MASTERTON BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 3, Issue 874, 15 September 1881, Page 2

MASTERTON BOROUGH COUNCIL.

(Continued from last issue.) BOROUGH SURVEYOR, We were in error yesterday in stating the resignation of Mr fi. Russell had been held over, It was accepted. EOA1) MAIKTBNANCE. Cr Gappor moved that the Overseer be instruoted to inspect the roads and give notiee to the contractor where work is necessary forthwith, Carried, PERRY-STREET WIDENING. The Committee appointed. to' confer with Mr Perry re the above.Efrest—viz., Crs "Vile, Gapper, Bish, and Bontley—reported that they had met Mr Perry, and he had offored to let the Council havo the land required—J.6ft, Gin. on the south side of Perry-stregt—for 105 cash. The Committee rpotfinmended that the offer should be accepted, but that this case was not to be regarded as a precedent, as it was.an exceptional one, the Council simply repaying Mr Perry £95 out of £IOO he had paid Bome years ago to "acquire the lessee's interest in the same piece of land, in order to widen the street, Cr McGurdla would adrocate that the report of the Committee be adopted, and steps taken to carry it out. Cr Price moved that as the matter was one of considerable importance, and should be carefully debated. It would be very desirable that the matter be left over till next meeting, Or Bish thought this was an opportunity which would not pccur again, and he would move the adoption of the report. Cr Dixon seconded,

Or Price, though he thought he would be singular in his opinion, considered the work was not required urgently for the amount of traffic that would take place upon it, seeing that a broad road ran down to the Railway Station by the Post Oftce, where most of the traffic took plaoe. The Council should take into consideration the fact that the widening of streets was to the direct advantage of the owners of property in them, and not that of the Borough generally. Owners of land would see the fallacy of building good shops or dwelling houses on narrow streetß, :nid should therefore give the Council the land to widen them. The late public meeting had expressed itself strongly against the expenditure of money for widening streets, and no petition had been presented, nor had any reason beon given showing the urgency of the work, Cr Russoll seoouded the resolution and supported Or Price,

Or McOardle strongly supported the adoption ot the report. Wider streets were a good safeguard against fire. Th» people in the centre of the town were entitled tn this much consideration at the hands of the Council. Nothing was being done to either streets or footpaths in the centre, and he thought greater facilities for communicating with the back streets should bo given, As a matter of speculation, lie would bo glad to obtain just the comer of (he strip offered at the price asked for the whole, and lie was glad to see Mr Perry come forward in the spirit he had, Or Gapper supported the adjournment in order to give Or Price time to become acquainted with all the facts of the case. Or Vile thought this would be useless, as Or Price had evidently formed a very decided opinion in the matter, The Mayor was only afraid that .the fact of the Council buying the land would prevent others giving land in the future.

Cr Dixon spoko in favor of the widening of the street, and explained that personally it did not interest him, Cr Price asked who owned the land on the opposite side I Or Perry stated it was the same party, but h« had an interest in some of it, The Mayor advised Cr Perry not t# speak or vote on the question or he would have the Daily upon hiin, Xs it had been on him (the Mayor) re the gravel pit—(Laughter.) Cr Bish said there was one point he would like to speak upon, and that was, if the afreet were not widened owners would not put up good houses on it, If it was made a respectable width the class of buildings which would be erected would increase the rates more than enough to recoup them the outlay, Mr Perry was actually giving them the land for nothing, and at a loss of £5, as it had cost him £IOO to purchase the right to it from a leaseholder in order to deal with it for widening purposes. He strongly advocated the adoption of the report.

After a little more discussion the report was adopted. PUNS. Plans of Albert and Trustee-streets were submitted by Cr Russell and referred to the Works Committee. A plan of the proposed division of Dixon's estate' was laid on the table by B. Mr P. Perry; and some discussion took place upon it. 'The Council recognised the importance to the town the cutting up of this property will prere, and decided to adjourn to the following evening to continue tho discussion upon the matter.

