BOROUGH COUNCILS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10129, 12 May 1896, Page 3

BOROUGH COUNCILS.

PARNELL.

The .fortnightly meeting of the Parnell Borough Council was held last night. Present: The Mayor, Mr. Spencer Von Stunner, Mrs. Matson, Messra. Brings, Page, Whitley, Wright, and McConnell. Apologies were received from Messrs. Savage, and Thornes, who were absent ab the entertainment in aid ot the Blind Institute.

Correspondence,—The auditor general returned the balance-sheet duly certified. Mr. E. H. Warren of the Public Trast Office, wrote re Blackett's Point, that on receipt of Judge Mackay's reply as to the legal p.'int of ;he Public Trustees' powers of leasing reaerv.?, including Blackett's Point reserve, an answer would be sent to the council with, respect to a tender for a 63 years' lease of lot 2, section 89, Blackett's point, but with regard to the Council's offer of £5 per annum for lots 1 and 3, it was declined, as the amount was below the upset rental. Or. Pabst reported several cases of typhoid fever in Parnell. Mr. James Stewart for-

warded copy of Order-in-Couneil as issued for Auckland and approved by the City Council, and stated that as the Council had authorised Mr. Martin to Ret for them in Wellington, Pnrnell, Newmarket, and Oneliunga may be joined in one Order-in-Council, aa empowered by the Act. The 'etter was received. Several offers for easing sections in the Punakitere block vere received, inquiring from what date eases would commence. It was agreed to

fix tlio lot of June.

Finance.— bank balances were:— General account, dr., £619 15s /d; waterworks loan account, cr., £?,0S 16' lOd; drainage loan account, cr., £164 5s 2d; water supply account, cr., £25 4s sd. Account? amounting to £42 9s 9d wero passed for payment. Rkports. — Reports as to works in progress, etc., and as to the sanitary condition of the borough were received from the officers, but. there was nothing in them which required any action on the part of the Council.

NEWTON., The ordinary fortnightly meeting of the Newton Borough Council was held last night in the Council Chambers, iNewton. His Worship the Mayor (Mr. R. Warnock) presiding. There were also present: Messrs. J. \V. Shackelford, S. C. Brown, S. Lee, J. Weblev, J. Davenport, K. T. Warnock, and Donald.

Councillor Am bury.—Before proceeding with the ordinary business, the Mayor moved and Mr. Shackelford seconded, That & vote of sympathy be passed to Mr. S. J. Ambuty, a member of the Counail, who recently met with a serious accident.

Burgess Rolls.—Messrs. Shackelford and Lee asked the Town Clerk, through the chairman, why their names had been taken off the roll in ie?pect of properties owned by their wives, but for which they (the councillors) paid the rates. The Town Clerk stated lie got his information from the Deeds Office. The Mayor thought the aotion ot the Town Clerk wa> not warranted. Mr. S. C. Brown said the officor was quite within his legal rights in the course he took. A similar case had occurred at Parnell, and the difficulty was got over by the husband securing a lease from his wife. On he motion of Mr. Webley, it was agreed to defer the signing of the burgess rolls for a fortnight, and to consider the reinstatement of the names of Messrs. Shackelford and Lee.

Rate.—On the motion of the Mayor, it was decided to levy a rate of Is in the £1 on all rateable property in the Borough fbr the yew 1896-7. Surrey street. — Mr. James Stewart wrote, drawing attention to the bad state of the Surrey-street footpaths, and asked that they might be formed and gravelled. Mr. Webley supported the complaint, and the Council agreed to grant the request, Stkki Committee.—Mr. R. T. Warnock presented the report of the Streets Committee, which was adopted. It recommended that a lamp be placed at the corner of Queen and Stanley streets; that the footpaths on the south side of Richmond Hill and on the east side of Richmond Avenue, be repaired ; that the growth-'on Richmond Avenue be cut and burned off ; mid that a load of sooria be placed at the entrance to Salisbury street.

