MIRAMAR BOROUGH COUNCIL

Evening Post, Volume LXXI, Issue 135, 8 June 1906, Page 2

MIRAMAR BOROUGH COUNCIL

The meeting of the Miramar Borough Council last night waa attended by the Mayor (Mr. F. Townsend), and Councillqrs M'Grath, Waidell. Brodie, and Richards. , ' GENERAL. ' The Deputy -Controller and AuditorGeneral ivroto st-ating that his opinion was not altered as to the legality of the payment of costs by the council in the case of Crawford v. the Hutt County Council. The Public Trustee wrote with regard to a proposal that tho estate of the late; Joseph Snunders should be released fromthe Seatoun tuunel contract.— The Mayor said ihp council was perfectly safe, 'but some of the' members of the family would liked to be relieved of it. H.e hadtakea a stand against the proposal in an interview with the Deputy-Public Trustee. The action of the Mayor was approved. Mr. W. H. P. Barber wrote objecting to the action of the councirin opening up a quarry off Church-street. The Mayor said the council was justified in 'taking, metal off its own road, which was all that had been done. They did not intend to injure Mr. Barber's section, but that was the only quarry they had for those roads. He had assured Mr. Barber that the council would not do anything to injure his property. The appointment of a clerk of works for the Seatoun tunnel was left in the hands of the Mayor. Messrs. A. and C. Crawford applied for a renewal of their slaughterhouse license. ' — The Mayor, in answer to a question, said there had been no complaints again6t ( the slaughterhouse. The Government' was responsible for looking after it. Thelicense was granted for twelve months. The Deputy-Controller and AuditorGeneral forwarded a certified copy of the balance-sheet of the borough, which will be considered at a special meeting. The Town Clerk reported that an agreement had been come to with the Bank of New Zealand to draw on the bank up to £20,000 on the security of the tramways loan, the council to pay interest at the rate of 5 per cent, per annum. The council approved of the agreement. LIGHTING THE BOROUGH. The Mr,yor stated that Mr. Helliwell,the secretary of the Gas Company, had taken exception to what he (the Mayor) said about the company and the lighting of the borough at the last meeting, and waited on him in reference to the matter. It now appeared that the Gas Company was most anxious to put the gas into the borough, and it was arranged that he 1 (the Mayor) should meet the chairman of the company the following morning. It was the company's intention, if it could get , the concession, to lay the mains along ! the tramway route at once, while the j road was being made. The Town Clerk presented the following report : — The Wellington Gas Company is willing to extend its mains into the borough and will probably follow the tram line to Miramar North and Seatoun, and from Seatoun. to Karaka Bay, provided a satisfactory agreement can be madey A memorandum of some of the requirements of the council has been forwarded to the company, as a basis for negotiations. To light the streets mentioned would require ab6ut thirty-six lamps, and would cost about £162 per annum, the lamps being ten chains apart. The Wellington Electric Light and Power Company quote for the route mentioned in my previous report — city boundary to Miramar cutting, Worser Bay and Seatc-un Hills and water frontage^ — forty twenty candle-power lamps at £3 10s, £147 per annum. The Kitson Light Company quobed, as an annual charge for erecting and maintaining sixteen 1000 candle-power lajnps, to light water frontage from Scorching Bay to Seatotiu j Wharf, £2£o, provided a, r .contract for thrae years be entered into. : "I would • recommend that . negotiations, ' with, the Wellington Gas. Company be pro- • ceeded with, on condition that.the^public lighting of the tram route be undertaken by them ; and that tho Electric Light Company; be .required to instal lamps" on the route mentioned above in terms of their agreement." Councillor Brodie moved that an installation be made of 42 lamps of twenty 1 candle-power on tho route mentioned. This was seconded by Councillor Richards and carried, with an addition, on the motion of Councillor Wardell, that the council have power to terminate the agreexnenb by giving twelve months' notice. A QUESTION OF RATING. The Town Clerk brought forward the estimates for the current year. The estimated amounts required were — Administration expenses, £475; maintenance of roads, £8/1; new works, £46o; reports on drainage and water supply, £105; intereat on special loan, £169 ; lighting £150 ; sanitation, £260; charitable aid, £240; total, £2700. The moneys available were— ln hand, £300; estimated receipts —rents £50, fees £80, Government subsidy £335: total, £765. The balance of the money required was proposed to be raised by a general rate of a penny three-farthings in the & 'on 'the unimproved value (£265,412). This estimate, he added, was much the same as that previously circulated among councillors,' but ib was now proposed ta pay the cost of sanitation and charitable aid contribution out of the general rate. Councillor Wardell protested very strongly against the proposal, urging that the- cost of sanitation should be provided by a charge per house, and that the charitable aid contribution, should be raised by a rate on tho capital value. As to new works, he was strongly of opinion that they should go in for a borough .improvement loan ; this item of £460 would provide interest and sinking fund on a loan of £7000 or £8000, which, injudiciously expended would be very much to the advantage of the borough. The Mayor said the difficulty was as to what works were required. They could not be sure yet in What direction the main settlement would be. The works for which this sum of £460 was set down were really necessary and should be dona at once. When the tramway was made they would have a better idea of what wag required. On the motion of Councillor Richards, seconded by Councillor Brodie, the report was adopted. Councillor Wardell dissenting. It will come up for confirmation, at a future meeting. FINANCE. The Town Clerk reported a credit balance of £726, including £535 contractors' deposits. Accounts amounting to £43 were passed for payment.