BOROUGH AFFAIRS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLII, Issue 9374, 1 November 1921, Page 3

BOROUGH AFFAIRS

MEETING OF THE COUNCIL. The Ashburton Borough Council met last evening, there being present: The Mayor (Mr R. Galbraith), Meßsrs F. Z. D Ferriman, W -H. Woods, R. M. Dunlop, J. W. Bowden, W. G. Hillier, H. R. C. McElrea, R. Kerr, W. Pace, E. H. Childs, F. W. Watt, and W. H. Robinson. Notice was received from the Department of Agriculture that Mr Edward Loftus had been appointed a special inspector under the Noxious Weeds Act for the Borough of Ashburton. The Medical Health Officer, m a letter, requested that the council serve notice on the owner of premises situ-, ated m Beach Road, Hamp&tead, to install drains of approved type and effect necessary repairs to wash tubs and bath. Mr Robinson contended that it was hardly fair to put ratepayers to additional expense, although he agreed if the drains were m a bad state it was essential that the work should be done. Mr McElrea said that a general application of enforcing drainage on the ratepayers of Hampstead would be a serious hardship, but as he understood it was only m extreme cases that the Health Department made requests of this nature, he would support the Medical Health Officer. Messrs Childs and Robinson discussed the expense side of the drainage scheme as it applied to Hampstead. _ After further discussion it was decided to accede to the Medical Health Officer's request. A letter was read from the Town Clerk, Auckland, seeking the council's support of a resolution passed by a conference of representatives of local bodies within the metropolitan area of Auckland relating to the Motor Vehicles Bill, 1921. The motion protested against the proposals contained m Clauses 19 and 34, particularly as to license fees being paid into the Consolidated Funds* instead of to the local bodies. It was emphasised m the Auckland resolution that distributions under the basis of fees m the schedule of the Motor Vehicles Bill, 1921, would mean an annual loss to the local bodies m the city of Auckland of £44;650. Proportionate loss would be sustained by smaller local bodies if the Bill became law. r . On the motion of Mr ' Ferriman, seconded by Mr Page, it was decided to support the motion passed at the Auckland conference of local bodies. Mr Hillier, chairman of the Fire Brigade, Water, and Lighting Com- ' mittee, reported that under Sections ( 265 and 266 of the Municipal Corpora- - < tions Act, 1920, it was not secessary to i appoint a fire inspector for the Ashburton Borough. Powers of authority ] were vested m the Mnyor and principal 1 officers of the Municipal Fire Brigade i under this Act. The report was 1 adopted. 1 The manager df the abattoirs reported that the following stock were i killed during October: — Cattle 105 (2 i condemned), calves 2, sheep and lambs \ 1128 (2 condemned), pigs 26. E A letter was received from the Ash- \ burton Gas, Coal, and Coke .-Company, Ltd., stating that after discussing with r the Borough Engineer the matter of c putting m a 4in main to the power- + house it had decided to amend their previous price of £92 10s .to £80. Mr Watt moved, and Mr Bowden £ seconded, that the offer be accepted, » subject to the company entering into * an agreement with the council under- ? taking that no connections are to be made with the main, which is to be f maintained as a source of supply to the station only, and that the benefits *: and rights accruing to the council be s assignable to any purchaser from the ° council, and that the agreement be * drawn up by the council's solicitor at t. the expense m equal shares of the I company and the council. t Permission was granted to Mr W. r C. Holland to place a weighing machine adjacent to the junction of East and t Burnett streets at an annual rental ii of £2 10s. d The amounts received since last k meeting totalled £620 6s 6d. c Accounts totalling £661 Is Id were passed" for payment, A further sum of r £1377 3s lOd was reported aB having c been expended from the drainage special loan account. a Building permits to the value of £575 were granted. v