BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Grey River Argus, 13 October 1922, Page 6

BOROUGH COUNCIL.

ORDINARY MEETING. j I The ordinary meeting of the Greymouth Borough Council took jilace last evening, there beii:g present: —Mis Worship the Mayor (Mr .1. J>. Lynch), Councillors, >~ioglund, AlcGinley, Colclough. D'uogan, Williams, Baty, O’Brien and Grcaney. Air Doogan apologise.l for the absence or Cr. Farlitt. jhe Mayor moved that a vote ot thanks be accorded to lhe two policemen on duty on the occasion of the recent Town Ball lire, and to Hie Grey mouth Fire Brigade. Seconded by Cr. Williams and carried. The Alayor stated that he had the pleasing information that the Borough Engineer was now on his way io recovery. The minutes of lhe previous meeting were read and conlilined, and the outward correspondence approved. CORRESPONDENCE.

West Coast Football Association , wrote re use of Recreation I’vound for; playing purposes. Or. .Doogan said | that the i’resident of the Association I (Mr AL AlcKeowen) hud approached I .iim on the matter. He thought what' a small Committee would settle the matter much quicker than the whole ■.'ouncii. Ip to date, the Council had I not received a penny from anyone towards the improvement of lhe Recrea-' .mi Ground. The Hockey Club had also applied’ for the ground. He was hinv the dit-l ferent clubs would pull in with tnol Council in regard to terms lor play. I The southern end of the ground could 1 be cleared. An arrangement could be come to with the Li.-agim, so that: a ' portion of the takings on the days that { charges for entrance were made should i go toward the improvement of the! ground. Ho would move that the[ same Committee be again appointed to meet the different football clubs ami turn meeting of the Council. Cr. Skoglund seconded the motion, and said he understood the Council had already granted the ground to the League. Cr. AlcCiinlev said he understood that [ the western portion of the ground had j been given to the t'nited Football Club ■ to clear for playing purposes. Cr Colclough thought the matter as

between the Association and the League was settled. He had attended a meeting at th-e Recreation Ground one] Sabbath morning, when it was decided that the Association was to have the! ground every fourth Saturday. The motion was put and carried. From H. Al. Joyce, re water on foot i path in Afurray Street. —Received and referred to the Works Committee with| power to act. Au extract from New Zealand Gaz-1 cite, re amended regulations under Th<* j Municipal Corporations Act, 1920, wa <; received. From T. E. Y. Scddon, ALP., re- 1 petition oF Council re assistance for protecting Railway Line. —Received. Grev Branch New Zealaml Educa-

tional Institution wrote re co-opera-tion of local bodies to hold an ‘‘Education Day.’’—-Received, ar- 1 AlayoJ appointed to repres-ent the Council. ( A petition from residents of Bonn- , dary, Guinness and Gresson Streets, re the erection of the asphalt r.rtu ia“ plant next to the Pound was received and ordered to lay on the table, no action being necessary as the tar plant was already being removed to the Gas Works. Cr. Williams moved the following motion of which notice had been given That the resolution appearing on the minutes of this Council dealing with payments to the, stall' while incapacitated be rescinded, and that the Alayor convene ’a special meeting of the Finance Committee to discuss the best means of dealing with the above matter. That the Town Clark in the meantime ascertain the cost of insuring all employees against sickness or accident. Cr. Williams said the resolution on the books of the Council hud originated because a certain empToyee, who worked all sorts of hours, had received full pay while off sick. In this case, the man had met with an accident; the insurance company had given 55 per cent, and Hie Council -If per cent of the payment. He did not know who authorised the full pay. 7. it were made a hard and fast rule that the employees were to received Tull puy us a matter of right, he was afraid that it would be overdone. If tire employees were members of a Sick an l ' Accident Society, they would be receiving more money than when working. The production of a doctor's certificate had been referred to; but ■while he was not reflecting on the medical men, they were sometimes di Indent about ordering a man back to ■work after sickness. The finances ol the Borough were in such a state as to require careful administering. The people were already paying heavy hospital ami charitable aid rates. He did not think it the business of lire Borough to take up Hie duties that were allotted to the Hospital Board. Cr. Colclough seconded the motion pro forma. Cr. O’Brien said he opposed the motion. It had been said that the re solution dealing with sick pay for the Borough employees had been passed hurri-edly. The Councillors had had plenty of time to think the matter over. It only dealt with permanent' employees, and with the exception of a man, who was sick when the motion was passed, not one man had been off sick. The workmen were not receiv-

