MASTERTON BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9094, 21 May 1908, Page 5

MASTERTON BOROUGH COUNCIL.

SPECIAL MEETING

A special meeting of the Masterton Borough Council was held in the Council Chambers last evening, there being present—The Mayor (Mr P. L. Hollings), and Crs Elliott, Hunter, Pragnell, Ewington, Prentice, Yarr and Pauling. The object of the meeting was to consider allocations for expenditure out of the balance of the £25,000 loan, totalling some £6,000; also the proposed purchase by the Council of the Masterton A. and P. Association Grounds.

A schedule was presented by the Acting-Town Clerk setting out the works upon which the greater portion of the £25,000 loan had been expended. A number of questions in reference to tne expenditure were asked by Councillors, and satisfactorily answered by ,the Acting-Town Clerk.

A committee, consisting of Cis Prentice, Hunter, Pauling, Morris and Ewington, was set up to interview residents in Kuripuni street to ascertain what terms couli be come to with regard to taking land for widening the street. Councillors were unanimously of opinion that the road should be a chain in width, even if the cost of same exceeded the sum allocated for it under the loan schedule.

Cr Ewington moved that in the public expenditure of the balance of the loan money the work should be done by contract. He maintained that much better and cheaper work would be done under the contract system. Cr Elliott seconded the motion, and urged that the contract system should be applied to borough works generally.

Cr Pauling opposed the motion, remarking that works done under the contract system in the past had proved unsatisfactory. If proper specifications were drawn up and insisted upon by the Council's responsible officer and approved of by the Works Committee the contract system would then oe acceptable." ACQUISITION OF SHOWGROUNDS.

The Mayor, speaking in reference to the offer made by the Council for the grounds, said the committee the A. and P. Association had met the Council in a liberal manner. following offer had been made oy tfce A. and P. Association: — "On behalf Master ton A. and P. Society I offer you our Showgrounds in Dixcn strest, land comprising about 33& acres, two grandstands, and lavatories, for the sum of £7,000, delivery to be given not later than 31st March, 1909. All outbuildings, yards and range to be moved as soon after as possible, and the offer to remain open for three months." ' He mov?d that the Council accent the offer subject to the approval of the ratepayers being secured.—The motion was carried.

The Mayor then moved that the Town Clerk instruct the Borough Solicitor to prepare a deed embodying the offer set out in the letter from the A. and P. Associations subject to the consent of the ratepayers being obtained and fix borough seal to same. —The motion was agreed to. The Mayor further moved "That the Town Clerk be instructed to take the necessary steps to procure a poll of the ratepayers to burrow the sum of a7,soo—the sum of £7,000 to be for the purchase of the grounds and £SOO for improving same, the poll if possible to be taken on the same date as the drainage poll." —The motion was carried. A HOLIDAY QUESTION. The Mayor brought up the question of declaring a partial holiday in Masterton on Saturday next—the date of the football match between the English team and the Wairarapa and' Bush representatives. He referred to the action taken by the Holidays Committee, but without wishing to be discourteous to that body in any waj he felt the decision that they had arrived at not to close was a wrong one. If the Council decided to express an opinion on the subject he was prepared to take a motion. On the motion of Cr Pragnell, seconded by Cr Hunter, the Mayor was instructed to invite the people of Masterton to observe a holiday on Saturday next from 2 to 5 in the afternoon. :