PETONE BOROUGH COUNCIL

New Zealand Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 6025, 9 October 1906, Page 6

PETONE BOROUGH COUNCIL

The fortnightiv meeting of the Petone Borough Council was held last evening, when there were present, Mr, G. her aon (Mayor) Councillors Coles, Nicholson. Findlay, Alexander, Kidd, Young, Castle, McEwan. 1 Councillor Castle, who wag elected to fill tho place of Councillor McFarlane (resigned) wan welcomed to a seat on the Council by the Mayor and by the councillors. lie suitably responded. A deputation from the Kutfc Valley Cricket Association waited upon the 1 Council to ask upon what terms the Council could grant the use of the recreation which have been used as cricket pitches. It was pointed out .that the members of the association were mainly lads earning small sums, yet anxious to practise at cricket. The Mayor said the Council hud not been mercenary in regard to tho recreation grounas, but the small amount that had been contributed by sportsmen for the use of these grounds had been used for their improvement, and it seemed to him that as a considerable amount of the ratepayers’ money—probably ASO or AGO per annum—was being expended on the grounds, it was only fair ana reasonable that the clubs should contribute something like Jcl per team a year. The clubs represented by tho deputation should, ho thought, make an effort in this direction. If it strained their resources it seemed as if there could not be a great deal of enthusiasm shown in regard to the national game. It was pointed out by Councillors Coles and Finalay that the association had spent some AlO or Al2 in the improvement of the "piiches/ 1 The matter was referred to tho Recreation Committee -for a report. A letter, dated 28th ult., was read from the secretary of the Harbour Board, which read as follows:—"Your letter of the 10th September, together with the correspondence which led up to It, was considered by the Board yesterday, when I was directed to reply to your request (that the Board should proceed with the erection of a wharf at Petone as a railway wharf, as your Council intended to obtain authority to either purchase tlm IXutt Park railway or arrange for the Government to take over the railway from the Hutt Park Company) stating tha*t the Board will proceed with the proposed wharf at Petone arranged for cart traffic only, unless your Council has been able within three months to make arrangements to obtain control of the Hutt Park railway, so that through traffic can be carried on to she Government railway service. As it is so undecided what type of wharf is/ required, I do not propose proceeding any further with the necessary drawings for the structure until it has been determ’ined what sort of wharf is to be built. Should your Council not be able to place anything definite before the Board before the end of 1906 the Board will early in 1907 proceed with the preparation of plans and designs for a wharf for road traffic only/ 1 Councillor Findlay moved —"That the Wharf Committee inert: Mr H. D. Bell and tho Hutt Park Railway Board within a week and ask either that the line shall be put in order, so that the Government rolling stock may run over it, or that the council may be allowed to put J.he line in such order at its own cost, the company to remit a portion of the sanitary rent until the cost of the work is paid off; and that the Wharf Committee, after getting a final and definite answer from the Hutt Park Railway Company, shall wait upon Mr W. Ferguson (secretary of tho Harbour Board) and explain to h im tho details of what is required/ 1 This motion was seconded by Councillor Kidd and carried.