BOROUGH AFFAIRS

Greymouth Evening Star, 21 January 1944, Page 2

BOROUGH AFFAIRS

MEETING OF COUNCIL

The Grey mouth Borough Council met last evening, there being Messrs F. A. Kitchingharn (MayoiJ, F. F. Boustridge, J. B. Kent, „ t Harker, J. Stokes, G. M. Truman, J. Saunders and H. Herring. , The Runanga Borough Council aavised that it was prepared to pay to the Grey Hospital Board all morgue fees chargeable against it. The District Manpower Ofliced advised that approval had been gram" ed of an extension, of subsidy on .n>basis of 100 per cent, wages cost in the employment of 13 registered ai-d eligible married men and ol a week for one clerical worker, tor a further period of 13 weeks from December 27. , ■> The Ross Borough. Council forwarded a list of proposals alternative to the suggested extension or me South Westland railway.—Received. The Kumara Borough Council wrote supporting the nomination ol Mr F. A. Kitchingharn. as the representative of West Coast boroughs on the executive of the South Island Local Bodies’ Association. The Ross Borough also advised its support ol the nomination of Mr Kitchingharn. The Cobden Fire Brigade wrote inviting the Mayor’ and Councillors to attend a re-union.—lt'was decided <.o advise the Brigade that Crs Kent and Saunders will attend the function. Mr J. O’Brien (Minister of Transport) advised that the Minister oi Railways was prepared to subsidise the Borough Council to the extent ol £5OO to eliminate the flooding of the railway houses at Karoro, the question of when the work should commence to rest with the Council. The Mayor saia that it had been decided to call tenders and all the Councillors agreed that the wont should be done at the ealiest possible moment, but the necessary survey ./work had not yet been done.. . The Engineer (Mr A. <T. Fairmaid) said that he had advised the Railways Department in December that he would be calling tenders lor the work within three months. . ' It was decided to advise the Minister that the Council had already decided to call tenders but that the survey work had yet to be done. The New Zealand Institute of Engineers advised that its annual conference will be held al Wanganui next month and asked that the Council’s engineer be granted facilities m ‘■'ttend.—lt was decided that tne necessary facilities be granted the Engineer to attend the conference, after a division had been taken. Crs. Kent, Truman, Boustridge and the Mayor supported a motion, that facilities be granted, and the jVle.yor cave his casting vote in favour. Messrs C. W. Corbin and J. R. Anderson wrote drawing the Council's attention to "-what they termed the unsatisfactory state of the rubbish dump near their homes at trie western end of Nelson Street. It. was stated that quantities of foodstuffs were regularly deposited there with the rubbish, making the dump, a breeding ground for thousands of houseflies and numerous rats. —The complaint was referred to the Engineer to take steps to abate the nuisance. , The Greymouth Fire Board wrote asking the'Council to instal a standby pioc in Albert Street.—-The Engineer was authorised to procure the cast iron pipes for die job and have ii carried out. . i Dr. T Fletcher ieltord, Medical Officer of Health, advised the Council that his retirement will take eileet at the end of January, but that, ho will be visiting Greymouth with Ids successor, Dr. J. H. Blakelock, before that date, hie expressed lus thanks to the Council for its helpful, co-operation. The Mayor said that the Council should place on record its appreciation of the assistance Dr. Telford had always given it and the cordial -relations ‘that had existed between him and the Council; also that the Council should express its wishes for a happy retirement. The ‘motion was seconded by Cr. Kent, who also spoke of the cooperation received from Dr. Telford, and carried. STAFF REPORTS. The Gas Manager (Mr. A. J. Fairmaid) reported that the total cash receipts for December, 1943. were £1037/1/7, compared with £llB3 9/2 for Deecmber. 1942, a decrease g 1 £146/7/7, and that the cash receipts for the period from March 31. to December 31 amounted to £12,463 16/9 compared with £ll,lBl/4/11, an increase of £1282/15/10. Six appliances valued at £l7l/10/were fixed during the month. There was no extension of the reticulation system but extensions of consumers’ services accounted for 124 feet of pipe. The resetting of No. 6 bed has been, completed and similar work on No. 1 bed is now in hand. In reply to a query Mr. Fairrnaid said that the resetting of each bed took from two to three months. _ It was necessary every seven or eight years. The- reporc was received. The report of the Engineer (Mr. A.. J. Fairrnaid) was approved as follows: With the exception of essential maintenance work seasonal tar sealing lias absorbed the whole of the time of the general outside staff, who have also had their annual holidays. Sealing work attended to has been as follows: First coat work: Cemetery main drive-way. Second coat work: Footpaths, Clifford Street, north-western side; Fox to Ward Streets; Taylor Street, north-west-ern side, Bright Street to Nelson Quay; and in Nelson Quay between Taylor and Sturge Streets: in Sheecly and Badger Lanes, and that portion of the Grey Hospital yard already first coated'. Sewage was first passed through the main outfall sewer across Karoro Lake and Erua P/loana, and thence to the point of discharge on. the Grey River on. Thursday, January 13.' Final completion of the scheme requires the construction ol two small pumping stations in the Elaketown-Preston Road area and the laying of a short length of sewer in Packer’s Quay. The reservoir has been, kept full by an average daily pump run of 17.55 hours. Cr. Boustridge commented on the fact that except for the two pumping stations the sewerage scheme was completed. Though it had taken a good deal longer than was at first expected the Council had met with a creat deal of obstruction and great credit was due to the Engineer for completing the job in difficult circumstances.

The Mayor said that the sewerage was now available for substantially the whole of the town south of the river and the best the Council could do was to urge people to connect with it as soon as possible. Cr; Boustridge said that people in Mount Street had complained to him of the very low pressure of water in that street and he thought something should be done to increase the pressure by increasing the size of the wipes. The wprk had been authorised some time ago and the necessary pipes procured, but it had hot gone any further, A number of residents there had provided themselves with tanks, but they were now in need of replacement and tanks were not procurable. It. would be a serious affair if there was a fire in the area. He moved that the work be proceeded with at the earliest possible moment. The motion was seconded- by Cr. Herring. The Engineer said that the pines were in hand but the whole thing was contingent on labour. . Cr. Boustridge said he appteciat-

ed the fact that there was a shortage of labour, but he thought, at the same time, that the job had been shelved too often and it should now be treated as a matter of urgency. The Engineer said it. might be possible to get it done after the tarseal ing was completed but hardly before. The motion was carried.

It was also resolved that some waterside workers, if available, be employed on the Mount Street work, subject to resolutions already •passed relative to the employment of waterside workers. Cr. Saunders; said he had noticed that the municipal authorities in Westport had asked for a visit from scientists of the Department, of Scientific and Industrial Research in connection with plastics and he thought that Greymouth should also invite the scientists to visit the district. He moved: That the Council request the Minister-in-charge of the Scientific and Industrial Research Department, if and when officers of his Department visit the Buller district to investigate and report on the ’possibilities of coal carbonisation and wood utilisation, to include Greymouth in the visit so that they can discuss the questions with representatives of the West Coast Post-War industry Committee; and that the Prime- Minister and Mr. J. O’Brien be asked for their support of. trie resolution.

The motion was seconded by the Mayor and carried.