THE DEFENCE HEADQUARTERS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 218, 13 March 1912, Page 3

THE DEFENCE HEADQUARTERS.

THE QUESTION OF HOUSING.

MUNICIPAL DRILL HALL SUGGESTED.

At Monday's Council meeting Cr. McAllister brought up the matter of providing a hall for Territorial purposes. A councillor: Is this inspired by the Daily News, too? Another councillor: No. I think it was discussed by the Town Hall Committee before the News got hold of it. Cr. Paget: What's the business? He's speaking to nothing.

Cr. McAllister: No; I was not speaking, to you, Cr. Paget. I Cr. McAllister then called the attention of the Council to the necessity for providing some accommodation as an adjunct to the Town Hall. The hall was not big enough for some .things, particularly for drill purposes. He thought the Council should go innto this ques-, tion, or else endeavor to come to terms wit hthe Territorial authorities for the use of the Town Hall as a drill hall. There was undoubtedly a crying neces- i sity for something of the kind, and it was for the Council to take some steps in the matter. In answer to the Mayor,' Cr. Healy said ( the matter had been mentioned by him to Captain Lampen, and he understood the defence authorities would pay £75 per annum for the use of the hall on two nights a week. But the lighting' would cost • the- Council about 10s a night, so there would be very little profit in the business. Another suggestion had been made that a building should be erected on the land at the rear of the hall, where there was room for a buildin" 120 ft. by 60ft. At Hawera £llO a year was being paid for a drill hall. It was for the Council to consider if it would reach out for this revenue. Cr. Paget: Oh, wait for the Mayor's loan proposals! Cr. Morrison moved that the area of-' ficer be asked to meet the Council to fully discuss the matter, and he added that Cr. McAllister was to be commended for bringing the matter forward. Cr. Boon seconded, and 6aid the Council should endeavor to arrange for the use of the Town Hall at once. The motion was carried.; THE WATER, S&PPLY. WHO STIRRED IT UP? i The Borough Council had a bit of a discussion last night about the water supply and who stirred it up—not who stirred up the water supply, of course, for the man who stirs that up and makes it any worse than now will be summarily dealt with—but who stirred up the Council, or the Works Committee, j Dr. Paget was inclined to give the Daily ' News the credit, on account of the ar-I tides which have appeared recently on j the "Stratford page" regarding the ne- j cessity for purifying our municipal > water supply. I Cr. Paget asked what it was proposed to do to improve the water supply. ] The deputy-Mayor said it was' proposed to put in a tunnel from-the pres= ent tunnel, and a silt trap, as suggested by the overseer. Cr. Paget said the overseer had suggested the scheme twelve months. ago. The matter was hung up for Mr. Climie's. report. That report was favorable, but | the great procrastinating Council put off the matter until stirred up by the Daily News, which had written about our "mud supply," which some people were polite enough to call our water supply. The Deputy-Mayor: You're barking up the wrong tree! Cr. Paget: The reason why the work was not done was because no one had energy enough to deal with the question of going through the land. They would find the Council had a resolution twelve months old authorising the Council to go ahead, if they could obtain permission to go through the land. The Deputy-Mayor: We have that permission. Cr. Paget: On what terms? The chair: Mr. Masters has arranged— Cr. Paget: Then why was the work not done? Cr. King said that Cr. Paget was quite wrong in saying they had declined to do anything until stirred up by the • Daily News. It had cropped up in the News only the other day, whereas the committee visited the headworks over a month ago, long before being "stirred up by the Daily News." The reason why • the work had not been gone on with was that the Council had not had the money'to spend. | Cr. Paget: It's funny that this report I of yours comes in after the stirring-up you got! Cr. King: Probably the Daily News | man knew it was in the air. Cr. Paget: What is the state of the waterworks account ? Tlie town clerk said it was £SOO in credit. Cr. Ward: Then you can't say you didn't have the money to do the work! Cr. Paget: It was hung up by the great procrastinating Council The chair: Of which Cr. Paget is a member! Cr. Paget: And against which I have fought very strongly. But I'm not a majority of the Council. Cr. King: It's just as well you're not. Cr. King said there was no doubt that it was very necessary that something | should be done, lie 'thought that the overseer's plan was a good one, and Mr. ( limie had said he thought it would bo effective, making the water purer. He (Cr. King) knew Cr. Paget thought otherwise. Cr. Paget: It will make the water purer, but it won't be sufficient. Cr. Lawson remarked that if there were any microbes like that placed on exhibition some time ago by Dr. Paget it was time something was done. He himself doubted whether that "microbe." which was a couple of inches long, ever came out of the water-pipe. Cr. Paget said* there was no doubt about it. It came out of the tap in Mr. l'ussell's dental rooms. The clause in the report dealing with tiie water supply was then adopted. BOROUGH COUNCIL. MONTHLY MEETING. At the monthly meeting of the Borough Council on Monday, Cr. N. J. King (Deputv-Mavor) presided. FOR FIRE PREVENTION. A petition from property-owners in the vicinity to have a six-inch watei main laid in Miranda street for fire pre vention purposes, was referred to th< Fire Brigade Committee to consult wit! the captain of the fire brigade. The pe tition pointed out that the principa

