GREY BOROUGH AFFAIRS

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 July 1945, Page 3

GREY BOROUGH AFFAIRS

MEETING OF COUNCIL.

The .Mayor (Mr. F. A. Kitchingham) presideci over an attendance of the following members at a meeting of the Greymouth Borough Council last evening:—Councillors P. Blanchfield, F. F. Boustridge,_ G. R. Harker, H. Hutchinson, J. B. Kent, and J. E. Stokes.

The Grey Hospital Board forwarded a cony of the Board’s estimates and stated that the levy' on the Borough in the current financial year would be £10,623 (slightly less than last year). . The Municipal Association, advised that the Minister of Finance had agreed that any loss occasioned public abattoirs due to various control orders and rationing or due to wage increases would be met by allowing abattoir charges to be increased after clue consideration by the Price Tribunal and the Department of Agriculture.—Referred to the Abattoir Committee. It was stated that one application for approval of an increase in abattoir charges had been turned down, but that probably another application could now be made. The Sanitary Inspector, Mr. L. \V. Reid, forwarded a copy of a requisition served on Mrs. Swetnam that she carry out certain improvements to a house property in Leonard Street. It was suggested that if the owner failed to take immediate action the Council consider issuing S closing order.- — Consideration of the report from the Inspector was deferred until the next meeting, when the period allowed m the requisition order will have expired The Westland County Council advised that the proposal to establish an abattoir to serve the whole <n the Coast was not favoured by the CounCi On the same matter the Grey County Council asked for further particulars of the proposal. it was decided to ask the Medical Officer of Health and the Department of /Agriculture to report on sites suitable for an abattoir to serve the whole of the Westland and Grey districts and to advise the Grey and Westland Counties of -the action being taken. The Westland District Progress League wrote asking that something be clone aubut the poor lighting of the street past the north-eastern approach to the" Greymouth Railway Station coming from and going to Cobden.— Referred io the Works Committee with power io act. r Al . The Registrar 01 the Court of Arbitration advised that the Court had on July 16 made an order amending the Greymouth Borough Council Labourers’"Award in terms of the agreement between the parties. ± . The Karoro Bowling Club wrote in connection with the proposed lease of a portion of the Borough Reserve to the club stating' that the committee was anxious to proceed with the formation of the green. The Borough Enffinecr had stated that owing to shortage of labour he would not be able to complete the work in connection with the drain lor about three months. His willingness to assist was appreciated and the difficulties he faced were realised. What concerned the committee, however, was the definition of the area available. It was understood that the Council was negotiating with the Government on the matter and information regarding the position was asked for. —Left to the Engineer to reply. Westland Auction Co. Ltd., wrote a«kinr for permission to construct on the west side of their premises in Mackav Street a short verandah of wood and iron—On the recommendation of the Works Committee it was decided that a building . permit be granted for work in conformity with the by-laws. Mr. Gordon Patterson wrote Stating that no purpose was served by stipiilating the building of a parapet on.the back wail of the garage he was building and asking the Council, to give this matter consideration as it added unnecessarily to the cost of the building. . The Works Committee recommend-ed-that Mr. Patterson’s application be declined. CT. Kent objected to the application being declined and said he thought the applicant was being penalised, by being put to unnecessary expense. - Cr. Hutchinson expressed the opinion that the proposed parapet would not. serve any useful purpose. The Mayor said that Mr. Patterson asked for concessions in the- iirsc place and they were granted; now ne had come back for more concessions. In reply to the Mayor the Engineer (Mr. A. J. Fairmaid) said that Mr. Patterson was present when it was stipulated that there should be an 18 inch parapet at the back, but he added that Mr. Patterson had said then that he would write to the Council. Cr. Boustridge said the next, request would probably be for permission to erect a spouting over the outside edge of the building, which spouting would then extend over the adjacent property. The Council had already made concessions. The Mayor said he would never allow anyone to put the spouting of a building over any other person’s property unless there was an agreement between the parties. .After further discussion the recommendation of the Committee was aoOpf rhe Blaketov/n-Preston Road Ratenayers’ Association wrote, asking n. ft " would bo possible to make a rounded corner on Mr de Goldi s section at the intersection of Rigg and Reid streets. It was stated that children crossing the street were unable to see approaching traffic. The following recommendation oi the Works Committee was adopted:— That Cr. Herring and the President of .the Blakotown Ratepayers' Association ' interview the holder of the oroperty which .would be affected by the proposal to set back the corner at the intersection of Rigg and Reid streets. Mr W. Caldwell. Chapel Street, stated that he intended to terrace tne front of his property by putting in concrete walls. To do this it would bo necessary to encroach on the simet line, and he asked whether the street was’likely to be continued on the south side past the Alexander Street intersection. The following recommendation ol • the Works Committee was adopted:— That Mr Caldwell be advised that be may terrace the street on the frontage of the property, provided the retaining wall close to the formed roadway shall not encroach upon the street beyond a line from the intersection of the south-eastern building line oMAlexander Street with the southern building line of Chapel Street to a point on the line of the eastern building line of Alexander Terrace and 30 feet from the intersection of that building, line with the northern building line .of Chapel Street, the footing of the wall to be at a do-nth to be fixed by the Borougn Engineer, and the whole- of the work to" be done to the satisfaction of the Engineer. WORKS COMMITTEE The following recommendations of the Works Committee were adopted: That the resignation of Mr H. T. Trouland be accepted, that a letter of ■ oopreciaticn of services rendered be forwarded to him; that the Engineer, report upon plant for the carrying ( out of borough works, and upon the; use which would be made of that 1 ulant; that the Engineer arrange for; the erection of street lights in Monroe ■ Street in accordance with the spac-' ing elsewhere adopted 'in the Borough; that the site of the old Fire Brigade’s reel house on the Tainui Street frontage of the Children’s Park be approved for the erection of pub-

