CAMBRIDGE BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Waikato Argus, Volume IV, Issue 275, 16 April 1898, Page 4

CAMBRIDGE BOROUGH COUNCIL.

The above Council met on Thursday evening at 7.30 p.m. There were present :—His Worship the Mayor (Mr A. Bach), Councill rs U. E. Clark, R. Davies, C. W. Arnold, J. Howe and W. Escott Fibe Insurance.— TheTimaru Borough Council sent a circular asking the Council to urge the Government to pass a bill providing for State Fire Insurance, or to enable municipal bodies to undertake the same on a majority of the burgesses signifying their desire to undertake the responsibility. —Received. Electric Lights.—Messrs Crosher and .Sons, of Auckland, forwarded a good deal of information re electric lighting.— Received. Acetylene Gas.—Mr Tyree, Manager of the New Zealand Acetylene Gas Company, Nelson, wrote informing the Council that the Company are now prepared to supply carbide of calcium in ton lots, at a ptice which will allow the streets and public buildings to be lit at a cost of a light equal in candle power to coal gas at os Od per thousand feet. The Company also offers to fit up an installation at the Town Hall, and give three months trial. They will make no charge for the installation, but will expect to be paid for the carbide used. If »t the end of that period the Council is satisfied with the light and its simplicity of working, and that the statement as to cost is correct, the company will sell the installation or remove it. —The Mayor said the offer > seemed a liberal one, and it would be well worth trying ; but they should know whit the cost of the installation wou'd be before they let the Company put it in.—Cr. Clark moved : " That the Clerk make enquiries as to the cost of lighting the Public Hall with acetylene gas, and report to next meeting."—Seconded by Cr. Escott and carried. The Poundkeeper's Troui:i.,k.—Mr Chas. Faulkuer, of Tauranga, who has been a regular correspondent of late re two of his horses that were sold out of the Cambridge Pound, wrote further on the matter as follows :—" I got a letter from the man or otherwise that bought my black horse out of the pound, and he informs vie that I can have the said horse for the same as ho paid for it in the pound. I was somewhat glad to hear such news, and I further think that the quieter these things are settled the better. So I venture to write to you and ask you to get the horse and put him into some paddock, and I will be down in Cambridge not later than the end of the month. At present I am very busy and quite unable to come for a week or so, and if you can get the other horse on the same terms, then things shall stay at that. I shall come as soon as ever I can run through my little contract, and then wc will settle everything up oue way or another. Will you kindly wire or write to me as soon as you get the horses ; and will you also do your best to get them, and I will not be later thau say, at the end of this month, but as 1 said before, " my horses I must have, and will have them at any cost." I therefore trust that you will do your very best in the matter."—To this the clerk had replied that the Council would do nothing further in the matter. He further stated that Faulkner had called upon him lately, and it seemed the writer of all the letters was not the man whose name was appended to them, but was the keeper of the pound at Tauranga, who was trying a game of bluff to get Faulkner's hones back again. Water Supply.—Mr A. H. Palmer, Hydraulic Fugineer, of Paeroa, wiote offering his services in the event of the Borough bringing in a water supply.— The clerk was instructed to thank Mr Palmer and say that the scheme was not sufficiently advanced for the employment of an engineer at present. Hospital and Chakitaule Aid.—A demand for £63 5s was received from the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board. —The Mayor said the charge kept increasing every year, and they would soon have to strike a special rate for charitable aid, as there would not be sufficient left for road purposes if the charges increased much more. The councillors all seemed to think this tax upon the ratepayers must be reduced rather than increased, but no one suggested a method of doing it. Resignations.—Messrs W. H. Wright and T. W. Simpson, who have both gone to reside at Paeroa, wrote tendering their resignation as members of the Council.— The resignations were accepted with regret, and the clerk was ordered to convey the thanks of the Council to Messrs Wright and Simpson for past services.—The Returning Officer was instructed to take the necessary steps to fill the vacancies. Finance.—Cvcrdraft at 15th March, £45 13s 6d ; accounts since paid, £B2 7s 7<l; amount lodged, £SO lis 6d ; present overdraft. £67 9s 7d ; accounts to pass, £56 15s 9d ; overdraft when accounts are paid, £T24 ss4d. ACCOUNTS. —The following were the accounts passed :-Mrs M. Stewart, £1 17s ; A. Johansen, £3 10s ; J. Young, 18s ; H. Preece, £S 5s ; New Zealand Photo Company, £l4 8s; the Clerk, £l6 10s ; W. Souter and Co., £lO Is 6d ; H. Turnbull, £1 6s 3d ; total, £56 15s 9d. Works.—The report merely stated that the surfaceman had been employed 30 days, eleven of them having been devoted to forming the footpath near Mr Hewitt's property on the Hamilton Road, Some of the pens in the saleyards had been repaired and other necessary works executed. Estimates. —The estimates of receipts and proposed expenditure for the year ending 31st March, IS9S, were adopted. The total amount to be expended is estimated to be £527, and after providing for management, charitable aid, and extinguishing the overdraft it will leave close upon £3OO to be expended upon the street*. Striking a Rate. —The usual notice was given that a rate of oue shilling in the £ will be struck at the next meeting ot tho Council. Gravelling.—The Mayor said the time had again arrived when they should call tenders for the gravelling of the Borough. Tho present contractor had not always been in the town to supply private customers with gravel, and permission had been given to other carters to take gravel from the pits, and they had not attended to the proper stripping of them, consequent!)' the contractor grumbled. He thought a book should be kept in the office in which the names of those requiring crave! should be entered, and when the amount reached six loads the contractor should be bound to supply them at once.—lt was resolved to Cill tenders for the carting of gravel, the specifications to bo amended in the direction suggested by the Mayor. Drainage,—The Mayer said something bad happened to the main drain that leads the water from the North East portion of the Borough, between where it crosses the Thornton road and discharges into the Karapiro creek. 'J he shoot at the creek also neeiUd attention. —The matter wis kit to the Eastward Committee to attend to at the earliest possible moment, as should heavy rain come much damage might he done in a very little time. Victoria Square.—The Mayor said he had a very unpleasant duty to perform as Chairman of the Jubilee Committee, namely to iuform the Council that the Committer were unable to complete tho improvement of Victoria , Square, owing to the contractor (Mr C. W. S. Pnrdie, juur.) hiving failed to carry out his contract. The damage did not end with that, for the work had been left in such a state that it was almost impossible for anyone to draw up specifications for the completion of the work. As far as ho was able to judge the contractor had proved thoroughly incompetent to do the work, and had not acted iu what he (the Mayor) considered

