HASTINGS BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XV, Issue 216, 11 December 1925, Page 3

HASTINGS BOROUGH COUNCIL.

ORDINARY’ MEETING. The ordinary meeting of the Hastings Borough Council was held evening, the deputy-Mayor. Cr. Al. Johnson, presiding in the absence of the Alayor, Mr. G. A. Aladdison. Ors. P. Al. Cohr. S. J. McKee, R. Baker, G. C. Lowe T. Donovan. R. E. Hay, S. J. Simmons were present. Leave of absence was granted the Alayor. CORRESPONDENCE. Correspondence was dealt with as follows :— . . The New Zealand Society of Civil Engineers asked that facilities be granted for the Council’s engineers to attend the annual meeting of the society in Dunedin on February 16, 1926.— Deferred until next meeting. The New Zealand Institute of Surveyors sent a circular copy of a letter which was being forwarded to the conference of local bodies to be held in Dunedin this month. The letter was in regard to the importance of the establishment and • preservation of standard survey marks in districts. — Received.

Air. H. Al. Campbell. ALP., forwarded the Alinister’s reply to him regarding the council’s representations in connection with the desirability of removing the railway tanks. The Alinister intimated that ho was having inquiries made into the matter and would communicate again.—Received. The Hawke’s Bay County Council, in reply to the Council’s communication claiming exemption from the payment of rates on the forest land in the Alangaroa block, suggested that as the laind was used for the purpose of public plantation in connection with which it was anticipated in the near future to derive considerable revenue from timber, it could hardly be called a public plantation, and further suggesting that the opinion of Air Alartin, solicitor to the Alunieipal Association, should be taken on life point.— ft was decided that the opinion of Air Alartin should be obtained.

The International Federation for Town and Country Planning and Garden Cities, London, invited the Council to join.—It was decided that the Council should join the federation. WOAIEN’S REST. The matron of the AV omen’s Rest reported that everything was in working order. The total attendance, lor November was 2904 and the total receipts £l4 2/3. WORKS AND RESERVES COAIAHTTEE. The Works and Reserves Committee met on December 3. Crs. Cohr (chairman). Lowe. Hay and Simmons being present, and reported as follows.— Borough engineer s report:— Water and Sewerage: Ten sewer connections wore laid during the month. Thirteen water connections were laid during the month, making a total of 2508. The water pumped during November compared with the corresponding month last year was as followsHavelock North: 1921, «.- 816,000 gallons; 1925 1.309,000 gallons. Power station : 1924. 13,180,000 callous: 1925, 16.050,000 gallons. Total: 1921. 20,996,600 gallons; 1925, 20,350,000 gallons. The total cost for November. 1924. was £213 12/1. and lor 1925 £227 1 1/2.

Road Work: The work of preparing the avrious roads for bitumen surfacing under the loan schedule was proceeding and would be ready at an early date. The surfacing of the county portion of Havelock road was commenced or the 18th November, and should be finished, weather and circumstances permitting, by the end ol the year. .

Sewer Extension. Frederick Street : The contractor was pushing on with this work, the conditions had improved and better progress was being made.

Witfi regard to a petition for a concrete footpath m Queen street, between Aliller street and AVillow Park road, the committee recommended that this should be placed on the B schedule oi works to be done. —Adopted. The Hawke’s Bay County Council had called attention to the quantity of gorse growing oji the borough side of Collinge road and also on Plassey street, and the matter as affecting Collinge road had been referred to the engineer for attention ; Plassey street, however was not in the borough. The committee recommended that the Hawke’s Bay County Council s attention be again called to the overgrowing hedge along Alaraekakaho road from Stortford I/odge to Orchard road, as the work had not been done.

