NAPIER MUNICIPAL COUNCIL.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 50427, 3 May 1878, Page 2

NAPIER MUNICIPAL COUNCIL.

Thursday, May 2 The Council met at 7.45 p.m. Present — Councillors Lee, Swan, Neal, Vautier, Faulknor, Dinwiddie, and Williams. In the absence of the Mayor, Cr. Vautier was voted to the chair. The minutes of the last (special) meeting were read and confirmed. public works committee's report. The following report from the Public Works Committee was read : — * Tlie Public Works Committee havinsr met pursuant to notice beg to recommend tlie Council to give effect to the following, viz. : — 1. Tliat the salaries of the auditors (Messrs Hoadley and Banner) for the ensuing year be £10 10s each. 2. That on the return of the Municipal Engineer the matter referred to in the Chairman Fire Engine Fund Committee's letter bo investigated. 3. Tliat the question of supplying hose, &c, to the Spit Fire Brigade be allowed to stand over till the return of the Municipal Engineer, and with regard to

.•"■' , j. '■ ; V"*fV!- J »*f •■ tho subsidy that' if select committeo be appointed to consider tho whole question of assistance to be granted to firo brigades. 4. That with reference tb .Mr Fulton's letter re filling in section 28— That tho approach to the section be made, and thut Mr Fulton be" requested to make it, arid that the account will be paid when tho work 'is certified to be done, providing the same does not exceed £7. "*, . 5. Tliat air Powell's application bo ref erred \9me acting engineer, and that he be requested to reporb thereon to next meeting, and estimate the cost of any alteration- ho may recommend. 6. Tliat the culvert be Carried across the footpath on the opposite side of the Star Hotel, Bmersonstreot. 7. Tliat tho vouchors for expenditure for the month of April be passed and ordered to be paid. ' J. H. Vautier, Chairman.-. On clause 3 being considered, the chairman moved that. a committee cousisting of the whole. Council, with the exception of the Mayor, be appointed to consider * the question in respect to assisting •• fire brigades. Cr. Williams seconded the motion: •_ < , Or. Swan moved,. as an amendment,- i that the first part of the letter of application from the Spit Fire Brigade, which was for the grant to them of some,, hose, ,. <&c, now in possession of the Oorporktioia, be complied with, on condition that the hose, &c, be granted merely as a '•• loan. ' . The amendment was not seconded: ' The chairman's motion was passed without; dissent. ""'X The otber clauses in the report' were adopted. . ■ . .' , THE SWAMP SECTIONS. •--'!. The Town Clerk read' four replies which he had received from owners of : > swamp sections as to whether they would fill in their sections, or guarantee the payment of the cost of filling them„ in by the Council, or sell the sections to the Corporation. One was from Mr Weber, whoi'eplied in the negative to the "two " first questions ; he was willing to sell Kis sections,. the price to be determined by arbitration, and he would take debentures for the amount. Mr Charles Dolbel re-V plied that he would fill' in his sections. m Mr Duncan Guy replied that he had/. 4lled in one-half of his sections, and was .; . willing to guarantee the payment of .the C. Cost of filling in the other half. Mr W. R. Blythe replied in the negative tio all *.'. three interrojgatories. ■ ■' ' ' The Chairman.suggested that the matter should be referred to the 'imunicipal^* solicitor. Or. Faulknor thought it would bead- • yisable to let the matter stand overj-untiT : , replies were received from, the;- [other section holders., T"" | ,Gr. Swan considered that the Council should proceed with the wort of filling iii {he sections of those; who' were willing to guarantee(ithe>costj and take the opinioii'pf the municipal solicitor -as to whether ; they could noi compel those who ref used 1 Ijo accept either of the alternatives Offered' to them-. He moved that the Corporation fill inVMr ! Gu£'b sections,' subject to- Mr ** Guy guaranteeing thecosfc. : r , ; ''''-'. ,y, ! -Or^Xee'i^^ J-'-'< K) JxJ- , r I Cr. Dinwiddieii thought ilb/wouldjbe^ better to let ' the matter stand oyer utofil ,' . more answers, were received. \7X-_. ' Cr. Neal '.said that the sections r npyr.. proposed to be filled in were in the middle" bf other unfilled, sections. . A commencement, he. considered, should.be made.at.-, the beginning, and the first' unfilled one was No. 350£'$.r' Blythe's,- sinS-if the. Swamp Act \ jiiiy worth r anything 1 the 7 Council ought 'to 'proceed' under it with regard to that Section.- yy -'-'Xy .'■-' "'' - ; Cr. Swan's motion, was \then piit to the vote, and negatived by 4 to 2.

