Thames Borough Council.

Thames Star, Volume IX, Issue 3088, 10 January 1879, Page 2

Thames Borough Council.

The adjourned fortnightly meeting of tho Council was held at the Council Chambers last evening. Present—His Worship the Mayor, Crs Hansen, McGowan, Wilson, Price, Mennie, and Ehrenfried. MINUTBS. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. OUTWABDCOBREBPONDENCE. ; A precis of the fortnight's outward correspondence was read over. i ! BOBOUGH VALUATION. A letter was read from the Borough Valuers accompanying the Valuation List of the Borough for the year 1879-80. The Valuation of the several wards was as follows :—North Ward, £8598; Middle Ward, £14.259; South Ward, £llil20; total, £33,977. Cr McGowan. moved, "That the Borough Council Chambers be the place where the Valuation List be open for inspection of those interested therein.' 1 Cr Price seconded. Carried. BLAUGHTEB HOUSE LICENSE. Applications for renewals of slaughter* house licenses were received from Messrs Dalziel, W. Bowe, and J. Banks. The latter drew attention to the fact that last year he had been charged a higher fee than the other licensees of similar premises. He considered it unfair, and it placed him ait a disadvantage in his business. The Inspector of slaughter houses certified to the fitness of all of the premises for the purposes required. Cr McGowan moved that the licenses be granted on same terms as last year. Seconded by Cr Hansen. Carried. DEMONSTRATION IN AID OF HOSPITAL. A letter of thanks for the patronage of the Mayor at the late Demonstration was read from Mr Honiss, secretary of the Demonstration Committee. Received. MULLOCK. A letter was read from Mr John P. Hall, manager of the Crown Princess mine, offering the use of the company's mullock tip to the Council for one month for the sum of £10.

Cr Mennie moved, and Cr Wilson I seconded, that the offer be accepted, Carried. / „ \ f / ' ; THE BRIGADE. . ikletter was received from the secretary s to the"; Grahamstown Volunteer Fire Brigade stating that the members of that body were much dissatisfied at the statement made at last Council meeting that the Brigades cost £700 per annum for maintenance. A resolution had been passed by the Brigade requesting a statement of the cost of the Brigade for { past 12 months. Cr McGowan moved the reception of 4-ijp letter The Town Clerk .stated that the accounts of the two Brigades had not been kept separate. ■' ! Cr Mennie moved that the Town Clerk supply the Brigade with the required information. Cr Price seconded. Carried with one dissentient—Cr McGowan. GOtD BEVENUE. : ;; /, ; A letter from the Treasury, Wellington, containing advices of the remittance to; the Borough Fund of account of £2 Is 6d Goldfield revenue, was received. THE EX'MATOB'B LETTEB BB THE HJCGH 'SCHOOL GOVEBNdBS. ' ;

The following letter was received,from Dr Eilgour:—;" Thames, December, 23rd, 1878.—1n reply to your letter of the 20th instant, asking me for the letter written to me by Mr Hislop, I should be happy to comply with the wishes of the Council were the letter in question id my possession, but it is not so, and hag, I fear, been destroyed with other papers when clearing the drawers of the table; in the Mayor's room.—l have, <fee, James Kilgoto." ■'' ; '.",' ; . .' ;'V ' '..''■ . Cr McGowan moved the following resolution :— " That the correspondence relative to this matter be expunged from the books of the Council." lie said it appeared to him that the Council had been made a machine of for a certain purpose which he very much regretted. The Council had nothing to do with the correspondence, and he thought it should be expunged to prevent a recurrence. ■ Cr Mennie thought that if it had been a reply to a private letter it should not be in the letter book of the Council, and he would second the motion. Cr Hansen supported.

Cr Price said that he would hare liked to have seen the letter, but he did not think there was much chance of that, and he also thought that the letter should be expunged. The Town, Clerk said he had no knowledge of the letter referred to till he saw the answer copied' in the letter-book, which had been done by the - office 3 boy. The Mayor considered it strange that the letter was destroyed." The motion was carried. . UNITED PUMPING ASSOCIATION. A letter was received from the Secretary to the U.P.A., accompanying the November statement. The balance due Was i'UO 13s ld:. BKCBBATION GBOUND. ; A letter was read from the llndw Secretary for Crown lands]stating that the conveyance of the Recreation Ground would be forwarded to the Council at once. ] -.._'■.'.' \ :■ '■■ '/ ? ■ | TH« WATER SUPPLY.

