NEW PLYMOUTH BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 November 1919, Page 8

NEW PLYMOUTH BOROUGH COUNCIL.

MONTHLY MEETING. The monthly meeting of the New Ply. mouth Borough Council was held last night, the Mayor (Mr. Jas. Clarke), presiding. There were also present: Crs. J. W. Hayden, P. J. Hill, W. I<\ Short, A. S. Brooker, R. L. Parkin, and V. Griffiths. 'The reports of the departmental officers and the various committee reports were received and adopted. Subsequently a meeting of the General Purposes Committee was held, the same councillors! being present. STREET REPAIR WORK. The engineer asked for authority to put in hand the metalling of Vivian Street, between Carrington Road and Brougham Street. The estimated cost was £l3B plus £ls for re-grading the side of the road.—The work was provided for in the £/10,000 loan. The engineer in a report on Devoa Street East, said the length between Gover and liobson Streets had been patched, but no amount of patching ivould make the surface even, nor would other portions last for any length of time. The road was well consolidated, and could be made good by laying a carpet coat over the whole area. °He recommended thoroughly cleaning the surface and then applying a thin coat- 1 ing of tar, and covering with a coat of macadam chips along the soutn side. The approximate cost would be £933 12s fid, and that would put the road in good order. The surface had not gone far enough to warrant heavier repairs. The Mayor said it was evident that, if it was going to cost £IOOO to put that piece of road in order, the Council was right "up against it." The thing could not be allowed to go on and he intended to ask that, the Streets sub-Committee should meet and go< into the whole matter of the Devon line. The town clerk suggested that rfie tramways engineer should be present when tlie committee viewed tile street and met to consider it. He also pointed out that, there were several streets which, if repaired this year, would probably not be able to be saveci next yer.r. It was agreed that the two matters he referred to the Streets Sub-Com-mittee. The Streets Suh-Committee reported recommending (hat repairs to Govett Avenue were not necessary at. present, hut, that temporary repairs shoimi he effected before next winter; also that Mrs. Lynch should be informed that tile Council cannot see its way to accept any liability for the damage alleged to have been done to her property bv the late St. Aubvn Town Board. ' ' The report was adopted. TRAMWAYMEN'S WAGES. Correspondence was read from the secretary of the New Zealand Federated Tramways Employees' Industrial Union of Workers, and also from the actinggeneral manager of the Wellington Corporation tramways, relative to a proposed Dominion award for all tramway services employees. It was stated that a conference of representatives of the various employing bodies would be held j in Wellington, and it was hoped that the New Plymouth Council would be represented. I One Councillor and the tramways engineer were appointed delegates to the j conference. CLEAN-UP DAY.

The inspector (Mr. R. Day) asked authority to have a "clean-up day'' right over tho Borough, and suggested Friday the 28th. inst., as the day, which would give ample notice to residents, and time for organisation. Tiie town clerk said the suggestion should be carried a little further than had been the case in the past, and the residents should be urged to clean tiie grass away from the' front of their premises out to the kerbing line. The difficulty was, however, that the engineer could not spare the men to do the haulage necessary. If this could be arranged it would go a long way towards making a very much better appearance in the borough streets. He did not mean the outlying areas. After some discussion it was resolved to leave the matter over till next meeting, LIBRARY matters. The Carnegie Institute Committee reported recommending (1) That a magazine subscription be no longer received, and, that from January Ist nevt, the magazines be placed in the new reference magazine room; (2t That the librarian be given leave of absence to the photographic display at the Palmerston Show; (3) That accounts amounting to i"2rt 4s Id be passed for payment Th;s portion of the report with nuopteit. A clause providing for the expenditure of £35 for improvement at the library was referred to the Finance Committee for consideration. Mr. W. H. Skinner (chairman of the committee), who waited on the Council in support, of tho leanest, pointed out that the improvements would make the institution more of a public library than hitherto.