BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1362, 5 October 1886, Page 2

BOROUGH COUNCIL.

The ordinary fortnightly meeting of the iehbnrton Borough Council was hold lasi evening. Present—The Mayor, nd •' r Thomas, -R id, Harrison, Roberts, Bird. Ora'gbead and Sealy. MAYOR’S (STATEMENT. The Mayor said the neblt bala co a* the Bank was £1261 9s Id Th > amounts received since last meeting were: Libra y account, £1 5j ; sale < f c -italogue’, 17" ; dorr licioison, 10s ; do, pec Sergeant of Police, £1 IDs ; rents of reserves, £3 lOj ; rates, 18SG, £34 1 . The total amount of rates to be cill o L ed was £75 4s 9d. CORRESPONDENCE. L* tera wore read : (1) From Mr W, 0. Walker, M.H.'s.. enclosing letter from Minister of Public Works.— (2) From Minister of Public Works, stating that, the Department had agreed to pi nt suitable port!' ns of the railway reserve next ye<r.-(3) From the -ergaaut of Po'ico, forwarding £1 I Os, money collected under the Dug Regis*ration Act. —(4) From the Midland Railway League, stating that the League had dec de * to acknowledge its appreciation of Mr H. Alan Scott’s services by a banquet, and requeuing Council's patronage. Letter acknowledged. The Mayor expressed a hope that as many of the Councillors as possible would attend. (6) Prom the Domain Board. Consideration deferred until Swimming Bath Committee’s report was read. engineers’ report. The Engineers’ rep* re was read as follows ;~The Unemployed : The Works Committee, with the Mayor, having inspected the water course in the Domain, and approved of our proposals as to deepening and widening and constructing dams in order to collect silt and obtain a greater depth rf water, the consent of the Domain Board was obtained for carrying them out. We put eleven of the unemployed on this work with the Council’s f reman and teams and five others and two of the labor gang are engaged planting willows and poplars and fenc'Ug on the River Fiat above the Government willow plar tttion.—Fourteen unemployed were put, on the woik last Monday, one on Tuesd vy, and oneto-dar. Both works are proceeding satisfactorily, and the men are w-irkin ■ well. We are uncertain whether both the dams can be construc'ed with the mount to be spent, as now the wate.i h:ts been run off we find it adv sable to do m >re c'caMo# aud deepening than we -ut'cipated. Sunt concrete (between three and four yards) and a sluice gate will be reqtiired for the dam The waterca t has been tried to-day, and the ordinary routine work, clearing sidechanmls, etc., attended to during the for night.

Consideration of the report was ordered t.) be deferred until the Swimming Baths Committee’s report came up. RESERVES Cr MMItTEE. The Reserves OommU'ea reported having conaid< re i Messrs Brown and Steele’s application for a reduction in the rents of the respective reserves occupied by them They could not recomm-nd that reduction he made, as it would establish a bad pr<cadent.—The Committee recommended that the c ft’er of Mr 8. Findlay of £1 for four sections he aooep f ed. After some discussion the report was adopted SWJ.MMNO BVTHS. The Swimming B-.tha Committee reported a’ follows—(I) Domain site : Yonr Comniitiee find that the c r st i f cona'rnctinj a bath here would be about £l4O, which would pfovide a bath 303 fr. by 6ltft, f eoced with corrugated iron, and fi ted with drees ng br>x°s. Should this site be s-leoted the plans must le submitted to the Uoma'ii B ard, and from the opinion exp r e?sad by the members i f that body aV its last meeting the structure will have to be of a more substantial and ornamental natu'e than your Committee believes the Cornell w mid he justified in erecting under present ciicumstances. (2) Reserve 771 u West stri e", between Kermedo and Dobton B’rot tj : Suitable baths c mid he constructed o a portion of this reserve, including iron fence Bft high, excava ion and concrete, fit ings and dressing box's, and provi ling drainage to the crerk near the hr'dgo at a coat as follows :—8 ze SAffc x 20 f| , about £IOO ; 80ft x 25f>, £270 r and 100 ft x SOft, £33 ). To construct any of these the Council would have to channel West street, at a cost rf about £3O, rod to provide pipes f r drainage, (3) On B irough reserve Short street, near the Public School playground,

the coat w.Mild be about £25 less, butthia reserve would only be useful for the smaller size of the above mom fined baths, besides which a short loi’gth of Winter street mus‘ bo formed in order to convey wnste water to the river along the side channel. Your Committee having considered the various sites is cf opinion that reserve 77 would bo the most suitable, for the following reasons ; baths are consTueted t ;- e Council must appoint a custodian for the safety of H ose mirg b and to preserve order, wh ch in the caso of tho Domain would . o' he sppheabie; it boiuo a public recreation .round the public at all times would havo free access to every part of it • besides which, it is undesirable to pollute the water running through the town. (2) In (be above site, for reasons already given, the Council would not he empowered to make anv charge. (3) As it would be desirable to have a special time set apart for for ladies willing t i use the biih. Reserve 771 w utcl bo the most suitable site, es it wouid be under the immed'a f o control of the Council. (4) Reserve 7C5 your Committee c< adders ■o b» too small for the pur nose. t’ e Council dei re to proceed wi'h any of the above, your Committee will be happy to provide further information as to the proner management. Clause 1 of the Engineer’s report was considered. Mr C. E Foots, the Engineer, explained matters at some leug'h, aud a long conversational discussion euii' d Ultimately Cr Thomas moved that only one dm ;-e const meted, aid (hi it some ch-tus abovr the site orivineby rontempUt d — Or Sealy seconded. —Cr Roberts moved as nu amendment 'hit ♦ho dun he constrecte 1 at the termi-a tion of Win'er street.—The amendment was not seconded, and therefore lapsed.— The motion was carried. —Cr Roberts raoved-r“ That if a second dam be constructed, It be made at the termination of Winter B‘reefc. —Cr Harrison seconded.— Or Thomas thought one dam would be sufficient.—Cr Craighead proved as an amendment that iho mit ter be left over. —Cr Thomas seconded, —Tho amendment was carried.

Tho report of tho Swimming Bath Committee was then considered. The Mayor spoke on the report at considerable length, and said that if tho Council decided upon the coua f .mcticn ol a bath, the site recommended by tho Committee was aertainly the most suitable. He had no doubt (ha revenue which would bo derived would recoup ■ the expenditure.

After a long discussion, Of Harrison m'Ved—“That the matter of swimming baTia bo loft in abeyance for the present.” —Or Bird seconded—ln view of a statement by the Mayor that it was likely a number of ratepayers would riquisition the Council in the matter. Or Orsighead moved that further consideration of the report bo hold over till next meeting Or Thomas seconded —The amendment w-s lost, and Cr Thom-a moved as a further amendment that tho matter be »2»ia referred back to the Baths Cuminiltoi t,) report fur her at next meeting—This amendment wvs also lost and tho original mo:ton carried. IVBFECT K OF NUISANCES’KFPOKT

The Inspect >r of Nuisances reported having notifi.id a number ofiratepayers to abate nuisances.

Mr J T..u . a n w- ote comoiaitiing ■ f nu s utto a 'j cent to his p.enn es—The le'ter was referred to the Inspector if Nuisances. P-VMK' is. The usual monthly accounts were paaeed f r payment, and after the transition of a quantity of otter business, the Council adjourned.