BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 207, 9 February 1915, Page 8

BOROUGH COUNCIL.

MONTHLY MI-KTIXU. The usual monthly meet'n;,' of the Xew I'lytnoath JSiironifli Council ivas lu'ld last nijjht. Present: llis Worship l.'iu Mayor (Mr. •!. K. WilsojijJ ;itiil ('• misi'i 1 !iirs Kibby, dacksnn, TTea!y, Smith, t'ollis, Svk«s anil Mannix. KXfIIXKKI'.'S RKi'ORT. The borouiih engineer ri'])orte(l: Streets.- -A considerable amount of repairing of streets, roads and foot--1 atlis lias been carried out. The streets ;\nd roads are in a fair cr/idition, With the exception of Devon street, which will require re-metalling from the Waiwakaiho rixcr to .Morley street ns soon as the tram line is laid down. Api roximately :ihO cubic yards of metal have been carted into depots for winter Use. Waterworks. —The caretaker reports everything satisfactory at the filters. Tile leak over the tunnel at the forebav lias been stopped and the scour on the lloor of the water race lias also been repaired. ituililing*.—Two permits wen- issued, representing a total value of Bath*—The uiP'taker report-, as follows: This month's avenuu; attendance equals 1!.-) pel- day. The hot Imths have been in ureat demand. The total irreber of persons visitim; the baths is ■if:"- 1 The receipts for tile month are: Sv.-:«'win.i: pool, .-C2S 17s 11.1: hot--1 water bath. Clj os !)d ; total, C.1.") -is Bd.

Loan Work. —Streets: The small porlion of Kowhai street betwen Npaio and Kar.vnu streets has been metalled. Motnroa read. Ww«-n I'.ayly ami Xgamo(u mails, is now bein» re-pnuled ill iv:vlinrss for tlie laving of the tramline. VMorisi rea l is hf'nj; re-trailed ami re-n-i talliil from Mill road to a point apI re-x'iratelv 111) chains southward. Ille r.'-, Trading U Wing done in anticipation of tramwav extension at a future date. The site for the tram-oar sheds at I'tzrov i*. now l>cin<r excavated. Messrs T. and 11. Parkin have delivered approximately 1000 entiic yards of boulders at the crusher site. Cutliold road culvert is now complete, and the filling in : liein" pushed on as fast as possible. Kirli and Channel-Tlie kerb and .•haniH in Kins is now complete, •.mil ViinnL' street kerb and is almost complete. The work ill lime street, is profrressim: satisfactorily. In Ili-vrn street central the kerb and channel is hem? set, back in readiness for th,. la vine of the tram-lino.

Water-mains.—The fi-ineli main is now laid to a point one chain beyond the railway crossing. Tile new filters are now being set up, and should be in wort-in,!! order within five weeks. The report was received, J i.i'Vi'RiCAlj KXGINEK" S KEi'OKT. I ! The electrical engineer .'.ported:—A i-'l'tiiL-r .siiipnient of 15l> poles by the :;.s. Joan L'rais has been received, and the..' have been laid out a'oiif; the nr.ile of the new transmission line, and a Ion:; Eliot- stract and Avenue road. Nine more poles are required to complete thii contract. Poles iiave been er.cted in Leach street as far as llan<itin.'i road, and in Eliot street and Avenue road. The contractors for the new suh-siation. Messrs Shaw and l'ayne, started work on this contract on .Monday last, February Ist. The report was received. DEVON STHEET FOOTPATHS. A deputation of property owners in Devon street waited on the Council relative to ledueing the width of the footpath on the south side. Mr Fred. llellnnger pointed out that it was felt the Councillor.* (.'id not realise what the clhct of that work would be, aiul 'he asked -,' nat tli.s matter be re-considered so as to give at the very least a width of twelve feet. It had been matter of comment, in the past that pedestrians had been well cati red for, and he Ft lonely urged that a ; , wide a path as [•oriole should b,; provided. .\li' Coniey al-o spoke, pointing out that n:ne-ten!h; of lilie foot traffic was ovi r the path on that side of the wav, while the other side, whicli was wider, carried very little trallie. The matter was one that all'ected the general interest of t'hc town.

