BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XIV, Issue 2962, 2 May 1893, Page 2

BOROUGH COUNCIL.

The fortnightly meeting of the Ashburton liorough Council was he'd last evening. Present —His Worship the Mayor (presiding), and Councillors Thuinas, CuthbertHon, Scaly, Paul, Jonea, Anderson, and Flower. THE LATE PREMIER. Cr Paul moved that, before ! #ith the ordinary buiuoess of the meeting, the Council place on record an expression ot its deep regret at the loss the Colony had sustained by the death of the late Premier, and of condolence with Mrs Ballance and those mourning with her in their bereavment. Tfce motion was carried unanimously. FINANCE. The Mayor reported the debit balaifse at the Bank as standing at £926 19* Bd. The income received from all sources since last meeting had been—Rates, £67 4a ; rents of reserves, £91 10s ; licenses, auctioneer's, £30; dogs, £1; Domain account, £5 s>; firewood sold, 3s 6d ; total, £195 2s 6J. QUEENSLAND RELIEF FUND. The Queensland Colonial Secretary wrote thanking the Council for their sympathy, and the hon, secretary of the general relief fund wrote acknowledging (he receipt of £144 from Ashburton. MUNICIPAL ASSOCIATION. Tho Municipal Association wrote asking for certain information which was ordered to be supplied. . , CHtKITABLE AID. The secretary to the* Charitable Aid Board wrote stating that the contribution of the Borough Council for Charitable Aid was £78 4s lid. The Council decided to pay the amount in four quarterly instalments —three cheques for £20 eich and one for the balance. NORTH BAST BELT. A petition from Messrs W. C. Davis, H. M. Stephens, and others, praying that certain work at the coiner of the Domain and West Streets at the northeast bf It be completed, as it had been left in a very bad state for traffic, especiallyin w*»t weather. The matter was r.sferrsd to the Works Committee. RESERVES COBIMITTEE. It was decided to pay the annual visit to the Hinds endowment reserve at %n early date, the tenant to be apprised of the date of the visit. ENGINEER! REPORT. The Engineers' report was read as follows:-—The men h*ve been engaged during the fortnight in making a water race through the domain paddocks and fencing in the domain, shingling streets, repairing concrete channelling, putting in pipes across East street from water troughr, fixing and repairing bridges and diver ?f carting rubbish from sidt channels, repairing the traffic bridge, attending to the water supply and general maintenance work. The report was adopted. INSPECTOR OF NUISANCES The inspector's report was read. It dealt principally with oases of bylaw breaches heard in the R.M. court. XIGHTINO. Cr Jones moved the motion standing in his name in regard to extr* nights for lighting the street lamps. The cost would be only about £5 for the eight extra nigh* he mov. dfc r. Light ia the streets on those nights was very necessary as in August on two of the nights, supposed to be moonlight, the moon did not rise till 8 30 "p.m. Cr Cuthbertson seconded the motion on the understanding that the lighting could be done for the price mentioned by Mr Jones. Cr Paul opposed the motion as he thought there were many more directions in which the money could bo spent to a better purpose than the way proposed. Cr Thomas also opposed the the motion, as did Crs Scaly and Anderson. The motion was lost. " MEKTINO NIGH'i. The Mayor asked the Council to consider the advisableness of changing the meeting night of the Council. The Charitable Aid Boird had altered its meeting night from Wednesday to Monday, and if the Borough representative were to be present the meetings of the Council must be held on a night when the Mayor was not a*- the Charitable Aid Board meeting. He moved that the meetings of the Council be held every alternate Monday from that night forward. It was pointed out that if the night were fixed as proposed by the Mayor it would necessitate the resignation of Cr Duncan, whose private bueinesa had been Bet out for a whole year cocupying the night propci ad by the Mayor. His Worship would give notice of motion on the question. Meanwhile next meeting was fixed for Monday next. Cr Paul, while on the subject ot the Charitabla Aid Board, asked the Mayor to bring under the notice of the Board the case of the old man Smith, who had been turned out of the Home, and since then bad been buffetted about from the Ashburton Court to Lyttelton gaol as *- vagrant. There was no fqnd, it appears, from which the train fare of Smith coald be paid to Christchurcb, unless as a criminal, and he could only be sent to Ly ttelton as a vagrant, and at the close of his term his return journey would be broken at Christchurch to get him into the Armagh Street Home. The Mayor undertook to inquire into the matter. ■: ' ■'■ '-: : '■• *WOBKS. - Cr Paul also drew attenii n to the state of the channelling in T«u>- red Street, and the incomplete stat9 of t»iu formation in West Street. Or Jones referred to the crossings in Burnett Street, which required attending to. The matters were referred to the Works Committee. TOWN CLOCK. The town clock was ordered to be insured for £100. LICENSES. A drivers' license was granted to Arthur Crawford. ACCOUNTS. Accounts to the amount of £68 were passed for payment. The Council then sat as a Domain Board, and transacted some unimportant business.