BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Gisborne Times, Volume VIII, Issue 535, 1 October 1902, Page 3

BOROUGH COUNCIL.

The fortnightly meeting of the Borough Council was held last, night there being present . The Mayor:'Mr Townleyj, and Cr.s Mason, Hepburn Bright-, •Harding Whinray, and Kennedy. Apologies were received from Crs Jones and Miller, who had been in .Wellington, and also fron Cr'Lysnar,

NEW BUILDING

Mr Ilaisman, builder, wrote 'risking the Council for a grant of about lilt. of the road before Mr Bull’s and the (adjoining shop, in order to erect ft hoarding according to the by-laws of the Council.—Granted. AC Cl DENT INSUK AN C Id. A communication was received from the New Zealand Accident Insurance Company, as to the insurance of persons, things,and animalsy The Mayor .said it would mean an expenditure of £lO, and he moved that the offer be accepted. Cr Whinray seconded. Cr Harding urged that they should first make more enquiries m the matter. He declared that accident insurance was largely a farce, as a man g'ot a loth in until he had oeen ill lor a fortnight. 1-Ie would like to know

more about the matter. The Mayor agreed that they should lie careful as to expenditure, but if they were going on with roads and drainage works, etc., they should have such protection. Air Harding: We can lake it out at any time. Tho Alayor: Yes, hut we should have this protection.

The motion was carried, Cr Harding dissenting.

NIGHTWATCHMAN,

Air Alorell made his usual satisfac:>ry report. OVERSEER’S REPORT.

Mr AI. Alorgan, road overseer, repor, ted that the road from Disraeli street to Roebuck road lias been formed and gravelled ; the earth carted from Aberdeen road had been deposited in the low lying portion of Disraeli street, thus leaving the block half formed. It was decided to have the formation completed.

WORKS COMMITTEE. The Public Works Committee met on Tuesday 23 September, when there was present the Mayor, Crs Harding, and Hepburn. Your Committee have to'report as follows ;

MILL ROAD.; Air Nolan wrote offering ro give the Council £IOO if they would form and metal Mill Road in lieu of the work being undertaken by the owners, provided the work was- commenced imme-

diatelv. After du£ consideration the Committee would recommend the Council to accept the offer and undertake the work. POST OFFICE FOOTPATH. Au estimate was submitted by the overseer for re-forming and asphalting the footway around the New Post Office. The Clerk was instructed to Writs to the Public Works Department asking if the Government would pay

half the cost as is usual in such eases. CORONATION BAND ROTUNDA Specifications for the erection of the Band Rotunda were .submitted and approved oL TOWN CLOCK, Mr Webb, the contractor for the New Post, Office kindly offered to throw 'the building open foi; the public on Saturday 27 th inst. A collec-

tion will he taken up for the Town clock, The offer was accepted with tfiaji'ks, and the Mayor was asked to /endeavour to get the bind to turn out in the evening, and .to have the building lit up-. In reply to Cr Whinray ,the OverStOi: said that the work on the Alill roal could be done for £IOO by diminishing the quantity of gravel. ft coa l be done to comply with the Act. The Alayor said ‘that the only slipuialior. was that the work was to be rlnni at. nnr’A

Cr ” Kennedy said they desired to

sell tho hum. • ' Cr Bright said he did not see why the Council should do the worn at all. It was a had precedent.' The Mayor: Not with reeds. We huAi* to,take it over and nui ntain the road afterwards. We have ll e staff and plant and can do it better than private individuals. ■ 1 After further discussion, c ’ r ' e .[\ on the motion of Cr Wbinray, seconded by the Mayor, that the. report of the Committee he adopted, Cr Bright dissenting. The Town Clerk said that no reply har been received from the J’ostal Repayment as to the footpath. It was resolved to receive Mr Webb s oner with thanks. The Mayor made the suggestion that the collections he for admission to the building. turanganui bridge,

A full report was given t y the engineers ns to the bad state of the lurar.ganui bridge,, to which attention had been called by Mr A. Y. Ross. Cr Mason said that the report indicated practically a new bridge.