„ A, letter was received from Macdonald and Miller asking on behalf of the Bank of New Zealand for the payment of £1699 9s, the Borough's share of the guarantee to the Water Supply Committee. The 'mitten { jeauepted,the ; ear{j7«s>ntiqja of the Coßßpii; ta, thii matter,, to "prereit The Mayor said the position of toe. W;fter-^upgly Corporation-would have » be lookea straight in,the face by the Council, and they..should take steps to. acqutae^wthff 1 entire' coatrol or in some way'alter the present System of management. , ' "Cr McGowan suggested \hkt the? Borough should press the Committee for the. amount of their guarantee. That might bring matters to an issue. , ; The Town Clerk was instructed" to request the secretary to the committee to call a meeting of the committee re this matter, and, to notify Macdonald and Miller to that effect. < >/i ••..-.-,i/;i-.-; i THE WATEB BACE. \

The following letter was received from: the Under-Secretary of Gbldfields :U Sir,—l hare the honor, by direction of the Honorable the Minister of Lands, to, inform you, in reply to your letter to mq of the 30th of November ultimo, and to subsequent letters from.the Mayor and Councillors to Ministers, upon the subject of the streams included in the schedule to the Governor's 1 proclamation of the 17th of October, 1873; taken for the supply of the Thames Water Kace, the transfer of which to the Thames County Council is now under negotiation; that in handing over the water race to the County the Government will reserve to itself the right of dealing with the streams at any time in the public interest, the streams only being placed under the control of the County, as connected with the -race, 'and for the purpose of being made available for increasing the supply of water in the race as circumstances may required—l have, &c, Olives Wakefield, Undersecretary for Goldfields." ' ; The Council considered this letter on the whole satisfactory. TBLEGBAMS. The telegrams received and sent since last meeting were read over—all the published. One of these was from Mr J. C. Firth, Chairman of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, asking what that body could do to avert the stoppage of the Big Pump, to which the Mayor had sent the following reply:—"Borough anxious to prevent stoppage, which must be injurious to district. The situation so unsatisfactory that cannot attempt solution. Property of County, which refuses' supplies, owing great measure want' cooperation of mines interested. Borough without interest except so far welfare of community. In debt, cannot supply funds. If Chamber could induce mines interested to secure County interest would be first step towards defining situation. Am grateful for your interest in matter." The Council approved of the Mayor's action. BEPOBT OF FOBEMAN OF WOIXS. The report of this officer was read as follows:—" I have the < honor to report that during the past month the following works have been completed :—The road has been widened at Boundary Creek, Tararu Road, and hand rails put up for protection to the! public. The drain in Sealey street, from Mackay street, has, according to instructions, been filled in. The footpath has been repaired, and a box drain put in on the south side of Sealey street according to instructions.

Considering the hot weather, the drains in the Borough generally have been kept as clean as they possibly could be. I hare laid down between Willoughby street and Richmond street, in Pollen street, 403 feet of water table, and between Sealey street and Richmond street, in Pollen street, 662 feet of water-tables, making a total of 1,065 feet of watertables laid down. I have laid down between Willoughbj street and Richmond street, in Pollen street, 48 yards of asphalt 3 feet wide, and between Sealey street and Richmond street, in Pollen street, 144 yards of asphalt 3 feet wide. I have laid down between Willoughby street and Richmond street and Richmond street and Sealey street, in Pollen Btreet, 551 yards asphalt 12 feet wide, making a total of 743 yards of asphalt laid down during the month. The following ratepayers pay as follows, according to by-law, -for asphalting and watertables, 3s 4d per running foot, viz-:— Heldt, 28 feet, £4 13s 4d; Phillips, 52 feet, £8 13s 4d ; Hume (for Building Society), 88 feet, £14 13s 4d; R, Farrell, 22£ feet, £3 15s; E. Twohill, 66 feet, £11; G. Joynt, 15£ feet, £2 lls 8d; F. Danri, 17£ feet, £2 18s 4d ; W. Fagg, 33 feet, £5 10s; M. Airey, 31 feet, £5 3s 5d ; Eoenau, 33 feet, £510s; IN odder, 20 feet, £3.6s 8d; Culpitt, 12 feet, £2.-1 have, &c, Thos. Rawdon, Foreman of Works." The report was received on the motion of Cr Ehrenfried. BEPOBT OF WOBKS COMMITTEE. I

