HAMILTON BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Waikato Times, Volume XIII, Issue 1096, 8 July 1879, Page 2

HAMILTON BOROUGH COUNCIL.

The usual fortnightly meeting was held yesterday.'" Present : The Mayor ana Crs. Dawson, Potter, Knox, Beale, McDonald and Gaudin.

The minutes having been read and confirmed,

Cr. Potter said, he had expected to hear that some action had been taken by the Mayor, with respect to bhe Cambridge Branch Railway. Something wibh respect to this matter should have appeared m the minutes. The Borough of Hamilton, very largely affected by this line, had been left out m the cold altogether. The following letter Avas received from the Commissioner of Crown

Lands : —

Crown Lands Office, Auekiand, 28th June, 1879.— Sir— In reference to the subject matter cf your letter of the 19fch March last, addressed to the Hon the Colonial Secretary, I am to ask you to be good enough to inform me why one of the sections vested m the Borough of Hamilton, hy fche Order m CouucU of the 2nd November, 1878, cannot be made available as a site for Borough Officer —I have, &c D. A. Tqlb, Commissioner of U'oavii Lauds. To tho Town Clerk, Hamilton.

The Clerk was instructed to reply, stating that offices had already been builb on the allotment now used, and that the removal would be a large and useless cost to the

borough.

A letter Avas also ordered to bo written to the Native Minister, asking him to carry out the promise of the Hon. Mr Stout, that an etiduwnient of 1,000 acres should be granted to the borough, out of tho Te Aroha block, as f-oon as opened Alsoj a letter to Mr F. A. Whitakor,

--'questing hiu, to arg e the matter, J Ajrent to the Council, on the -tontion of Miniato,., when m Wellington. _ A . lofc^v was read from the Re--nrn lng Officer, Mr T. C. Hammond, John V & hRd a PP° inted M * John S. Ji_dgecumbe, Deputy Beta rnmg Officer for the Borough. Ihe following report from the J-ngineer was then read. Hamilton, July 7th, 1879. Ihe Mayor and Councillors, Borough of HamUton. Gextlemen-I herewith beg to hand you fortnightly report -f > progress d works now under contract. WIS TIUPPIC -RIDGE OVER WAIKATO RIVER,

HAMILTON.

. The contractors have, at last, succeeded m shewing such progress with the work as to warrant my assertion m a previous report, that I considered it quite possible, aud m tact, probable that the bridge would be hmshed within the contract time. . IP ?V e,s arfc n w driven, the concrete pier finished, two main tiers of trestles erected; a so, five of the laud tiers, a considerable amount of fche super-sfcruc-t-in i ud spans is hl P°«ifcion, and a stillJ. larger proportion prepared; also, one o± the chords of one of the 100 feet spans will m a short time be erected, as the larger portion of the work is now m position.

RE THE SCOUR IN RIVER I!KD,

I herewith beg to hand diagram shewing the different stages of the scoiu'. I saw the District Engineer m Auckland, and informed him about the scour, and intimated the necessity of taking immediate action. He told me that if I would forward him a section, he would immediately, recommend tho Engineer m charge, North Island, that stone should be deposited around the piers requiring same. I have, therefore, to recommend the Council to instruct me to furnish the necessary information, and to request the District Engineer to take immediate action. I should recommend that stono brought by barges from Mercer, be deposited arouud the tiers of # piles driven m the river. I apprehend that Government may pay the cost of the stone, but, failing this, they would at any rate m accordance with memo., received fr§m Under •Secretary P.W,D., have to pay one-half the cost.

RE CULVERT, CLARENCE-STREET,

The contractor owing to the very wet weather which we have experienced lately has not been able to make good progress with this work. However as he has now succeeded m. getting m the foundations, I hope to be able to report, good progress at your next meeting.

RE FORMING AND GRAVELLING VICTORIA-

STREET

The contractor I am sorry to state has, even against his own interest, neglected the finishing of lus work, and had he not this day recommenced work, I should have been compelled to recommend that men should be put on to repair the street at his expense. However as he is now at work, I hope that street will soon be m good order and condition.

