GREEN ISLAND BOROUGH

Evening Star, Issue 20193, 5 June 1929, Page 3

GREEN ISLAND BOROUGH

FWtTNIGHTLY COUNCIL MEETING The Green Island liormigli Council held its fortnightly, meeting in the Green Island Council Chambers, those present being the 1 Mayor (Mr D. Smellie), and Crs T. M. AFAhan, I*. 1 ( Bennett, J, G. Lindsay, D. Stewart, A Logie, CL Orange, J. Passmore, L Tomkins, and J. L. Miller. WORKS COMMITTEE. The Works Committee recommended that improvements as suggested be carried out on the road in front ol petrol pumps owned by B. H. Tail; that Messrs M‘Lean. M‘Caw, and •Jakeway be written to and advised of drainage requirements as contained m inspector of health’s communication; that application be made to have Short street and portion of Kaikorai Valley road declared a main highway; that the council take steps to have Burns street, Shipka street, and Frederick street declared public roads; that application for £3 for £1 subsidy be made to the Main Highways Board for renewing bridge in concrete on Brighton road; that George street be piped to take sewage from houses. In moving the adoption of the Works Committee’s report Cr Orange stated that the council should consider the piping of George street, which was the woi’st in the borough. As it would later be a recommendation limn the Works Committee that the street be reformed and gravelled, bo thought it would be unwise to delay putting in the drainage until after the metalling bad been carried out.

Cr Tomkins stated that the matter should be held over until the estimates were made out. as there were other streets in the borough that required the same attention.

Cr Bennett supported Cr Tomkins, and said that the question should fake its proper place when the estimates were being consideredAfter a discussion the Mayor stated that the clause opened up a big question, and one that could quite well be held over.

jt was decided to leave the matter until the engineer could submit a report jyid the estimates were considered .

On the motion of Cr Logie, it was decided that the council would make a' tour of inspection of the lighting system in the borough on 'Tuesday evening next, at 7.30. RESERVES AND CEMETERY COMMITTEE.

In its report the Reserves and Cemetery Committee recommended that the application of the Basket Ball Club lor the use of portion of Miller R.ark Domain as a playing area be granted; that Mr W. Evans be advised that it bridge material iii Miller Bark was not removed within one week same would be removed to tire council yard; that applications be invited for the position of sexton.

Cr Passmore, in moving the adoption of the report, said that be iiad fully inspected the cemetery since flic previous meeting, and lound that the conditions existing were not satisfactory. The carriage way was in a bad state owing to the debris that had been left lying about by workmen who had been engaged in the cemetery at various times.—The town clerk was instructed to write to those employing the workmen drawing their attention t.i this matter. FINANCE COMM ITTEE.

The Finance Committee, in its report, recommended that Mr A. E. Ansell be thanked for his efforts in securing a better postal delivery ; that the question of securing a public telephone at Abbotsford be again taken up with Mr An sell; that an application be made for £25 from the Poppy Day fund. Hie same to be subsidised £ tor £ by the council; that finance report showing the district fund account with a debit balance of £1,266 Ss 3d be adopted. , , It was decided, on the motion ol mo Mayor, that the secretary draw up a report covering the estimates, such report to be considered at a special meeting of the council to be held on June 2s. and that in submitting such report the town clerk report particularly on il) the concrete kerbing and channelling and asphalting of footpaths; (2) the setting aside of a sum of money for the acquisition of plant; (3) the extinguishing of the loan indebtedness on the highway loan SMore the date of maturity of such loan; and (4) the proceeding with the .placing ol the £9,000 loan proposals before the ratepayers. ENGINEER’S REPORT.

