Thames Borough Counoil.

Thames Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2798, 1 February 1878, Page 2

Thames Borough Counoil.

The usual fortnightly meeting of the Thames Borough Council was held at the Council Chambers last evening. There were present—His Worship the Mayor, Crs lienshaw, Ehrcnfried, Price, Wilson, McGowan and Gibbons.

MINUTES. The minutes of-the previous meeting were read and confirmed. A list of letters lent since last meeting was read. ... subsist. A letter was read from the Secretarj to the Treasury enclosing & Treasury vouches for £485 7s lid, Government Subsidy, being the half-yearly payment less deduction tor Hospitals, etc. 'Ihe Town Clerk said he had expected a much larger amount. They bad £3397 ■ : rates collected, and should have received a similar amount for subsidy. He pointed out that the Government had no right to make such a large deduction for the Hoi* -. pitai, as it was the only Hospital in the colony ihat half supported itself. . H« thought that some allowance'should be made on that account. Or Renshaw suggested that the Mayor write to the Government asking for further information on the mattsr, ai the particulars were not sufficient for the Council to understand the deductione. - This was agreed to. . APPLICATION FOB BOILIB. "*t \ I An application from Mr W* Brown, ot~ Kirkwood street,- asking permission to erect a boiler on his premises for domestic purpose!. The Town Clerk said he had - afterwards found that the boiler was required for rendering down fat. The Jtn- ■. '■ giueer's report was-favorable to the application on the carrying out of the ustal conditions. '■■■•' Cr lienshaw moved that the neoessarj permission be granted. Carried. APPLICATION TOB WOBX. - '-* A letter was read from Mr Bobert Brynn asking for work from the Borough, as he had been out of work for some time, and bad a family to support. ' '' / ." .j '\ Cr Benahaw said that he knew the' applicant to be a respectable man. Cr Khrenfried said that the Foreman of Works wanted two men, and he suggested that. the Foreman of Works employ Brynn if he suited him. He would move a resolution to that effect. This was seconded by Cr Benshaw and carried, with one dissentient, Cr MeGowan, who said it was not their/.buii- 4 ness. -■ : <, xi^ UIfFIKISHED C308115G, „,., i A letter was received from Mr J. Pearce, Wharf Hotel, drawing the attention of the Council to the unfinished state of the crossing in front of his properly. The Town Clerk expkinea that the completion of the crossing > had! 'been stopped in order to get stone ehipe front Auckland, as it was proposed i© fiaiih it with asphalt. . llt was agreed to finiih. the work; with dressed • tone, and lay down the asphalt 7 crossing somewhere else; -! '

THI VLkVQBtB* HOUSIS. i: A letter was. receircd from Mr . Joseph Banks, enclosing the license fee £2&fuii his slaughter house. The writer said lie J paid.it under protest,, as he considered the Council were exceeding theirjpoweri ' in making one fee forgone slaughter house and another for Mother. After a little discussion the letter was received;: - - -,:- -_■ . .• r . Z>ATI MM. _■ '- [ { A receipt for 6s 3d (Councillors' late fees) taken from the Hospital box, was read from Mr Honiss, secretary to the Hospital. . . . .... rax bbioasjbs coxiarau. The report of this oommitttee was read and the recommendations in it—the raising of two plugs, cutting ofimit hole in. the - Karaka bridge, obtaining a plan of the different mains and plugs, and granting a. holidaj to such of the Borough workmen as were firemen on Monday next, to enable them to attend the Fire Brigade picnic at Ohinemuri—were agreed to sad the report adopted. 1 . JCBDICAI OFFICU'a BBPOBT.' . The report of this officer reported the breaking out of three fresh easea of scarletina in the town.

The Mayor remarked that it was A matter for congratulation that the fever did not seem to bs spreading, as if it waf they would have heard of many more.. cases. He did not see anything in the report calling for them to take any action.

