Borough Council.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 6003, 20 November 1890, Page 2

Borough Council.

The. Council met last evening. Present: Tbe Mai or (in the chair), Crs. Robjohns, Cranby, Neal, Si'ey, Cohen, and Faulknor.

Co___S_o.f___o_i.

From secretary Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, notifying "Cauncil that second instalment of levies fox- year ending 31st March, 1891, was now due; hospital £41 13s 4d, charitable aid £73 3s lid.—To bo paid. From Catherine Orr, protesting againßt the culvert ruuniug through her garden in Sea Point road, causing a lot of damage in winter; now was an opportunity to have it altered —The Overseer reported there had been no culvert erected by tha Counoil on Sea Point read. The existing culverts were constructed when tho road was first made, and it would be most inadvisable to make any alteration until an outlet for the storm water at the foot of Shakespeare Road was made. —Reply to be sunt to that effect.

From Treasury, Wellington, acknowledging receipt of Council's b .lauee-sbeets, and asking for two more.—Forwarded.

From R. 0. Graham, re his section in Shakespeare road, what did tho Council intend doing with reference to the boundary of the above, which was in dispute some short time past ?—Referred to Overseer.

PETITION.

Cr. Neal presented a petition from residents in the vicinity of Chaucer road re street lamps, the necessity of lighting certain parts of the above-named road. Thoy were used by all trade carts serving houses in the neighborhood of Napier Terrace, the hospital, and barracks. Leaving Carlyle street the first lamp required would be at the juuction of Chaucer and Spencer roads ; the next afc

the angle a little beyond the botanical garden gate ; then one at the junction of Havelock, Enfield, and Spencer roads, and finishing with one at the junction of Lawrence and Goldsmith roads, making five in all.—Referred to Publio Works Committee. PUUMO WOEKB COMMITTEE'S EKPOBT. 1. That the tender of A. Edser and Sonß for plastering- the parapet of the sea-wall at 7d per superficial yard be accepted. 2. That the vouchers for the fortnightly wages herewith forwarded be passed, I ordered to bo paid, and charged to the following accounts :—General account, £82 10s Od ; waterworks account, £10 9a. —Adopted. THE WBLLESLET BOAD NUISANOK. Cr. Cohen brought up the Wellesley road nuisance, and oonsidered that they should have the report of the Harbor Board's Committee before them. He said leniency had been shown to the wealthy at the expense of tho poorer class of ratepayers. This matter had now been under consideration for three years, and the Board met yesterday, at which the Committee reported that no nuisance whatever existed in this locality ; in fact, the Committee went so far as to dictate to the Council to mitigate tho nuisance existing. When he accused the Harbor Board of being a wealthy body the Mayor stated that it was far from that, and that they were in financial trouble, and had no moans to carry out these improvements. But he ' asked the Councillors before next meeting ' night to individually go and look for themselves and see the nuisance. Smaller rate- ' payers had been compelled to mortgage ' their property in order to carry out improvements which wero for the welfare of

the tov.-n, work which should have beeu dona by the local body. The Harbor Board Committee no doubt visited the locality on a

nice day, at high tide, and then said there tvas no nuisance, but ho considered it was an eyesore to the district whi'ih was allowed to fester ttiere, work which in private hands would havo bei>n carried out years ago. The Mayor: This matter had hotter be discussed when wo have the report before us.

Cr. Cohen said ho moved a motion some time ago, and he only now expressed his diss:ent at such a one-sided matter. C!r. Sidey : Make a motion. Cr. Cohen said ho had, and objected to leniency being shown to a body composed of wealthy laud owners, and if the work was not immediately undertaken he would get up a monster petition from the whole ratepayers of the town. They had a perfect right to havo the Harbor Board's Committee report before them that night. The Mayor -. These matters are not attended to by the Board until the following day.

Cr. Sidey said, that in order to Jexpdite matters he suggested that when the report came to hand it should be referred at once to the Publio Words Committer, so that no further delay might take ptace. The Mayor said that course of proceedure, Cr Sidey must know, was irregular, and the roport must be placed before the Council before it could be referred to the Publio Works Conmittee. , Cr Cohen twitted the Harbor Board for not sending them an early reply. The summer was now upon them and the improvements should be made. Or. Neal said if they wanted the matter gone into, he would suggest that all the members of the Council visit the looality, but he was extremely surprised that the nuisance was not much greater than it is. Tho Committee found a perfectly hard shinglo beach, except in somo places where it was soft. Tho width was measured and found to bo mxty-six feet, but limestone could be put on these soft places. Tho Inspector, if he was to do his duty, should attend to this, as many of theso holes from which a smell arose, were actually on the Corporation road. There was no doubt there were bad odors, but the Board was powerless. Tho Council should go over the ground, measure it, and see for themselves the state of the road. It could be verymuch improved if a thin coating of limestone were put over it the extent of tho boundary. Cr. Cohen : What then ? Cr. Neal: If the Counoil found as the summer progressed that the stench wai Btill bad and a medical man asserted that it was, the only way to got at the end of the matter was by taking it to the Supreme Court, and thoy would have to fill it in. At the present time the Harbor Board was powerless. To his mind it meant confiscation and a new loan which the ratepayers could not bear.

Cr. Sidey said there was was no occasion for the aspersions thrown out by Cr. Cohen, which wero totally uncalled for.

Cr. Neal admitted it was a nuisance, but thoy must abate the nuisance on their own ground first.

Tho Mayor said they could not than throw stones at their noighbors if they fouud thoy i ved in edass houses.

Or. Cohen said ho would be tho last; person to go to tho Harbor Board to ask them to carry out work if the Council had left its own work undone. Ho repudiated the statement that he attempted confiscation because the Harbor Board was ia financial difficulties. Tho matter then dropped.

EMTIY HOUSES AND BBOKBN WINDOWS.

The Mayor concurred. The police now gave them" very little assistance in rogard to breaches of tho borough by-laws, but this wns a matter which needed putting right. The Public Works Committee might consider tho suggestion.

A NEW CEMKTEEY,

Cr. Cohen said there was another matter which he would like some inf jrmation on, that was with reference to the new cemetery site. Some three years ago a Committee was formed to enquire into this, but nothing had been done. Steps should ba taki n for procuring a new ground. He was informed that a portion of tha ground which was full of old interments waß to be broken up and used for fresh burials.

Tho Mayor: No,

Cr. Cohen said that was so,

The Mayor also thought somo action should be taken with reference to this matter.

The question was left for the Public Works Committee to consider.

The Council then adjourned,

Cr. Cranby: Thero is no motion befora the meeting. Cr. Cohen : I ask that the motion tabled )v some time ago bo read. ; The Town Olork read the motion ' Cr. Cohen said if the Council left th. work over till the summer he would get other moans to carry out the work.

Cr. Cohen said thero was another matter which he desired to bring up. Ho asked that tho Council oii'er a reward to put a stop to the wholesale breaking- of windows in untenanted houses in the borough. If they went to the southern boundary of the town tho uutcber of windows broken iv empty houses was simply deplorable. As soon as , a house whs empty now an owner had to / get a earpeuter to barricade the whole house \ ami waited for better times. This should not be, and tho small house owners should be protected. The police did nothing, or they didu't want to. He did not know whether it was legal but suggested a reward of £5 should bo offered for the conviction of offenders.