NEW PLYMOUTH BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 January 1918, Page 3

NEW PLYMOUTH BOROUGH COUNCIL.

MONTHLY MEETING. The monthly meeting of the New Plymouth Borough Council was held last night. His Worship the Mayor (Mr. C. 11. Burgess) presided, and there were also present ( .1. Clarke, F. J. Ilill, W. J<\ Short, K. Griffiths, W. A. Collis, R. J. Deare, and G. W. Browne. REPORTS. The reports of the borough engineer (Mr. W. H. Cook), the borough inspector (Mr. R. Day), tramways and electrical engineer (Mr. R. H. Bartley), abattoir manager (Mr. Reakes), and the various committees, as previously published, were adopted. CORRESPONDENCE. Mr. J. B. Roy wrote acknowledging the council's letter of sympathy and condolence in connection with the recent death of Mrs. Roy.—Received. The Hon. W. H. Herries (Minister of Railways) wrote regarding the council's request that he should receive a deputation about certain waste lands which it was proposed to acquire as borough reserve, that he had made no arrangements at present for leaving Wellington, hut that advice would be sent as soon as possible.—Received. The Under-Secretary of Internal Affairs wrote that in view of the fact that no objections had been received to the proposal by the council to spend the sum of £28(1!) 4s fid upon certain roads in New Plymouth, under the provisions of section f>o of the Reserves and Other Lands Disposal and Public Bodies Empowering Act, 1015, the Ministers eonsertt to the same would lie given on the council passing the special order as prescribed by the Act. A. Cable, A.1.E.E., wrote on behalf of the tramway officers of the Dominion that the question of proceeding with the first draft conference of representatives of the tramway ebntrolling bodies and their managers next month had been considered by the managers of the different systems throughout the Dominion, and in view of the prevailing conditions, which, it was considered, did not warrant a conference at present, it was decided to recommend the postponement of the inaugural meeting for another year, when, it is hoped, circumstances would permit of the conference being held at Dunedin, as arranged last year. The issue of auctioneers' licenses to L. B, Webster, L. A. Nolan and Newton King, was confirmed. The clerk of the Kairanga County Council forwarded the following resolution for consideration: "That in the opinion of thk council, on account of the bad state of 'he roads throughout New Zealand, and the ever-increasing traffic, the \Government be asked to reduce railway freights on cement, tar and bitumen to local bodies, for use in roadmaking, bridges, etc., to the same rate as coal, or at least one-half the present tariff. Cr. Claj-ke moved, and Cr. Griffiths seconded, that the council support the resolution, and the motion was carried unanimously. ( DAM NO. 2. In a further report on the No. 2 dam, the borough engineer estimated that the cost of extra works proposed as follows: Clearing growth and bracken, £34; taking away old bag dam, .-69; breaking away old dam wall, £IOO. He estimated that the whole of the work in connection with the erection of the dam proper would be completed in eight or ten days, with the exception of stripping boxing from two small portions of concrete, and, say, two days to make a gem eral clearing up of rubbish, tools, and other materials. After that he proposed to make the usual tests, and, if satisfactory, he would be able to the work over. He asked the council to settle whether the additional works estimated for should be authorised. The remaining items mentioned in the previous report required to be planned out in detail before estimates could be submitted, and the necessary plans were in course of preparation. It was decided to authorise the yorks estimated for.