Masterton Borough Council.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 3007, 19 September 1888, Page 2

Masterton Borough Council.

1 The ordinary fortnightly meoting 0 of the Council was held last night 8 (Tuesday). Present:—Tho Mayor, ' andiCrsMacara, Hessoy, Parsons, T. ] 1 Chamberlain, Heron, Uapper,' Cullen ' 1 and Perry. ' - The minutes of the last meeting j were confirmed.

t Correspondence from the Treasury ' notifying payment of S\ fines. ' 3 AUDIT FEES. • . From Audit' Department demand- ' ing payment of |B, charge for auditMng the annually half-yearly balance t sheet; Passed for payment, . I I 0. M. Boss wrote complaining of a ' 1 nuisance caused by a block; in the ' • stream on Gladstone Road on the ° Borough boundary. '■" .■ h 1 Cr Hessey explained that the nuisance could be'.' remedied: by cut- 1 ting a'j)itcb'througli' to Mr Juddto property, had':seen.Mr Judd 1 who wojild' give. permission. 'He $ moved' that the'Colihcii : Save the a wofk'done.." "' 'v ':.:\:'U : -' ? '';'-.. J 1 Civ Copper thought the matter ° should stanaVdver until the new Cburi- *' .pil,was■appQinte4. < '-:-.">-;".:; 1 ,;'-'i I '----'-''^c- : Cl I Ijjs .•motipPi and;; the ;'<juestibn~waß .('

allowed to stand over for'tho next Council to deal with. THE BENEVOLENT SOCIETY. The Secietary of the North Wairarapa Benevolent Society wrote covering a copy of a resolution, by which that body had dissolved itself and asking tho Council to take immediate steps to take over/the books of the Society,

Cr Gapper moved that the Town Clerk foiward a copy of the letter to the County Council and ask that a conference of the'two bodies be called for the pin pose of dealing with the question of charitable aid. Ci Macara moved that the Mayor and Town Clerk be empowered to wait upon the County Council and make arrangements tor carrying oh relief to the local poor, Cr Hessey seconded tho motion, which was put Sad carried. The Mayor asked what position the Councils were in.as "regarded: their past guarantee. , >

Cr Gapper said tho Councils would have to rata,

STEAM FIRE ENGINE, ■•'..••' Circulars from Shand, Mason and Co were laid on the table. • '■. ■ ; BONUS FOR WAJER. V A letter was read from Mr Kinjjdon in which he again put forth bis claims to the bonus offered by the Council on condition that be got. a supply of water at. the Abyssinian well in Queen street.' He claimed that the recent fire at Mr Hare's had' proved that he had..- i

The Town Clerk explained that on June sth, 1883, the Council'passed a resolution that if Mr Kingdon would test the Abyssinian well at his own expense and produce' water for fire purposes, the Council would give him a bonus of £2O.

The Mayor said if Mr Kingdon had produced a supply tf water in accord, ance with the conditions, he was not prepared to say he was not entitled to the bonus. Or Macara moved that the matter stand over until the next Council met. They could not deal with it at a moment's notice, and would require to look up the minutes. Or Hessey seconded the motion, fie did not remember the particulars of the arrangement, which took place so long ago/ The minutes would require to be looked into.

Or Gapper supported the motion. The Muver said the Council could certainly do nothing, as thoy were really but ex officio members, doing duly until tho now Council' was appointed. LIBRARY COMMITTEE. The report of the Commiitee was road and adopted, and sundry accounts passed for payment, GAS COMMITTEE. The Cleik reported that the meeting of the Gas Committee bad lapsed for want of a quorum. Accounts, certified to as correct by the Manager, were passed for payment, CONTRACT, Tho Chairman and Overseer reported that the Dixon and Smith Street contract by Mr W. Prangnell was completed, and certain extrns had been done amounting to £2 3s Cd. The balance of the contract due,nnd the amount for extras were passed for payment. OLD ACCOUNTS. The sub-committee appointed to enquire into accounts from Mr A. E. Bunny and the Engineer, recommended that they stand over for the present, in consideration of tho present financial state of the Borough. The report was adopted. WHO ARE IDE CONTRACTORS ?

