Stratford News.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 170, 17 January 1912, Page 3

Stratford News.

BOHOUGH COUNCIL.

MONTHLY MEETING.

| The Borough Council's monthly meeting was lie'd to-night. The Mayor (Mr. J. Masters) presided, and councillors present were: Messrs. N. J. King, T. Lawson, R. McK. Morison, J. D. Healy, Sidney Ward, J. McAllister, Geo. Sangster. An apology was received from Dr. Paget. NEW STREETS. Mr. J. R. Mackay wrote in reference to the conditions adopted at last meeting for regulating widths of streets, ete., when new streets are laid off. Mr. Mackay asked whether the Council had fixed any period of time during which these conditions would remain in force. If no time had been fixed, would the Council do as, as, from previous experience, it was desirable that he should be able to give clients some assurance that the conditions imposed would not be amended when an application in compliance with them was placed before the Council. —Mr. Mackay will be informed that the Council will notify him of any changes in the conditions at any time. WORKS COMMITTEE.

The Works Committee submitted a re port as follows:—The question of th bridges at the abattoir paddocka referrei to in the overseer's report 'be referred t< the Abattoir Committee. That Mi Gredig be informed that as the Count l Council has only £2 18s 2d to spend oi | the .Swansea road this Council canno undertake the work. That Mr. A Davies' request for an entrance to hi property in- Hamlet street be left in th aaads of the chairman and overseer That Messrs. Hy. Brown & Co. be in formed that the question of a footpatt in Miranda street north will receive at tention when Council is considering th( loan proposals. That Mr. W. V. Wilsoi be informed that the question of a foot [ path opposite his house in Hamlet streel I will receive consideration when the I house is finished and carting completed That Mr. Cato's request for a water connection to his house in Flint road be agreed to at an annual charge of £1 2s fid. That the charge for water to Messrs. Masters and Burgess on Pembroke road be £1 2s' 6d per annum. Cr. Morison moved, in, 'reference t(i clause 1, that the overseer be instructed to visit and report upon the matter of giving access over the first gully on the Swansea road.—Cr. King (chairman of the Works Committee) said there was already access of a kind to the section The Mayor said the trouble was caused by the water being dammed back on to the property, and until that was attended to any expenditure would be wasted.—Cr. Morison explained that really there had been no Works Committee meeting, and this was not in reality a Works Committee meeting.—ln answer to Cr. Sangster, the overseer said that a tunnel was an absolute necessity as a first step to improving the 1 road. This would cost' £6 10s.—The matter was held over for report at next meeting. The Mayor and Cr. King were appointed to meet the County chairman and arrange for him' to visit the locality. Cr. Ward asked, why Mr. Wilson's request for a footpath was to be complied with, and Messrs. Brown & Co.'s had been refused.—The Mayor said that one was a big job, to cost £IOO, and the other only a small one; td cost £3. —Cr. Ward said Messrs. Brown "& Co. were deserving of consideration. They had erected three new cottages, and asked for only a short path. There was a big hole there that should be filled up, too, for the sake of safety of children.—The overseer said that a footpath I could be made from Seyton street to Messrs. Brown's houses for about £lO. -€r. Healy said the Works Committee had been supplied with' wrong information as to the cost.—Cr. King thought the matter ought to await the loan scheme, when the roads would be levelled. Cr. Ward: People are sick of waiting for the loan—Cr. King said that people had been living in Stratford twenty years and had no footpaths yet. Here a firm put up a f?,w ne\y houses, and wanted a path straight away. The clause in the report stood,,the Council voting, out an amendment to put the work in hand if the cost did not exceed £lO. , . : The report, as amended, was adopted. ELECTRIC LIGHT, LOAN. The committee set /up to consider the matter of financing "the scheme to acquire the Stratford -Electric Light Company's undertaking-reported as follows: Your committee beg to report that the loan required for the proposed purchase of the Electric Light Works cannot be -obtained from the.N.Z. State Guaranteed Advances Department. The A.M.P. Society have agreed to consider a loan of £14,000 at 4% per cent, with a currency of 40 years. Your committee beg to recommend that the proposal to be submitted to the ratepayers include a loan of £ 15,000 at 4% per cent., and provision for % per cent, sinking fund. Though it is only proposed to borrow £14,000, sanction is sought to borrow £15,000 in the event of any. unforeseen contingency arising. The Mayor said that it. had been expected that the loan coiild have been raised from the State' Advances Office at about 3y 2 per cent., but now it . appeared that money would not l>e available under 4% per cent. Did the Council think that a sinking fund of 1 per cent, should be provided, or did they agree with the committee that i/ 2 per cent, was enough? He favored the latter course, handing some of the burden dqwn to posterity. They had to bear in miyd that in forty years' time Stratford would- be a very much different and much bigger place, and his own opinion was that the loan would "be paid off before then, sinking fund or no sinking fund. He moved the adoption of the report. Cr. King said that this Council was not the only one which had failed to obtain a loan from- the Government for acquiring a private electric lighting concern. Inglewood was in a similar position. He seconded the motion, which was carried.