WEDNESDAY EVENING'S SITTING,

FIN'ANGE COMMITTEE. The Committee sat at 7 p.m., and on the meeting of the Council at 8 p.m. presented the following report Re the application of Mr Hounslow for full payment of £7O on his contract foe street maintenance, the Committee recommended that the amount to be kept in hand be reduced to i 37 10s, the amount to be paid being £l2 10s. Re Bentley Bros, request for an allowance on their Albert-street contract, in which their tonder was the lowest at M, the highest being £4O, the Committee recommended that -til 15s be paid to Bentley Bros., this being still 5a below the next highest tender, The following accounts were passed for payment Gillespie, nsils ill 7 4 Bowry and King, timber ... 510 8 R, Jones, kerosene 0 11 6 J, Payton &Co 22 0 ~ „ printing ... 15 0 Smith and Hog? 22 0 W. W. Corpe, timber ... 54 19 4 Shifting quicka, Upper Plain

road 9 8 0 Overseer ... ... ... 912 0 Culverts &e. t Kurupuni ... 19 9 6 Grantham, shiftinf; fence ... 212 6

It was resolved on the motion of Cr Vile, seconded by Cr Gapper.—That the accounts fer the work at Kurupuni be passed subject to Cr Eusaell having to pay for construction of kerbing, and timber erected without authority, and that in future no account should bo recognised where the work had not been authorised by the Council. It was resolved—That all orders for timber and supplies for the Council past through the hands of the Town Clerk, and be entered by him in a book provided for that purpose. On the report being presented to the Council some discussion took place on the unauthorised work of Cr Russell at Kurupuni, but the accounts as road were ultimately passed, and the < recommendations of the Committee adopted, COUNTY ACCOUNT. A letter received that day from the County Clerk was read, stating that the letter of the' Town Clerk had been received too late for consideration at the 'last meeting of the County Council, and askiuj; that the terms of the latter be so modified as to allow the matter to stand over till' the next sitting, on the Bth of: October, when the account would be settled.

Cr Vila moved that the matter accordingly stand over till the Bth prox, Cr Bish seconded. Or MoCardle asked if Or Vila would move that the resolution*'"" 3 t'm previous evening be reacincj (ho Tonld/ like to tee that wiped o. i minute/ book. _ _ •JL The Oounoil tion, the carried. BOROTOH GRAVE! PIT. ''■" The adjourned discussion.on this mat-, ter came on, and the Clerk read the resolution and amendment as propofled when the debute was adjourned a iajpllh''' ago. The amendment was by Or Gappar : to the effect , that the Oounoil should tender the amount neoessary to complete-, the purchase of the pit from' Mrs Mc-' Kenzie, also th* interest which was due, and at once obtain legal possession of the * property, '. ' . A discussion siciilar in its arguments and factß to the one whioli we reported on the last ocoasion when the matter was debated, now took place, and ultimately Cr Gapper's amendment was carriid.

AGREEMENTS COMMITTEE. Cr Bish said there was another matter reported upon by the same committee whioh investigated the foregoing ques-. tion, viz., the want of a committee to supervise all agreements and contracts entered into by the Council. Had such a committee existed, it would have saved a good deal of trouble with reference to the matter just decided, as well as with regard to other affairs. The Mayor suggested that Cr Bish should make the question the subjeot of a notioe of motion for next meeting. Cr Bish said he would adopt that' course. dixon's estate, The plan of the subdivision of this property was again brought forward, and ias the subjeot of considerable discussion, The trustees showed on the plan that they gave about fifteen acres of the land for street widening around the block. A long disoussion arose on the matter of public and private streets, and the riiv ponsibility the Council undertook if they took over the streets before they weriv made. Mr Travers' famous opinion again provoked great discussion, but ultimately the plan, as submitted, was approved—on the motion of Cr Vile, seconded by Cr Bish. ' Mrß, P. Perry stated that the 'Trustees had not aotually the power to give the land (or the widening of streets, but the payment of a nominal sum would raak« their aotion a legal ene. The amount of £o was voted te be paifl for the land so given. V The Clerk then read the following 1 L BM - M jronoKs of motion, 1 [iHWroicirthcn afIjWB|PWWH