MASTERTON BOROUGH COUN CIL.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 5, Issue 1350, 11 April 1883, Page 2

MASTERTON BOROUGH COUN CIL.

The usual meeting of the Council was held at the Couacil Chambers last evening. Present—His Worship the' Mayor, and Crs Caselberg, Ohinchen, Chamberlain, Feist, Capper, Heron, McCardle, Price, and Perry.; The minutes of the last ordinary and special meetings were read and confirmed, and correspondence read, A letter was received from the President of the Christchurch, Industrial. Society, an organisation formed for starting and fostering new industries'. Consideration of the letter was held over till further information, written for by the Clerk, was .received. " : .:'■?■■. WATERPIPEB. ' ''■:.■■'■■"'■" A reply was read from the. ;City Engineer as to cost of waterpipes, stating that pipes suitable for the purpose of the Borough could be landed 6n'the : wharf at a trifle less than 14s per ton. The letter was. handed;to. the WaterlSupply.CommHtee. -, -.\ ~ , ';,■:' v ■•_ •_ r -"A'letter was; read fpi Mr jMutrie -asking'itho Borough to clear but tie drains in the above neighJoMp^h;;;'. ; The Mayor stated that the Highway Board v. Engineer had ■ ; asked him .to authorise an expenditure of 7s 6d.'; to

perform the work applied for by Mr Mutrie, the Board's workmen being at the time engaged in clearing out the Highway Board drains. He (the Mayor) had authorised the expenditure. The action of the Mayor was confirmed. WATER SUPH.Y, The minutes of the proceedings of the Water Supply Committee were , read aa follows: On Monday 2nd April the Water Supply Committee met, and' resolved that the Clerk write and ask the East j County Works Committee to lend the i services, o£ their engineer for an( tour, , or two to take levels! (A reply had been roceived to this granting the services of the engineer, but as he has not yet been able to spare time to take ' the levels,' the ; Committee "had done . nothing,further,):. ■■<.,:,■ WORKS COMMITTEE. ' k The.Works. Committee reported re-. I ceiving. the Overaeer'a report as fol-- > lows! --Tinsley,: has satisfactorily; i completed his : Makpra,; contact.; Behtley Bros., are proceeding slowly! ; with the formation of Charter-street. I have repaired Upper Plain road, completed Chapel-st. drain, put box and grating in Perry-st., lowered Gray's crossing and put down small | repaired the. .footpath in ; ,Queen-st., •. I put a fewloads of metal, in Halkk, ■ I and am now. repairing, Lincoln road; footpath. I would recommend that%; | east end'of Nursery road be'repaired,/ 1 and a few .loads of metal put at,the': corner ofiJohnston-st.) and Nursery' | road. Ohapel-st., from the ' to Hope-st., requires repairing. > I beg, ■ I .to call your attention ito the fact .that ' ; ! Eenall-strcet is nearly impassable.—TheCommittee resolved that the work in • Nursery • road; Johnston-s'tveet,' ! and » Chapel-street be attended to. That' thV' x i Council be recommended the jA fence in ,Renall-street, wid inakfobiK > road, and to repair Railway road ; That Mr Bunny's application for footbridge over creek in Dixon-street stand over- - till arrangements for widening the | street are completed. A letter was [ read from Chapman k Vaughan, asking ; permission to cart boulders from Short- [ street to repair the lower part of Railway road.—Resolved that the I application be acceded to. A. Bian, Chairman,., The Mayor said the only matters in the report requiring the attention of the council were the items of Railway road and Renall-street, the latter would, be a very costly work. : Cr Gapper:About £250. Cr Heron said they were forgetting . the schedule of works agreed to. It ' was "not Renall-street's turn yet. ; The Mayor said the overseer reported the work required doing, and the com- ; mitteo brought it before the ConnciJ. ...<, ( . The road must be re-made or the , present roadway repaired. The lattor ; would be a waste of money as the road would have tobe pecked up when the ' t fence was shifted and the new piece formed. The committee were prepared to do whatever the council ordered. ■ They had recommended the making of the road so that the council would have the state of their funds for such works brought before them in aforeible manner. CrCaselberg moved that the road be : ' l repaired, as they had no means to make it or shift the fence. He deprecated the committee bringing up a report-v~ recommending works to be done when/ they knew they had no money to do them with, , • _ The Mayor said ifCrs would only listen whea reports were being read '.' tbey would understand the matters ' brought before them better. Cr McCardlo secoudedjCr Caselberg's" " motion. With an overdraft of nearly £IOOO they were not in a position to ■ spend £250 on the work. Cr Gapper said the committee were. ; • ! '- aware of the state of the Borough funds when they made their recommondation. The committee had simply taken the overseer's report and recommended to \ ■' the Council the best thing to be done.' '' ; - Cr Foist held that not the slightest blamo could be attached to the Works Committee for their report. It was the duty of the Committee, to say what works were required, and for the Finance Committee and the Council to decide whether they could be under- ; ' : taken (Hear). • • i Or Heron said he threw no blame on his fellow committeemen for their ' recommendation as it had caused-a : little discussion, and brought their in-' 1 ~[ ability to perform urgent works from •,." " : ] want of funds prominently before the public and the Council. There were other places, worse than Renall-street, and he maintained that the schedule agreed to should be faithfully carried out. After some slight further discussion; '■■■...■■. 3 Cr Caselberg's motion was put.and ; carried, and the rest of the Works ■ Committee's report adopted as read. NURSERY HOAD. '' ~-\ Cr McCardle asked if the portion the report referring to Nursery road meant that portion towards the river. The Mayor: Yes. Cr McCardle: The settlers complain of the state the contractor left it in, and I am informed that the. metal m been taken off private land without permission being obtained. INSPECTOR OF NUIBANCES. The Inspector wrote stating that Mr Elley's slaughter house oil the Upper I Plain was. a nuisance. I It was resolved to give Mr Elley notice to abate the same at once, HASTERTOK LIBRARY. The report and balance sheet, of the.;>.>if>r. above were read and adopted on the motion of Or iChinchen, seconded by Cr Price. . y; ' f."'[' \ : ' : ;.; Cr Price said.tlie report;was..extremely: satisfactory, and he would move a cordial vote of thanks to the out-going . committee for. their past services, andJ.especMy to Mr Sellar, (the secretary), and to Mr Bacon, who had kindly acted at Sunday- custodian )r> ."' r for the past six months.;.. ■ ..:.?, -.'. ?; :: >; . : Cr McCardlev unßjoimously. •' " : ;; ■ ' "V- -■" . • Qr?|eißt.exjdmedi^;^e.reason he had attended so: few of the com. mittee meetings was because he had to attend another meeting which fell on