The report of Works Committee was read:—The committee have to report that the smell from the drain in lower Sealey street,is very offensire, particularly so between the allotment below the late Dr Perston's property and the foreshore, and is one of the streets of the Borough where the laying down of wooden water-tables would be of great benefit, and received recommendation. The committee; have instructed the Foreman of Works; to abate the nuisance complained of by Mr Banks, by the laying down of a new culvert at Junction of Mackay and Willoughby streets, and clearing oat the drains of Willoughby street at the estimated cost of £16. After examination of those portions of Pollen street where the narrow strip of asphalt has been laid,' with a view to making a recommendation to your Council as to the filliing, or otherwise, of those portions of footway left without |asphalt, your committee are of opinion that this work within the Borongh should be done under the provisions of Bye-law No. 7, so that where it is advisable in the public interest to compel some few owners of property to lay down' asphalt, the Council may have power to do so. In view of the Council concurring in this recommendation of your committee the necessary plans and specifications for so doing are Iftd^oefpre the Council for approval. ,' \ . „ - " 'I he report was rpoeired <m the motion of Cr Wilson. <^ « . *f« With referent & the recommendation re the Sealey street water tftble, Cr Ehrenfried s*id that the idea had got abroad that tb* MoMattc* in Bealey street was caused 'fyrw^i^JßHP from his brewery. It nmit.lm'>emembered that the nuisance occurred a quarter of a mile from his premises, and if a nuisance existed it was.the fault of the drainage. Some time ago he had offered to contribute.a sum of y money to the making of the Se*ley street water table, biHJ it had not been accepted, and he would again make an offer of £10 towards this work.!

Cr McGowan thought that they should wait till the inhabitants moved in the matter ia the ordinary manner. "Hie objected to public money being spent ' * 7 *."? , •< „ The Mayor pointed out to Cr McGowan that the place under question being a, public nuisance, it was the duty of the Council to gee the same abated. The cause, without doubt, was that there was not; an outlet for the; water, thef tide throwing up a bank at the end of the drain, preventing all water'from reaching the foreshore; r j ■.:,. Cr Ehrenfried said if he gave this £10 he must not be held responsible for any further.nuisance, lie might say he daily sent 8000 or 10,000 gallons of clean water down the drain. ■ Cr Mennie moved, and Cr Price iaeponded, that Cr Ehrenfried's offef, be accßpted, and that the Works Committee's recommendation be complied with. i Cr McGowan moved an amendment to the effect that the water table; be ioa^e on the residents paying half the «ostV -' -This failed to find a seconder, and the motion was carried. - :

The recommendation of the committee re theMackay and Willoughby street water table was agreed to, as also was the recommendation re the asphalt footpaths. The report was then adopted. Cr Ehrenfried moved that the estimated cost of the asphalt of footpaths be approved. Carried. BEFOBT Of HEALTH OFFICES. The report of the officer showed that during last month 10 deaths.occurred in the Borough, eight of which had been those of infants under 12 months old. The report stated the circumstances of the breaking-out of scarlet fever in Short- ! land. BEFOBT OF BELIEVING OFFICES. The report of this officer showed that during the month 44 persons received rations at a daily cost of £1 10s 2d. He also asked authority to recover the sum advanced by the Borough in a raotAt wife desertion case. X ■?. It was resolved that the report be adopted, and that £5 be advanced to Mr Mason for current expenses. BEPOBT OF IKBPECTOB OF BLATTGHTEB HOUSES. The report of this officer was read and adopted, and the Council adjourned.