ing a big wage, and they needed money inore when they were sick than when they were working. -Managers, engineers, and officials of the Council | wore paid when off sick. Some o' them did not, need the money. If the ■ workmen did not get sick pay, no other employee should got it. Councillor /Williams had said that other Councils-

and Gas AVorks did not give their men sick pay. He would remi mi Councillor Williams that we on the iA>ast were different from other parts of Nev Zealand. We had our old West Coast traditions to uphold. The resolution on the AEinute Book was only a hu inauitarian resolution, and should remain’ there until something as goou took-its place. He had no objection to the motion being remodelled, but he had a decided objection to taking it form the minute books altogether The Alayor said he concurred with almost all Councillor O’Brien had said. He thought that full information should be received on the matter, befor the resolution "was recorded. He had always paid his employees full} when they were sick. ■ Cr. Colclough asked whether the Ala yor had convened a special meeting,

md whether the 'Town Clerk, had ascertained the cost of insuring the cm ployees against sickness and accidents. The Alayor pointed out that the special meeting could not take place until the motion was carried. The Town Clark had received answers from some Insurance Societies, but full information was not yet to hand. (T. Williams said he would not take second place to Cr. O'Brien as a humanitarian. The position of the Council was what concerned him. He din not wish to do any •employee out o assistance. Ho agreed that the motion be amended by striking out the two first lines. The amended motion read as follows:— •‘That the Alayor convene a special meeting of the Finance Committee to discuss the best means of dealing with the above matter. That the Town I’leik in the meantime ascertain the cost of insuring all employees against sickness or accident.’’ The motion as amended was carried. REPORTS. The. Chairman of the Finance Committee (Air Doogan) reported as follows:— (I) Accounts passed for payment totalled £227(i/2/.l 1. (2) That a meeting of the Borough Council and the Blaketown Ratepayers’ Association take place this night fortnight for the purpose of discussing the matter of supplying gas to Blaketown. (3) That the Council send a representative to Parliament for the purpose of laying before the Parliamentary Committees the Council’s pcTTnion for compensation for the protection of the Railway lin-e on the river hank, and also to represent th-e Council re the Greymouth Native Reserves Bill. (-1) That th-e overdraft at present is £5340 18s 2d. On the motion that the Report as a whole lie adopted, Cr O’Brien said he dissented from the portion of the report which dealt with sending a representative to Wellington to represent .the Council on the Greyniouth N’tifiv-o Reserves Bill.

PUMPING ENGINEERS REPORT. I have to report for period ending October Sth, that cverytAiing worr<oo well until Al outlay 2nd when I stopped No. 1 set to have the main brasses Im cd up. I lifted our lhe main shaft and sent the brasses to the foundry first thing and received them back at night. When I started to draw lhe piston it jammed and after trying a*, methods to get it out the forward ami without success, I had to dismantle, Hie cylinder and drive it out of the liner backwanls. Fitted new piston rings and gudgeon brasses and bedded down main shaft ami got this set working again at 1.30 a.m-. on Thursday. The gas consumption for No. 1 set was .‘<s9, 900; No. 2 set, .“<78.000; cylinder oil 27 gallons, lubricating 23 gallons. INSPECTOR ’S REPORT. I have to report that during the month of September there has been a very bad block in a drain at the residence of Airs B. Parkinson in Tarapuhi Street, which has been cleared, but I am afraid it v. ill give trouble again before, long. 1 had three ]>rusecutiuns and three convictions against the owners ot stray cattle. There has also been the usual routine work which has been attended to. SECTONS REPORT. Cleaned up one wide road and portion of another one and burnt all trees and rubbish between new ami old ground. Burials for the month IG. Permits received to 'erect enclosures, one double and two singles per Air •Sampson and one single per Air Bellamy.