BOROUGH COUNCIL

Greymouth Evening Star, 13 January 1928, Page 5

BOROUGH COUNCIL

ORDINARYMEETING. The first ordinary meeting of the Grey Borough Council fdr the year was held lak't evening ; present: Mr J. W. Grterislade (Mayor), Cfs’Jas. O’Brien, IE 'J.’ Williams/’J. B. Kent, D. M. Roberts6n. : Apologies for absence were received from Crs. J. McGinley, G. P>r6Ri, It B. Baty * apd the Town Cjeyk (Mr F. H. ‘Denton), who was m,Westland Syndicate applied for permission io cross and run along certain streets in the Borpugh with a water pipe line from Omoto to a proposed brewery site in ijpybert Street."’’ ’ i The Engineer stated that the Syndicate wished to bring the pipe line from a spring at Omoto to the section known as the “Tivoli.” Cr Wiljiam? jnoyed that'the request , be granted", subject to the Engineer approving of the laying of the pipes, anc| that the' Syndicate' be required, under bond, to make good any damage done to the streets either when laying the pipes or at any future time, the covenant to be approved by the Finance Goriimittee.—Seconded by Cr Kent and carried. ' The Grey Swimming Club applied for the ps6 of filie Baths from 6.30 p.m. to 1 ' 8.10 p.m? on February 11 for the purpose of holding a carnival. — Granted. lit was stated that a deputation from the Swimming Club was desirous to wait on the council to discuSs matters relative to the general conduct of the > baths. * ; Cr' Robertson said he understood there was a good deal of dissatisfaction regarding jjhb times at which the baths were /open for use. There were also other matters the club desired to discuss with the council. 'O’Brien said 'the present hours and’ tfie charges were purely tentative. There was a Bath Committee, consist; ing of jJrs. Jjaty and Kitchingham. The Mayor moved and Cr O’Brien seconded, that the position be reviewed by the Baths Committee.—Carried. The Department' of internal Affairs wrote asking if there were any surplus war trophies held by the Borough. Cr Kent said that the Museum was being reorganised, and the Committee would know shortly if there was anything 5 it did' not’ require. He understood that Cr Robertson was looking into the matter^—Reply was deferred, pending Cr'Robertson’s report. The Secretary of the Diainond Jubilee Committee wrote , requesting the council to have the graves of pioneers at Karoro Cemetery 'put in order before the Jubilee celebrations took place. ' The Mayor said h e had noticed letters in the paper regarding the graves. Mr Lord had also discussed the matter with hijn/"' ' ■' Cr Kent said the clearing of the Cemetery paths had been left to the CemStery Committee. The clearing up of the graves could also be left to that comrtiittee. Cr Q’Rrien said it was the duty of the Bof oiigE ’ CpuficiJ io do something to put iHe graves'ip order, gojne time ago ’ whfn the' engineers had laid wreaths' *on tlie piqpeer engineers’ graves,' it had ep necessary to renovate fhe graves. The recent talk about offending relatives of the pioneers by touching the graves was absurd. He felt that the pioneers’ relatives would not object' in the least.’ The Borough shoujd repipve ' appearance of neglect: "Visitors at Jubilee time would then have nothing to offend ' theif'susqeptj|\iljties; T|ie work would no| be pospy; a man to” assist the sextori 'for a few days was all that was required. Cr Kent moved and Cr O’Brien seconded, that the matter be referred to the' Engineer, with power to act.— Carried? >. . ' The Secretary of the Methodist Church Jubilee Committee wrote requesting the use of the Children’s Park for a garden party on February 8. —Granted. D. T. 'Cochrane applied for a license for an ice-cream cart stand in the Borough streets. ■«. The Mayor said he saw no reason why the license should not be granted, provided the stand did not interfere with the trade of the looal ice cream parlours, whose proprietors paid rates. Cr Kent remarked that the application opened up the question of what view the Health Inspector would take regarding ice cream sold on the street. Cr O’Brien said 1 that he saw no objection. to granting the application. Applicant was having a struggle owing to bad health. He could be given a stand which would not conflict with those already handling ice cream. The Mayor: He knows ij; is for the Borough Council to fix the site. Cr O’Brien arid Cr Kent seconded, that the 'fixing of the site be referred to the Traffic'Committee, with power to act, and fix the fee therefor. —Carried., '' ’ '

