BOROUGH AFFAIRS.

Taranaki Daily News, 16 May 1922, Page 5

BOROUGH AFFAIRS.

NEW PLYMOUTH COUNCIL. SAFETY OF PUBLIC BUILDINGS. The New Plymouth Borough Council met last night. Present: The Mayor (Mr. F. E. Wilson), Councillors J. Kibby, T. N. Blackball, E. Dingle, R. A. Large, J. Brown, R. L. Parkin, W. Rumball, and V. Griffiths. The New Plymouth Fire Board forwarded the report of the superintendent (Mr. F. C. J. Bellringer), which stated that, subject to Conditions, the following buildings, which are provided with tire exits to his satisfaction, should be granted licenses, viz.: Everybody’s am: People’s Theatres, Good Templar Hall, Empire Theatre, Whiteley schoolroom. The report continued: “The Whiteley Church is not provided with means of escape to my satisfaction, and should not be licensed. The Coronation Hall is not a fit building to be licensed as a public place for amusements. The building is not provided with seating accommodation, and there is no certainty that when seats are placed in this building they will not block the fire exits. The following 'buildings have sufficient escajies in case of fire, viz.: Westown Hall, Moturoa Anglican Church, St. Aubyn Street Methodist Church, Brethren Church (Robe Street), Seventh Day Adventists (Buller Street), Fitzroy Anglican Church, Anglican Sunday-school, Fitzroy Methodist Church, St. Andrew’s Church, St. Andrew s Schoolroom, St. Mary’s Church, St. Mary’s Schoolroom, Spiritualists’ Rxxim (Griffiths Buildings), Salvation Army Hall, Foresters’ Hall, East End, Kawaroa, and Ngamotu pavilions, Roman Catholic Church, Rolland Hall, Soldiers’ Club (upstairs), and the Public Baths.” Mr. R. Day recommended that before granting a license to the Empire Theatre a condition should be that the caretaker should be in constant attendance in case of emergency. A TGK.O LEASE. Mrs. M. J. Butler wrote on behalf of her husband, John Butler, asking for the council’s reconsideration of the rental. now payable to the council, in connection with the borough lease at Toko, leased by her husband. The unmial rental and rates amounted to £331 15s. Only 50 cows could be carried on the lease, and it was impossible to make a living off the farm when one had to pay labor, seeds, manure, repairs and fences, benzine for machine, cropping, etc.

Mrs. Butler, later waited on the council in support of her application, when the Mayor promised that the request would receive consideration. WATSON STREET LEVELS. Messrs. D. Graham, A. W. Jenkins and G. Taylor, all of Watson Street, wrote asking that the proper levels of the street be ascertained, as they contemplated certain building operations on their frontages. me engineer reported that the path referred to is the one which Mrs. Carthew lowered a year or two back in accordance with an agreement between her and the council. The council will reply that it could not alter the. agreement without the consent of adjoining owners. RECORD STREET WANTS. A. L. Roberts and E. W.'West, Record Street, Fitzroy, asked if anything had been decided by the council regarding the fixing of permanent levels of the street. They were anxious to carry out permanent improvements to their street frontages. The engineer reported, that all the work authorised had been done some time ago. J. Johnston, Record Street, asked that the council finish the track and make it 20 feet wide. The applicants will be informed that the council will give their request consideration. Seventeen occupiers of property at Fitzroy applied to have the footpaths in Fitzroy Road formed with the utmost expediency.—Work up to aji amount named by the engineer was authorised, it later being decided to call tenders for the work. METALLING WAIWAKA TERRACE. Matthew Campbell, Gill Street, offered to take up borough bonds at 5J per cent, if the work of metalling Waiwaka Terrace from Mangorei Road to the bridge be put in hand at once. This work is included in the £57,000 loan, the engineer reported. The wonk of forming and metalling will be authorised subject to debentures being taken upon the amount stated. It was resolved that tenders be invited for the work.

- n " GENERAL. The State Advances Office advised that an Order-in-Council in terms ot section 11 of the Finance Act, 1921, prescribing the rate of interest that may be paid on £2OOO, lieing part of the special loan of £57,000, to be not exceeding 6»/ a P er cent - P er an P um > has now been obtained and gazetted. The engineer reported that in company with the Public Works engineer and the Taranaki County engineer, he had inspected the Waiwakaiho weir and found that no damage had been caused to the weir by floods, and no subsidence of the blocks had taken p’.ice, but it is necessary for the bastion work to be repaired and strengthened.—The Taranaki County Council’s attention will be drawn to the repairs needed to the bastion work. . Geo. Burgess asked that cutting on and grading of a knob at the corner of Cutfield and Glen Road be unuertaken. The footpath could then be formed. He was willing to share a portion of the cost—Granted, -terms to be arranged later. On the motion of Cr. Griffiths it was resolved that the engineer be asked to form an estimated cost of putting in order the kerbs and channels in Devon Street, between Eliot Street and the Henui bridge. On the motion of Cr. Parkin it was resolved that the street levels in Sackville, Richmond, Newton and Record streets be obtained, as par<tfculars are required for draining purposes. An application by the New Plymouth Sports Committee for permission to erect a ticket box at the entrance to Pukekura Park was deferred.