BOROUGH COUNCIL

Northern Advocate, 4 May 1926, Page 6

BOROUGH COUNCIL

A SHORT SESSION. The Whangarei Borough Council met last evening, the Mayor, Mr J. E. Holmes, presiding over an attendance of the following:—Crs. W. U. Timewell, E. G. W. Tibbits, A. D. Jack, S. S. Hutchings, A. M. Rust, D. Mciklo and A. J. .McKay, and Messrs J. Archer, acting engineer, and C. L. Grange, town clerk.

INSPECTOR’S CAR USE. Cr Mcikle questioned the wording of the letter to the Director-General of Health relative to the council’s adherence to,,its charge for eating-house licenses. He suggested that it in ferred that the cost of a ear for the inspector had been incurred on account of his duties of inspecting the licensed eating-houses. Cr Mcikle did not move on the subject, and the Mayor explained briefly that necessity for the car was largely due to increased work put upon the inspector by the Health Department.

FAVOURABLE TEEMS. Notification was received from the Superintendent of the State Advances Office that interest on the waterworks loan of £SOOOO was charged at the rate of 41 per cent per annum. The Mayor said, when the letter was received that the advice was very satisfactory, and the low rate of interest was quite unexpected.

WOLFE STREET DRAINAGE. A desire was expressed by Mr Syd Reed to meet the council’s repesentatives in AVolfo Street relative to drainage in that locality. He claimed that an injustice was being done, and felt satisfied that when it was pointed out to the council’s representatives they would admit that he had a genuine claim for a rebate.

Cr Jack considered that although the matter had boon dealt with already by the Works Committee, it would be more satisfactory to the applicant if the committee members viewed the site, and a motion to refer the subject back to the committee to enable that to bo done was unanimously supported.

FRONT OF POST OFFICE. After consideration of the reply from the chief postmaster at Whangaroi declining to recommend acceptance of the council’s offer to contribute £35 if the wall in front of the Post Office were removed and the area paved with concrete slabs, the Works Committee recommended that the chief postmaster, Auckland, be advised that the council could not increase its contribution towards the cost of paving the area, but suggested that asphalting, which could be done for £35, be substituted for the proposed concrete paving. The recommendation was adopted.

ORANGA ROAD SEWER The Works Comittee recommended that the sanitary sewer be extended from Powhiri Avenue to give facilities to the properties at the western end of Oranga Road, the cost to the council not to exceed £3OO, and the property owners to give an undertaking that they will pay any amount in excess of £3OO. This recommendation was approved.

A CLAIM NOT RECOGNISED. By adoption of the Legal and Finance Committee’s report the council agreed to advise Mr Magnus Fraser that it did not acknowledge his claim for

alleged injurious affection to his property Lane by reason of the taking of Lovers’ Lane for the purposes of a recreation reserve.

MOTOR LORRY REGULATIONS. For the information of the Council, a copy of the Motor Lorry Regulations, Amendment No. 2, was forwarded by the acting engineer in chief of the Public Works Department. It dealt principally with six-wheeled motor lorries, width of tyres, super-resilient tyres and interchangeability of trailers, hard surfaced roads and distribution of license fees. Regulation 20 provided that a distributing authority is to be appointed for the purpose of distributing the license fees, which in future are to be distributed quarterly. Attention was particularly drawn to Regulation 17, which provided for a five per cent, abatement, 'of license fees in respect of super-resilient tyres. With regard to six-wheeled motor lorries, care should be taken to see that the distribution of load was in accordance nith the provisions of Section 2 of the Public Works Amendment Act, 1025 The letter was received.

SALVATION ARMY BAND AIDED. Adjutant Podmore advised the Council of the Whangarei Salvation Army Band having accepted the invitation of Commissioner Hoggard to represent the Auckland Province at the annual congress being held at Wellington. To raise the necessary funds it had been decided to appeal for donations, write to the public bodies, and in addition, give a programme in the Town Hall. The Council was asked for consideration, as it was felt that the invitation was an honour to the town, and the local corps of the Salvation Army. Any assistance the Council might / sec its way clear to give would be appreciated. Cr. Rust moved that a grant of £5 be made to the Salvation Army, rather than a grant of free use of the Town Hall, snob as had been sought by other applicants on former occasions, but when he learned that that the Council had already made a. grant of £lO towards the Army funds ho withdrew the motion.

The Mayor explained Hint the attendance at the Band’s benefit concert in the Town Hall had been a poor one, and Cr. Ti'incwell then moved that the Council make a rebate of the usual charge. That was canned after the Mayor had signified that he would not have supported it had not the attendance been so small.

AFFORESTATION - SCHEME

In connection with the afforestation scheme which the Whangarei Borough Council is going on with, the Conservator of Forests wrote that ho would Tic pleased to hear how the Council was progressing with it and at what date it expected to be ready for (die trees to be forwarded. They could, if required, be despatched in numbers sufficient to be handled by the men the Council proposed to employ, in weekly lots. It was proposed to forward small, sturdy two-year-old trees, which would bo more suitable for the class of country than large, overgrown stock, which would bo liable to be blown about during high winds. The Conservator understood that the Council had a man in its employ, or available who was familiar with tree-planting work. As the Mayor was on the eve of leaving for Rotorua, he moved that the matter be left to him and the Chairman of the Parks Committee for attention, as ho intended to visit the plantations'. The Council agreed to that course being adopted.

According to a letter from the Medical Officer of Health, dysentery (amoebic and bacillary) is now a notifiable infectious disease. The information was received without comment.

Thanks was forthcoming from the secretary of the Whangarei A. and P. Society for the Council’s permission to close the road between the Winter Show Hall and the Drill Hall during the period of the Show. The letter was received.