An account from Cade & Co., £6 8a lid for supplying 1172 ft heart of j totara timber was read.' The Mayor said thin was a matter the Committee could not understand. They were under the impression that the contract for supplying timber was made with Brown and Rodgers, and the acoouut presented was from Cade & Co. It wanted explaining. The Town Clerk explained that the contract was in the name of John Cade and Alexander Malcolm Brown, signed by A. M. Brown. The Mayor said tho first intimation they got that it was not Brown and

Rodgers was when it came before the Committee, and then for tho first time Cade & Co.'s name was mentioned, Brown could notsigna contract for Cade. • Tho contract was read which showed the signatures as follows : Cade & Co. pro Brown ■ & Eodgers, Several Councillors said they were under the impression that the contract

was let to Brown & Rodgers, CrCullen; So it was, The Mayor; Perhaps CrGappor will explain ? (Laughter)., CR CAPPER EXPLAINS. Cr Gappor: lam vory glad of a chance, There have been a great many misstatements in connection with the supply of timber. Now to explain the position in which I stand allow mo to tako a suppositious case. Suppose Cr Perry is applied to by a man to purchase for him a horse and cart, He does so, and the man owes him a certain amount of money on it, Now if that man applies for and gets a contract to do the Borough carting, should Cr Perry be called upon to forfeit his scat I I say no I and that's just the position I am in in respect to the timbor supply, The mill was on Mv Falconer's land at the JFernridge and was not paying. Better bush was found near belonging to Mr Woodroofe, and Brown and .Rodgers promised to lease it provided I was at the expense ol shifting tho mill, This was done and I went up once after to see that the mill was free from danger nf firo and have not been near since. ■ Brown and Rodgers leased the mill, and the papers are to be seen in Mr Gowith's office, When the first months wages became due Brown gave notice that he would not carry : on the mill and Cade & Co took it ovor- ... . ' , : Cr Cullen said he would point out , the other side. It was open to great ■ abuse especially if the Chairman of i the Works Committee had the order- ( ingof tho timber, He did not say Cr | Gapperwouldabusebispoßition but he , should not be placed in temptation. , He certainly thought and so did all i the rest ef the councillors that the i tender was let to Brown and Rodgers. | Cr Gapper: Cr Cullen has insin- ( lated—— . ■- . t CrCullen; No, I didn't say had, ] Cr Gapper: Yes you did, I will 1 )rove that 1 did hot abuse my posi- v ion to order excessive supplies of r imber. (He then referred to the t hue when certain culverts (, irdcredland instead of using timber d ie had substituted earthenware pipes t leeause they were in stock, although v now costly.) '':■'■' '';.■ j, jjie Mayor sajd he was'gjad the a ' ipssipn had arisen,, as if eleared .r, bings pp a. bit. B»t anyone walking f long thelixo'n Street contract coiiiu e Be with half an eye'. tbafc» an extra- a rdinary lot of timber had'been "used, I t'wo'uld'ntb^waste'd/howeyeri ; asiit J oulpjbe takeop again,'; and nsed for; , um'ina S for- : the - ;>ater , supply,' vj laughter)nndle-^eant;tbdoit* if (

'hegot a new Council in IbkfwojkJß,, work with him. "Ji t'^Sj! Cr Gapper said that the work had : " j been done in tho same way that it 1"a had been in similar cases for tho last * ten jeais. '- ' ( Cr Hessey said whatever way the Works Coutmitteo had carried out tho work, the Mayor would have said it was wiong, Nothing was right unless v v -" he did it himself, accoiding to estimation. • • The Mayor: I can point to any amount of instances wheie timber has been used in excess, and culverts put in too laigein size. Cr Hessey: The culvert was full on Sunday, someono told uu. The Mayor; "Someone told us." , Thoy-told you stuff. Cr Heron: Will you reduce it when you get into absolute power. (Laughter.) The Mayor: Yes (laughingly) tho . culvert only drains what would go ( through a six-inch pipe.

CrFaisons said ho could from his ' , own personal knowledge the culvert being was there and saw it, and the water was banked on to McEwen's land. Cr Heron: \Yhat's the use of this discussion, It's only an electioneering dodge. (Laughter). Cr Parsons pointed out several places wheie culverts had been put in too small, which the Mayor contrafa ted. (A lot of iiregulav talk ensifeof" and it was impossible to tell whether the account was passed or not.) 'BAD JffiTtf,, Attention was drawn to the un- •. satisfactory state of the metalling contract lately done under the supervision of tho Mdsterton Boad Board on a road on'the boundary of the Borough, and tho Mayor was asked to bear it '' in mind when the account was presented for payment. A long discussion on tho water supply conoluded tho meeting,