BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 174, 10 December 1912, Page 8

BOROUGH COUNCIL.

\ MONTHLY MEETING. Last night's meeting of the Borough Council was attended by the Mayor (Mr. G. W. Browne) and Crs. J. C. Morey' J. T. Mannix, J. E. Wilson, J. Clarke, hj! Stocker, W. Ambury, T. L, Buxton, J. Buttimore, J. Ilartnell, F. Jackson, J. Kibbv. WORKS COMMITTEE. The Works Committee recommended that the letter from the secretary of the ! Baptist Church for the improvement of access to the Liardet street entrance' to the church proposed to be erected afc the corner of Lemon street > and, l„wrdet street be referred to the borough engineer to submit an estimate of the cost 1 ,of the work required; that the borough engineer be instructed to effect temporary repairs to Young street, between Morlcy street and CuUield road, and that Messrs W. C. Nixon and others be informed that the. grading and metalling of this street is included in the new loan proposals; that the letter from Mr. A. JL Thomson re metalling Belt road, eag't of Elliot road, be referred to the., borough engineer to submit an estimatotof the cost; that the letter from Mr. S. D. Pope offering a site for a septic tank in the eastern portion of the town be referred to the borough engineer to report upon; that the borough engineer be in- ! structed to submit an estimate of cost of giving effect to his recommendation to carry the storm water along the southern side of John street from Ridgs ■ lane to Gover street aW thence down ■ the eastern side of Gover street to • Leach street; that £llOO be added to ! | the loan proposals, making a total of £2200, to be provided for-the. proposed i i work at Cutfield road; that the applica1J tion of the Taranaki Garrison Band for i increased subsidy be referred to next • year's estimates committee to deal with; !• that plan No. 1 of house numbering (Devon street) be approved; that his - Worship bo authorised to accept a tenl der for emeried aluminium number* on ' J receipt of balance of tenders. ,

A CONDEMNED BUILDING. Clause I in the Works Committee's report, which- recommended that the Council take steps to pull down the stables in Devon street, owned by Mr. Jones, led to some discussion. A letter was read from Mr. Jones, in which lie asked the Council to refrain from "such an arbitrary resolution." ' Ifc was idle to say that the premises were in any way insanitary. The building was erected only seventeen years ago of first-class heart of rimu timber, the floors were well-kept and clean, and the drainage was good. There were many other buildings in New Plymouth, three times older than his stables, which should have attracted the eye of the Health Officer before his (Mr. Jones') building. In view of the fact that he intended to have an up-to-date block of buildings erected very shortly on the site referred to, he asked the Council to refrain from passing' the recommendation of the Works Committee.

According to the Mayor, the building had been condemned by the Health Department, not by the Council. Cr. Morey said that if the Department itself condemned the building, it should not place the onus of removing it upon the Council. Several councillors remarked that there were several other buildings in the borough far older than the one referred to.

Cr. Wilson said it appeared that the Council had some discretion as to time, and this would then leave a loophole to withhold action for a time. Finally it was decided to delete clause 1, and to serve fresh notice on Mr. Jones to pull the building down within six months. CONTROL OF THE FORESHORE. Mr. W. H. Fletcher (secretary of, the East End Bathing Reserve Committee) submitted for the favorable consideration of the Council the advisability of controlling the sea-beach from Gover street to Nobbs line. This, under the Council administration would, said the writer, materially assist the committee in improving the part now under its control.— The Council decided to apply to the Harbor Board for control of the area mentioned.

GENERAL. Messrs. E. Griffiths and A. H. Palmer, mnderstanding that the loan proposal as at present arranged, did not make provision for widening the Mangorci road, wrote stating that they had been asked by residents of that road to bring under the notice of the Council the very great necessity of attending to this works at the very earliest opportunity, and suggesting that ,it be incorporated in the local proposals. Their proposal wag that the road be widened from De"Von line to Rimu street.—Referred to Works Committee. • -^

A petition was received from Messrs. H Candy, E. Griffit'is and L. Nolan, asking that Paynter's lane be widened and metalled from Devon road to the railway bridge, and agreeing to dedicate (gratis as far as the land Avas concerned) that portion of their respective properties which abutted on Paynter's lane.— Referred to the Works Committee. FINANCE COMMITTEE. ' .

The Finance Committee recommended that, as requested by the St. Aubyn Town Board, the manager of the Bank of New Zealand be requested to honor a cheque for the sum of £ 120 payable to Messrs Russell and Son for kerbing and channelling work as certified by the engineer to the Board; this payment not to be construed as an acquiescence in any other payments made by the Board after November 7, 1912.—Adopted. ABATTOIRS. The Abattoirs Committee recommended: That in jrjew of the recommendations of the Agricultural Department and the District Health Officer, the application of Messrs Sole Bros, for the renewal for a period of five years of their agreement of April 6, 1909, for the removal of offal and diseased meat from the abattoir to their boiling-down work» at the abattoir reserve, be granted, and that a copy of the letters from the Agricultural Department and the District Health Officer be forwarded to Mr. Jollj that in accordance with the recommendation of the abattoir manager, tha slaughtermen be paid Is per head for calves dressed (with skins on) for port, this resolution to be retrospective. —Adopted. CARNEGIE INSTITUTE. The Carnegie Institute Committee recommended:—That the New Zealand Defence Department be requested to place the New Plymouth Carnegie Library on the free list of the' New Zealand Military Journal; that application be madt through Mr. H. Okey, M.P. for Taranaki, for bound volumes of Hansard from October, 1000, to the present time, to complete the series in the referenct room.—Adopted.