PETONE AFFAIRS

Evening Post, Volume CIII, Issue 125, 30 May 1922, Page 10

PETONE AFFAIRS

MEETING OF BOROUGH COUNCIL

•' The fortnightly meeting of the Petone Borough Council was held last evening. .Present: Mr. J. W. M'Ewan (Mayor), ,and Councillors C. P. Brockelbank, M. Ford, A. Pero, R : H. Jones, A. Anderson, D. S. Bedingfield, R. A. Hartley, and William Hay. ' The Minister of Finance stated that it ■was impossible to arrange the payment of local bodies' antecedent liabilities out of the £5,000,000 loan, the whole amount ■haviug been allotted for. specific purposes. Mr. T. M. Wilford, M.P., ac, Icnowledged Trie council's letter on the same question. He stated that he would keep the matter in view for the purpose of discussing it in Parliament. ■ Referring also to local bodies' antecedent liabilities, the Patoa Borough Council asked suppoTfc to a suggestion that a conference of local bodies be called for the purpose of considering the matter of pooling all antecedent liabilities and raising one big loan for the total amount on the London market. The first two letters were received. In regard to the Patea request, the Mayor said the suggestion was a good one. " It was decided that two representatives be appointed to such a conference. The Mayor and Councillor Pere were appointed.

.- "That all the amusement,taxes collected in the district be paid over to the local body of that district or town board as the case may be," was the text of a resolution passed by the Gore Borough Council for which the support of the Petone Borough Council was re-; quested. The letter was received.

The Timaru Borough ..Council asked support for the abolition' of the present ■method of constituting electric power boards and the substitution of a poll of the ratepayers for the purpose. The letter was received.

The Assistant Under-Secretary, Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington, acknowledged receipt of the statement showing the council's antecedent liability, and asked for information with regard to the deposit of the War Memorial Committee of £1049 16s 8d shown thereon, a,s it was questionable whether the same could legally be included. The Town Clerk stated that lie had placed the whole matter before the Department of Internal Affairs, mentioning that the money had been held on call. "It was decided to await a reply to the Town Clerk's letter to the Department.

The borough solicitor, in regard to the Hcretaunga Boating Club lease, advised that any lease granted to the club would ba void and ultra vires if any provision were made for the letting of the proposed hall. In any case tho Gover-nor-General must; consent, to such lease, and the borough solicitor suggested that the.general conditions be forthwith submitted to ascertain if the consent will be given when the actual lease is prepared. The Town Clerk stated that he had placed the matter before the Department of Internal Affairs, and it was therefore decided to await information from the Department and also from the Heretaunga Boating Club before taking taking further action. . ■ • The Gear Meat Company, Ltd., was granted a renewal of its slaughterhouse license. '

: The deputy housing superintendent stated that the. board would do _all in its power' to, assist the council in the collection of., rates owing to the council by some purchasers of the Government houses who have refused to meet their obligations. ■ The following special report was made by the borough engineer, Mr. A. Cowie:—

"6 Good Friday a fire started in the fern and gorse on the boundary of land occupied by Mr Pettit, Normandale, and, after running -along the edge of the creek, finished_.near the bush, but without doing any damage. On the 14th instant another fire started in the ferri at the end of tho Manngaraki-road, but als[o finished without any damage to the bushl The origin of both these fires is, I think, due to picnic parties. I have thoroughly examined the water supply to tho Government Workshops, and found everything in good order, with the exception of a leak from the tanks, but in any case this passes through the meter, and is paid for by the Government. In order to discover whether any part of the supply was taken off the fire main, I first tried all the taps, and then caused the valves for the fire main to be shut, and found that the sami* flow was stilt coming through the taps as when first examined, thus showing that the shutting off of the fire main did not affect the supply. lam thus able to say' that no part of the supply is> from the fire main. According to the resolution of the council, the lights in Jackson-street from Victoria to Queenstreet, are to be left alight during tEe night, the lighting being done by the council and the night watchman employed by the shopkeepers to put them out. This the night watchman positively refuses to do. Keeping the lights alight during the night interferes with' the lamplighting contract, and some arrangement would have to be made with the contractor, seeing that the additional service would materially interfere with his mantles, and in any case it would mean arranging with someone to get "up at daylight to extinguish' the lights." In regard to the lighting of Jacksonstreet, the question) was held over for the shopkeepers toJrender assistance.