STRATFORD NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 250, 12 March 1913, Page 3

STRATFORD NEWS.

FroTii Our Resident Keportcr. Oilic: .N'i'xt Loan & Mercantile Agency Co. Telephone ltd, THE WATER SUPPLY THE ! (M.MITTI'K-.S RECOALMODATIU.XS. At .Monday night's meeting of (he Borough Council the Waterworks Committee, comprising the .Mayor and Crs. Jlealy and King, reported that they had vi-itc! (he hemlworks of the water supJil.v. After making a thorough inspeotioii and consultation with the overseer, the made the following reconmi. udaiions. with a view of securing hetter pressure than was the case at proem :-

(1) J.;iy a pipe from intake to town. (-) Cut off extraordinary supplies. (3) Enforce by-law concerning leaky taps. (4) Incorporate in by-law that no ''stand" garden hoses he permitted. The working of the intake was quite satisfactory, with suflicient water to till another pipe six inches in diameter, Although the present pipe was a nineinch one, the bore of the pipe was not more than seven inches, on account oi corrosion; this being so, and with the extra water mains put in during the last four years (about eight miles of mains) , i logi tiler with the extraordinary supply | used for power and other purposes, the ' present main was not large enough to convey the water supplied. In recom- | mending the laying of another line of I pipes, the committee recognised that the I cost would be considerable, and the cut- I ting off of extraordinary supplies would mean less revenue to the Council, but they were of opinion that the recom- | mendations made were the only practical solution of providing better pres>-t sure. "" j There was but little discussion on the report, full consideration of which was deferred. Cr. Dingle, speaking from his experience for several vears as chairman of i directors of the Stratford Farmers' Cooperative Association, said there was no doubt about the purity of the water, though there was "that mossy taste." They were using this water in buttermaking at the Association's Stratford Dairy Factory, and the buttermakers made no complaint. On the contrary, the h;itt(.r was grading splendidly at the (.'overnment grading works at Moturoa. second to only one factory in Taranaki: and the reports from Home were that the butter was opening up splen- i didlv. It) the face of this it was idle J to talk about impurities in the water. ]

THE MOUNTAIN HOUSE .MR 11. M,K. MOIUSOX BE-APPOIXTED j TO THE BOARD. Mr. T?. McK. Morison, a member of' the Stratford Borough Council, and chairman of the East Egmont Mountain House Committee, was on Monday night elected by the Stratford Borough Conn-1 cil as its representative on the Egmont ■ National Park Hoard. Appreciative re-I fercnce was made to the great interest! displayed by Mr. Morison in ''the moun-l tain." and a tribute was paid to him for j the amount of time, be gave ungmdg- ) ingly in this connection. .' Mr. Morison thanked his colleagues ) for again appointing him to the Board, an appointment which be regarded as nil honor. At the same time he was inclined (p think he had not done so much or >o well as he was beiiio- given credit for. The' work, lie said, was ino-t congenial, for he had a great love for the haunts of nature on Mt. Egmont, and he felt that his labors of to-day in preserving these beauties and.in making them accessible to the people would be more greatly valued in the years to come. Mr. Morison had something t<i say about the vandalism oftimes displayed, and'remarked that the wanton destruction of our lovely fauna and flora) was more than distasteful to him—he I felt it.

A STONE- CRUSHER < r. King brought up tlio question nf the purchase of a stone-crusher. lie considers] that the present Council should make a strong recommendation to the incoming Council to purchase a plant. The present Council would vote un-'nimou-iv for the purchase. Cr. MeAlister asked whether the Council had i:oi decided, on the recommendation of the overseer, to purchase a crusher. The Mayor replied that the Works Committee had made a recommendation to (lie Council, hut the matter had heen shelved. Tin' recommendation will he made, a councillor remarking that the plant at present used by the Council under the horouuh overseer's direction was crushing up to and sometimes over 70 yards a day at a very economical rate. MORE STABLE STORIES HEALTH Ol'Trf'Kß RECOMMENDS CONCRETE. TO REST HORSES' FEET.

The Stratford borough councillors are evidently becoming tired of the health oflicer's well-meant endeavors to make alteration-- lo Stratford's livery stables, for thev dM not even discuss the recommendations on Monday evening from that ollicer regarding the Empire stables. The Health Department and the Council are almost at loggerheads concerning the stables at the Commercial Hotel, the councillors refusing to endorse the departmental opinion that (he-e stables should be destroyed. Whilst the buildin l's are undoubtedly old and unfashionable, it must be remembered (hat the place is !<en( snoHessly clean. The outcome of (he Club Hotel stables discussion remains yet (o be seen. Rut with regard to the second letter. The Council on Monday received a Idler from Dr. Chesson. district health ollicer. forwarding « copy of the sanitary iusiie. tor's renort on the Empire stables. „ow owned by Mr. A. J. Davey. lie referred to the alterations now being carried out. and stated that over CUin had lcen spent on wooden floors and channels, of which the inspector disapproved. It was a pity, Dr. Chesson added, that anv permit should have been granted to carry out the work on those lines. As the inspector had truly remarked, it was not possible for such si aides to be anything but a nuisance, lie was of opinion that (he Council should pass a by-law compelling owners of stables to put in proper impervious lloors and drainage. The floor of a stable should be either of mood cement concrete live inches in depth, or of tarred lolara blocks, set on a bed of concrete four inches in thickness and grouted in tar and sand, or of hard clinker brick, set on edge, on a foundation of concrete four inches in thickness; the floor to be graded to a concrete channel, which in its turn should discharge into a gully-trap connected with Hi" drainage system end situated outside the building. There should also lie provided a manure receptacle, built either of good cement concrete or of brick lined with cement plaster, and (laving a concrete floor placed above

the ground level, graded to a channel discharging into a proper gully-trap, connected with the sewerage system. This recommendation was made under section CI (2) of the Public Health Act. The Mayor remarked that these stable.? stood on a Government section, and the Council had no jurisdiction. Cr. Dingle: I saw those stables this evening, and I consider they are a credit to the town. Cr. King supposed that if the Council c-ould do nothing the matter would devolve upon the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board. He remarked that for years attempts had been made to remove the disability under which borough councils labored in respect to Crown sections, but without avail. He considered the Council should have jurisdiction in respect to the sanitation of the whole area within the borough boundaries. The town clerk, in answer to a question. said the Council had jurisdiction in the event of a nuisance existing. The Mayor held a different opinion. Cr. Morison said the present Government would soon remedy the matter. Cr. McAlister remarked that the Council had enforced the sanitary by-laws on the railway leaseholds. The letter was "m-i/ivcd," ~

STRAY PARAGBAPTT?:. The Stratford A. and V. Association has been granted the use of the Borough Council's steam road roller to roll and level a cycling track on the show grounds for the Easter gymkhana. The Borough Council has made the usual grant to the Eire Brigade to cover the expenses of the Brigade's delegate to-the Conference at Wangahiii. Upon the reading of a letter from Mr. C. J. Wickham, Cr, King iiiovert. that the rent of the hoardings be reduced from £2 each per .annum to £ 1 10s. He remarked that matters in this' connection had not improved since Mr. Wickham took the lease for the picture shows were crowding out the smaller travelling theatrical companies, and the revenue of the lessee of the hoardings fell in consequence. Cr. Morison opposed the motion. If the present lessees were dissatisfied, let the Council offer the hoardings for lease again. The motion was withdrawn, and fresh tenders will be called. At the last meeting of the Borough Council Cr. Thompson spoke on the matter of providing additional drinking troughs in the streets. The recommendation, was noted.