The overseer will report. ROAD ROUjER.

Cr. Morison: I want to record my vote against it. It's an absolute waste of ratepayers' money. The Mayor: You won't say it's a waste of money in two years' time. WHICH IS THE HEALTH AUTHORITY?

Mr. T. H. Penn, secretary to the Stratford Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, forwarded copies of extracts from reports of Mr. Gray, the sanitary inspector, dealing with matters in the borough. At one house the bath waste was reported to be soaking into the ground under the house, and there were other insanitary conditions. This house, the .inspector Teeommended, should be connected with the sewerage system. A dilapidated Chinese laundry and unsat-

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isfactory yard accommodation at a fish shop were mentioned in another report, and recommendations made for concrete, etc., to prevent nuisance. In a third letter the inspector recommended that a stable yard should be filled in with fresh earth to do away with stagnant pools, etc.

The Mayor said he understood that -Mr.Sp.lman, who is at present stationed at Hawera, was a very capable officer. He moved that Mr. Spilman be appointed abattoir manager at the battoirs on the same terms on which the . position was held by Mr. Sheridan.— Carried. The Mayor moved, and. Or. Ward seconded, that this Council desires to place on record its appreciation of Mr. SheriI dansi services during, his term of office as abattoir manager, and its regret at' the loss of a capable and painstaking officer; and that a copy of this resolution be forwrded to Mr. Sheridan.-Oar-ried unanimously. . ABATTOIR RETURNS. : 1 Mr P: J. Sheridan, abattoir manager, i reported that the following stock was slaughtered during the past month: 49 cows, Jo heifers, 16 oxfen, 8 calves, 209 sheep, -217 lambs, 34 pigs. Fees for the month wfere £56,3s 9d, of which all had , been collected but Bs : 6d. Condemned | stock was as follow: Two cows wholly I and three partially condemned for tuberculosis, and one partially for actinomycosis; one 'bullock, partially, actimonycosis; one sheep wholly . condemned, | emaciation;' two pigs wholly and two partially, tuberculosis. Abattoir buildings, drains, machinery and plant were m good order. The heavy rain on the ult. caused a flood in the creek on the south side of the abattoir, the ■ bridges'in No. 2 paddock were carried; away and dividing fences broken down, lhe fences were beijig attended to. PUBLIC CONVENIENCES NEEDED. _ Cr. Ward moved that the overseer be instructed to report upon: the cost of erecting public conveniences in Stratford.' He considered it practically a disgrace that such provision was -not made long ago. Such conveniences might be .made underground,' -There was'too touch sentiment about the position of the place which might be erected' anywhere in themam street-Seconded by Cr. King, and carried. .

ANOTHER NEEDED 'iMPROVJSMEXT. Cr. McAllister moved thai the Works Committee be requested to bring down a report on the cost of making bettor access to King 'Edward Park from Fenton street west. At present the place was almost inaccessible to women with chilJren.

Cr. King considered it' impossible to keep a footpath in Eenton ,stfeet on account of -the cattle traffic. The best way U make? an-approach would be to form a footpath in from Regan street.. Cr. McAllister said that Fentori street should be metalled to the park entrance. Then it 'wouldn't matter .whether ,there was a footpatn or no{.