business places in Stratford were situated in Broadway, between Regan street andFenton street, and for better protection from fire it was essential that this extra service should be put in without delay. A ROUGH RECEPTION.

The Christchurch City Council forwarded a copy of a resolution in favor of extending the term of borough councillors to three years.--Cr. Paget moved that in the opinion of this Council it would be better if the term of the Council was made twelve months, as in the v case of the Mayor. He had no knowledge of .the conditions in cities and | large boroughs, but in small boroughs j he felt sure it would be better to have smaller councils, who should be elected annually. A council of seven, or even five, members would be infinitely better than the present one, and he hoped the Christchurch would be' vigor-." ously opposed at the Municipal Conference.—Seconded by Cr. Ward, and carried. TO REACH THE UNATTAINABLE. Cr. Ward suggested that the recommendation regarding the formation of a - path to give access,, from Fenton street to King Edward Park be deferred for a month. 'i

Cr. Paget concurred. The Council was too poor to go on with this work just now. There was good access to the Park from Regent street in dry weather, and people didn't want to go there unless it was fine. He was of opinion that a footpath in this place would soon be trodden out of sight, for all the stock traffic through Stratford and to the Stratford saleyards went that way, and metal wouldn't stay there a month. Cr. 'McAllister quietly mentioned that the stock traffic was the same on the south side of the river, and there the metal on the road didn't get trodden away. It wasn't reasonable to expect people from the south portion of the towmto go up Regan street and wander down the Hamlet street "long acre." It was unpleasant for women and children to go that way, and there was no other except Paget street, over the bridge. The least the Council could do was to make a decent approach to the park, where the Domain Board waa doing what it could do to brighten the surroundings of the town. AH credit to them for what they had done., Cr. Sangster fuily endorsed this view. The motion to defer the matter was lostl and the path is to be gone on with. NOT A CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

Cr. Paget moved that the Works Committee be recommended to procure Sentry Hill metal in preference to boulders. He also condemned jthe use of gravel for making streets,-Being strongly of opinion that crushed metal, though of greater initial cost, was less costly in the long run. The Sentry Hill metal, was capable of setting itself into a hard mass as the result of a good rain.—Cr. Ward seconded.

