Thames Borough Council.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2544, 2 March 1877, Page 3

Thames Borough Council.

The usual fortnightly meeting of the Thames Borough Council was held lust night in the Council Chambers. Present — Grs Rowe, Macnab, Kilgour, Read, Gibbons and Renshaw. The Mayor being absent, Cr Rowe, on the motion of Cr Macnab, was called to the chair. MIKUTES. V The minutes of the last meeting were read over and confirmed. LETTERS SENT. • The heads of letters sent since the last meeting of the.Council were read over. LETTERS RECEIVED. A letter was read from the residents in Tararu reminding the Council .that the Tararu Creek was now sufficiently low to enable the Council to ascertain the amount of the damage done, and praying that something might be done to the crossing while the water was yet low before another flood occurred. The bridge also, the letter stated; was undermined. Referred to the Works Committee to attend to. . BROKEN METAL. A letter yrasjread from James Gurney offering about 60 yards of broken metal in Cochrane street at the usual price. Referred to the Works Committee. BUKBEAM BEEF. *~ '^ letter was read from the miners on ts|ii^unbeam Reef, Tararu, regretting that theßoroiieh Council would not fake their

case into consideration. They had been - prevented from carrying on their operations as,mmers, though they had excellent prospects, owing to the road being destroyed by the floods.: They requested the Council to inspect* the place where they were working. : Cr Eenshaw said that the road was in a very bad state, but he believed that the prospects were good. Mr Walker he had heard would give £10 towards getting something done to. the track. Cr Eead agreed that the road was in a very bad state, and proposed that the Council should contribute £10 or £15 towards forming two culverts. The Works Committee were then i authorised to spend a sum not exceeding £15, provided that Mr Walker and the men working there contributed a satisfactory proportion. „-■•. DBAINAGE. A letter was read from Mr A. Bagnall calling attention to a drain which the Foreman of Works had opened near his premises, and asking that a box drain be put there. The cost being found to be trivial, was authorised. . . ' LICENSES. A letter was read from Mr H. J. Lee applying for a license to allow the Good Templar Hall to be used for concerts, debates, &c. License ordered to be granted as soon as the "alterations now- in hand are completed. REPAIR TO BOAD. A letter was read from the residents between theEev. V. Lush's house and the Karaka Creek asking that a few loads of gravel be laid.down on the road In front of their houses, as nothing had been done for that locality. "Referred to the Works Committee. rATJAEBANGA BBIDGE. A letter was read from the Clerk of the County Council asking what assistance the Borough would give towards making a bridge over the Kauaeranga, and also stating that a committee" of the County Cbuncil'would be happy to meet a committee from the Borough Council to confer with them on the subject. Cr Eenshaw thought that it would be the best plan to appoint'the Works Committee to act as a Bridge Committee with the addition of. Cr. Kilgour to their number. „. : - ; This was agreed to. ■■

WAIQTAHI CULVERT. A letter was read from.Messrs Kees and Tyler on behalf of Mr Somerfield requesting that immediate steps might be taken to "prevent a recurrence of injury to Mr" Spmerfield's property such as had occurred from the recent floods owing to the culvert made by the Council not being carried far enough. : A memo; from the Mayor was read advising that the culvert be made as soon ta possible, especially as Mr Somerfield had, : through his solicitors, exhibited great 1 consideration. Cr Renshaw also thought that the work ought to be done at once. Cr Bead agreed with him, saying that if they went to law on the matter they would spend more than.the culvert would cost them. ; •;' Cr Eenshaw proposed that the Eoreman of Works be instructed' to prepare plans for the continuation of the culvert and submit them to the next meeting. Cr Macnab seconded the motion, which was carried. ■ (At this stage of proceedings the Mayor entered the Council Chamber and took his,seat.) '., : . GOLD DUTY. A telegram was read from the Hon. Major Atkinson to the Hon. F. Whitaker regarding the division of the Gold Duty. The telegram suggested that the Borough and Council should agree among themselres what proportion each was to have. Ob this.point some discussion ensued, C'^he chief difficulty appearing to.be that of some of the mines were in the Borough and part in the County, and this would necessitate two .separate accounts being kept. '.'... ,It was agreed that the- Mayor and Cr .Rowe confer with the County Council in the matter of the telegram. EEPOET OP THE "WOBKS COMMITTEE. The report of .the Works Committee ■was read as follows:—" Your CoTomittee have the honor to report that the residents on the west side of Brown street have-been informed that the cost of tak-

ing up the old wooden pavement in front of their dwellings: and .laying down mullock and sand-instead will be £18 12s Id, and that on their paying to the funds of the Council one-third of the cost the work will be. proceeded with. Mr Quadri in like manner has been written to, and so have the residents of Upper Albert street arid of-'Mary' street. The Committee have visited that part of the Waiotahi road referred to by the manager of the Waiotahi Goldmining Company, and recommend that a wooden box drain about 20 feet long be laid down-across the present line of tramway, so as to carry off ithe storm water, into the Creek bed. With reference to Mr Hay's letter your Committee find that th«se premises and others near them! are considerably injured every time there is a fresh in the