RE BRIDGE APPROACHES, WEST SIDE,

The contractors have, considering the bad weather, made very fair progress with the work comprised m their contract. Concerning this contract I would recommend the CounoU to appoint two members (who with myself) should meet the Church Committee to arrange about the retaining wall.

RE BRIDGE APPROACHES, EAST SIDE,

The contractors for this work are, also considering the weather, making good progress, and I must ask the Council to determine to-day whether they consider it advisable that auy of the surplus earth shall be removed to Sydnej*- Square.

RE DAMAGE DONE TO GULLY NEAR MR

Gardner's,

I have to inform tho Council that I have furnished members of the Works Committee with a report.

EE FORMING AND GRAVELLING GREY-STREET.

The contractor has the road with few exceptions m good order, and wiU tomorrow he informs me commenoe to top off with gravel.— l am, „c., William C. Bebakell.

'Hie Engineer was instructed to send plans and section of the scouring of the river bed to the District Engineer, that action might be taken m the matter of filling ii_ with stone by tha Government.

The Works Committee for the West side, and the Euginecr, were appointed to meet the Church Committee of Sb. Peter's, to arrange for the construction of a retaining wall m Victoria street.

Ifc was also resolvdd to lake some 2,000 yards of earth, removed from the cutting on the approaches, to tbe East s.'de of the bridge, and fill ia with (hem certain boles iv Greystreet, Hamilton East. Ifc was resolved tha-, if Mr LeQuesne wished to bave the chasm m his property filled up, that he be permitted to use bhe earth taken from the cutfciug, by fche contractors, making his own arrangement as to payment, bufc that the Council would nob be at ••uiy cost m connection with ifc.

The Engineer's report with.respecb to the drainage at Gardner's property, w as adopted, with the exception that the pipes, unglazed, were ordered to bo P r ocured from Messrs Vincent an s| Wright. Cr. Knox protested against tbe unfairness of spending a considerable amount of drainage on this place, while Anglesea-streeb works, more urgently required, were neglected. Cr. McDonald -jaid he was m favor of equal expenditure on either side the river, but the Council must bear m mind that if the work recommended were not soon undertaken the Council would be very soon pub to a far heavier expenditure to make good the. continuous damage dove by the water.

Cr. Beale wanted to know why the Engineer had not reporter;! on tho cheapest way of abating _ho nuisance at the copner of Anglesea and Victoria-streets.

Cr, Potter stated that the report had been made, and the Council hud taken no action on. account of the exjicn.se, and that if d- Beale would attend to his duties as Councillor and attend m his place, ho would nob be ivastiiig tho tinio of tho Council with irrelevant and useless enquiries.

Cr. Potter moved

That private licenses he granted from and after the Ist day of July, 1.579, until the end of December, IST'.), to all bul,ehei'.s not already licensed, Avho scU moat Avithin tho borough, the amount of such license, tv hi '.vt thu rut 1 - vf JtlU P«;r am-uun.

Cr. Potter thought the action authorised by this motion necessary, so as to enable fche Borough to show to tbe Government tho inoperative character of the Act as applied to the Borough, with a view to obtaining an amendment of the Act. Seconded by Cr! Knox, and carried. Cr. Hume moved: That Mr F. A. Whitaker be appointed Agont for the Borough, at Wellington, to attend to aU matters affecting the interest of the Borough. Cr. Knox thought ie necessary that thes Should employ an agent, and from the manner m which Mr Whitaker had worked for the borough last Session, he felt safe m entrusting their work to him. He would add to the motion, That, m addition to tho commission on the loan, he (Mr Whitaker) should receive a sum of £30 for his services, aud that ho communicate, for instructions, from time to time, with the Mayor and Crs. Hume, Potter .and McDonald. Seconded by Cr. Dawson, and carried. It was resolved to order the Inspector of Nuisances to prosecute a certain party who had cufc away a willow tree, near the pant, the property of the borough. Cr. Potte. gave notice of motion, That the Borough CouncU not having heen invited to take part m, or sanction the proposed line of raUway, forming a junction with the Thames Valley Une to Cambridge, and that such plans and report thereon show a station several miles on East side the Borough, this CoimcU recommend that immediate steps be taken to phew the Government the necessity of tho functioning of such railway with the station at HamUton East, Thames Valley line. '