HASTINGS BOROUGH

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XX, Issue 149, 13 June 1930, Page 9

HASTINGS BOROUGH

COUNCIjL ADMINISTRATION CORRESPONDENCE AND MONTHLY REPORTS. MATTERS OF INTEREST TO RATEPAYERS. The council met last evening, the Mayor (Mr G. F. Boach) presiding. Present: Crs. B. Henderson, P. Loach, C. H, Slater, W. J. Lyon, G. W. B. McCormick, T. Donovan, B. Baker, and J. Simmons. The Main Highways Board advised that the council’s share of the petrol tax for. (he .past .quarter was £354 19s lid.—Received. The Department of Internal Affairs advised that £154 had been paid ipto the bank to the credit of the council on account of auteioneers’ license fees. —Received,. The secretary of tho W.E.A. (dustings) wrote thanking the council for its donation of £ls.—Received. The Municipal Association advised that the following resolution was pass ed by the executive and that the cdun oil’s adoption of it was recommended: ‘‘That, with a view of facilitating the inspection of motor drivers’ licenses by traffic inspectors, and, also, in the interests of the motor driving public, local bodies be asked to adept a uniform colour system for licenses, such colour to conform with that of the number plates for that particular year.,’ ’ —Approved. The Hustings Chequer 'Bus Co. notified its intention of discontinuing its services bn the Hastings West and Parkvale routes.—Received. The Parkvale Golf Club applied for permission to connect four of tho greens on Beatson’s Park with the high pressure water system laid on to the club-house, and also the motorist camp buildings.—Referred to the engineer to report to the reserves’ committee. Another offer of land (about JOO acres) suitable for afforestation purposes was offered for sale to the .council.—Received. OFFICIAL REPORTS. Tho Borough Ranger last month impended eleven head of stock and received IDs in fees. To date he fcas sold 503 dog collars and collected £202 4s 6d for same.—Received. Tho matron of tfie Women’s Rest reported that the total attendance in May was 5346 (patrons 4157, visitors 40, and Plunket room attendances 1149). Cash receipts totalled £2l Os ud. She gratefully acknowledges a parcel of magazines from Miss 0. Nel son. Everything in the building was in good order.—Beeoived. The sexton reported thut there were eleven interments at the Hastings Cemetery last month. IiOBOUGH RESERVES. Superintendent (Mr ’■¥. W. Adams) of Reserves reported that usual winter work had kept tho staff busy during the month. At Cornwall Park the monkey and parrot pens had been remodelled and two small shelter sheds erected. He was experiencing difficulty in finding suitable material for re-thatching the roof of the circular bird pen, but hoped to find it this month. All the trees on tho forest reserve were clean cd around and would not require attention until next spring. Ho asked for assistance for pruning (he street trees. The strip of land in Railway road, between Lyndon road and Smith ampton street, was cleaned and levelled in readiness for sowing and planting.—Report adopted, the request for assistance in pruning being granted. He was authorised to purchase a mow ing machine, the price being £74. ENGINEER’S REPORT. The Borough Engineer (Mr C. E. Evans) reported that. 19 water and sower connections wore laid on during May, bringing the total to 3'325. Water pumped totalled 23,750,000 gallons, as compared with 24,400,000 12 months ago. The work of cleaning tho open'stormwater drains was proceeding and the extension of the sewer in Williams street was practically completed. TRAFFIC INSPECTOR. The Traffic Inspector (Mr J. B. Dunnett) reported tat up to the end of May the following number of licenses were issued, the amount of fees being in parenthesis:—Goods cart 10 (£10); taxi 5 (£10); motor drivers’ 1255 (£313 15s); hawkers’ 5 (£2 10s); heavy traffic 75 (£640 Is lOd). Twelve applicants for moiar drivers’ licenses were tested and ten passed. Thirty-six persons in charge of vehicles were prosecuted for breaches of by-laws and regulations—eleven were riders of lightless cycles. Throe motor lorries were weighed and found to be ' overloaded.—Report adopted. ' THE LIBRARY. The Librarian reported that 34 adults and 47 children joined the .ibr ary while 19 adults and 30 children left, leaving the totals at 769 and 413 respectively. A sum of £37 9s lOd was banked. New books placed on the shelves numbered 52 and were giv ing every satisfaction. Ten volumes of ‘‘The History of the Great European War” were donated by Mr A. Grant, of Hastings, and Mr C. Thornton, of Hastings, presented a book entitled ‘‘Mystic Isles of the South Sea.” —The report was adopted and letters of thanks are to be sent to the’ donors, and also that Mr Grant be made a honorary subscriber to the lending library for one year in recognition of his valuable gift. It was decided that anyone desiring to take out a reference book must, if not one already, become a subscriber to the lending department, and in addiiion tq the fee for the use of the book must deposit 15s against tho possible loss of the reference book, GENERAL MATTERS. Regarding the suggestion of Cr Lyon that native trees be planted along the drives of the Cemetery, the Superintendent of Reserves reported that be had no native trees available for this purpose, but they could be

procured at a cost of about £l.—lt was decided that the width of the drive from Orchard road be reduced from SO feet to 36 feet, and that the native trees, as recommended to the lleserves’ Committee by the superintendent, be purchased and planted along both sides of the new drive. A gift of a rhododendron tree by Mr F. M. Wallace, of Hastings, f or planting in Cornwall Park, was accepted with thanks. Regarding the proposal to open up the blind end of Burnett street the owners of the properties in that locality are to be advised that as soon as the land in question was dedicated to the council, and £lOO paid as agreed upon, then the council would attend to the work of putting in of a culvert over the creek and" to the lor mation and metalling of the road. Six samples of milk were taken by the Borough Health Inspector (Mr C. Carrell) last month and sent to the Government analyst for examination. Ono was found to greatly exceed the required standard.