ELTHAM.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 1 August 1922, Page 3

ELTHAM.

BOROUGH COUNCIL

The monthly meeting of the Eltham Borough Council was held at the Municipal Buildings on, Friday. Present: The Mayor (Mr. G. W. Tayler) and Crs. J. \V. Carter, E. H. Thomas, G. H. P. Fitzgerald, J. Bridger, J. L. Campbell, A. F. Cuff, W. C. Clement, and L. Nairn. Messrs Wilson and Canhain applied for a permit to use the building in Railway Street as a hide, skin, and wool store. Mr. W. Thorpe made similar application.—Both applications were granted, and the license fee was fix«d at £1 per year. Wilson's Motor Supplies, Ltd., applied for a license for a dangerous goods store. Similar applications were received from the Farmers' Co-op., Ltd., \James H. Bodle, Joseph Taylor, C. A. Wilkinson, Ltd., and Cecil C. Stanners.—The clerk said in the case of Mr. Taylor only a temporary conditional license could be granted, but the other stores had been passed by the Government inspector.—The applications weie granted.—ln reply to the Mayor, the clerk said there were twenty more applications to come in.

The borough treasurer (Mr. \Y. Waters) reported that tiie receipts for the month were £1061 17s and the expenditure £904 19s 6d.

The Gasworks Manager (Mr. W. 6. Heyes) reported for the past month as follows:—Gas made, 1,0-!o,200 cubic feet; coal used, 85 tons llcwt.; gas per ton, 12,217 cubic feet; gas sold per meters, 939,000 cubic feet. The make of gas for one month is a record since* the works started, it being an average of 34,833 cubic feet per day, equal to 12,712,445, the largest output for ono day being 41.700 cubic feet. The poundkeeper's rjeport for the month was as follows:—During the month.^ of June thirty head of cattle were impounded . and released. The sum of £4 2s was received, 14s hein^ paid in driving fees and the balance of £3 8s paid in to office. The ranger's report for the month was as follows: —During the month of June eleven head of stock were impounded off the borough streets. Two were released before being impounded and two shillfngs in fees collected. Seven summonses have been issued for stray stock being allowed to wander on borough streets. The reserves caretaker reported a«s follows:—I have now finished cutting back all the street trees with the exception of those alongside the courthouse, which will be attended to at an early date. I have to report that two windows have been broken at Taumata Park, also one of the see-saws. 1 intend during next month to start planting out.

The report of the borough overseer (Mr. T. Hodgen) was as follows:—The main work has been the spreading ot pit metal on footpaths; 400 yards of this metal has been delivered on the paths on various streets. A few more yards will be required- to patch some of the low-lying places in other streets. The metal has been very lumpy and required more labour than I expected, and I had to put on an extra man for a fortnight. The paths are to be raked and rolled when time permits. Some patching has been done on North, Derby, and Castle streets and Conwajroad, and fencing done in Castle street fronting Henrickson's property, where the fence had been removed to make the new footpath.

The report of the finance committee contained the following recommendations:—That the salary of the ranger be increased to £1 per week; that the application of Mr. It. J. Harrison tot a dwelling on sub-section 4, Soldiers' Memorial Park, to be constructed in accordance with, plans and specifications submitted and to be purchased 1 by Mr. Harrison on terms previously adopted by the council be granted; that the town clerk be instructed to require purchasers of workers' dwellings, where instalments are not paid monthly in accordance with agreement, to submit a written explanation to the council of the reason for their failure to comply with the conditions of their agreement; that the committee has no recommendation to make re the offer to raise a loan of £7000 for "the council at 6 per cent.