Kaiaka Creek. To obviate this it will be necessary to build a stone retaining wall about 2 feet high aloug the one side of the Karaka Creek for about 15 yards ; this would,, of course, slop; u;> the cart road used exclusively '7 Wr Bull to get "to and from his battery, unless a yotu-h paved crossing was made from the top of the retaining wall to the bed of the Creek. Tour Committee v.ere informed that Mr Bu'.l has no legal right to ibis road, and think this matter should be enquired into, as at present ho claims this road as his exclusive right of way, and allows no other carts than those going to and,.lVom his battery to use it. If found he has no legal right, the general public should be notified that such is the';case; -. Your Committee .find the Knraka road from Mr Williams' hotel to a short distance past Mr Prescott's house requires repairs, and recommend; ihafc the Foreman of Works.be authorised to put it in repair. The Moanatairi road, referred to by Mr Councillor Rowe, is "injured by the water from the upper portion of the road, running over it. fJhe Committee recommend that a paved dish crossing be made at the top of the rise to convey the water into the Moanalaid Creek instead of allowing it to run down the roadway. The Committee also visited the roadway up the hills adjoining Mr' Cooke's premises, and find his side fence has been undermined for a considerable distance by the druinage water from above flowing down the side of the road made last year by the Council. The only remedy would be laying down a shoot for about 132 feet to

carry the drainage water, instead of allowing it to flow down the side of his fence as at present, the cost of-which would be £6 Us. Mr Cooke Laving met with an accident, and consequently been out of work- for some months, is unable to contribute towards it. The flume carrying the water of the Karaka Creek from Bull's to Vickevy's battery requires repair, and the owners should'be noticed to maintain it in order at all times. If a short culvert was carried from where the water now escapes from this flume to the bed of the Karaka Creek, the residents about this part of the Borough would receive great advantage in times of heavy rain.—John Read. . The report was received, and with the exception.of that part relating to the clam constructed by Mr Bull, which was referred back to the Committee, adopted. B3POBT OF THH COMMITTEE iPPOINTED TO CONFER WITH TflE FIRE BRIGADES, The above report was read as follows :— " Tour Committee-have the honor to reportthatthe Superintendent of the G.Y.F. Brigade has again asked that the 15 uniforms already sanctioned by the Borough Council, to be procured so soon as the funds of the Council will allow, may be ordered at once, as the members of the brigade are greatly injuring their private clothes in handling the hose at practices. Under these circumstances jour Committee recommend that the request of the Superintendent be granted. I'our Committee also ask that authority be given them to procure double delivery hydrants for the Shortland and Grahamstown Brigades. The annexed letter from the engine-keeper for an advance of pay does not at the present time receive the recommendation of the Committee ; at some other time when the Borough funds are in credit the Committee purpose to lay the matter of payment to both enginekeepers before.you. The Committee have examined the following accounts, which are recommended for payment by the Council v- J. Phillips, 8s 6d; W. Wilkinson, 12s; W. Fagg, 2s 6d; J. Hartley, £1 10s ; W. Mumford, 14s ; A. Kennedy, £3 ; J. Wright, £4; and repairs to the engine, £3.—February 28th, 1877." " Grahamstown Volunteer Fire Brigade Station, February 27th, 1877. To. the Thames Borough Council.—-Gentlemen, — Having made application some time ago for an advance in my wages to you, and receiving no reply to my request, I hope you will give it your early consideration and let me know the result, hoping you will accede to my request.—l have the honor to be, gentlemen, your obedient servant, James Weight, Engine-keeper, G.V.FB." The report was adopted. REPORT OF THE FOREMAN OF TVOBKS. The following report from the Foreman of Works was read :—" Gentlemen, —I have the honor to make the following report for the month ending 28th Feb., 1877 : —I have erected a fire bell stand at the corner of Pahau and Pollen streets, height 30 feet, at a cost of £14 18s 9d. 1 have repaired the Karaka bridge in Bella street, at a cost of £9 4s lOd. I have also repaired the public pound in \ Shortland at a cost of twenty shillings. The footpath in Queen street has been i repaired at a cost of £3 sterling, and 328 feet of road has been formed in Sealey i street at a cost of fifteen pounds sterling. At the. junction of Albert and Queen streets I have, although not authorised by the Council, laid down a culvert 66 long, 2 wide and 18 inches deep. In attempting to clean out the former culvert I found it completely decayed and fallen in in the centre, and such state that the next rains would have flooded Albert and Queen streets. I therefore thought it advisable under the circumstances and the sanction of the Mayor to replace the culvert immediately. I would recommend that a foot-bridge be placed across the Karaka Creek in Maclfay street. At present the' crossing is on a few planks laid down by Mr Townsend, a former resident in that vicinity, and at present they are becoming too short for the purpose, and the recent floods have oh occasions washed them away. I think I could procure enough timber from the old bridge in Pollen street to erect a suitable bridge for that locality.—Yours obediently, Thomas Rawdon, Foreman of Works. The report was. received and. adopted. EEPOET OF THE OFFICER OF THE LOCAL BOAED OF HEALTH. This report was read, received and adopted. It calls for no special notice.

FINANCE. Accounts to the amount of £177 17s lOd were passed fpr payment. The committee recommended that owing to the heavy cost of advertising rendered necessary by the Municipal Corporations Act the necessary advertising be inserted in only one of the local papers, each paper to have the advertisements for a period of three months. It was decided by lot that the Thames Advertiser should have the advertising for the first three months. ;. OBJECTIONS TO BATES. ' ; The Mayor said that he had seen Mr Whitaker regarding the cases which had passed through his office, and Mr Whitaker had given him his opinion as to whether the objections were tenable or not. He had agreed with Mr Whitaker

in every case, .and as Mr Whituker gave his opinion he had marked it on the objections. The objections were then considered, and it was determined that some should be opposed and others allowed. OVJiUDUR HATES. It was agreed to advertise that nil rates owing for the past year not paid by Thursday next should be sued for. The Court adjourned.