Thames Borough Council.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2556, 16 March 1877, Page 3

Thames Borough Council.

The usual fortnightly meeting of the Thames Borough Council.was held yes- - terday evening in the Borough Council Chambers. Prosent—His Worship the Mayor; Ora Macna'o, Wilson, Bead, Butt, Ehrenfried and Kilgour. MINUTES. The minutes of the last meeting were read over and confirmed. APOLOGUES FOB ABSENCE. Apologies were made for the absence of Cm .Howe, Renshaw' and Gibbons. WAIOTAHI HILL. ' A letter was read from Mr H. Roche, miner, asking that the amount of rates due by him should be set against work done in repairs, &c. The Foreman of Works having reported that the work was necessary, and that Mr "Roche had performed it satisfactorily, the request was ordered to be complied with. . ENDOWMENTS. A letter was read from the General Crown Lands Office, Wellington, requesting that particulars of lands which it was desired to obtain as endowments might be forwarded to the office. Cr Kilgour said it would be necessary now for the Council to ascertain where land was available for endowment. The Mayor said he had had his eye on the Kauaeranga valley, but was disap- . pointed to find that somehow it was all in the hands of private individuals. Cr Kilgour thought they ought to have a .committee of two or three to select a block of ,2000 acres and point it out as suitable for the purpose of endowments. Cr Macnab proposed that a committee consisting of' Crs Kilgour, Head, and the Mayor be appointed to select any lands suitable for endowment and report on the same to the committee. , Or Wilson seconded the motion, which was carried. SHELLBACK CREEK. A letter'was read from Mrs M. A.' Sawyer, drawing attention to the retaining wall of the Shellback Creek, which was in such a condition that should another flood .occur her property would be much injured. In answer to Cr Kilgour it was said the work had been put up by the Provincial Government. It was agreed that.the Foreman of Works, under the direction of the Works Committee, be instructed to see, the work required to be done. PUMPING ASSOCIATION. A letter was read from Mr Charles Tothill, setting forth a statement of expenditure on account of the Big Pump for February.- The statement showed that £803 Is 2d had been expended in connection with pumping and driving in the United Pumping Association, and was signed by Messrs George Black and Charles Tothill. Of this sum £170 19s 4d had been paid, leaving a balance due 0f£632 Is lOd, which, added to an account of £283 due to Messrs Price Bros., made £915 Is lOd due, against £268 15s 7d received for' drainage contributions from the Kuranui Hill, Moanatairi, Cure and Bed Queen mines. Mr Tothill re* quested a cheque for the excess of expenditure over receipts, amounting to £646 6s 3d, as soon as convenient. Cr^ Kilgonr, thought the statement might to be referred to the County Council,'as they were unable to check the items and .there was nothing to prevent them (the Association) from charging what they liked!' The Mayor said the accounts had been overhauled by the Chairman of the County Council, and by Cr It owe on behalf of the Borough. Cr Macnab said the accounts ought to be certified by members of the Borough Council. Cr Ehrenfried said that the accounts ought to be looked into further, as the money appeared to be loosely spent. He thought they ought to look well into the working, not only of the Pump, but into the expenditure and see that the surrounding mines pushed on their underground works. At present nothing was being done by, the-surrounding mines to warrant themin continuing the expenditure. Some plan ought to be adopted that night to see into the whole affair,, and see that their money was expended for the advantage.of the Borough. Cr Butt endorsed the principle advocated by Cr Ehrenfried. At present they might be hauling up nine buckets of water for one bucket of dirt. After .some further discussion on this subject— Cr Kilgour'moved that the accounts be referred to the Finance Committee to report on. Cr.Read seconded the motion which was carried. - ( Cr Head then moved that a letter be. sent to each of the mining companies interested requesting to know what they were doing m the way of prospecting, and also what they intended to do. Cr Macnab seconded the motion which was carried. MACKJLT STBEET. A letter was read from in habitants in Mackay street drawing attention to the state of the footpath and ditches in that Btreet v . It^pis said the work was already ordered to be done. EEPOET OF THE WORKS COMMITTEE. The report; of the Works Committee was then read :—" Your Committee have the honor to report that plans and specifications for repairs to the paved crossing under the Tramway Bridge, Tararu, have been prepared by the Foreman of Works, and are submitted to the approval of the Council. ,Your' Committee recommend that the works be carried out, on Messrs I Steedman and Brown undertaking to pay one-third of the cost. Your Committee have not expended any money on culverts for the Sunbeam. Creek Road, as the crushing returns do not show the reef being worked on by Messrs Murdock and Brown, to be payable. A foot-bridge is being erected over the Karaka Creek by the Council's workmen; when this is finished the pathway complained of by Mr Corkill will receive attention. The plan and specifications for the completion of the. Waiotahi / culvert has been prepared by the Foreman of Works. Your Committee advise that tenders be called for this work at once. It will be necessary to procure for the repairs to the streets of the Borough 1,200 yards of 2£ inch road metal. The committee recommend that the Foreman cf Works be directed to engage any men wanting employment at this work, not having it all broken at once, but allowing it to extend over a period of two or three months. The cost of laying down a wooden watertable on the east side of Pollen street will