GY Harding said that it meant an expenditure of 'between £7OO and £BOO 'ihc Mayor said that it was absolutely necessary that something should he done promptly. Once the cords decayed the spans would soon lie done with. It would mean a cost of from £tOO to £9OO. hut if they could make the old deck do for a time that would mean a reduction of £4OO. Gr I-larding said that there would he mo chance of that, for the engineers wee right in showing the necessity of a new deck. The bridge had stood wonderfully well. ( r Whinray said that the report put it clearly that it was absolutely necessar/ that something should uc done prrmptlv. lie moved that tiie engine ei -.. he’ asked to prepare details upon which tenders could lie called. Gr Harding seconded the motion, being convinced that the work should f.q attended to without delay. Tiie Mayor said even if they had to leave oilier urgent works aver, they uuulil not leave tlie bridge in that very dangerous condition, and by effecting repairs as soon :ys possible tpey would be saving money. C’r W’hinray’is motion was carried. TENDERS. Two 'tenders were received for supplying 1000 yards of Patut.mi metal : .Sauent and Sons, 0s (id (by traction engine), and ■Rodgers , Greaves, and Co. 7s lid. The previous year’s ten(lwas 7s 9d. Tile first t-.niter was inmrmal. On the motion of the Mayor, Messrs Rodgers, Greaves, fin'd Co.’s trader was accepted. For tiie erection of the hand rotunda two tenders were receive I—Maelaell ail! Colley £281; M. Haisra.i . £2OB. The Mayor said tiie estimate given Was £234. After some discussion, tiie Mayor nir veil that the lowest lender lie accepted. It was a very line structure. Unless they erected the rotunda they \> ould got no money from the Harbor Heard, County Council, or Government. Cr Harding seconded- the motion. The majority of people desired the rotunda to he in tiie Recreation Ground —that was settled, lint for tiie extra £H they should have a good slructuic, as (lie plan would give them. in reply to Cr Bright, tiie Town Cicrk said there would he a.iout £2f>U available. Tire Mayor said the Council expected a refund on other expenditure. 'the lowest tender was accepted. BEAUTIFYING ASSOC! GITON. Cr Hepburn said the Association had driven their drain in recreation ground through the well,, which, maCe it useless for drinking purposes. ' lie Mayor : What does that matter. We can’t keep tiie houses tliere. Ci Hepburn said that it mignt lie of use for picnic parties, but whether it was or not, the drain could have been put in without destroying ll'e well. I hen ivs to (lie end of Disraeli street, tree-- had been planted only eight fees from the Chinaman’s fence, c a would have to lie shifted in time. The/ would do no harm at present. CT Kennedy said it would Kill them tc- shift them now; They could he shifted next year. KAITI ROAD. In reply to Cr Mason, tiie Mayor said that they had not yet eceived a definite reply as to rontrihutions, hua tiie sun and a little shingle were keeping tiie road in fairly good condition. BOROUGH LOAN, la reply to Cr Harding, tiie Mayor saivl that the price of money was so high that they would either nave to wait or alter their tactics in regard to tiie water and drainage loan. They saw that tiie Victorian Government had not been very successful and report said that tiie New Zealand Go. veil ment was not too successful.

Ci- Harding said there had been much delay, and if they could not do ai.y thing, they ought to let the ratepayers know. Cr Whinray : I think they know putty well now. Tiie Mayor said that 4 per cent, if mis were pot in favor just now. Audi,er tiling was the mortgage tax, which they Imped to see redued. Cr Madding sad it would lie satisfactory to know how long tiie delay would likely he.

The Mayor said inat they had contemplated getting (lie money uom Die Government.

Ci Harding said that some of them had known anil said at the time that it was hopeless to expect to get the tiie money from Government. The Mayor said tiie commit_ee would make a report at next meeting.