Cr. WaTd moved that the Cbuncif refer to the Works Committee for a report the question of procuring a road roller which he considered was a 'necessity. Cr. King said that he and Or. Sangster had been waited on by an agent in Wellington. This gentleman would .'be in Stratford in a week or so. He'understood the firm would give terms. The Mayor: We all know a roller is required. Cr. Sangster advocated purchasing a roller if the finances were right. The ivorks and finance committees will meet the firm's representative when in Stratford.

miscellany. Sergeant McNeely wrote promising to keep in view the matter of preventing the use of pea-rifles in ,the Thorough (as already published), i On Cr. Liiwson's motion it was decided that the overseer repair the fence around the gully in Juliet street south; ' The Works -Committee was instructed to give some attention to Romeo street/ ~ Ihe Reserves Committee■ recommended that all reserves at present unlet be of, fered for lease by tender, and that the shops in the Municipal Buildings be offered for lease hy auction on terms stated.—Adopted.' The Council went into committee, and on resuming reported that the Mayor and the chairman of the Worlis Committee were appointed, with power to act, in connection with "a horse which had fallen into the gravel pit. DAIRY FACTORY CHEQUES.

Suppliers to the principal dairy factories in Stratford district (with the exception of Midhirst), whose figures were not available to-day) will receive December milk cheques as follows, and the amounts will be paid on Saturday. The figures in parentheses represent the amounts for December, 1910: Stratford Co-operative Farmers' Association, £85(19 ( £787*2). Last year the suppliers received an advance of 10 per lb for butterfat, this year 'lid. Ngaere Co-op. Daily Co.—Milk supplied, 1,764.9321b (1,839,2381b); butter-

The Mayor said that evidently health matters were just as they were before the passing of the new Hospitals and Charitable Institutions Act. He had thought this sort of thing wag to be done by the Hospital Board now. Cr. McAllister remarked that the Hobpital Board didn't quite know where it | was in the matter. But, in one of the i reports, the inspector recommended that the District Health Officer (Dr. Chesney) be called in to inspect dilapidated buildings. He was the only person who could condemn a building. If he condemned one it would have to be pulled down. Until sucH time as the Crown Law officers had given an opinion as to whether I die hospital board had power to deal J with such matters the 'board would send this sort of business on to the Council. | Members were of opinion that the position should be cleared up. It was decided to take steps to remedy the nuisances complained of. t INSPECTOR'S REPORT. Mr. W. (Barlow, borough inspector, reported that during the past month he had impounded 57 head of : cattle. Six persons were convicted for Tiding bicycles on the footpaths, one for cattle wandering, and one for keeping a do# without licenses. He had cautioned a number of people regarding their signs over footpaths being at a lower height than provided by the by-laws. He had also cautioned several people with hedges overhanging-footpaths, and these were receiving attention. THE ABATTOIR MANAGER. Mr. C..-J. Reakes, director of the live stock and meat division (Agricultural Department) wrote that Mr. P. J. Sheridan was being transferred to Stratford, and that Mr. A. M. Spilman would re- 1 place him as ljext inspector' at the municipal abattoir. i

I fat content, fifi,364 ( 65,3441b); payments, £3318 ( £2858). ; Cai-dill' Co-op. Dairy Co. —Milk supplied, 1,040,9951b (1,340,3311b); butter- ' fat content, 39,0.>51b (49,5281b); payincuts, £1!)52 (£2166). Lowganh.—llilk supplied, 1,278,9061b (1,2Ul,0o5!b); buaer-fat content, 40,078 11) (46,1541b); payments, £2614 ( £2067). The Midhirst Company's payments last month totalled £IO,OOO. This month the amount should be bigger still. THE HALF-HOLIDAY. THURSDAY TO BE OBSERVED. A special meeting of the Borough Council was held to-night to fix the halfholiday to be observed in the borough for the ensuing year. Messrs. R. H. Robinson and H. J. Hopkins, members of the Stratford Retailers' Association executive, forwarded the petition of 56 retail tradesmen for the re-ado,ption of Thursday for the weekly half-holiday. The petition was published in the News last week. The Mayor said that the matter had been brought up by the Chamber of Commerce with a view of established uniformity in the matter, but they had not •been successful. The tradesmen of the town, as shown by the petition, were in favor of Thursday, and so were the farmers. Even if the business people throughout Taranaki were unanimous on the_ matter he thought there would be a-'big- outcry from the farming commun- | ity. He moved that Thursday be the half-holiday for the ensuing year. Seconded by Cr. McAllister, and carried. LAWN TENNIS. j STRATFORD v. W.Y.M.I. The Stratford Club's players to meet W.Y.M.I. on the Stratford courts tomorrow afternoon are: Misses Black, Mackay, D. Mackay, and Mrs. Rennell,s Messrs. L. R. Curtis, F. W. Wilkie, C. Crawshaw, O. Vaughan, Dr. Paget, and C., K. Robinson. The Stratford Club is endeavoring to arrange a match with the Eltham,Club for Thursday week, and will play' New Plymouth at New Plymouth 'on Thurs- ' day, February Ist, when, of course, nearly. all Stratford ■will be at the seaside town. It is .possible that a match will be played at Inglewood on February Bth. RIFLE SHOOTING. The Stratford Defence Rifle Club willl hold the first shoot of the championship) series to-morrow afterno.on . on, the range: at Warwick road. The shooting will be at 300 and 600 yards,' ten shots at each range. < THE PUBLIC LIBRARY NEED FOR IMPROVEMENT. ■BUT DECISION DEFERRED.