be £460 5s fid. This work has on more than one occasion been brought before the notice of the Council by the officer to the Board of Health, siml its accomplishment receives the ricouiiuoiiil".lion of (Us committee, who ' suggest,,.tint'-'steps, be taken, under the 111tli section of' The Municipal Corporations A el, 1876/ for raising from the owners of property on that side of Pollen street tho-^uni of £153 83 6d by special rale. Prom the number of allotments;■;the .rjUe.'would not exceed £1 each resident or owner" of allotment, whereas the benefit derived would be very great*: Arrangements have been made, with v . Mr Small,'on behalf of the Piako G.M.CVto construct a retaining wall ofjthreb uine-incli bbafds ;in height, commencing eight foe//from the tramway bridge* ;Eai*aka, and jcarrieid ;"dpjvn Jthe side of the creek towards the company's dam, a "distance of 27 feef. This will protect Mr Hay's property- from iujury.. during floods ,as the ground between thei retaining wall and Hay's fence is to be filled in to the level of the wall, and; it will alsoretain in use the .road across the creek into Bull's battery. Ihe report of the Foreman of Works to this Committee is attached.. In it attention is called .to the want, of a new culvert-in Brown street,: from the Bank of New Zealand to tlfe Wharf Hotel; and also one in Upper Albert street. Your Committee . recommend that both be sanctioned by the Council." Report of the Eoreman of Works was also read:—" Gentleman, —I have the honour to make the following report re extension of Waiotahi culvert. I also submit plans 5 specifications, and estimates for your consideration. I also enclose plans, specifications, and estimate for ford at Tararu Creek. I have to report that it is:desirable that a new culvert be laid down "from the Bank of New Zealand to the Wharf Hotel, a distance of 66 feet The culvert now in use has been built in sections, and at present' one .section is considerably lower than the other, causing the culvert to choke each time it rains. The small culvert crossing Upper Albert street has, during the last heavy rains, fallen in, the timbers being decayed.: I have also an estimate for laying a watertable from Butt's corner to Albert street, Grahamstown; also an estimate for a quantity of broken metal required in the Borough for the curreut year.—Yours obediently, Thomas Rawdon, Foreman of Works." . - The report was received. On the item referrine: to the drainage of Pollen street being discussed Cr .Kilgour said it would be useless to make such a drain unless the drainage in Richmond street and Scaley street were first seen to. After a discussion on this point it was agreed that the culvert" across Pollen street on the north side of Richmond street should be enlarged and deepened. The reports were then adopted. FINANCE. Accounts to the amount of £36 were passed for payment. SPECIAL MEETING. At the conclusion of the ordinary meeting a special meeting was held to confirm the bye-laws previously agreed to. This was done, and the Council adjourned.