HXJLLTS Omcii'l BXPOBT* The officer reported seven; death* Junr* ing taken place in the Borough daring the month of January. He recommended that something be dene to repair the urinal near the Grahamstowu Wharf, and also that means be taken to prevent the) Campbell street water table filling up and causing offensive matter to stop. The report was adopted, and it wai agreed that the recommendations be ear* riedout WOBKS COMMITTU'S MJOOWg. ~\ The report of the Works Committee was read and adopted. It was as fol- - lows:—Your Committee hare to report that with reference to the account for extras furnished bj Mr Mclntosh in eon*.. nection with the removal and re-erectiom' of the Cosmopolitan Hall as the fire engine house.. Shortland, that the items •> ._ charged by him are included as part of^V the contract in the specifications signed by him. Under these circumstances the' payment of his charge for extras is 1 not recommended. The Committee have di* rected the Foreman of Works to lay down eight wooden crossings over water tablet. inßaillie aid Mackay street!. With a view to prerent in future the flooding of the lower parts of the Borough bj the choking of the Waiotahi culvert during heavy rains, your committee, after visiting the Waiotahi Creek, have directed i the Foreman of Works to prepare a plan of a grating, to be placed ieme little disi tance'up the Creek. The cost Would not' be great, and would, it is to be hoped, stop the debris getting into £he wooded culvert in future. If adopted, the debrif would hare to be cleaned away from the grating after each fall of raim—J'AMia Llgo*u, Mayor. - "\ '" ~™-

BSPOBT fT FOBBMAX O* WOBKI. ■ - '. The report of this officer recommended ~ the erection of a dam and grating in the Waibtahi Creek, near Liringstone'shoate, as a means of presenting the filling of the culvert with debris. To. the report wil" appended a plan of the proposed work. Jt resolred t^atthi? worV be earrie| out, an# that the report be adopted.' DINOKROUS KCLIOOK JIT. Gr Etirenfried drew the attention of the Council to the immense heap of mvlloek

on the Caledonian mine. If, during a heavy flood, the culvert was to collapse tbe tip would form a dam, and the consequence might be disastrous, as the, water would most likely find its way down the Big Pump shaft. The Foreman of Works said that he bad been watching the tip for some time. If, during a heavy fresh, the culvert collapsed, the tip'would form a dam, and some of the stuff would be carried away, but he did not think the water would get down the shaft.

COIiIECTOb's BBPOBT. The Collector reported collecting £166, Borough rafcea, during present month. FINANCE COMMITTBB BEI'OBT. The report of this committee was read •nd adopted. BY-lAW NO. 5. The Town Clerk read the alterations made in this by-law by the Mayor and himself at the request of the Council. The alterations were very slight, and were simply made so as to make the bylaw assimilate with the new Slaughterhouse Act, ' Further consideration of the amended by-law were deferred till next meeting. BLAUGHTEB INSPECTION FEES.

The Town Clerk reported with reference to this matter, that the Mayor had ascertained that on the average 30 bullocks and 150 small animals were killed here every week. The Mayor recommended that the fees be 3d per head for large cattle and per head for small cattle. This was ijrgreed to. ' PROPOSED BEBOINDINO OF BY-I.AW. Or Gibbons' notice of motion re the rescinding of By-law No. 5 was then considered. Cr Gibbons said that at the time when he bad given the notice of motien there bad been considerable discussion on the matter. He did try at the time to have both fees made equal, so that the Borough revenue would not suffer. If, however, be found the motion was unfavorably received be would not press it. He would like to have an expression of opinion of councillors on the matter. Cr Renshaw said he considered it wrong that an equal charge should be made for large and small slaughter house.. He thought they should encourage as much as possible the small slaughter houses to enable the butchers to purchase "direct from farmers. He referred to the usual custom in the management of public affairs, such as the payment of taxes in proportion to the income. Some further discussion ensued, when Cr Gibbons withdrew his motion. INFORMAL APPOINTMENT.

The Town Clerk drew the attention of the Councilto the fact that the appointment of Mr Mason, as Inspector of Slaughter-houses, etc., at last meeting, w»s informal, as notice of the Council's intention to appoint an Inspector of Slaughter-houses had not been advertised for seven clear days according to the Council's rules. _ It was resolved that the rules be temporarily suspended, and Mr Mason was again appointed: 1 :a pubmc bath. Cr Ehrenfried said that they had spent a great deal of money in drains, &o. t for promoting the health of the people. Nothing would do so much to private I health as a public bath. A very small sum of money would do this, and the County and Highway Boards might be aeked to assist. The water running from the waterengines might be used for this purpose. Several Councillors expressed themselves favorable to this, and Cr Ehrenfried gave notice to move in the matter at next meeting. This was all the business.