BOROUGH COUNCIL.
The Borough Council .held its usual | monthly meeting last night. Present: His Worship tin- Jluvur (.Mr. li. Tisch) pifsulijiir. Crs. E. Dockrill. K. C. Bellringer, ,i. West, (i. Bishop, J. F. Hooker, and 11. 11. Browne. Apologies, were received from Cvs Wilson aml Walking STRIKING THE KATE. Upon the motion of the .Mayor, seconded by Cr. Browne, it was decided to strike ami levy it general rate of Is Id in the C on il'ie a.imiiil value, and " water rale of lid in the X, also on til'?
annual value. I'OWDEIiIIA.M STREET BRIDUE.
The borough engineer reported that he had made a careful examination )f the l'owilerliain street bridge, and ill his opinion any more money spent on the present structure would only be *o much money wasted. He therefore recommended that the bridge be permanently closed until a start could be made with the now work. If, however, the Council should desire to endeavor to do any repairing, the cost of which was most difficult to estimate, as it might be anything up to £250, as the whole of the timber in the eastern half was either totally rotten or perished. Even with that expenditure the bridge would not be safe to carry more than the limit now allowed. The bridge was really in such n condition in all the
joints that he would not like to be held responsible for its stability after any repairs that might be carried out. The Council discussed the matter informally. The engineer submitted a second report embodying the remarks of Mr. F. M. Grayling, who quite endorsed his opinion, to such an extent that Ire had declared ihis unwillingness to make anv repairs.
The Mayor, in answer to questions, said the engineer had prepared plans of a culvert and a ibridge, and the cost would be from £ISOO to £2OOO for a structure only half the street 'Width. He thought the work should be done out of a loan, and at the same time the ratepayers should be. asked to vote on a (Jill street extension scheme.
Cr. Bellringer moved and Cr. West seconded, that the engineer effect the necessary repairs. Cr. Browne considered such a course would he folly, i n the face of the engineer's absolute condemnation of the structure. The matter should be deferred for further information.
Cr. Dockrill concurred with the latter suggestion.
An amendment moved hy Crs. Browne and Dockrill to hold over decision until the special meeting on the 22nd inst. was carried.
ENGINEER AND WORKMAN. 'Mr. S. Ardern, one of the permanent staff, appeared before the Council on a charge by the borough, engineer of having "given sauce" to Mr. Kendall. Lifter lengthy explanations, in which .one or two of the councillors joined, and one or two stated their opinion that the matter waft too trivial to come before the Council, the .Mayor asked Ardern if he were sorry for the words he had used in, the lieat of the moment The reply was: "No, your Worship, I am not."
Cr. Hooker: Hear, hear. I am very pleased.
Cr. Bishop said the incident had proved that the Council had a. painstaking engineer and lie was going to uphold mm. His opinion was that for some time past the workmen had run the Council instead of the Council mnni.i" the workmen.
_ Cr West agreed. If the engineer ■sacked' a man the councillors' listened to the complaints of the man who considered himself injured. The Council allowed its engineer to be insulted and had kept prick, pricking 'him for' the last tiweh-e months. It was time the Council gave the workmen to understand that the engineer was in sole control of them.
At. the request of the Council the town clerk read a resolution of the Council to the effect that the en-ineer was given absolute nitthoritv. Mr. Ardern still maintained that he had nothing to apologise for, and the Council passed on to the next business. The matter is thus left in the engineer's .hands. "
THE ABATTOIR DISTRICT. .Mr. T. J. Reakes, manager at the abattoirs, recommended that the abattoir district be extended to include a radius of three miles from the borou»u boundary, f
In answer to questions, the Mayor said the abattoir district at present only included the borough. It was decided to apply to the Minister to approve such extension THE STOXE CRUSTIER.
(Vs. Da?krill anil Hooker voiced a hearsay complaint that the electric motor temporarily removed from the abattoirs to the stone-crushini- depot ««! not working satisfactorily, although reported to that effect.—The engineer rtuid that the motor was running as' well as a motor 6f that capacity could be expected to do. It was only 20-h.p., whilst 35 J lup. was required. Nevertheless, the crushing plant was turning out as much stone as the Council's hauling plant could deal with, and it could do more if required. But to cart the stone out the Council would have to employ team labor, and this would unnecessarily add to the paysheet.
FRUITERERS' PETITION. Thirteen fruiterers and ratepayers' resident ami doing business in New Plymouth _ drew attention ■ to the unfair competition they were being subjected to in consequence of the operations 6f fruit hawkers who plied their.calling in the main business portion of the town, and contributed nothing in the way of rent or rates to the municipal revenue. These hawkers were taking tjic "cream of the trade." They asked the Council to frame a by-law Vo that fruit-hawking be not nliowcd in the main business block of New Plymouth,within an area comprised from the sea to the south side of Devon street, by Liardet street, thence following the south side of Devon street to the post ollice, and from the post office to the <ea by Queen street.
Cr. Hooker: Why not go back to Mt. Egmont? Cr, Bishop said the petitioners were hardly fair. One man at whom the petition was directed had taken a lease of business premises and paid rent for his residence. The Council might just as well stop tlie butchers, greengrocers and linkers from running their hawking and delivery carts. At any rate, there was nothing to prevent the fruiterers Iroin getting hawking carts and selling fruit on the streets.
'Hie petition was referred to the By Jaws Committee. NOTICES OF MOTION.
Cr. Hooker gave notice to move at next meeting: (1) That in> future the Council meet-
ings be held every two weeks as heretofore, and not monthly as at (present; (-2) That t)ic services of the engineer lie dispensed will; in terms of his agreement with the Council.' and that the Council reorganise the whole of the, working staff.
GENERAL, A circular was road frnni the I'.ilucaticm Hoard pointing out Unit tire Hoard would, have to discontinue the plumbing ciassc« lit the Technical School owing to lack of support.—The .Mayor explained that several or the pluinlii'is and yluin'bing apprentice.* in the town were uncertificated, and ihtp making no alii'iiipl to olitaiii certificates eualilrag Uiciu to work on sanitary work connected Willi the borough sewer* or on wall- oonnccliiras! -In the discussion which followed it was mentioned that several plumbers were working on proI visional ecrlilivalc*. Several councillor? marvelled that young mra engaged in •.numbing -hiiiilii decline such a ehance ((/ <|ua!ii'y for the Jiighen grade of I pfijntl/iiig. lint tho dillicnlty was that I some iDi-ty were working without certific.Hliiij. a"<t the'oilier*! tjipiiglft tlrcy | ||%j|l a* »"i>l) gq on the fe'anic lines. ,\fes„rs W, ,i«nkii|.sop and ?<>■ wrqle expressing appre'eiatinn of t)l|e 2-l|.p. elclctric motor siipplind by the Council for their smithing department, '|V cost of running for 1H hour* n week had hcen Is fid ~ day.. T"pon the Finance Committee's report being presented, with, recommendations i to piws accounts for .payineiit. Cr. Dockrill said that as Far as lie could see the engineer must lie exceeding the amounts proved, hi- the estimates. He could not say nu walniijly, for the accounts . were not clearly lietli'ied.—The Mayor . said that the engineer was reducing the stalt and reducing the pay-sheets.—The engineer said he had refrained from dispensing with too many men with winter i 'cc-uiingr on, lint he could still further ro- . d(fi-(( jln.' nvuibj-'f of employees.
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Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 117, 15 June 1909, Page 3
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1,368BOROUGH COUNCIL. Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 117, 15 June 1909, Page 3
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