The adoption of the report was moved by the Mayor and seconded by Cr. Fitzgerald. Cr. Clement opposed tFe increase in the ranger's salary. He seldom inspected. Che borough streets except when on county duty. Cr. Nairn considered that the present was not the time to increase salaries. The Mayor said {he ranger's job was an onerous one. Cr. Cuff said £1 per week would not pay for his horse feed. Cr. Campbell agreed that it was a thankless job, and the man was carrying it out satisfactorily. The report was adopted. The Town Hall and pictures com mittee reported as follows:—That an application received for the tise of the Town Hall for the afternoon and evening of the day preceding the next general election of members of Parliament be not entertained. The report was adopted. The report of the "Works Committee included the following recommendations:—That account for 'metal received from the Eltham County Council (£26 4s) be passed for payment; that application for permission to use explosives in King Edward Street be granted subject to the applicant accepting all responsibility for any damage which may occur. That the council proceed with the sewerage of dwellings on the Soldiers' Memorial Park in accordance with scheme outlined by Mr. J. Stuirock's letter of the lOtli \ilt., viz.: To lay a temporary 4in. pipe in front of the cottages gravitating towards the I»wn, thence along the bank of the creek to the existing septic tank, pipes to be laid so that they may be taken up when permanent scheme'come* into use. Estimated cost, £290. That application for separate water connection to house in Bedford Street be granted subject to the applicant paying the cost of the connection. That the Council undertake the expenditure of the money allotted to it for the purpose of providing employment lor returned soldiers on the conditions laid down by the central committee of the Returned Soldiers' Association. That the council approve of ihe proposal of the District Health Officer to dispense with the compulsory use of Buehan traps and vent pipes on sewers and septic tank connections. That the work of scarifying, refacing, and tar-sealing Castle street be put in hand when the weather is favourable. The committee reports that a conference of owners of lands adjoining the Mangawhero stream and the committee was held to discuss the matter of clearing tTie stream, and that, as a result thereof the property owners have agreed to take steps to poison the willows. Cr. Carter moved the adoption of the report, and Cr. Nairn seconded the motion. Cr. Fitzgerald suggested that the work in Castle street might advantageously be done by loan.

The Mayor asked if Cr. Fitzgerald did not think that tho town was sufficiently saddled with loans already. Cr. Fitzgerald said it was sometimes cheaper to do work out of loan. Tho saving in maintenance ou a properly ; tar-sealed road was very low. Or. Bridger asked if it was intended to reface the whole of Castle street from the Mangawhero road to Oonway road. Cr. Carter said thai was the committee's intention. Cr. Bridger said this work was becoming very necessary. The road was breaking up badly. Crs. Campbell and Thomas agreed, and the report was adopted. The reserves and cemetery committee made the following recommendations:—That permission be granted to the Eltham Men's Hockey Club To | make a charge for admission to Taumata Park on Thursday, August 3. That the caretaker be granted seven days' holiday on full pa_v. *'" The report was adopted.

! The borough solicitors (Messrs Syme and Weir) forwarded a grant of easement for execution by the Borough Council in connection with the septic tank site on the Eltham County property on the Eltham Road.—The town clerk outlined the details of the agreement, and it was decided that the agreement be approved. The Mayor brought up the question of the identification of the streets of 1 the borough, and suggested that signs might be erected at the corners of the streets. He moved that the matter be referred to the Works Committee with power to act. —Cr. Thomas seconded i "the motion, and it was carried. I The council went into committee to consider tenders for the erection of the . house on sub-section 4 of the Soldiers' Memorial Park, and on resuming reported that the £ender of Mr. L. Rowe . of £620 17s had been accepted, j Cr. Fitzgerald gave notice of motion as follows:—"That, seeing that the Town Hall is primarily for the transaction and consideration of public busiI ness, and that addresses from candi--1 dates for Parliament are amongst the j most important business that can come j before the citizens, this council therefore directs the Town Hall committee :to reserve the hall, if so applied for, ) for any night preceding the election for a member of Parliament, even though the actual date be not specified at the date of the application." A letter v.-^s received from Captain H. A. Nuttall asking the council whether his appointment in charge of the Eltham Volunteer Fire Brigade, made by the council in 1919, was a temporary or a permanent appointment.

Cr. Bridger moved that the matter be referred to a sub-committee to report. He thought it was a matter that they should deal with judiciously. Cr. Fitzgerald said he would second the_ proposal if Cr. Bridger would add to it that the sub-committee consider the evidence at present in its hands concerning fire boards. Cr. Bridger agreed to this.

The Mayor said he could not support the proposal. He was of opinion that Captain Nuttall had only been appointed the council's representative, but the council had no power to appoint the supe**iitendent of the brigade. Crs. Nairn, Clement, and Campbell agreed with the Mayor that the appointment was only a temporary one. Cr. Thomas considered that the matter should be dealt with in committee. Cr. Bridger regretted that the matter had not been dealt with in committee. There was some feeling exhibited by members of the brigade, and if the matter was dealt with by a sub-committee it might be thrashed 'out and overcome;.. On being put to the meeting, the motion was lost, Crs. Bridger, Fitzgerald, and Thomas voting for it, and Crs. Carter, Nairn, Clement, Cuff, and Campbell against. Crs. Fitzgerald then moved that the council go into committee.—Cr. Thomas seconded the motion, and it Tra» carried. On resuming it was reported that trie council had decided to authorise the Fire Board to appoint its superintendent annually by ballot, the appointment to be subject to the approval of the council. Letters referring to the appointment of caretaker and various requirements of the brigade were referred to the finance committee.—Argus.

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