lie conveniences for both sexes,.and that the Engineer prepare plans accordingly; that concrete kerbing and channelling on the north-western side of High Street between Buccleugh and Franklin Streets be proceeded with following completion of footpath work on the block bounded by Shakespeare, Marlborough and High Streets and Paroa Road; that the Engineer be authorised to negotiate with the Grey Hospital Board for the connection of the Hospital sewers to the Borough sewerage system, the basis of negotiation to be net cost of carrying out the work; that a new station governor house be erected at the Gas Works upon completion of the Preston Road sewage pumping station. ENGINEER'S REPORT The following report by the Engineer (Mr A. J. Fairmaid) was read and adopted:—Had it not been for the break in the weather towards the end of last week the concrete kerbing and channelling in Shakespeare Street would have been completed, about one chain yet remaining to be done. Of general works, principal attention was given to repairs and maintenance of tar-sealed surfaces. It became necessary to remove further spoil from the Easson's Hill slip, and in Convent Lane and Joyce Crescent attention has been given to road surfaces. The formation of the Newcastle Street footpaths have been completed, metalling is in progress, and dwarf concrete walls to lend lateral support 'to neighbouring structures are being built as required. An extensive sewer repair was carried out in Chapel Street by the replacement of 32 feet of six-inch pipes by pipes 12 inches in diameter, fhe sewerage work in Sturge Street has been suspended for the past fortnight in order that the men might be available lor the laying of nine-inch pipes across Chesterfield Street and the Cemetery approach road to further the drainage of the Cemetery, the then existing pipe under Chesterfiedd Street being in a collapsed state and giving rise to a depression on the roadway. The reservoir has been kept full by an average daily pump run of 17.43 hours. The ’bus passenger shelter in High Street is nearing completion and will be ready lor use as soon as painting has been completed, probably during the current week. The contractors are about io re-commence work on the McGlashan Memorial Bridge in the Children’s Park. The northern end of the Recreation Ground has been ploughed and left exposed to the weather pending sowing in due course.

DEPARTMENTAL HOUSE RATES

The Mayor quoting from a report of a meeting of the executive oi the Municipal Association, said that the Minister of Finance had advised that, in response to representations from the Association, he had agreed to pay rates on departmental houses other than State rental houses and other than those occupied by employees of a particular department for the more effective prosecution of the work of that department. The Government had also agreed to pay rates on houses where the State was the mortgagee-in-possession on the basis of occupancy in future in lieu of the present amount on the basis of the rent received. The Mayor added that it would be noted that this applied to houses and not to all State buildings. Where the Government had taken over a property it had always paid the special rates then payable on that property, but there came a time when the loan in -connection with which that rate was levied was paid off and then the Government liability ended as did the liability of the ordinary ratepayer. But, local bodies continued to borrow, and the question was whether the Government occupied houses were liable for special rates on any loans subsequently raised. For instance, there would be a waterworks loan and the position of Government houses in regard to liability for rates on that loan was'not clear. It was decided that the question be put to the Municipal Association.