—Adopted. The committee could sec no necessity at the present time for the kerbing and channelling round Victoria Square, but recommended that concrete paths be laid from the street boundary to the gateway at each of the four entrances. —Adopted. 'the Alayor had suggested that where new kerbs were consiructed white tiles should be placed in the kerb indicating the location ol fire plugs, and pointed out that the present system was expensive. The committee recommended that the engineer report as to the best means of giving effect io the Mayor’s suggestion, and to collier with the superintended ol tlie Fire Brigade in connection therewith. —Adopted. The caretaker of reserves reported: The new run for the deer and wallaby had been completed. The bronze tablets had been fixed to the Cornwall Park gates and g>ve a neat finish thereto. Air. D. Austin had presented a pair of guinea-pigs for Cornwall Park. The committee recommends that .Mr. Austin be thanked and that a concrete floored enclosure be provided for these animals and for the rabbits. The caretaker points out that owing to the dry weather the water m the creek has diminished considerably and suggests that in order to give the swans and ducks more room, the bottom end of the drain be wire-netted in. similar to the top portion, and that the birds be given the run of the lull length of the drain as far as the playground; this would necessitate about five rolls of netting and battens, at an estimated cost of £5 7/6. Ihe committee recommends that this suggestion bo adopted. . Au application had been received ironi .Misses Tomlinson and Suiter for one of the tennis courts at Cornwall Park for their sole use for which they offered £4 for the remainder of the season. 'Hie committee recommended that this offer be accepted, the voung ladies to find everything and mark out the ground.—Adopted. FINANCE AND ELECTRICAL < OMAI ITT EE. The Finance. Electrical and Library Committee met on December >, Crs. Johnson (deputy-Alayor) Donovan and AlcKee being present. Leave of absence was granted tile Mayor and ViSimpson. The committee recommended that accounts paid between November 9 ami December 7. amounting to £4282 6 10 be approved. , , ♦ The committee recommended tnai schedule of accounts tor payment, amounting to £1637 3.5, be adopted. BALANCES OF ACCOUNTS AND RATES. The balances of accounts and rates at 30th November, 1925, were as follows

Statement of rates al 30th November, 1925:—1925-26. levied £35,173 6/5; collected, £6,747 5/8; outstanding. £28,426 0/9; 1924-25, £1.122 7/2. £853 7/3, £268 19/11; 1923-24, £498 2/7. £142 2/3. £356 0/4; 1922-23. £2B 13/8, £28.13/8: 1921-22 £1 13/10, £1 13/10. REPORTS. Th e electrical engineer’s report showed that the total number of units generated for November, 1925, was 139,800, compared with 88,760 for the same month last year, while 12,290 gallons of fuel oil had been used in November, 1925 and 8,176 in November. 1924.

The borough inspector had reported that during November he had been out at night with an assistant and had caught several persons using water in contravention of the by-laws. He left a, list of the offenders for the Council to go into. The committee recommended that as a final notice an advertisement be inserted in the papers to the effect that owing to the continued abuse of the privilege granted for the use of water for watering gardens between 6 and 7 o’clock in the evening, in future all offenders without exception would be prosecuted and if the offence then continued the privilege would be cancelled.— Adopted. GENERAL. Air. Rowe, chairman of the Boy Scouts Association, haa applied lor permission for the Military Band to play a programme at 8.15 p.m. on Sunday, Dec-ember 13. on the stand at Queen Square, and for permission to take up a collection in aid of the Boy Scouts camp equipment fund, and the committee had granted this request provided the entertainment does not clash with the Citizens’ Band fixtures. —Adopted. The librarian had been authorised, nt the request of the Alayor. to make up a parcel of discarded books and magazines for the Old People’s Home.

—Approved. Owing to the increased number ol subscribers in the library the order placed with Air. Chivers lor 25 books per month was amended to provide alternative monthly supplies of 50 and 25 books.—Approveci. Regarding th© sale of the abbatoiy property the sub-committee had intimated that it proposed submitting the whole of the abattoir property in one block for sale by auction. The committee recommended that the Alayor confer with the sub-committee with regard to the reserve price, and that tlie whole of the auctioneers should have the same chance of submitting this property to auction and that the names should be balloted.-—Adopted. Mr. John Hall was appointed registrar of dogs and dog tax collector for next year. It was decided that the date ol the next meeting should be December 21 and the first meeting of the new jfear on January 28.

General account *319 9 0 Hospital Board lew . . . *969 0 Rivers Board demand 22l) 11 Harbour Board rate- . . Library account 343 13 () Water account 5/3 9.569 16 4 Electrical account • ) 4 'theatre and pictures ac. 4.188 4 Municipal Buildings ac. Interest accounts ... ’<192 9 Cemetery account 266 1 6 £49.000 streets etc. loan 23.311 11 4 £32.000 electric loan .. *Dr. 2.785 13 0