HAWERA CIVIC AFFAIRS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 22 September 1926, Page 6

HAWERA CIVIC AFFAIRS.

BOROUGH COUNCIL. MONTHLY MEETING. The monthly meeting of the Hawera Borough Council was held last evening, when there were present: The Mayor (Mr E. A. Pacey) ; Councilors W. G. Strange, W. Page, G. J. Bay fey, E. Morrissev, J. M. Townsend, W. K. Butler, A. Reid and W. G. Walkley. An apology was received from Or. H. N. Lester. REPORTS. The engineer (Mr J. Sturrock) submitted his renort as unden: — The order tor this season’s .supply 1 of bitumen, has been placed for 40 tons >w ith the Imperial! OiL Co. Wo used this class of bitumen last season and found it very easy to work with. Thb price ife about 15s per ton less than last rear, and the amount half that of last

year, in accordance with my reduced annual estimates. -Cracks in the -tarmacadam footpaths are becoming fairly numerous. These were laid in the old days of tar, and experience has -shown the correctness of one of my early reports expressing misgivings as to the permanence of tar, and the wisdom of the borough in getting over to bitumen as soon as possible is now apparent. Tab is a perishable material. I have bought -some Texaco cold patch, which is bitumen mixed with some evaporating fluid, such as naptha. -Being more or less fluid, it can be poured into- the cracks, and may, when dried, close them up to some extent at least with said bitumen. It will be necessary to keep attending to the cracks, or further deterioration may follow. I have finished the drafts of the new by-laws for reinforced concrete, and have sent them to Mr Silver, of Wellington, for his criticism. W-lien returned I will hand them to the borough solicitor to be scrutinised. Thereafter they will he 1 landed to- the council for consideration. Some work has -been done in the chipping and levelling of footpaths in Nolantown. The usual maintenance work has been in progress. The inspector (Mr L. Hunt) reported t-liat house inspection had been carried out along the business area of High Street, and in Victoria Street, notices lieing sent to owners and occupiers wife re nec-essai-y. Eight building -permit® were issued -during the month. One by-law prosecution was brought before the- court, a conviction being recorded. Dog registration fees amounted to £1 .LOs. Twenty drivers’ licenses had been issued. In the course -of inspection of bowser tanks, one had been condemned and replaced. Race traffic had been well conducted, no accidents being reported. The sanitary inspector (Mr F. G\ Coleman, reported that eight- samples of milk had been taken during the month. Fo-od premises inspected, included five butchery, three dairy, and two fruit establishments. One- requisition for improvements wa-s made. The librarian. Miss M. F. Newland, reported that 20 subscribers left during the month, chiefly on -account of the commencement of the busy milking season, while 17 new ones joined. The total now stood at 517. Twenty-five new hooks, including -seven of good general literature, had been bought. The ranger (Mr G. H. Blackwell) reported- that wandering stock upon t-lie borough streets during the month had .amounted to three cows -and one horse. The reports were adopted. TENDERS ACCEPTED.

When tenders for alteration at the abattoirs to afford protection against flies, birds, etc., were received, the Mayor, rep'ying to Cr. Morrissey, said the estimate had been £l5O. Cr. Morrissey questioned! the wisdom of spending this amount on. what would practically be. a temporary work, and suggested that it would be better to erect- another room in which to hang the meat, provided the extra cost was not prohibitive. He moved that no tender be accepted! in the meantime, pending the consideration of extending the present building as suggested. Or. Reid seconded. In reply to Cr. • Walkley, the Mayor said! that he thought, that the extension would cost about £IOOO. Continuing, lie- said- that white he -agretod •that Cr. Morrissey’s suggestion was a good one, and; one -that- would eventually prove inevitable, he felt -that it would be advisable to proceed with the present work and to continue the extension later.

Cr. Butter, chairman of the abattoir committee, pointed out that the lowest tender was within £lO of the estimate. He favoured the -acceptance of the tender instead of proceeding with the proposed extension,, and as an amendment he moved accordingly. Cr. Townsend seconded, and the amendment was carried and confirmed as a resolution.

Mr G. Hayton’s tender (thei lowest received) at £159 7s 3d, was therefore accepted. Tlie same contractor’s tender -at £32 8s for the provision of swing doors in the vestibule of the Borough Chambers was also accepted. PETROL PUMP INDEMNITY.

