NEW PLYMOUTH BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 September 1917, Page 7

NEW PLYMOUTH BOROUGH COUNCIL.

MONTHLY REPORTS. The following reports for the past month will be suuinitted to next Monday's meeting of the New Pljiyouth Borough Council. BOROUGH ENGINEER. Baths.—The custodian returned from his annual holiday on the 27th and made ready for opening the season 011 the Ist inst. The swimming pool was cleaned and whitewashed in readiness. •Buildings.—No permits of note have been issued during the month, and it is to be expected that building may slacken owing to the 'high cost- of materials and difficulty in obtaining artisans, and indifferent weather conditions. The amount of fees collected was £7 Us (3d; value £llBO., Waterworks. —Three new services were laid, the main in Watson street completed and connections made at Courtenav and Lemon streets, also seven services connected to this main. The temporary %-inch service pipes have been lifted and stored. Several leaks have been attended to.

Filters.—The plant has given no trouble during the month, and the caretaker had collected and burnt most oi' the weeds, repaired fences and dug around the house for garden purposes.

General and loan works and sewers.— Lemon street: The kerbing and channelling and regrading pathway was commenced early in the month and is just about to be completed. The weather conditions prevented this and oWier works being carried out as rapidly as would otherwise liave been the ease. John street: The sewer in this street has been extended to Mr. Cruiekshank's properties and the pathway cleaned from roots, regraded and gravelled. Mangorci road: The pathway has been graued and cut down and the kerb and channelling laid. Frankley road slip: The removal has been completed. Gover street tunnel: This was opened up and several tins removed and a grating will be erected to prevent occurrence of choking. Gover street: The pathways between Courtenav street and Leach street have been filled in where worn or subsided. Rubbish tips: Both Hobson street and Lvvon street west have been kept covered as well as it was possible to do, but this work, like all earthwork ut this time of the year id difficult to cope with under wet weather conditions. Waterworks Reserve.—The oat crop has been sown. Many irritating delays occurred in this work. First the contractor was called to war in the middle of the work, and then others failed to turn up as arranged. Long spells of wet intervened, but at last, when nearly all hope of seeing the se?d.in had been gheu up it has become ail accomplished fact. Grass seed lias also beeu sown with, the oats. . , SANITARY INSPECTOR, Herewith I beg to submit my reporfc for the month of August and statement of licenses issued. Fees collected amount to £74 17s, value ot buildings £llBO, fees £7 lis Gd.

Scarlet fever.—A slight outbreak of scarlet fever occurred at the end of last month, eieven cases being reported tn as many days, but luckily the steps taken by tiie Health Department seem to have averted an epidemic. It is worthy of note that seven of the children attended the Central Infant School. The place was thoroughly disinfected in August and no cases have been reported of children who have attended school since that date. 1 think it would be well to thoroughly disinfect the schools dining the coming holidays. yitzroy has had a. thorough overhaul, while in addition the children have been interested anil shown hov," to avoid infection in the common use of articles at school. So far no cases have beecn reported of children attending this school. Bedding.—During the month three lots of bedding have been fumigated under my supervision; fees, 16s. House to house inspection.—This work has proceeded as the weather permitted and given a few fine days the whole of the original borough would be completed. I should then be able to tabulate and number the cards and file in sections. The continued wet weather ib seriously affecting outside work and this with the shortage of labor is causing delay in compliance with notices served. Thirty-seven notices 'Were served to abate nuisances or to repair sanitary defects while two were served to remove pig-styes. l'ig-styes.—Keepers of pigs aro not apparently aware of the by-law requiring a permit to keep pigs, nor of the fact, that ;i fee of 5s is payable. So far I have not seen many places that conform to the requirements of the by-law and in most eases tho pigs have been killed rather than make the necessary alterations. Traffic regulation—A good deal of attention has been given to this matter In the evenings and on one or two afternoons. The speed of thirty motor 'ears was checked over a' measured distance and in not one instance could the speed he called excessive. For an hour find a 'half every vehicle passing a given spot was noticed. All lights and numbers were in order. Ten prosecutions have beeen taken and four are pending for breaches of tho by-laws.

TRAMWAYS. The monthly records arc:— Main route, fares £ol'B 10a Bd. Morley-Eliot street route, fares '£72 16s Id. Combined ruotes, fares '£B9l 12s lOd. Comparing August 1917 with August 191G there is mi increase of £O7 Is 7d and 13,587 additional passengers have been carried. This increase when considered under conditions generally must be regarded as satisfactory. There have been 110 interruptions in the service or | accidents on the system during the month, and the service lifts been maintained as per published time-table. The re-varnishing and overhauling of cars has been completed, and all cars are again in traffic. In my previous report during the progress of this work, I made mention of the conditions of the various parts of the equipment relative to wear and now the work is finished I am pleased to state that these remarks still apply and that in no case have we Pound the wear to be abnormal, The need for turning the cars round is felt very much and the conditions re maintenance will be greatly improved when this can be done, anil when the time arrives that this work can be carried out economically 1 will make a recommendation accordingly ELECTRIC LIGHT DEPARTMENT. The applications for supply received during tiie month are 11, and the service connections made to the mains 20. A large amount of time during the mouth has been occupied in the erection

of the eerie* of street lighting between town and the breakwater, and the dismantling of the lamps and cables belonging to the old system, The above constitutes one circuit of the scries lighting "system, the second circuit will lie taken from Lgmonfc street to Vitzroy, \\ aiwakaiho bridge, T1 n,> work will be commenced as soon as time penttit3, Generally speaking, the lighting on circuit number one is good, but there is still room for improvement, by the addition of extra lamps. This is a matter tnat could be dealt with at a later date, as the cost for street lighting already substantial, and in its present condition compares very favorably vjith much larger towns. When circuit number two is completed the change will be more noticeable, as it contains mere lamps and of larger capacity. Further the staggering of the lamps in the centre of the town will be seen to 'better advantage. The plant at the power and distribution stations has given no trouble during the month. At the power station it is working up to its full capacity during peak loads, but is receiving careful and constant attention, and with satisfactory results. Messrs (Roberts and Sons are making satisfactory progress with the alterations and additions to the power house. The west wall is completed to its full 'height and about half of the new tail race has been excavated and 'walls and floor concreted.