ACTING ENGINEER'S, PROGRESS REPORT.. . Mr Bold's report of works executed;; during the past month was read.'. -. < ••'■_ // WIDTH OP STREETS}" IANES ; &0. A circular was read from the Colonial: Secretary's office, drawihg } attention -to clauses 184, 199, 200 y and 201 of the Municipal Corporations! (Act, having ire-; ference to the width* of streets, lanes/ and alleys. RECREATION GROUND. ' '* Or. Lee obtained permission to .post-, pone, until next meeting, the motion of which he had given notice with reference to the purchase of suburban sectiomjNo; 70 for purposes of public recreation. > HONORARIUM TO THE MAYOR.'-/. Cr. Lee moved, "That the sum. ?of £200 be granted to the Mayor as honorarium, and that the sum of £ " be' voted' annually as a salary to the Mayor;'-' ■■- The Chairman, speaking in support of the motion, said that it was high time, now that the 'municipality wm in its fourth* year; that a .regular salary for the' Ma^bt should be fixed; " : r ": , Cr. Swan would like the resolutioa : divided into two. He would support the first part, but should oppose the, second/ as he considered it the better course to | vote an amount each year.; * ' Circumstances alter cases "y was a well-known saying, and. it was very applicable to ;the present case. Cr. Lee jagreed to divide his motion, and moved, "That the sum of £200 be granted td the Mayor as honorarium; y The motion was seconded by Cr. Swan, and carried. Cr. Lee said he would now move the other part, filling in the blank with £200. The Chairman seconded the motion. ' - Cr.. Faulknor feared that if there "were a fixed salary of £200 attached to the office of Mayor; everyone in the borough would be putting up for it. \^ Cr. Swan thought it would be high timjlr''' to vote £200 to a Mayor when he waa. *. found worthy of rt. ,"""/ , r , Cr. Dinwiddie opposed/the motion, o» the ground that a vote df the kind would be more acceptable when it came fromthe Council each time. He also feared that if there were a fixed salary there would be more candidates for the office than j would be found to be pleasant. -. ■ The question was then put to the vote and negatived, the chairman and Cr. Lee alone voting for it. THE TURNCOCK. Cr Swan asked whether the turncock had complied with the decision of the Council as to residing near the water- ! works. i The Town Clerk said that the^cting engineer had given the turncock instructions as required by the Council, but whether they had been complied "'with he was unable to say. THE STREET LIGHTS. Cr. Dinwiddie asked whether any com- > munication had been made to the Gas Company respecting lighting the street lamps. On one evening recently the streets were in utter darkness until after 9 o'clock. He thought that a deduction for nights when the lamps were not lit should be made from the payments to the company. ■ • , The Chairman said that the matter was one for the engineer to see to. Cr. Dinwiddie feared that if so many things were left to the engineer, they would find that some of them would not be done. Cr. Williams considered that the company were treating the Corporation very badly. Night after night the streets were left in total darkness. Cr. Faulknor was afraid they would have to put up with it until the end of the year, and then they must take care to have conditions of agreement that would prevent any such needigence. After some further discussion, the Town Clerk was directed to write to the Gas Company on the subject. NOTICE OP MOTION. Cr. Williams gave notice that at the next meeting, of the Council he would move, " That the subject of utilising the waste water from the rams as an auxiliary to the present supply to the reservoir be considered, and that the acting-engineer be asked to bring forward a report as to the probable cost and best means of attaining such object." The Council then adjourned.