an honest manner, for he not only had a big draw on account «unl immediately after said ho could not complete the work without an extra £2O, but he also •.vas reported to have told ihe men to keep on workiug and that the Committee would have to pay them under " The Contractors' and Workmen's Lien Act." It seemed iniquitous that a law should be so framed that it would allow a man to act as Furdie had done, but, nevertheless, it was so, and the Committee had to serve the workmen with notice that they would not be responsible for the wages. The Committee held a deposit of £5, and there was a penalty of i'lo that could be recovered from the contractor, if that individual was worth powder and shot, but I'tirdie had e'eared out when he gave up the contract. You could not take the breeks off a naked Highlander, so he thought they might dismiss the idea of recovering the £lO. The Committee had, with the £5 deposit, a sum of £22 in hand, and it would take another £3O to complete the work His Worship said he had never had anything that had I othcrrd him so much as this matter. It seemed unfair to ask the ratepayer to p.iy any more towards the improvements, but, on the ether hand, would it do to leave the ratepayers' property in its present state. If the ratepayers advanced the money it might be on the understanding* that it was repaid by the Council receiving a portion of the fees for admission when the ground was used for sports, as was done in Hamilton.—After a very lengthy discussiou, it was resolved to grant the Committee another £3O to complete the work, which is to be done forthwith.