The general committee recommended that the amount- of indemnity insurance to be effected by licensees of bowser petrol, pumps be fixed at £3OOO. Cr. Walkley considered that this amount would fall too, heavily upon licensees, pointing out that the premium for each pump insured would be £ls. He suggested that a- comprehensive indemnity policy providing cover up to £9OOO ‘for three .simultaneous accidents, with a limit of £3OOO per. pump, spread over -all the pumps in the borough, would he sufficient. He moved that such -a -policy be- accepted by the council. Cr. Townsend seconded. On the motion of Cr. Rayloy, the council wbnt -into committee to discuss the question, and on resuming reported that Cr. Walkley’s motion had been carried. STRATFORD-MAIN TRUNK RAILWAY. The Stratford Progress League forwarded a copy of -a resolution praying that the Minister of Public W orks should endeavour to have placed on the Estimates at next session, a- larger sum than -the £180,900 at present provided for the Stratford-Okahukura railway.— On the recommendation of the genera, committee, it was decided to reply suggesting that the matter bei referred to the Taranaki Local Bodies’ Association. GENERAL. Referring to -silent policemen, the inspector, in his -report, stated : “I would suggest that the council dispense with all tlie present portable traffic indicators, and replace them with the white concrete ones -similar to those which ha vie been placed; -at some of the intersections. —The works committee recommended that the council should) view all traffic domes before deciding upon the standard, and: this was adooted.

With reference to the application of the taxi licensees for, exemption from payment of heavy traffic fees- until after representations had been made to the member of Parliament for the district, it wa.s deoided, on the recommendation of the general committee, to advise the licensees that in- view of

Government’ si action the council rco retted its inability to assist them, but promised to instruct delegates to again, oring the matter up at the next meeting of the Taranaki Local Bodies’ Association. . Oil the recommendation oi the general committee, the question of fui*ther consideration of the by-law dealing with the speed limit of vehicles over intersections was referred to the By-laws Committee to again confer with the Automobile Association, together with the borough solicitors. ” Cr. Strange referred to the state of the footpath outside several sections in Wilson Street, where the level of the sections was below that of the footpath He said that the footpath had broken away in places, and mere was danger of accident occurring to pedestrians in the dark. —It was decided to have, the- matter attended to. In expressing its thanks to the council tor granting the u>se of the hockey ground at King Edward Park, the committee controlling the Taranaki Ladies’ Hockey Tournament, on June 3 forwarded a donation of £5. —The clerk was instructed to reply conveying the council’s appreciation of the action of the committee. ' On the application of the holder, the auctioneer’s license of Cecil Faris was transferred to Edmund Albert Hill. . .

The Hawera Retailers’ Association, in a, letter dated September 15, requested that the council should increase. its subscription (at present three, shillings per month) paid towards the salary of a night-watchman. — Councillors^ agreed that before taking any action it would be advisable to ascertain the amount of increase desired, and the matter was accordingly held over.

Provisional approval for the erection of .storage tanks for bulk petrol was granted to the Vacuum Oil Company Proprietary, Ltd. A deputation from the Hawera branch of the Workers’ Educational Association waited upon the council at its last meeting, requesting a subsidy. On the recommendation of the general committee, the council decided to advise the association that it regretted it could not see its way clear to grant the- request. On the recommendation of the general committee, an oiler of £4 per year for the lease of the tea kiosk at King Edward Park was accepted. The engineer, (Mr. J. Sturrock, wrote to the council to' the effect that as there was not a great deal of work to be done . within the borough ‘ for some time to come, he proposed to apply for another position at present vacant, and so relieve the council. —In moving that a testimonial requested by the engineer be furnished, Cr. Townsend expressed regret that there was a prospect ol‘ losing Mr. Sturrock’s services. —The motion was carried.

The matter of providing an additional light in Albion Street was left in the hands of the chairman of the lighting committee, with power to act. Authority for effecting certain repairs in the council meeting room was left in the hands of the Mayor and Town Olerk.

Special permissions regarding erection of and additions to buildings involving relaxations of the by-laws were granted as follows, on the recommendation of the works committee: WReid, on behalf of J. Crawford, to erect motor shed two feet from jiouitdary; Masonic Lodge trustees, to erect additions in wood; Mrs. M. M. Evans, to erect motor shed one foot from boundary. The baths committee was empowered to fix charges of season tickets for the swimming season, and a’iso to deal with, the matter of the alteration of hours during holiday periods. On the recommendation of the. cemetery committee, the tenders of Messrs J. Hopkirk and Co. for iron gates (£2B) and Messrs J. W. Tong, Ltd., for concrete posts (£44 13s) for the new cemetery gates were accepted. The necessity for repair work on the grandstand facing the cricket ground on King Edward Park was stressed bv Cr. Townsend, and on his recommendation the reserves committee was requested to bring down a' report. -