RUNANGA BOROUGH COUNCIL

Greymouth Evening Star, 7 April 1943, Page 3

RUNANGA BOROUGH COUNCIL

MONTHLY MEETING The Mayor (Mr. E. Kennedy) presided at last evening’s meeting of the Runanga Borough Council. Present were Councillors S. O’Neil, W. Williams, C. Barrow and A. Auld. The Town Clerk reported that in handing over the books and funds of the Gymnastic Hall committee, the secretary (Mr. J. Devine) stated that he was making a donation of the £5 due to him for his services as secretary, on the understanding that the sum would be subsidised by the Government grant.—lt was decided to write to Mr. Devine thanking him for the donation. Mr. R. Dayne wrote regarding the drains fronting his property.—Referred to foreman. The Mayor said he had obtained a report on the condition of the piano at present in the Gymnasium Hall. It revealed that the instrument was past repair. It was essential to have a piano there, and pending the purchase of another piano, Mr. G. Bell had offered the free use of his. —It was decided to send a letter of thanks to Mr. Bell. Mr. R. McTaggart, junr., wrote regarding a water knock in the pipes to his property, stating that joints were commencing to leak as a result of the severe knock. —The trouble is to be investigated. The foreman reported carting 31 loads of gravel and 32 of spoil. Drains were cleaned on Twiss Hill to Hart’s corner. The grader was used on three days. The concrete wall in Raleigh creek, fronting J. McTaggart’s property had been completed. The concrete path, there had also fallen away and an endeavour was made to lift it, but without success. It was recommended that cement and gravel be supplied to Mr. McTaggart to rebuild the path to his own satisfaction. A concrete water channel near the Post Office has been made. Fortyseven feet of 2ft. concrete pipes and 22ft. of 12-inch concrete pipes have been laid at the frontage of the Coop. Bakery, and the ground filled and levelled. A concrete inspection chamber has been provided there also. Twenty feet of 12-inch pipes have been laid at Piner’s property and two 24-inch pipes in Pitt _ Street. The decking of the bridge in Herd Street has been built, up flush. The intake chamber has been cleaned and the sluice valves opened. One leak has ioeen attended to, and two blockages of mains, caused through coal being lodged in the pipe line. Four men are at present employed on Scheme 13.— The report was received as satisfactory. Building permits totalling £175 were approved. The Town Clerk reported that with the approval of the Mayor, a temporary assistant had been arranged for the Council office, whilst she had been off work ill. Cr. O’Neil said he thought the Mayor took too much on himself when he made such appointments. Some of the councillors, at least, should be consulted. He had no objection to the action taken, but thought that Councillors should be consulted. The Mayor said that in an emergency such as that, he had certain powers to take immediate action. Surely, for such an appointment for a week, he was not expected to travel the town looking for councillors. If the appointment was for a lengthy period, he would call a special meeting, but the appointment was for one week only. On the motion of Crs. Williams and O’Neil it was decided to ask the Railway Department to arrange that ti ains from Rapahoe, when called to stop at Runanga for any period, pull up at the signal stick, and so keep the main thoroughfare in Seddon Street epen to road traffic. Cr. Barrow said he had attended a meeting at Dunollie, called to discuss the formation of a bowling club. The meeting decided to go ahead with the proposal, and he had been asked to obtain the Council’s permission to use a portion of a recreation reserve at Dunollie for the green. It was intended to lay the green by voluntary labour.—Permission granted, terms to be arranged later. Cr. Barrow urged the re-formation of a works committee, and on his motion seconded by the Mayor, Crs. Williams and O’Neil were appointed for the next three months. It was reported that a deputation had met Mr. J. Hadcrol’t, of the Mines Department, regarding the proposal to lay concrete pipes along the whole of the drainage system at the new housing block at Dunollie. Mr. Hadcrol’t gave the deputation a favourable hearing, and it was hoped to have the request complied with. STONE CRUSHER PLANT Cr. Auld raised the matter of the stone crusher, saying that a new and very valuable electric motor was standing idle. The whole plant was uneconomical, as crushed metal could be landed on the job cheaper than the Council could produce and lay it. The only way to improve the roads was by “tar sealing, and the crusher would not produce suitable metal for sealing. The Mayor said that the reason the machine was idle was that the Council could get neither labour nor sufficient petrol to carry on the work. Cr. Barrow moved, Cr. Williams seconded that the electric motor be sold and the crushing plant dismantled. Cr. Barrow said that his reason for moving the plant be dismantled was that the foreman was very short of heavy timber, and secondly, the plant was in the wrong location, in any case. Cr. O'Neil was not in favour of selling, but would rather lease the motor for a term, so that the plant would be kept intact until more favourable times, when the question of shifting it could be considered.

Cr. Barrow said the plant had been idle now i'or 16 months. There were people crying out for electric motors, and it was criminal, to have a first class motor standing idle. On the motion being put, Cr. O’Neil was the onlv dissentient. It was decided to instal a water pressure gauge at the swimming baths.

Cr. Williams moved that in connection with the proposal to build a deep sea harbour at Greymouth, the Council write to the Minister for Marine and the Member for the District pointing out the natural advantages ol.' Point Elizabeth for a deep sea harbour, and asking that this area be given consideration when the question was being discussed. The original survey carried out by the British Admiralty had shown the Point Elizabeth site to be the only one suitable and there was no evidence of any change in circumstances since the report was made. The motion was seconded by Cr. O’Neil and carried. It was reported that owing to vandalism to the telephone booth at Dunollie, the Post and Telegraph Department was considering removing the booth altogether. The Mayor said that the booth was a much appreciated facility to Dunollie resident, but windows had been broken, electric globes broken, and generally, the booth had been continually damaged. A watch is being kept to catch any vandals.