Mr F. J. Williams (borough engineer), in his report, which covered a period of , about two months, stated that the Main Highways Board had reconditioned and sprayed the Concord portion of the Dunedin-lnvercargill Main Highway. The spraying appeared to be satisfactory, and the surface should remain in good condition until next summer. A considerable amount of drainage work bad been done, a lid that might require some attention until it settled down. The Brown's Hill portion of the main highway had been resurfaced and repaired, and after consultation with the council it had been agreed to have it tar-sealed. The work had been carried. .out. The first coat was . very satisfactory, but owing to the lateness of the season the second coat did not take so well. The engineer had had the opportunity of going over the work with the district engineer of the Public Works Department, and, while the surface did not show the result they ■ would like, they _ anticipated traffic would be able to iron out the ■unevenness and that spraying next season would bring the work up to standard. Tljo greatest portion of Look-out Point Hill section was still under the control of the Main Highways Board, but the portion under their control had been attended to, and was in good order. The Taieri Month Highway had received attention since the last report, and was in good order for traffic'. (Short street and Kaikorai Valley road had been repaired, the work having been somewhat delayed owing to other matters requiring the services of the outdoor staff. The repairs had been necessary on account of the closing of the Look-out Point portion, but should have been carried out prior to March .‘ll last.' ' It was, however, found that their finances would not permit having this done and accounted m some measure for the delay in attending to those streets. In any case, the expenditure would be forwarded to the Main Highways Board with the request. for the usual subsidy. Building permits amounting to £1,705 had been examined, during tho month and recommended for issue. The usual circular from the New Zealand Railways had been receiyed in regard to the railway level crossing signs, it would be remembered that the “Motor Vehicles Act, 1924” and regulations made thereunder threw the onus of erection and maintenance of those crossings on the local authorities, and the foreman thought that the council would have to proceed with that work at an early date. Crossings were apparently necessary at Karl street. Harraway’s road, Mam Highway, and School street. In regard to

those required on the Alain Highway, the Highways Board was prepared to subsidise the cost on the same basis as the maintenance of the highway. The question of declaring Shipka, Burns, and Frederick streets to be public streets bad been raised, and the council would remember that it had |iower to act in that matter. That procedure was necessary before any work could be done, as they bad no power to spend money cm private streets. ’ j The culvert at James sfreet was in a bad state. In the allocation of costs for the incoming year a sum should be set aside tor the replacement of the stone culvert with wooden top by con-! crete pipes, as had been done in Reid! street. :

Plans were submitted for the renewal of the bridge over the KaikoraiStream. The plan showed the superstructure in rolled steel joists and concrete handrailing and decking, and he estimated the cost of this work at £4OO. A separate estimate had been made to renew the work in timber, and that had been found to amount to £270. He was of opinion that the permanent structure was the one that the borough should adopt. The work would carry the usual subsidy from the Highways Board. While some assistance might be asked from outside authorities for the construction of this work, he was inclined to say that the cost involved should be borne by the borough, because should similar works be carried out beyond the borough they may be involved in their construction. Instructions were asked as to the council’s desires in this matter, for whatever plans were approved would have to be submitted to the Highways Board. Plans were also submitted for the concrete work in Duddington street, which had been passed by the previous council. They were submitted with the object of ascertaining whether the council desired the work to be carried out by day labour or by contract. had been the intention of the previous council to adopt the drainage and plumbing regulations drafted' by tho Medical Board of Health, subject to certain modifications which had been deemed necessary in the general interests of the borough. Advice had been received that the Board of Health considered the modifications too serious to be gazetted as such. He was unable to advise the council to adopt the regulations without those modifications agreed upon and presumed no further action would bo taken in the matter. In regard to tho Kaikorai Stream the question was one requiring much consideration. In the first place, if legislation _ were sought on the linos suggested in connection with the Water of Leith, the local authority would, in his opinion, bo required to extinguish the riparian right—a matter in their case which might or might not involve considerable capital expenditure. Assuming the solution of this matter, the maintenance and protection of the bank would devolve upon the controlling authority. It would mean a con-stantly-recurring expenditure, as each Hood carried down large quantities of debris, which must bo removed in order to maintain the Hood capacity of the stream bed. As the position now stood the council had tho power under the Land Drainage Act. 1908 (chiefly under section 62), to call upon the occupier (or, if there was no occupier, the owner) of any land on the banks of the stream and for a distance not exceeding 10ft from the nearest margin of the stream, to remove all obstructions of any kind calculated to impede the free flow of water in the stream, hi his opinion it would ho unwise, keeping in view tho financial position of the borough, to take . any action which would involve an indefinite expenditure in this direction. The report was adopted. A lengthy report on the damage caused by the flood was submitted by the foreman (Air T. E. Herbison),