PONSONBY AND GREAT NORTH RoADS.— was decided that broken metal should be placed on the Great North Road and the I'onsonby Road, where required. The work to be done on the first opportunity. Refuse on Surrey Hills.—Mr. Brown

spoke of a letter which appeared in the press lately concerning the practice of depositing city refuse on the Surrey Hills estate, and upon Mr. Shackelford's proposal it was decided to take actions against offending persona should it be considered necessary. ONEHUNGA. A special meeting of the Onehunga Borough Council was held last night. Present: His Worship the Mayor (Mr. D. A. Sutherland), Messrs. College, Nixon, McKenzie, Burden, Jackson, Hutchison, Hill, nnd Laking. The meeting was called for the purpose of revising, and appointing the Mayor and two councillors to sign the burgess roll, and also to further consider, and to take such action as may be agreed upon, to provide a new cemetery for the borough of Onehunga.

The Late Mr. W. R. Wills.— proceeding with the ordinary business of the Council, the Mayor, in feeling terms, referred to the sudden death of Mr. W. R. Wills. After expressing his sincere regret at the sudden demise of one who, by his high literary attainments and genial manner, had won the esteem of the people, His Worship moved the . following resolution, which was ordered to be inserted in the Council's minute-book, and a copy of the same to be forwarded to the widow of deceased That this Council desires to place on record its appreciation of the high literary attainments of the late Mr. W. R, Wills, as displayed in the many poems published by him, and also of his longcontinued services to the town of Onehunga as a reporter to the Press; the Council further take this the earliest opportunity of expressing its sincere sympathy with the widow of deceased and her family in their sad affliction, 1 After the resolution had been spoken to by Messrs. Jackson, Burden, and Laking, all of whom expressed their sympathy with the bereaved family, it was unanimously adopted.

Revision of the Boroess Roll,—Before this matter was considered Mr. Nixon objected to '.he notices which had appeared in the newspapers convening the present meeting, on the ground that the said notices were signed by the town clerk instead of being signed by the Mayor. After referring to the Municipal Corporations Act, 1894, the Mayor ruled that he convened the meeting, but that all notices emanating from the Council's office niUßt be signed by the town clerk. After inspecting the new roll, Mr. Jackson claimed to have his name reinstated for the property of Mr. William George Breckon, as ho held a power of attorney for the same. The Town Clerk informed the Council that the Borough Solicitors had given it as their opinion that no burgess could vote by his agent. Mr. Jackson said it was monstrous thofe a property, no matter how valuable, not be represented at an election if the owner was absent from the colony. He contended that the solicitor's opinion re an agent did nob apply to a person holding a power of attorney. The Town Clerk, reading from the Municipal Corporations Act, 1894, said clause 13 of the Rating Act showed clearly that no other person, except those mentioned in the above clauso, are empowered to vote beside bona fide property owners. After a prolonged and heated discussion, which at one time became so intense that one councillor got up and threatened to knock Mr. Jackson down, it was eventually carried, ' That if Mr. Jack-

Bon produced his power of, attorney to the Town Clerk on the following morning, his name be reinstated on .he burgess roll.' There being no other objections, or' alterations to be mad® to the roll, Messrs. Hill and Hutchison were appointed with the Mayor to sign the same. New Cemetery.—The Council then considered the recommendation of the Council in committee re the question of providing s cemetery, and respecting the offer of the 'Assets Realisation Board offering a site on the north side of allotment 18, section 11,

Hillsborough, containing 25 to 50 acres (exclusive of la Or, and 7p. allowed for cliffs), for £40 per acre, viz.:—The committee approve of the site proposed at Hillsborough for a cemetery for the Borough of Onehunga, and recommend that steps be taken under the loan clauses of the Municipal Corporation Act, 1886, and amendments thereto, to borrow the

required amount in £50 debentures not to exceed in all £1500, bearing interest at 5 per centum per annum, secured on the fees derived from the interments and the rent of the cemetery reserve. The debentures to he redeemable by lot whenever sufficient funds have accumulated for the purpose; The town clerk informed the Council thin he had written to the members of thS Assets Realisation Board, asking thtfflf they would take £20 per acre, which tfijHKl be £1000 for the block, but he had not received a reply to his inquiry. After some discussion it was decided to further adjourn the consideration of this question i pending a reply to the town clerk's letter.