Tlii' .Mayor promised tliiit tins views of tile deputation should be considered. II.; | onilvil out th.it l!ie 'present was an t»\ ecptional opportunity for putting right the alignment of the footpath. The footpath would he a foot wider than now appeared. lie also slated l.hat some of the buildings encroached oil the foot'path and made the patli seem narrow.r, hut wilen the old buildings were rebuilt ;l would much improve mailers, and the inconvenience would be very little felt. To obtain the tramway .service the people of the town would have lo put up with a little inconvenience. Kwy consideration would be given to the request of the deputation. Mr liclli'ingcr thanked the Council and then withdrew.

■Subsequently the Council considered the request made by the deputation, the Mayor, in introducing the subject, stating that, tlii' Council was only doiic what was right in straightening the footpath, and he could not see his way to support any proposal to alter the dcci.s.on already arrived at l.y the Conn, cil. The trouble was ihat some of the buildings encroached on the path. The engineer, in reply to a question, Stated that the alteration varied from :ift Bin at Currie street to Ift Gin at Liardct street.

In reply to C'r. Jackson, the Mavor stated that the owners of the buildings encroaching could be compelled to put back their buildings, but only at great expense.

<"]•; Smith said Hint at first lip advocated putting kick the kerbinf;, ] m t, now that the work was iroiiu; on l'„. doubted tile wisdom „f Mi,, aetion. A(; t | |o ?nm|> time, the Council \ Vi)s in a diliicult positjon. Th<T(. was no doubt- tlic path should be ],, a straight line, and if the narrower "width siiflicod lor larger towns it should satisfy Xew Plymouth. The Mayor moved (hut the Council, after ronsidevinu- the voipiest of (he deputation, adheres to it, mvvioiis decision,

' r- Sykes. ill seconding till' motion, pointed out that t lie widih of tlie pathway when reduced would ln> about the that ol l'ij( ■;(reet, Sydney. ( r. ( ollis moved, as an iinienduieul. that the cutting back 1,.. reduced bv a fifth.

The amendment lapsed, ami the motion was carried.