the same/evening at the same'bour. He made this explanation' in casci anyone should imagine his nbnMtendance. indicated want of. interest in tlie insti- •■ tutiox ■ " ; : :;, : . : :;;;'/..'.'![,.:V A letter >vas rend from the secretary of "tho Institute, pointing out if the election was; held on the date fixed by the Council the meeting of the committee could not bb held on the regular "gHiV: ' ; V ; " ;; ' : -' : V..''.'l-. ; It was decided that it was easier for the new ;* committee to fix'-aiioiher evening for. their meeting than for the Council to rescind the former resolution and pass a fresh one, OrCaselberg said ho could draw the attention of .the Council with sonw little pride to the improvement in the position of the lustituto as compared! with last year's balance sheet., Last-year the,'committee were nominated by the Council, and though good meiv they only, expended Bomef 14 in new books, while 1 this year the committee /of whicli ho had the honor to be a member) had expended some £BO. There-' fore they would see that the new; blood had done good, and had roused the old members into emulation. .They had directed public attention to the affairs of the Institute, and he hoped the new committee would be as progressiva as the'one retiring. Unfortunately, the system of election last year was not a success. The Council had allowed the ratepayers to nominate their own committee, and the public had shown great . apathy in tho matter. Certainly some of them took the troublo to vote, but simply because, one or two of tho old members of the committee had canvassed for votes, as they • feared they would not be re-elected. He thought it good thing that they did canvass,, as it caused some to take an interest in the affair. However, as the ratepayers on the last occasion did not avail themselves of the privilege of noiflhrtiiogilie committee he thought Council should consider whether Hp it would not be better to rescind the privilege and appoint the members itself, He trusted the Council would endeavor to popularise the Library. ' Cr McCardle did not wonder at the public ..taking so little interest in the election, : as they know perfectly well that after all the Committee wero the nominees of the Council. He should like to see power given to hold the election under the Local Elections Act. He believed in the full liberty of the people. The Mayor, in reply to Cr Caselberg, did not think it desirable to take the power they had given out of the hands of the'ntepaycrs, and in his' opinion the election had better be carried out as before—the ratepayers elect the members and the Council confirm the election.

