BOROUGH COUNCILS.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 226, 28 October 1914, Page 3

BOROUGH COUNCILS.

RICCARTON. The fortnightly meeting of the Ric* carton Borough . Council was held last evening, there being present the Mayor (Mr J. Brown) and Crs W. J. Edwards, J. Dempster, T. D. White, E. J. Foster, T. J. Stokes, T. Waddell, and A. D. Ford. REPORTS. The Finance Committee recommended that the council should at once make application to the Government for a loan of £5005 12/6 for channelling, asphalting, and regrading in the south loan area, a loan authorised to be raised by the ratepayers in the above area at a poll taken on October 2.—The report was adopted, a further addition being niade that application for a loan should be made locally at the same time. The district fund account showed a credit balance of £125 10/11, and the No. 9 loan account a credit'balance of £22 17/1. The Works Committee reported, in regard to a matter which had been brought under its notice of the way in which vehicles were cutting across the footpath at the corner of Clarence and Lincoln Roads, recommending that the matter be left over in the meantime until the scheme for the widening of Clarence Road was put before the rate-payers.—-The report was adopted. A DEPUTATION. A deputation of four, headed by Mr W. Dalley, waited on the council to urge the completion of work in Harakeke Street and to draw attention to the state of the footpath in Stafford Street at the crossings to the Riccartoh Timber Company's yard. If the footpath was not asphalted it would be nothing less than a quagmire in wet weather. . . The matter was referred to the Works Committee, it being suggested to the deputation that x the work would be commenced in about a week's time, when the work of the Princess Street widening was completed. > CORRESPONDENCE. The Railway Department wrote authorising the council to enter on ( the railway land on the right hand side f of the main north line for the purpose of forming a footpath six feet wide along the railway boundary, all work to be carried out to the satisfaction of the district railway engineer. The matter was referred to the Works Committee to bring down a report/in regard to the cost of the work. Messrs Lane and Neaye wrote stating that they were instructed by the North Canterbury Hospital and Charitable Aid Board to apply to the council for payment of £250 14/9, being the ibalance of the council's contribution for- the. year ending March 31 next, less two\ payments of £52 5/9 and £3210/7 i6n> the Ist and 14th inst.. The board- in* structed that the paymeritg made: on those dates were not equivalent to the instalments due to September, and in consequence demanded that the whole balance should now be paid. If payment were not made within a week from Oc-_ tbber 23 proceedings would be taken. The matter was referred to the Fin-

ance Committee to furnish a report to next council meeting. Mr George Harris wrote drawing the council's attention to the fact that the weed-killer which had been placed over the footpath along his northern frontage was killing a very fine laurel lib asked the council what it proposed to do in the way of reinstating the fence.. —The Mayor was authorised to wait on Mr Harris in regard to the matter. Messrs Cunningham q.nd Taylor wrote stating that they had been instructed by Messrs Kingsford and Son that if payment of £3 due for work done in connection with the Town Hall were .not made within one week from October 23 they were to sue for the amount. —The letter was received.

LYTTELTON.

The Lyttelton Borough Council met last evening. There were present —The Mayor (Mr J. R. Webb), Crs W. Radcliffe, J. T. Norten, W. T. Poster, M. J. Miller, F. J. Page, J. H. Collins, T. F. Walklin, N. C. Schumacher, and J. Guthrie.' In reply to the council's letter re installing telephones on the wharves connecting with the local exchange, the Postmaster-General (Hon. R. Heaton Rhodes) wrote that the Department was prepared to make any number of connections for shipping and other purposes, on payment of the regulation fees. No reduction could be made in the charges, which were already as low as possible.—The letter was received. The Phoenix Insurance Company wrote, suggesting. that," in view of the council's policies for various properties falling due at different dates, a consolidated scheme would be of advantage to the council.—lt was decided to write, thanking the company for the suggestion, but no action was taken. ; Messrs Duncan, Cotterill and Co. ' wrote, bringing under the notice of the council the difficulty of having titles to certain subdivisions of lands abutting on roads which are under a chain wide. It was pointed out that under the Public Works Act no title to a subdivision of lands abutting on a road or street I under a chain wide could be registered , unless the boundary fence was set back to a distance of 33ft from the centra of the road, unless an Order-in-Council had exempted the particular Many of the roads in the borough were under a chain, consequently that was a bar to obtaining titles. The letter" suggested that a report should be obtained as to the desirability of certain roads being made wider.—The matter was referred to the Estates Committee for report. In reply to a letter from the council, the Sergeant of Police wrote that the police would use every means to abate any nuisances which came within the scope of their duties. The Waterworks Committee "recommended that, as the engineer in charge of the Valley pumping plant had reported ,-- -that portion of the producer plant required renewing, a new scriibber be procured, at an estimated cost of £3O. The committee also recommended that householders be warned by public ' advertisement that the use of garden hose without a permit would incur a liability to pr6secution. The reported having received a.list of extraordinary water charges for the year 1914-15, and had drawn the inspector's notice to several cases where it\was thought the ' assessments required adjusting. —The report was adopted. '' ' ' ". The Abattoir Committee, having gone - into the question of providing municipal r * cool stores in Lyttelton, reported that ' it was unable to obtain sufficient evidence of the necessity for a cool store to warrant proceeding with the proposal. —The report was adopted. }' l The financial statement showed that there was a debit in thef" district fund account of £10,34*1 10s 6d, including temporary loans £10,175 17s lOd. Accounts amoutning to £4471 12s 3d were passed for payment. r '