At Monday night's meeting of the Borough Council the following report of the. Library Committee caused some discussion:—

| Library.—(l) That the library be en- [ larged by extending, to the southern wall , of the reading room, and including the fireplace; (2) that a table supplied with various magazines and illustrated papers, together with' the necessary' chairs; be placed in the library'for the use of subscribers; (3) that a permanent librarian be engaged at a salary of £4O per annumj This would mean an additional, cost;' in salary to the Council of £2o' per pinum, which your committee consider would be more than provided for by additional subscriptions, the subscriptions at present amount to' less tliah £40 :i per annum. leading Room.—(1) That the present stands for papers be done away with, tables to be substituted; (2) provide more chairs; (3) filed papers to be hung on the wall; (4) wall stands to be provided for illustrated weeklies and the smaller dailies, and; that an estimate be/ obtained of the cost of,alterations. V

The Mayor said he had not been .present at the meeting. He moved that that of report dealing witty jilteratjori of the' building -be held over until the next year's estimates were being considered. He didn't know whether it wbuld be wise to-'pull the 'building about as suggested, Cr.. McAllister the Mayor's, motion. He 'preferred to await some 1 good scheme for defiling with the position \ m a manner. He-would certainly oppose including the readingroom fireplace in the library, for it would make, the reading-room practically useless. ;

Of.. Lawson considered-' the scheme would leave any atnount of room for the rea3ing-room. - In answer Tto a question,; the town clerk;; said the library and its management were certainly out-of-date. The] most important of the recommendations was the appointment; of a permanent librarian, for the papers were frequently h?ggledy-piggledy v and neither, he nor "is assistant 'fltud time to go in and straighten them up. •. . ' "that- tajfc about popularising. the-library was useless, until there were more .books an<l better books available to subscribers. 1 ' ' '< ' The Mayor concurred.

; Cr Mow son copld not agree with' the Q-I© was satisfied • the; library would never be successful until there Fas a permanent librarian; and until there, were more books. ' Careful and constant supervision was required. He thought she council' shuld do something to improve matters, but there was no necessity to after, the buildings. Cr. ; Healy ,saidi that the. structural alterations proposed wouk} be of use neither -to the library nor the readingroom. : n . Out of a maze of amendments the council selected one. to held over .the whole matter till after March.3lst, and carried it nem. con. GENERAL NEWS ' Building permits to the value of £3OOO were issued by the Borough Counci) during the past month. The borough treasurer, received durin" ■the past month £951- 6s : 8d for rates] ■made' up as follows i General, £437 14s lid; special, £389 Os 2(1: hospital, £4O. 19s 2d; lighting, £SI lSs Id: water £lOl 19s 4d. Thfc debit balance was reduced during the month from £1032 17s Od to £766 14s. ' TO TJOVERS OF flowers.

I The burst of warm weather has made •floret-lovers glad.. So has, the advent of Mr. V._ Davies, of the' firm of Duncan and- Davies, of the Exotic Nurseries, Westown, JTew Plymouth, with a very "fine, collection of rose?, irises, carnations, gladioli, yellow arum, romneya, lon*>'tubed heaths, and other flowers The specimens are all vefy choice, and are specially chosen for exhibition here as .heing likely to "do" will in the district They are ff rown, it should be noted in an .exposed situation. The .gladioli are probably the finest collection staler! here, and are well worth seeing, even if one doesn't wish to buy. The reputation of the firm, the excellence of the flowers and the courtesy and knowledge evinced by Mr, Davies, together with his willingness to advise horticulturists, should bring good business. This display closes at 5 p.m. on Wedneday.