MASTERTON BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 581, 29 September 1880, Page 2

MASTERTON BOROUGH COUNCIL.

The ordinary fortnightly meeting of the above Council was held last evening. Present—His Worship the Mayor and CraTile, Gapper, Gray, Russell, Perry, Bish, McCardle, Bentley, and Renall. MINUTES, The minutes of previous meeting were read and confirmed. COXREJPONDENOF. Outwards—To Town' Clerk Wellington, asking for copy of by-law re driving without lights, and mode of recovering fines. Inwards-From W. Alexander, asking" permission to alter a building in Chapel-. street; from Town Clerk, Wellington, enclosing by-law; from Land Registry ■ Office,, re Corporation Reserve in! Mangaone block, and aeking for registration fees. MR ALEXANDERS APPLICATION.: Mr Alexander wished to build the addition to a house in Chapel-street of,, wood, but the borough surveyor reported , that the by-law would not allow it to.be .' constructed of other material than.iron.

The Council regretted that it could not comply with the request, as the by-law wpyUldbe infringed. ; LAND EEGIITRY OFFICE. It to decided that the. fees for the Crown Grant, L 3 7s, for the reserve on Mangaone block should be paid.

CORPORATION OOTTAQES. Committee reported arrangements made for repairing cottage chimnegs and doors. The Committee recommended that it wai not desirable at present to lot the cottages by public auction or by public tender.

Or Gapper described in graphic terms' the delapidated state of the cottages, which made certain repaira indispensably necessary.

Or Russell feared that the cottagw were walking into the rates, and that it would be as well to let them.

Or McOardle would like to know why tne committee did not advise the cottages to be let, as he thought it would be well to get rid of them at any price. Or Gapper replied that the Committee thought they could be better placed in January or February next. Or Bish did not think that they ought to throw the cottages away. They were bringing in L 7 a month, and were not, in his opinion, a white elephant, The report of the Committee was adopted, on the motion of Or Perry.

inspector's report. Mr Ingram reported that in the opinion of the Resident Magistrate one lamp was not a sufficient safeguard at night for a vehicle driven through the streets, and he himself concurred in the view taken by Mr Wardell. . The Maysr thought it would be hard to make every driver provide two lights to his vehicle.

IOOAI BOARD ACCOUNTS REPORT. Masterton, 27th Sepfe-j 1880. Your Committee, having (carefully examined the accounts of the late Local Board, find-lst. That the Local Board handed over to the Borough Council the sum of £349 2s Bd, and liabilities to tht amount of £80416s lOd, thus shewing a deficiency of £45514s 2d.-2nd. That no receipts or vouohers for any of the accounts paid have been obtained by your Committee, and no proper account appears to have, been kept of the receipts and expenditure of the Local Board, nor was there any tabular acceunt of rates.— 3. A gross irregularity traced by your Committee is one in which a cheque drawn by the Local Board for legal expenses, but was diverted in an improper manner, and found credited to a tradesman's account of this town, Correspondence relative to this transaction will be found attached

Your Committee, in presenting this. , report, regret the meagreness of details, but it must be borne in mind that no regular accountb had been available to guide their labors, and finally, in dismiss- . ing this long vexed question, your Committee believe that the public will support them in saying that such a state of accounts coming from a public body iB raoßt discreditable to all parties concerned, T. E, Gappkr, W.W.McOardlb,... -. A. Bish, A, W, Rbnall, Chsirman., Cr Renall suggested that the report ' should stand over till next meeting, so" ! that Councillor might read the carres> pondence. The Mayor would lfke to see the mattjir'' closed.

Cr McOardle moved the adoption of report, He doubted whether the mem. bera of the committee understood the details of therepo.t.! : Cr Renall said there was only.one gross irregularity in the investigation, and that was in connection with a cheque whioh : has been misappropriated. They had not discovered who was to blame in the .matter, and they had hot sought to do so, but in the performance of a public duty it waß only right to call attention to it, Cr McOardle, though he signed the report, was not prepared to assert that the cheque had been misappropriated, there was a possibility of accounting, for the apparent discrepancy. The report was adopted. , PUBLIO WORKS REPOIT. ' " J '' The Works Committee reportad-^lst,,,[! That it is desirable Chapel-street'should ' be at onee cleared of the remaining V- 'is

stumps, and five chains •of road formed, bo that thiß street mr,y- become available for traffic; 2nd, That Victoria-street be formed and metalled, with footpath on each side, provided the sum of £2 per chain is subscribed and paid, to the Council by the : ownors .and .occupiers, of land or tenements. . Your Committee would advise the Council that.a contract ha 9 bootiventered into with the present contractor to complete the.north bnd of.Chapektrcet, formingitß junctiori with' Hall:Sti'cet, for' the sum of£l6.';v' 1 ; •':'""..'"" ' A!'W. Renau, ' A Chairman. ' ' CIIAPEL STKEET. • Crßenall advocated the recommendation in the report,' and. moved that tenders be called for the'work, Cr Vile" seconded tho motion, as tho work would .open up a second street, tlltfogh which ;'stock; could be driven through the town.—Carried. (Remacnder of Report in next issue.)

Remtniscekces or Wellington.—ln the year 1845 a worthy oitizen plodded his way with some difficulty through fom and ti-treo to Te Aro Flat, being hi search of the surveyor's peg which had been driven in at the comer of what is now Cuba and Dixonstreets, Upon this spot was erected a small house, in which a very successful drapery business was carried on by two ladies of remarkable talent and energy, who have long since retired from the scene to the land of their birth—- '' Land o* the mountain and the flood, Land of brown heath and shaggy wood.' In the year 1866 it passed into the hands of MbJamks Surra, the present proprietor, who gave to the premises the appropriate name of Te Aro House, and under whose management business has steadily progressed with the rising fortunes of the city, until at length it was found that a considerable enlargement was necessary, aud the result was, Te Aro»House, as at present, one of the most completo and Extensive Drapery Establishments in the colony of New Zealand. The jeueral Drapery occupies a large spaco, being 49 feet by 25 feet, amply sufficient for all Manohestor goods, Fancy. Dresses, Silks, Gloves, Hosiory, Eibbons, Laces, &c. The Men's, Boy's, and Youths' Clothing Department measures 42 feet by 14 feet, and has attached a comfortable sitting-room, Carpets and Household furnishings have a similar spaco nlloted to them. The Show-room for the sale of Millinery, Mantles, Jackets, Costumes, &c, is y a very spaoious apartment, elegantly fitted ' up, and beautifully lighted from the roof, and measures 39 feet by 22 feet, Tho Btock of goods is at all times large and well selected, and patterns are forwarded post free on application, A special feature at Te Aro House is the Order Department, and very careful attention is paid to the wants of Country Residents. AHordersare executed under the immediate supervision of the proprietor, and securely packed and forwarded to their destination with that promptness and despatch which have always distinguished Te Aro House, Cuba-street, Welling ton— [advt.l