This view was agreed to by the Council. rates 1883-84. Cr Caselberg moved that this Council strike a General Bate of one shilling in the' pound, and a Library Bate of one penny in the pound, on all rateable property within the Borough of Masterton,.for the year ending 31st March, 1884,' such rate to be payable in two equal instalments? viz,—on the I.lth. day of April, 1883, and the Ist day of June,-,:1883. ~: ' Cr'Feist seconded.' The' Mayor: The motion ,is before you, gentlemen, and you must pass it (a laugh). Cr Heron did not see why two instalments were required. Cr Chinchen: A sign of tho times (laughter). Cr Perry: It could be swallowed easier without the Library rate (laughter).'' The motion was then carried.

;: •• A,. SERIOUS MATTER... ' Tlie-Mayor said it.had come undor his notice that the gaol authorities gave free passes to the Wairarajia to all discharged prisoners, and diclnot atthe same time give the local police notice of the fact, He had known of eight releaiied criminals being inMasterton at the same time, and the matter was a most serious one to'the inhabitants, He moved that the attention of the. Minister of Justice be called to.this subject and that he be requested to see that no more prisoners are sent, to this district, which is so Ecattered that the police cannot keep suspicious characters under strict surveillance. Cr McCardle seconded and agreed with the Mayor that the matter was a yery serious one. He thought the (Jo-, vernmeiit ,should send prisoners to Christchurch or some other large centre of population where there was a. lairge staff of police. ■ Cr Capper: Or.to Kawaui. CrCaselberg: OrPijil I The motion was carried and the Council'adjourned.

On thq arrival of the train from Eome on -December 16th, at Casalnuvo, !he ticket Btation before Naples, two gentlemanly persons entered a first-class Bmoki4R«riage, in which a lawyer and a goodJ*Jßßpector were travelling. As soon as the train went at ftill speed the Btranfjerß, with daggers drawn, robbid tbem of Iheir valuables, watches, find money, inflicting somo slight wounds in the struggle. When the train slackened speed near, Naples the robbers jumped out from.the carriage and escaped aoross thefielda.; Many months ago a magisterial investigation was commenced in Paris into «he circumstances, attending the attempt to found a French colony at Port Breton, The preliminary inquiry has just coneluded, the .Marquis de Hays and six of bis subordinates having been committed for trial for breach of trust, fraud, s,nd manslaughter. Lillie Singleton, a school girl of Cambridge, Mass.,, recently slipped and tell upon the.street, and n lead pencil, which was in her pocket, penetrated her right I Bifle to the'depth of aboot four inches, causing serious injuries. The pencil \m' broken and a surgical operation; had to be,, performed to entraot . It is expected ; says Nature, tbat Iho French Government will take in hand the celebration.;qf the, centenary of the discovery of,balloons. The, two'commiitees. which had '.been formed by several .aeonauticalsocietießhavebeen amalgamated, gnd M. Gjißton Tisandior has been appointed President. The scheme of an i; Internaliorittl Exhibition for balloons and instruments used in aerial investigations V has been adoptedrbyM/florisßorvithe Minister of Publjo jfyprjity and wfcfo: v'< 'carried into effect'by M. Arraengiiud ;<' Jeane, the well-known civil eDgineer,