HUTT AND PETONE NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 172, 14 April 1908, Page 8

HUTT AND PETONE NEWS.

RETONE BOROUGH COUNCIL.. ■ A meeting oV the Petorio Borough Council was held last • night, when there .were present :--His 'Worship, the Mayor. (Mr. J; "W.. M'Kwan), and; Councillors Cole,'. Smith, South-, gate,. Castle, Colquhoun. and Dr. n.ir<iing..Mr. <P. W. Thompson, Secretary of. the J?etone Chess and Draughts Club, wrotCj asking for tli'o use of a room in the Municipal .Building. Councillor Castle moved, and Councillor Col-.-luhoim seconded, that the use of a room be granted, providing the Club pays for gas and. cost of installing a meter. .This was carried.

The following letter was received from Messrs. Monps and Son'"l again ask, after some five more weeks, that the Council will consider our case, viz., building a brick wall on a boundary, not provided for in the Borough by-lows, it being the wood area;" The Jlayor moved, and Councillor Colquhoun seconded, (hat Councillors Soutlignte, Cole, ami the Mayor be a Committee to deal with and report to the Council. This was carried. Messrs. Jones and Son also wrote, asking for a share in supplying horsefeed, etc., to the Council. The Mayor moved that the supply oMiorsa feed bo given month about'to produce merchants in Petone, and'that, they send in prices every month. . This was seconded by Councillor Colquhoun, and carried. The Hut't Park Committee wrote, reporting the present position, ond asking tho councils interested to . guarantee the expense of- contesting the legality of the lease i held by the Hutt Golf Club from the late trustees. ■

W. B. Nicholson wrote, regretting that through pressure of -private .and public duties he found it impossible to give attention to tho work of the Council, and -stating that' ho would scorn to hold offico and not adequately fulfil its duties.: He also thanked lus fellow-councillors and Borough officials for their courtesy, and hoped at some future date to again be at the sen-ice of the.Borough. His Worship moved that -the letter he received with regret. . As one who had sat with Councillor Nicholson at the Council table he wished to hear testimony to the good work done by him.'

Councillor Cole, in seconding the motion, endorsed the Mayor's remarks. V Mr. Samuel Brown, Chairman of the Arbitration Court, sent a lettpr, asking, for tho number of houses orected during 190G and 1907, and stating that the information was wanted for dealing with' the question of wa;ges, etc. A reply was sent, that 80 new dwellings' had been erected. ' 1

_Tho Secretary; of the Petonc Volunteer Fire Brigade wrote, in answer to a letter pent by Council explaining-that the Council', had'gone to considerable expense to put down fire plugs, etc., in the Recreation Ground, arid asking the Brigade not to practice in street. In its reply the Brigade. stated tliat it intended ■ continuing to ;-practice in' Sydney Street, because the Brigade was not pleased with'tho plug, etc., 0:1 the Recreation Ground. The Petone Ladies' Hockey Club was granted permission to use the Recreation Ground on Saturday afternoons on .same conditions as last year. . . . BALANCE-SHEET. The balance-sheet, for tho year .1007-8 was then printed. The general account shown a debit balance of ,£452? 13s. 10d., from. which must bo. deducted the -following amounts:— Purchase of Technical School site, Ids.' lla. . ■

_£31°0 hnfitm ' ant * extension of Nelson Street,

Tho Brigade section, £213.': ' 1 Advanco payments oil account- of - wharf new loan;-,£378 ; Bs. sd. ' ; '•• Recreation Ground advanco- payments, '.£9B •18s.. -Total, £1508. 18s. 4d. . -- ■ an increase'.-of 'lis. 4d.'- onthe debit balance-over last year ' When it. is .borne in mirnl that the tarring-and sanding ol . Jacksis -Street -was 'not .included 'in'-"th« estimated expendituro for the year as'well an wveral smaller items, and' that the ■•Sanitary, Department provod moro' exponsivo than estimated, this shoujd be'considered l a, Very satisresult so far'-as . this particular count is concerncd.'

•m- (le P artmen t shows : that, after .providing the absolutely neccesary' sum of .£903 for and renewals, the credit balance has been increased-by tho sum of ,£IOO Is. 2d. iho'waterworks; maintenance account, after providing for the erection/of a caretaker's cottage, cost ,£3ll 10s., and the purchase of section 5, Maungarika, 82 acres, for £333 3s. ..d., shows-a credit balance of £59 2s. 2d. ~ His. Warship, stated that taking: the. bal-ance-sheet. as a • wnole. tho Council had every reason to- be gratified with the results ■'disclosed. _He deemed ,it his duty to draw attention to the fact that the finances o 1 * th° liorough hail sustained a loss of over-«£GGO by the action of,-the Government, in declining, to make proper provision for the payment of rates on land acquired:. for,, Government cottages. Out of: 35 houses crected tho only received , rates on >seven for the past year. ' . • . . .CoiHuallor Cole said that ■he felt-.thankful •that liis Worship had consented /to stand for a further term, of office, and. every Couhcillor spoke or manner that His Worship had conducted the business. - , ' ;. -His .Worship, returned thanks' for the kind remarks of one and all,:and.trusted that-thcy. woiild-.bn able to work -.well iff;the interest.of tns • .80r0ugh.... : , •

