HAWERA BOROUGH COUNCIL

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue LXVIII, 20 June 1912, Page 5

HAWERA BOROUGH COUNCIL

FORTNIGHTLY MEETING. The fortnightly meeting of the Hawera Borougn Council was held oa Wednesday night. There were present: The Mayor (Mr A. W. Gillies), Us Morns, Goodson, Reid, Jones, Barmby, iSargeson, Baker. Apologiestor absence were received from Crs Mornssey and Whittington, and leave of absence was granted to them. A letter was received from th© Ladies' Coronation Committee stating that it had been resolved that seesaws (one large and two small) should be erected in King Edward Park, and that £7 6s held by the Borough Council be used for that purpose.—Referred to I the Reserves Committee, with power t» act after one month. Cr Goodson reported that he had. PARK IMPROVEMENTS, seen. Mr Macklam in reference to his offer of £50 towards the cost of constructing a lake in, the Park, and had I been informed that the money would be available when the Council made a. start with the matter. He (Cr Goodson) would like to see the Council have a plan prepared by way of a start. Cr Barmby said that Mr Macklam had na desire to dictate as to detailsof the work, tout wished to see a start made; In answer to the Mayor, the Engineer said that sna rough plan be had prepared some time ago of a ktke about 100 feet long the estimated co6fc was about £150. Cr Baker mentioned that a number of people had expressed confidence^ that if a start was made it would be possible to collect the whole cost t>efore the work was finished. It would be a good idea if a lake to serve tio dual purpose of amusing the children and model yachting could be formed. Cr Reid did not a^orove of the work being undertaken before the Council knew where the money to complete it was coming from. His Worship moved that the Engineer be instructed to draw out plans for a miniature lake at a cost of £50 in accordance with Mr Macklam's wish-. If the citizens subsequently subscribed sufficient money for a model yachts lake, his Worship continued, the'lake could be enlarged accordingly. Cr Reid seconded the motion, whichwas supported by Cr Barmby and eventually carried. FINANCE COMMITTEE'S REPORT. The Finance Committee recommended that a loan of £5000 be raised for erection of water tower., also for extension of water mains; money to be obtained from Advances Office if possible, and that balance of finance be effected by way of overdraft. GENERAL COMMITTEE REPORT. The General Committee recommended that the Finance Committee's report be adopted, and that the Borough Engineer's plans for water tower beadopted, subject to Mr Dobson's approval ; that the applications for extraordinary water supply from G. Castle and A. Moosman be granted on the usual conditions; and that ilia Council approve the resolution received from the Gisborne Borough Council on the subject of the insufficiency of hotel license fees, with the view of petitioning Parliament in the matter, if such - a coxirse was considered advisable. The Town Clerk read a telegram from the Advances Office, stating that the maximum loan obtainable from It would be £5000, and the rate of interest with sinking fund £5 Is per cent per annum. . His Worship, in moving the adopntion of the report, said this made it evident that the duplication of the main was out of the question at present, and the erection of a water tower must be gone on with, or an increase in. fire insurance rates faced. The motion was seconded, and €?r Morris then moved an amendment that the recommendation in regard to hotel license fees be deleted from the report. Cr Reid seconded the amendment. His Worship opposed the amendment, saying that if hotel licenses were worth. the same fee many years ago, they must be worth more to-day; and if it was held by the legislature that they were worth - more why should not the borough get the benefit of it? The amendment was lost and the motion was carried. His Worship moved that a poll of ratepayers be taken in accordance with. the Act to obtain their consent to the raising of a loan of £5000 for the purpose of erecting a water tower and extending water mains. Cr. Goodson said he thought it would be l>etter to raise a loan large enoughs to carry out all the extraordinary work in connection with drainage, etc., which, would shortly be coming on, and suggested that enquiries be made of some other financial institutions. It would be as easy to borrow £10,000 as £5,000, and there was no doubt that as the town grew more works would be required. His Worship pointed out that it would not be wise to do water-tower, drainage, and reticulation all ai> once. If this £5,000 were borrowed now, when it was expended and the immediate work done, it would probably be just as easy to . borrow another £5,000 later on quite as favorable terms, and next year a goodt deal of drainage would probably be possible out of revenue. Cr. Baker said that even if the whole sum necessary were borrowed now, itmight not be possible to get enough men: here to do all the work at the one time, and a lot of the money would be lyingidle. The motion was carried unanimously. ENGINEER'S REPORT. The Borough Engineer (Mr J. C. Cameron) reported that he expected to have the CambeYwell road sewerage completed within the month. Now that the channelling in Victoria street had been laid down, he found that the large flow of water to High street was liable to be blocked through insufficient grating area opposite Wilson street, which became blocked, and, further, the dam across Waihi road taking the High street water was not sufficiently large k am? required to be augmented. The cost of the alterations would be about £12, and they were vei'y necessary. The General Committee recommended that the suggestions of the engineer be approved, and the recommendation was adopted, with the remainder of the^ committee's report. ABATTOIR REPORT. The manager (Mr E. T. B. Worthy) reported the number of stock slaughtered during the month as follows: Cows, 67 heifers, 31: bullocks, 4; calves, 16; sheep, 356; lambs, 65; pigs, 65. Th<\ fees amounted to £76 4s 3d. The re-tui-n was a record, and showed an increase of £3 15s when compared with the return for May last year. The average age of cattle slaughtered was 4.3 years. MONTHLY MEETINGS. -" Iti accordance with notice given, Cr. Sargeson moved "That the resolution of June 10, 1911, be rescinded, and thatin future meetings of the Council be.

held once a month, on the second Wednesday." Cr. Barmby seconded the motion, which was carried, after Cr. Baker had <jpposed and Cr. Goodson supported it. A MATTER OF EVIDENCE. In answer to Cr. Reid, Cr. Goodlon said he had attended the Railway Commission, and had supported the railway in preference to the tram, on the ground that, it would do the greatest amount of {rood to the greatest number of people. He thought that when the railway weut through, the traffic on the Manaia road would be sufficiently relieved to permit of the abolition of the. toll-gates. Cr. Goodson said he had a copy of his evidence given before the Commission, which he would ask the Town Clerk to read, and it could be published. His Worship objected, saying that the Press had not been allowed to report the evidence at the Commission, and, therefore, the copy of evidence forwarded to Cr. Goodson must have been sent him confidentially. The evidence was not read out. Cr. Barmby said be had been surprised on reading that Cr. Reid had. at a Council meeting, in his (Cv. Bavmhy's » bsence) criticised the evidence given by him at the Commission, when he (Cr. T?-eid) could not possibly have known what that evidence had been. He (Cr. Barmby) had, he considered, done his duty conscientiously in the evidence he hncl given before the Commission, and had said what he could in favor of the train. He had his evidence with him, and would like it published if possible. His Worship explained what had occurred at the Council meeting to which Cts. Goodson and Barmby had referred, and that the discussion had been stopped Iwause Crs. Goodson and Barmby were not present. Cr. Reid claimed that being appointed ij.s delegates Crs. Barmby and Goodsou should have advocated the views th"?y were delegated to voice, or else have resigned as delegates. It must have struck the Commission as peculiar to hear the Mayor's evidence and coun-ciiios-s' evidence in contradiction. Cr. Baker said he thought Crs. Goodson and Barmby had done the right tHrvg by advocating what was besb for the greatest number, and therefore best for Haw era. Cr. Morris said that if Crs. Goodson nvd Barmby had conveyed to the Commission what the Council had delegated it to' do that was sufficient. Crs. Goodson and Bavmby reiterated that they had done so, and the subject then dropped. There was no further business, and the Council adjourned.