The Chief Inspector of Explosives wrote regarding the amendments to the Explosive and Dangerous Goods Act, 1920, and the regulations thereunder. The Engineer stated that the regulation's did not affect the position in Greymouth to any extent. The Mayor moved and, Or O’Brien seconded, that the Engineer and Town Clerk go into the.matter and report. Messrs Harley and Co.,' Ltd., wrote 'applying for an auctioneer’s license for 1928.—Granted subject to the usual conditions. The Mayor read a communication from the Engineers’ Association requesting the attendance of the Borough Engineer at the annual general meeting of engineers to be held in Wellington on February 21 arid the following days. The Mayor expressed himself in favour of the Borough Engineer attending. Such conferences were often full of useful information, and the interchange of ideas was often of benefit to those present. He moved that the Engineer (Mr A. J. Fairmaid) attend. Cr O’Brien seconded.— Carried. L. itekl, electrical engineer, Hokitika, supplier! particulars regarding an electrical silent policeman.—Referred tp the Traffic Committee and Engineer. Tw/> Blaketown residents wrote askjpg tliat the footpath fronting their sections 8 , be re-formed, the Borough having" previously promised to have the Work' done. They also asked that tile Borough Engineer indicate the road line to enable them to erect their .'CT' Kent moved and the Mayor seconded, that the request be attended to.— Carried. Th© Jubilee Committee wrote requesting the Borough Council to prepare h tableau, to represent a country in tljie Britifih Empire, for the Jubilee procession.' Cr Rent said the Borough horses

woiild be available, and the staff could prepare something in their spare time. The Mayor said the Council must take a part, seeing that it was its Jubilee.

Cr O’Brien expressed his willingness to assist. He was not sure of himself where tableaux were concerned, but would help any way he could.

Cr Kent moved and Cr Robertson seconded, that the Council reply that it would assist as requested, and that the question be referred to the Finance Coriimittee. —Carried. The Secretary of the West Coast A. and P. Association wrote, stating that iihe Association intended to run its own side shows at the show on February 15 and 16, and asking the Council to assist it by granting no licenses for side shows on the approaches to Victoria Park on the dates mentioned.

The Mayor thought the Council should assist the Association in the direction indicated. He moved and Cr Rent seconded that the request be acceded to arid no permits be granted to outsiders. —Carried. The Jubilee Committee wrote asking the Council to refer any applications made for having side shows during Jubilee week in Greymouth to that committee, as it wished to control all side shows.

Moved by the Mayor and seconded by Cr Wililams, that the applications be dealt with as desired.’ —Carried. STAFF REPORTS. 1 The, Engineer reported as follows : — Streets. —Mackay Street, south side, from Tainui Street to the Band Rotunda ; Lord Street from Tainui Street to Herbert Street, and part of Gresson Street, have been tarred and sanded. The mower has been employed as opportunity offers clearing long grass and weeds from the side of the streets. /Relief Unemployment Works. —The main part of this is now completed. The connection to the Johnston Street sewer will be made as soon as the other work is so far advanced that interference from tides will not affect the work. As soon as this connection is made, house connections may be connected up. The drain through McGinley Park has been cut and the flow directed, to the Johnston Street sewer. Building permits issued, 22/12/27 to 11/1/28 inclusive : —W. Hill, shop front, Albert Street; F. A. Bell, dwelling, Arney Street; J. A. Hart, dwelling, Town Belt North; J. A. Hart, shop, Mawehra Quay; W. Hill, shop front, Albert Street; J. M. Fairbairn, feed shed, Murray Street. The total value of biiilding permits for the morith of December was £14,461. ' Waterworks. —Enquiries’ are being made for a supply of lQin. casing for use in the bore holes at the Omoto Road pumping station. Two new water services were laid during December.

