NEWMARKET BOROUGH COUNCIL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 14374, 19 May 1910, Page 7

NEWMARKET BOROUGH COUNCIL.

A meeting of the Newmarket Borough Council was held last night, there being prosent : Messrs. "Ernest- Davis (Mayor), H. Kinder, W. Whyman, A. Seccombe, A. E. Whittome, and J. King. ,_ The Mayor, in his inaugural address, said he hoped to see the necessary loan to complete the drainage approved of by the ratepayers, and tho work finished within 'six months, thus completing the reticulation of the borough. Referring to the streets of the borough, he thought tho Council could justly claim that the streets of Newmarket had been much improved during the past year. He, however, proposed that the Council should at once devote serious attention to laying down the main highways in a permanent manner. He urged tho necessity of members earnestly considering the scientific laying down of streets in tar macadam as tho present methods of road-making in the borough wore extravagant, and a waste of public money. Proceeding, he said the Auckland city engineer had been asked to report on which street the Council should form as the main highway to junction with either the Khybcr Pass or Manukau Road, also as to the cost of same, and tho widening of Khyber Pass Road, which in parts is dangerously narrow. The Mayor said it seemed impossible to carry out the necessary road-making out of revenue, and the Council should, as soon as the report is received and passed, and the class of roadway adopted, put the question before the . ratepayers in the shape of a loan. Dealing with electric lighting and power, the Mayor said tho city's electric lighting scheme being one for the Greater Auckland area, Newmarket and other local bodies interested should have been consulted, and the whole question dealt with in a similar way to the drainage scheme, but. as it now stands, he suggested that the city's offer of supplying domestic requirements and power at the same price as to their own consumers in the city should bo considered, and terms arranged for street lighting on the best terms. Referring to the borough's finances, the Mayor intimated that during the year the overdraft on the general account was reduced from £365 to £126, and the borough valuation increased to £25,000, an increase of £1400. On the motion of tho Mayor, the committees set up last year were re-elected. On the suggestion of tho Mayor, it was unanimously decided that the Mayor and councillors should officially attend the memorial service in honour of King Edward's memory to-morrow at St. Mark's Church. The Mayor stated that he had been making inquiries into scientific methods of dealing with macadam roads, and certain authorities he had consulted had agreed to meet the Council in committee and discuss suitable methods:' Mr. Kinder said nothing gave more trouble to the Council than the' upkeep of its roads, and they were at a loss to know how best to deal with them. Ho congratulated the Mavor in the action he had taken, and moved that tho Council should avail themselves of learning what they could from the authpritiec mentioned. The motion was unanimously agreed to. _'.' A number of reports dealing in detail with borough works were read and passed,