PETONE AND HUTT. SUBURBAN MATTER.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIV, Issue 150, 21 December 1907, Page 4

PETONE AND HUTT. SUBURBAN MATTER.

BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETING. A special meeting of the Petone Bor- j ough Council was held last evening, the Mayor (Mr. 3. W. M'Ewau) presiding. Thero were also in attendance Councillors Nicholson, Short, Harding, Smith, Lodder, Southgate, Castle, and Colquhoun. The Department of Labour drew the council's attention to the Shops and Offices Act, 1.904, in which it is required that a meeting of delegates from all Borough and Town Councils comprised in each combined district should be held during tho month of January in each year,- -for- the purpose of selecting a day for the weekly half-holiday for shops. Councillor Castle was appointed delegate ; to the meeting to be held. Some time ago the attention of tho Hutt Borough Council was drawn to the fact that certain Hutt residents made a practice of draining into ari open ditch on White's Line, within the Pfetone ' boundary. A reply was now received from the Hutt Council stating that if any nuisance was found to exist, it would be attended to when the drainage scheme was being carried out in 'that) locality. It was decided to hold the matter over until a report was obtained from the District Health Officer. - Several matters -were dealt with in a communication from Mr. R. C. Kirk (borough solicitor). .Referring to the claim against Lower Hutt Borough Council, for the balance of tho gas purchase account, he stated that he had exhausted every endeavour to induce ' the Mayor of Lower* Hutt to have the dispute referred to arbitration, but so far, without success. He dared say that when a summons was actually issued, their solicitors would |tjhen advise a reference to arbitration. He was prepared to issue a suniiuoD3 if the borough engineer would supply him with, a statement Showing, in detail, the balance that was claimed., .and, ; hpw w the, items were made op. Those; !i particijlars it was necessary £o have .for -tlie" statement of .claim to' be attached to the summons. The Mayor, in moving that the engineer should s,up-" ply Mr. Kirk with 'MV necessary informstion, regretted 1 that the' matter had not yet been fixed up. The motion ,was carried, without dissent. Mr. Kirk also notified that in reference to the transfer of .section F, part section Z, Hutt district, from the natives, all the signatures to the agreement |or taking land under the Public Works Act, had been obtained except one. The address of this man he 'had not been able to ascertain. With the assistance . of the native interpreter, he was confident of soon finding the whereabouts' of this owner.- • Touching upon tho catchment area, Mr. Kirk thought it would be advisable to protect all the titles of the lessees by caveats. He considered ihat the work ought to be done at once, ! And he therefore asked for tho necessary, authority. The council decided to com- | ■ply with the .recommendation. ■S Councillors Nicholson, Southgate, and the Mayor were appointed representa- j lives on the Hufcfc -Park' Contract Board. I I A claim of £20, lodged, by D. Garbes, fishmonger, for "one fish" was unceremoniously thrown out. The fish, the Mayor explained, a peculiar and large I 'specimen, was caught by the foreman | of the sanitary works, who handed it over to the council. In order that the 'public might 'see it; the fish was transferred the fishmonger's window. Upon Mk'-' Hamilton' (curator of the Museum} the fish, , he expressed ja, desire that a cast' r ,of ( the specimen mighfc.be made. Two casts were taken, Joae of "which was now available for the 'council. Garbes, he said, had no claim •whatever; if any person deserved anything, it was ' the foreman of the sani,tary depot. The council decided not to ■recognise any .liability. • • THE BRIDGE QUESTION. ~ The Mayor of- Pelone last night ad."vised the -Borough Council of the result ?Jof the.iCpnfer.ence held 'on Thursday afternoon between representatives of the • council and the directors of the Gear ".Company. The company decided— (l) ,Not to forego the claim of £4000 compensation for direct route ; (2) that it would give land required for alternative 'routs fre© of cost (the company previous,ly claimed £400) ; (3) that if the council -will grant a permit for a building, io ■'cos* .about .£IO,OOO, to be erected on 'land, adjacent to tho main works, and Jin accordance wiUa the conditions of 'the Public Health Department, the De- •; partment laying down conditions under ■which tho manufactures be carried on, ,the company would gradually cease operations at its manure works, and would - give the land- required for the direct - route free of cost, and would also withdraw opposition to its land being 'brought within borough boundaries. After a short discussion it was decider to allow the matter to stand over for the present. Tliis procedure, explained *' the -Mayor, reopens tho whole question. -; TAITA CEMETERY TRUSTEES. ' ;l; l Tho newly-appointed but not yet '-gazetted, Taita Cemetery Control Board , met,. yesterday at the Hutt for the first ;tirae. • Mr. J. W. M'Ewan (Mayor of Petone) presided over the following > delegates from local boards concerned :—: — y Lower Hutt, Councillor Judd; Hufcfc County Council, Councillor Wakeham; ■ Petone, Councillor Harding. The present ■trustees of the cemetery were also represented by tho Rev. Joshua Jones and the P.ev. 3. T. Nott. The Rev. Nott, secretary and treasurer of tho trustees explained fully the manDer in which the various works in. connection with tho cemetery were carried on. Ho advocated a complete change - in, the present working system. It was •,' decided on his recommendation to retain the services of the present sexton until the new board of control held, ■everything running smoothly, when the question of his reappointment would ■bo dealt with. The Rev. Nofct (elected • secretary pro tern.) was instructed to '_ forward, -fcho resignations of the old _ fcrusteeSj and the names of the new •—board of control on to the Minister for Interned Affairs, in order that -~e , change- might be gazetted.' Mr. J. W. 'M'Ewan was elected' chairman of the board until the namss were gazetted, when the question of officers would bo disposed of. 1 TRAMWAY POSSIBILITIES. Tho Mayor of Petono reported at last night's meeting of -the Petono Borough Council to the. effect that he had conferred with Mr. Anderson (representative .of Messrs. Dick, Kerr, and Co., London) concerning the question of a combined electrical tramway service for •both Petone and Hutt, which Mr. Anderson's principals were prepared to lay down if granted certain concessions. Having only^ a limited time at his disposai) to oxplain the proposition to both councils, Mr. Anderson wished to know as soon, as possible the opinion of both boroughs. The council therefore T&oTved- to empower the Mayor to convene a conferenco' between both boroughs at the earliest possible time in January. MISCELLANEOUS. "Ait the' monthly meeting of the Petone Fire Brigade the following wero rceleoted as hon. members of tho brigade: — Drs. Ferry and Harding, Messrs. Coles, Palmer, Wilson, London, M'Ewan, Radford, Cotton, Jenness, W. Aplin, Wylie, Ryder Bros., Sullivan, .Ml/won Bjid Carter, Stutter. Mothes, Barlow, jigd R^SJioiiu