or hereafter made or enacted by the Council, and to appear and act for and on behalf or the Council in respect of such inform*- „ tion and complaiuU; and a similar authority for William .Evvttft, borough inspector; that the action of his Worship) tlie Mayor in authorising an additional paymen of £lO wages to Mr. Hodgson 'and house-rent for the ljiulancc of his term oi engagement be coiijirincd; thai the salary of the engineer's "llier a«si*l«in't be increased to 12s lid per week; that the borough engineer be authorised lo effect the necessary repairs to the .waterworks cottage; that the borough engineer having reported that die tost of ;i J-inch water main in licit-1 >r.>ad <rtjiii South-road to the railway 1 Teinrve will be £BB, the committee have no recommendation to make; that the committee have uo recommendation It.» make with reference to the telephone service to the waterworks cottage; that

{.lio Klectrie Light Committee be retpiested to give more attention to the lumps used for street-lijjlLtinj!. > Or. Mill* questioned the advidableness of purchasing the ITenui railway bridge. A ford would do for cattle trallie. The Mayor said the benefit would not he confined to cattle-drovers, hut the purchase would open up another im•portanfc outlet. (V. hoped the recommendation of the committee would he given i effect to. The new road and would have the effect of opening up fm sections to -eUlement. Kvcrt from the standpoint of a cattle-trad, a fon would be mo-d inadvisable and very expensive. • Or. Browne -aid that the C'oumi .consider »eriously the prospects o the future. Klectrie tramways wnn; „oon be here, ami it would ibe absolute! nece-sary to the cattle tratlie o: "Devon-street, the only available rout for cattle travelling through the tow (n the Waiwakniho saleyard*.