LOWER HUTT BOROUGH COUNCIL. - .A meeting- of tho-Lower .Hi l tt''Bor6iigh 'Corned was held last' night,, The flavor (Mr. • ; T. A.. 1 oterkin) was, in,tho chair,' anil' there wero also prosent' Councillors,.Russell,-. J.n Ward J 'M.-' Mpagins;. Ci'. Wildsmith,. Hoss', W.■ Judd,- -and. ' Baldwin; ; '.. : . .Connpillor Ross asked why his motion; "nOiich he ' had left in; tho -hands of tho -Mayor to bung forward, had; not been proposed .'.in his' absence.. 1 ho. ; Mayor-. ; explained- • that ■■' as mathad arranged-thomsolves,' ho hadjnpt 'considered it necessary to move 'jh the matter.-' was read ; from ' Councillor Eollard, resigning his position as' Councillor; - A letter v was-received from the -Hospital-in connection with the'. recent fever - case It was resolved. that the . Hospital', authorities -bo written to with regard to the establishment ot a cottage hospital, and also; when the Board would make, uso of -the hospital site. ' Jhat .the amount paid to- the Unairtablo Aid Board this year was .£177 8s 4d., while- last year it was only.' jl4B Is. 8d Councillor Ward asked-why this chargo had increased so much. Ho had understood that wlien-old age pensions came in. thero would be a decrease in this charge. Ho moved in the direction of submitting this question to-tho Municipal .Conference.- This was carried.. ' With regard to the Wesleyan Cemetery replies were received from interested: persons, as followlfr6. A. Flighty, acquicscing. to Cemetery improvements; Mr. Pearce. objecting; Mr J.. Hall, agreeing. It' was resolved ■ that Mr • Pearce's letter bo held ovor for consideration and-that those agreeing -1)0 written to, thanking them for :permission. ; . , iir. C.' Lyne, Ali'cetown, wrote as to the charge for his gas connection.- It' was resolVed that the . question of gas fittings be referred to .the Gas Committee, and" that ,Mr. :Lyne be " informed that the fittings in'-'his' housewero insufficient to.carry'supply,', and- also that the chargo was. a proper one. , ' WATCHING FIRES, %•;- .The-Fire Brigade wrote asking for payment for. two men watching the-recent fire after.its apparent extinction. , Tho "Wellington City Council'wrote stating that they have no arrangement whatever-with the insurance companies in reference to watching fires. The Brigade does not givo up charge until all danger is ovor. Should tho companies wish, a man is left in chargo after the fire is extinguished, for salvage purposes;' thev for that, and that only. ■ y • p . 3, Councillor Ross objected to the' Council paving for a mail's time to- watch an owner's' property. The owner should pay for,'his own watchmen.. . > .

Councillor Baldwin dofended the application of the Fire .Brigade.'; The individual men did not receive tho pay, it was only a pa'yment to provide, a continued protection. Councillor Russell suggested that the Council should' vote an v annual ■ sum for the-Bri-gado Fund. This would. obviate tho necessityofpassing the special payments, and would: allow the Brigade to manage .their own .internal affairs. - The motion that thp Council accede''to-the Brigade's request was carried by one vote. ' HUTT PARK. ' •The Hutt Park' Committee reported -'as follows:—"That the present position b6 fully reported to the Councils interested, and' that they. bo'asked to. guarantee the oxpehso of contesting the legality of the leaso hold : bv the Hutt-Golf Club from the old (nistcos- and that .the Councils bo asked -'to renlv ne'eniin as possible." Councillor Russell referred as some length to the agreement and its possible effect 011 tho leaso to-other parties than the Golf Club. .Tho Committco had'no\y : como to the opinion that tho position was untenable and as the law advisers had differed, in their opinion on the legality of'the lease, he suggested a. reference to the Supreme Court in tho direction of getting the Act altered, to onablo tho-Ilutt Park Committee to gut the,control of the Hutt Park into t.heir own Hands Ho, moved that the Council agTee to voto- their proportion of money to enable tho Park Committee' to fight the Golf Club in tho matter of the lease of tlio parte.

. Councillor Ross spoko:in deprecation, of .the actjon of .cartain parties 'to the -.lease, r ■ Councillor' Judd hoped : that; the . motion,. of Councillor ' RusselL' would be ' carried ; unanimously as an. expression: of Opinion..from tho Cor.ncil. ... ~ : ' "

The M,\vpr ;qujto ;uphold'tho opinions of theprevious .r.penkqrs, arid advocated tion • of ••the. policy' already ,'followed; -by ■ the Committee. IIo: advocated the''allotment, of a sum :of -money to enablo the case to be tested' in law. ■' ' 1 ; •;" .

Councillor Russell's motion was carricd unanimously. • -v . ' ■

The-viin'cancy caused'by ' Tesignation of Councillor C. B. Hollard'in the' Borough Council has already brought" out" two . competitors, Messrs;.A. 11. Yilo'(a member of the Education Board) and Mr. Hughes, the well-known patont agent ,of .Wellington. There 'is every evidence of a spirited contest. , ■ " ~ Th« operations in connection with the' opening np and widening of the Main Road. north through the Borough are progressing rapidly, .and one can now . see what the effect of the work, will be.'. The footpath has been renewed and regradod, and,, in ■ addition, ''thero "is a cycle track providod to- tho" boundary 'of tho Borough.' ■

Tho Hutt'County Council is proceeding rapidly with the re-metalling of ..its portion ,of the main road, and this, With the other work, will make for a good road as tha winter comes ion. ; : ■' .