“ Cl- Williams suggested that the practice in vogue a short while back of the Engineer reporting the depth of water in the Borough Reservoir to the Press daily should be continued. The public, and particularly the insurance companies, would appreciate the information.’ The Engineer said the suggestion would be adopted. The report was adopted. Cr R. J. Williams (Chainnan of the Works Committee) reported that his committee made the following recommendations :—-Fencing open sections : That the various holders in. the town business area be requested to maintain their properties free from all rubbish and noxious weeds in lieu of fencing same. Lighting Town Belt, at Fein Trill : That no extension of the lighting system of the town can be- made at present- That owners of all properties whose fences are encroaching on the Boundary Street-Preston Road track, which is about to be put in order, be notified to remove the said fences to the building line as pegged out by the Engineer. All other matters referred to the Works Committee were being attended to. The report was adopted. The Traffic Inspector (Mr A. J. Sloss) reported that during the holiday season there had been much more traffic than at ordinary times, but it had been free from mishap. While he had been some days laid up, his son had officiated in his stead. The only accidents during the period had been one at Karoro, where a motor car and cycle collided, and one at Gladstone Siding. The freedom from accidents spoke well for the capacity of West Cqast motorists. He recommended that the domes at the street intersections in Mackay, Tarapuhi and Tainui streets, and on Mawhera Quay, be raised, to make them more conspicuous to- motorists, especially as the asphalting operations tended to hide them from, view. In cases where there were breaches of the traffic regulations, the offenders mostly had been outsiders, who should have known better. Adopted. 1 It was resolved, on the motion of Cr Kent, seconded by Cr O’Brien, that the question of raising the domes at the street intersections be referred to the Engineer, with power to act. The Borough Inspector (Mr WV. Cochrane) reported that despite the hot weather there had been freedom from complaints, due partly to the householders improving their places. A section between William Street and the railway had been cleared, and iron and rubbish, had been removed from Petrie Avenue. —Adopted. Qr Kejjt drew attention to the present promiscuous method of collecting pig food and stale vegetables from hotels, etc. lie thought the collection should be made only at specified hours; It was resolved that the matter be referred to the Borough Inspector by the Engineer. . On behalf of Cc MrGinley, Cr Williams moved that the two-inch water main in Doyle Street be extended to Collins Street in Blaketown, to enable six ratepayers to be connected up.— Seconded by Cr O’Brien and carried. The Engineer stated that the work would entail an outlay of £25. Cr. Williams moved that the erection of the superstructure of the Marsden Road bridge be proceeded with at once, the timber being on hand ; and that a competent man be placed in charge of the work.—Seconded by Cr Kent and carried. Cr Williams drew the Council s attention to the damage being done to footpaths by carters when taking timber into building sites. He thought a sum should be collected as a deposit to cover such damage, before a cart or vehicle was allowed to go on the ioot--1 Cr Kent reminded the Council that thdre was a by-law on the point, which required a deposit of £5 to be made. Cr Wililams said his attention had been drawn, to an instance in Kilgour Road where the footpath was soft and had been broken by timber-carrying

vehicles. He moved that a deposit of £2 be collected in such cases.

The Mayor moved and Cr Kent seconded, that the amount be £5 as in the by-laws. The contractors ought to pay in such cases. The Mayor contended that the motion would strengthen the hands of the Engineer. —Carried. ANOTHER MAIN REQUIRED. Cr O’Brien drew the Council’s attention to the inadequacy of the reticulation from the Borough Reservoir and advocated the addition of a second main there to join up with the town reticulation. The position, which he regarded five years ago as serious, had been more accentuated during the long spell of dry weather at Greymouth. In certain parts of the town, particularly in the higher localities, at the Hospital, and at the south end of the tojvn, there was practically no pressure, and it often happened that there was no water to be got out of the Borough service. At Cowper Street the pressure was bad, while at his own residence the pressure was weak. Those residing thirty feet above the level of the town could not get water. The position was serious, and it was the duty of the Borough Council to rectify it without delay. The question had been shelved for five years on the score of finance, but the time was here when it must be dealt with. Now that the service had been extended to Blaketown, and the Swimming Bath was taking a lot of water the position was serious. He would move that the Engineer prepare plans and specifications and enquire as to the purchase of the pipes .and other material. The matter could be finalised after the present financial year. Enquiries being made forthwith would save delay after the end of March. He knew a few thousand pounds would be required, but the work must be done. If the pipes had to be ordered from Home they would not need to be paid for until after the end of March next.

Cr Robertson seconded the motion. He said he knew of an institution which was being severely handicapped for want of adequate water supply. The Mayor said that the pipes would cost £2OOO, and it would be necessary to raise a loan. The work could not be paid for out of revenue. An increased water rate would be necessary to cover the loan. The motion was carried.