'.'iXIZENS' BAND SUBSIDY. i 1 Tin: Band Committee reported rccom- ] mending that consideration of the ap- i plication of tlu« Citizens' Band Com- | witlw for a subsidy for band concerts he di icrred until next year's estimates , are being framed, by which time the Band --id have completed its reorganisation. .The Baths and Library Committees' ri-iortu (already published) were adopted. A DRIVER'S LICEXSK. The Mayor reported that the question of giving a license as driver to Mr. F.mmerton had been referred to the inspector. His Worship added that Mr. Kminerton bad been told that on production of the necessary certificates of fitness tile license would be granted. WORKS COMMITTEE REPORT. On the motion to adopt tne Commit tee's report. . Cr. Kibby protested n«ani't <W<-rr «w 'lie (Uiestion ' f re-metalling Croirten:»> street from l.iardct street to Watson srect. lie <onshlered tbe «uest:on should 1),. decided by that meeting Cr. Smith took tile same view. The flavor coincided, and he al.sn considered that no demand should at present !>;> made on the Telecrnph Department to remove their poles when noi on the m-epcr alignment. It. was advivnW.. 11ml. 110 fried,ion should be caused with t"e Department.. Cr K'lbliv protested mraimt the footpaths heiu" lmt in order until all the poles and telegraph cables were put in their place. The present was tbe wreng time to charge the Ucpaivnent for repairs. It was extremely desirable to avoid irritating the Department. . Cr Collis urged that where the works were completed the foopaths should b" put in order so as to avoid all the work bavin" to be done at one time. What was proposed did not affect, any streets where the telegraph work was not com ploted. The report was altered so as to meet 1 the views of Or. Kibby and tbe Mayor, and was then adopted. f - ELECTRIC LIGHT. On til- motion to adopt the Electric l,j«ht Committee's report on the question ((["substituting all heart timber where 0.8. timber was spceilled in the contract for the new sub-station building, considerable discussion ensued, as it appeared that the alteration would involve an extra cost of £122 lis lid. Cr. Kibby considered that as the Council was putting up a building which would be a credit to the town, it would not be advisable to put anything but the best timber, even though it cost over £l2O more. What was wanted was a building that would last, and not one tbe timber in which won'.:, soon be worm-eaten. Cr. Burgess pointed that the origins, estimate fur altered timber was £4O; that it was n.'.w .C 122, and that in the end it might be £250. Cr. Mannix said that "all building heart" meant one-fourth sap. so that unless "till heart'' was spceilied there ' would be a proportion of sap. I The Mayor said that opened up a ' new feature. ft was eventually decided that tin. matter be left in the bands of a subcommittee. consisting of the Mayor, Crs. Kibby and Mannix. The report was then adopted. ABATTOIRS, On the motion to adopt tbe Abattoir Committee's report, the Mayor suggested an alteration so as to make it clear that tl o vehicles used for earning meat for export could also carry meat for local consumption. , The report (already published) was I then adopted. RESERVES COMMITTEE. „ Tbe committee reported:—That the question of tbe proposed exchange with the High School Board be deferred for consideration at an adjourned meeting of tbe Council to be held at a date to be fixed, and that in the meantime the Council visit the site; that Regina Place be placed under the control of the West End Foreshore Soicety, subject to tbe same conditions as the i other lands vested in them by the Council; that as requested by the West End Fore-bore Society, the Police Department be asked to include Kawaroa Park in the regular police beat; that sufficient kerb stones be given to the West End Foreshore Society to enable it to kerb the footpaths oil Tiscli Avenue and round the band rotunda, and also that two barrels of soltar be given to the Society for use on Kawaroa Park. On the motion to adopt the report, it was suggested that the Council's staff should lay down the soltar. The suggestion was adopted and the report adopted. FITZROY HALL SITE. The Mayor reported that the area of the site proposed by the Fitzroy delegates WiU : : T.S perches, including the strip of closed road at the back. The engineer had reported that the hall could be moved to the Darnell street, site for £45. and to the Peach street section for £75, but if to the latter it would necessitate taking the building to pieces. A letter was read from Cr Clarke to the effect that be was opposed to the purchase of another site for the hall. Cr Smith was satisfied that Mr IJarknett's section in Darnell street at £2.">o Was thi' best, and lie moved that the ' recommendation of the committee for ' its nurehasc be adopted. Cr Sykes seconded the motion ,as be considered that, as the site bad been ) chosen by the Fitzroy representatives it < should be acquired. Cr Collis considered that if the Pound site were utilised the Council would pave £225. Cr Kibby hoped that councillors were conversant, with the two sites, and he stressed the point that the Beach slreet site, was a far better proposition than the other, both as to price ami area, lie contended that the 1-arnell street site would become a rubbish heap, and tnat there was no comparison between it ami the other. lie referred to the action or the Council in throwing away £2O a year by giving away the cottage on the ear shed site, and contended that if the ; Pound site was not srood enough for | that cottage it was certainly not good enough for the hall. He advocated that the Council should get good value for its money, which tlie.v would not do if Tlarknett's section was bought unless they acquired the whole section for "i: I III), and thus provided a sile for a lioiimC that would before long be required for the manager of the tramwavs. He moved as an amendment, that section 10. Reach street, be acquired for the hull site. The amendment lapsed, and the motion was carried. Cr Kibby dissenting. ADDTTIOXAL LAND FOR CAR silKl> SITE. The Ma vol- brought; up the question oi the purchase of a triangular strip of ■end containing 7 perches at the back of the ear shed site. He stated that, the I railways Committee considered tliat 0 was the utmost they could recommend the Council to give for the strip, j ami as the owner, Mr llarknett, stood ]

out for £ll4, if the Council required' tile land it must, be taken under tin Public Works Act. One of the objects in view was to get riil of some overhanging trees. Or Collis moved that Mr Ilarknett be oll'ered £SO (without prejudice) for the land, and that in default of his acceptance of tile offer, the kml be taken under the Public Works Act. Cr Kibby seconded the motion, which was carried. •METALLING COURTENAY STP.EET. The engineer's recommendation that tile metalling of Cotirtcnay street should be at once proceeded with in order to prepare for extraordinary traffic 011 that street during the construction of the tramway, was then considered. After some. discussion the work was authorised. The Council adjourned until Holiday Kith inst., it being understood that Councillors will vi>ol the; High School grounds at 4 p.m. on Friday.