ROAD METALLING.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 6593, 22 January 1916, Page 3

ROAD METALLING.

SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING

Arrangements for 5000 Yards of

Metal.

A special meeting of tbe Borough Council was held last night to consider specifications lor the towing of metal from the Railway Whurf at the Mount in the Borough punts, and for the cartage of the metal on to the streets.

There were present His Worship the Mayor (Mr C. E. Macmillan) and Grs H. W. Wilding, C. Whiting. S. Pemberton, G. W. Brown, J. G. (Jreen, R. Badger and T. Tanner.

Considerable discussion took place regarding the details of the specifications tor buth contracts, the difficulty being to make the cartage contract fit in with the towage contract on account of the variations in the tides. This difficulty wis eventually overcome by His Worship ascertaining from Mr Hannah, Resident ~ Engineer of the Public Works Department, that delivery of the metal could be given at the Monut at any time during the day not later than 4 p.m. The punts can, therefore, be loaded in the afternoon, towed to town during the afternoon or eight and be available for unloading before 8 o'clock in the morning.

Cr Wilding raised a question as to the quantity it was proposed to secure. The specifications as dratfed by the Borough Surveyor provided for the handling of about 5500 yards. If, said Cr Wilding, tenders were called on this basis, tenderers would naturally assume that the Council proposed getting about that quantity, and would naturally tender somewhat lower per yard than if a smaller quantity was to be handled. He further raised the point as to whether the Council was in a position to obtain such a quantity. The specification was ultimately amended to read "about 5,000 yards." During the discussion on the matter His Worship said the question had arisen us to where the money was to come from for the metalling it was proposed to do beyond what could be carried cut with the balance of loan money available. What, he asked, was there to be scared about? No portion of the present overdraft had been caused by expenditure, on the streets. In last year's estimates £1000 had been set aside for work on the streets, but veiy little had been spent in that direction, the money having been absorbed in other ways. For instance the settlement with the Gas Proprietary in regard to street lighting Ijad come out of it, and about £250 interest on the street improvement loan had also been paid. Was it a good thing thst the streets should suffer because the moDey provided for them had been spent in other ways? The present overdraft had in no way been caused by work done by the present Council.

Cr Green said that that was all very well, but the Council could not spend money if they hadn't got it.

The Mayor, pointed out that before most of the payments in connection with the proposed metalling were ■made the Council would be in a position to form their estimates for next year.

Cr Wilding pointed out that the overdraft now stood at £7,000. Some £2000 of this had been lent as special advance against moneys to be raised by a special order, and the £7000 could not of course be looked upon as a permanent legal limit. Supposing the Council got the £4,300, the overdraft would be £2700, and if another £1200 were spent for metalling (over and above the amount of loan money available), the Council would then be overdrawn £4,200, plus any other expenditure that may be incurred.

The Mayor said the amount would be £4200 less any amounts that were still to come in, i.e., general rates still unpaid /-and moneys owing for electric light installations, etc. The Council would be perfectly justified in working on next year's estimates. If the Council spent an extra £1500, the interets wouH amount to only £90 a year, and that amount he claimed would be easily saved in road maintenance.

Cr Wilding did not dispute the advisability of doing the work, but would the Council's linancial responsibilities permit them undertaking it? If his Worship were satisfied that the money would be available, all right.

His Worship said he wai personally satisfied that the money would be available, and further that it would be sound business and cheapei' for the ratepayers to even do the whole work out ot overdraft if necessary.

Cr Wilding said it was not a question of policy or desirability, but whether the Council was in a position to purchase and spread 5,000 yards of metal in the immediate future. That was the whole point.

His Worship pointed out that there were four months in which to do the work. This would take them two months into next financial year. As long as he could remember it had been the policy of the Council to starve the streets, and although much rnonpy had been spent on the streets in securing permanent level?, etc., it.after all only provided the foundations for the metal for which the peonle had been crying out. It would take the Council all its time to spend this financial year the money remaining in the streets improvement loan, and then they would be into the next financial year.

Cr Brown said that so far as he could see His Worship was anticipating the whole of next year's revenue. Many things might crop up, and if it were all spent in one lamp there would be nothing left to come and go on.

His Worship pointed out that they had the whole of the limit of one year's revenue to work up to.

Finally, the .specifications for both the towing and carting were passed, th 9 metal to be delivered at any point on the foreshore, as directed by the

Borough Surveyor, between the North side of Hamilton Street and Eleventh Avenue.

Tenders are to be invited forthwith returnable on Wednesday, February 2nd.