j The Deputy-Mayor said he had author- | ity for saying that the Sentry Hill metal I i was not equal to broken boulders. | Cr. Sangster said that unless the Senj try Hill metal was very much cheaper I tli.m local broken boulders, he preferred the local stuff. He didn't believe in spending the ratepayers' money outside the borough. Cr. Healy said Sentry Hilf metal would cost 1/6 a yard more when placed on[ the streets. 1 \ Cr. Morison doubted if the foreign | | metal would stand wear as well as the local stone. Besides, he believed in keeping the money in the town. Cr. Paget considered the talk of keeping the money at home waß "begging the question." If the stone here were as good as Sentry Hill metal he would not take up the attitude he now adopted. The Council was not getting good metalled streets, and he thought the Council might well be enterprising in this direction. If the Council was going to set up as a distributor of charitable aid the finances would soon be pretty mixed. The-motion was lost. MORE LIGHT. Cr. Lawson again brought under the notice of the Council the necessity for placing street lights in the south-eastern. portion of the borough. He moved that' the settlers' request for street lights in Cordelia street be granted. Cr. Ward said the lights had not been erected before because the company had not erected the wires in that locality. He moved as an amendment that the matter be referred to the Lighting Committee. Cr. Paget, in seconding, said that the residents should first get the company to put the light in there. Cr. McAllister: Then they'll be barking up the right pole! Cr. Pilget: Yes, and they may find a light at the top of it. And even Cr Lawson up there, too! The amendment was carried. MISCELLANY. Mr. T. Currin will be informed,, in answer to his application, thit the Council cannot issue a plumber's license unless he passes the requisite examination. Tenders for unlet reserves were received in committee, and it was decided that the reserves be let on a yearly tenanacy at a rental of not less than £2 per acre. Mr. Skoglurid's teiider for part i-cction 557 was accepted.' Cr. Ilcaly moved that a return be prepared showing the cost of the maintenance of the street lighting for the past six months, and for the corresponding six months a year ago, before the day load was run. At present the lights were burning from somewhere about half-past two in the afternoon. —Carried. The Stratford Municipal Brass Band applied for permission to use a piece of hind at the rear of the Town Hall as a site for a baiulroom. —■ Councillors thought it would not do to have a band practising close to the hall when there was a theatrical performance there. — Referred to the Town Hall Committee and the Band Committee for a report. 1 The matter of fencing at the Cenie- I • tery was deferred for consideration by 1 next year's Estimates Committee. ; THE TOWN HALL, i The Town Hall Committee reported: We hiive considered the questions rei ferred to us, and have come to the conclusion that the main reason theatrical fomnanies have for passing Stratford is the lack of support. The main reason given why the picture proprietary is that they could not have a definite night each week. The lack of support given - to companies is beyond the power of I the Council te deal with, but your committee would recommend that the picture proprietary be offered a fixed night l in each week to resume showing at r Stratford. s- We have also received complaints re e seating accommodation, and the poorly \\ lit condition of the approach to the i- Town Hall. With regard to the former tl your committee recommend that an ex-

tra four dozen -chairs be procured, the present chairs to" be overhauled and "repaired" where necessary. With regard to the light, we feel that the complaint is justified, and would recommend that lights of 100 e.p. each be placed opposite Syme's office and the Co-operative Store Company's store, these lights to be used only when the hall is engaged. . With reference to the question of fire escapes for; the custodian, we rtcommend that two windows in the living quarters be hung on the side, and that a ladder to the ground be hung from each window-. OBITUARY.* ' JOHN REAY -MAOKAY. Stratford, Taranaki as a who!, and the sporting folk in a big portion of the North Island, will sincerely regret to 1 learn of the death of Mr. J. R. Ma'ckay, whose end came at about seven o'clock to-night, after, a long and -painful illness. Mr. "Jack" Mackay was the fourth son of Mr. Joseph Mackay, M.A., formerly chairman of the Stratford County Council, and a prominent member of the Taranaki Hospital Board and 'the Taranaki Education Board. The deceased was a civil engineef by profession, and was for some years in partnership with Mr. Orbell, now of Inglewood. He was a keen and genuine sport, and filled with credit the position of secretary to the S'traflfdrd. Racing Club,.whore, he made a whole host of friends, to whom his decease at the early age of 33 years will cause deep sorrow. Their sympathy will be extended to Mr. and Mrs. Mackay and the family in their bereavement. AN OPPOSITION "RALLY." ', The, symposium in honor of M,r. J. 8.. Sine/M.P,, .is fi*ed for Tnufediv.'vSlarch 28, in the Town Hall. Mr. W:* F. Mas-' sey, leader of the Opposition, will be the *next of the shining lights of the gathering, for, of course, not even the leader takesi precedence at a gathering of this kind. The "rally" is to take the form of a social evening, with politics in the foreground, for there will be present, it is hoped, all the Opposition members who can make, it convenient to attend. A presentation of a purse of sovereigns will be made during the evening. Tickets are obtainable from the secretary, Mr. Geo. Bond. .' ; GENERAL NEWS. "I'll , defy any councillor to go up there at night and find the footpath! til bqt a pound you can't find it!" Thus Cr. Ward at the Council meeting. Then Cr. Morison, who explained that he was not a betting rnan, said he would almost be willing to bet the same way. "Can't \ enrol you as a member of the Sports Protection League?" queried Dr. Paget. "I think I'm the onl}' councillor who hasn't been out to interview the machines."—A gem from one of Monday night's debates. ;