NO DECISION

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 150, 25 June 1912, Page 3

NO DECISION

PETONE COUNCIL AND NOXIOUS TRADES APPLICATION AGAIN REFERRED BACK. INDIGNANT COUNCILLORS. Once again the Petone Borough Council has been unable to arrive »at a final decision in regard to the application from Messrs. D. A. Fay and Company for a permit to establish a fellmongery, woolbcouring, and boiling down works at the building at the mouth of the Hutt River. some time since vacated by the Gear Company. The application ha*> now been before the council on no less than five occasions, and each time decision has been reserved for sonic reason. Last week the plans were received, and referred to the engineer for a report which he was asked to have ready for a special meeting which wae held last evening. All the councillors were present. The engineer' 6 report was unfavourable in several respects. The buildings, as proVided for in the plans, would not, he said, conform with the requirements of the Offensive Trades By-laws. Clause 10 provided for the tallpw refining-room to be in brick, but this was evidently not intended to be adhered to. The engineer did not think the flooring would be suitable, nor the drainage. At the present time the drainage was spilling into a dead arm of the river, whereas it would be advisable to carry it into running water. SHOULD BE SENT BACK. The Mayor said it would be quite plain to councillors that the whole matter must be referred back again to Messrs. D. A. Fay and Company, together with the engineer's report. He would like also to draw tho council's attention to several matters. The fust application that was submitted, he said, was for fellmongering, woolwashing, tallow-refining, gluemaking, and manure-making. In the last application a permit was asking for felhnongering, wool-ecour-ing, and boiling-down works. The two former were not recognised in the Public Health Act as offensive trades, but as to boiling-down that might mean anything. It would, therefore, be seen that the application was remarkably indefinite. Anyway, as the plans did not comply with the by-laws, there was no alternative bnt to refer the question back. Councillor Short: "1 suppose the real fact is that we don't intend to deal with this matter at all. Why on earth don't we come to some decision?" Councillor List : "I move that the plans be referred back ; it is all we can do." • ARE THE BYLAWS UNREASONABLE? Councillor Lodder : '■'If you are going to stick to the letter of the bylaws you might as well refuse the application now. The plastering of ceilings, for instance, ! is absurd." Councillor Wakeham : "Ie it necessary that we should enforce the bylaws?" t j The Mayor : "Well, a bylaw is a by- ' law." Councillor Lodder : "Well, if we do we might as well sit every night until . doomsday. 'W© will find some fresh fault every time* There are some provisions quite unreasonable. I have been through it all and I know what I am talking about." Councillor Wakeham said that it was quite right that residents should be safeguarded against any nuisance, but unnecessary measures should not be insisted upon. The council should encourage local industries. The Mayor explained that the bylaws were drawn up to fit the case of the Gear Company when it removed its manure works to the preeent building. Councillor Lodder : "Did the Gear Company adhere strictly to those bylaws?" The Mayor : "I do not know." Councillor Buvridge : "You know very well it did not. Yet the Gear Works were passed by the Health Department." He .quoted, portions of the bylaws which he held were unreasonable and unneces-. sary. councillor. short's strictures: The Mayor was proceeding to put Councillor List's motion when Councillor Short rose- again. "Oh, can't we come to some decision to-night ?" he said with some indignation. "Do we want . the works or not ? Is it fair that we should put the company to so much expense, and then tell it that we don't want its works? What did we come here tonight for? It seems that we came ona fool's errand. We are making ourselves ridiculous. Yes, we are. People in Petone and even in the city are calling us the Postponement Council — the Petone Borough Postponement Council. I'm -just about tired of it." Councillor Piper : "And so am I. Therefore I move as an amendment that we grant the permit on condition that the building is erected in accordance with the bylaws.',' The Mayor: "I won't- accept Councillor Piper's amendment, as there is no provision in the bylaw for the granting of a conditional license." _ Councillor Piper (heatedly) r"Well, you granted a conditional license to a tramway syndicate a week ago." Tho Mayor: "Quite enough of that, Councillor Piper. It was a different matter altogether and not governed by bylaws." ' The motion was tien put and carried.