BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Northern Advocate, 24 July 1923, Page 6

BOROUGH COUNCIL.

GENERAL BUSINESS LAST NIGHT,

A meeting of the Whangarei Borough Council took place last evening, when the Deputy Mayor, Cr. W. TJ. Timewell, presided over an attendance of the following.—Crs. L. J. Brak»», E. G. W. Tibbits, J. E. Holmes, I. W. Moore, A. D. Jack, W. Simpson, A. T. Brainsby, and Messrs J. DarlingtouWhitmore, engineer, and A. Fairlcy, assistant town clerk.

Tho Deputy Mayor suggested that as the Mayor and Town Clerk were lbsent the business be confined to routine and that no matters of policy of the Council be dealt with, members giving tastic consent#

COST OF DISTRICT ADVERTISIN G

As it was considered hardly a matter with which the Whangarei Chamber of Commerce could deal, the following letter from the Wanganui Chamber was forwarded on Jo the Council

"At. a recent meeting of this Chamber the question of advertising the town was under consideration and while

various organisations in various centres do a certain amount in the way of advertising their city or .town, it is feit that the time is opportune when the power should be given to Borough Councils and .other local bodies to spend money out of the General Rating Funds for this, purpose. With that end in view, Ave are writing to the Minister of Internal Affairs and Members of Parliament for surrounding districts urging that amended legislation bo brought in on the linos indicated an 1 if you are in sympathy with the saggestion we should be pleased if you would take similar steps."

As this dealt with a future policy of the Council, Cr. Brake moved that, the matter be deferred for consideration a fortnight hence, and that was done. CONDITIONAL SERVICES. On account of increasing demands for water supply the Hikurangi Town Board wrote that it must extend its street mains and would therefore-likfl to have the advice of the 'borough •engineer on the matter, for the purpose of his examining the .water supply system and making a report advising as to the extension of the mains.

Cr. Jack moved that the engineer be authorised to do the work, but Cr. Moore was opposed to the engineer taking on other work unless the Council were recompensed. He considered tliifc the engineer was already overworked, and he urged that a charge be made

for the services.

•The engineer, when requested to express his opinion, said that the whole matter might only take two or three hours, and no recompense was usually asked for in such instances.

Mr. Moore moved as an amendment that the services of the engineer be charged for, as it would otherwise be a bad precedent to establish.

Cr. Tibbits seconded the amendment, and a resolution was recorded granting the engineer authority to comply with the request, but that his. services be paid for.

MORNINGSIDE ELECTRICITY.

A petition signed by 13 ratepayers in Morningside Road, praying that the electricity, mains bo extended along that street, was presented by Cr. Brake, who moved that the matter be referred to the Electrical Committee. Or. Holmes seconded and agreed that the Council should express the opinion that it was favourably inclined towards granting the request. The motion was carried. METAL SUPPLY OFFER. An offer to contract with the Council for supply of 5000 yds of metal from a quarry at Tikipunga was made by Messrs J. Thomason and H. Moslem and it was referred to the Works

Committee. NEW BY-LAWS. Cr. Simpson elicited the information that the new by-laws were expected to be ready for adoption at the* next meeting of the Council. PARUA BAY ROAD AREA Reference was made by Cr. Brainsby to the bad condition of ' Parua Bay Road,, in the new area taken into the borough across the Hatea River, and mentioned, the point that Mr Franks had been quite unable to drive his car over it. In reply Cr. Holmes declared that it was quite impossible to do more than clear out the water-tables, which the engineer said was being done.

Cr. Holmes added that the people were considering going in for a

scheme to widen and make the streets by means of a .special loan. The roads were impovssible and had been laid out only for the purpose of giving titles in the old days of Road Board control. ON THE LIST. Cr. Moore asked that a few loads of gravel be put. on the footpath in Robert Street, whore nothing had been done for twelve vcars. y

Cr. Holmes said that the engineer had Already had instructions to place gravel there, but it would have to take its turn, and Cr. Moore expressed satisfaction with that assurance.

OBSTRUCTIONS IN .JAMES STREET

Cr. Brake moved that Messrs Foster and Telfer be instructed to remove limber from encroachment upon tho roadway in James Street forthwith, and the motion, seconded by Cr. Tibbits, wns carried. DISTRICT COURT SUCCESS. Cr. Brainsby moved that the Council offer its congratulations to the Whangarei District Court Committee upon its success achieved in Auckland last

week, and to the Northern Publishing

Company for the wiay in which publicity had been managed, for the two factors had worked well together in securing the aims of the Court and of the Progress League.

The motion was seconded by Cr. Jack and carried.

KAMO ROAD MAINTENANCE

Cr. Tibbits asked for a return from the Finance Committee to be given to the Council to show how much expenditure had been allocated to the Kamo Road and whether the Works Committee had exceeded that allocation, or how much was in hand.

The preparation of the report was authorised.

BETTER SUPERVISION SOUGHT.

Cr. Moore moved that a committee of the Mayor and Crs. Timewell, Brake, Holmes and Tibbits be constituted to go into the question with the engineer of getting a better system of supervision of works in the borough. He had done so, he added, because he thoii'ght it would be helpful to the engineer. Cr. Brainsby suggested that the Works Committee should suffice, but Cr. Moore was against that. His motion was then defeated, and Cr. Brake thereupon moved that the matter be referred to the Works Committee to go into the question of the supervision of work throughout the borough, and in that form the proposal was endorsed.