WAIMATE BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11658, 13 June 1912, Page 1

WAIMATE BOROUGH COUNCIL.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) A meeting of the above was held on Tuesday evening. Present: His Worship the Mayor (.Air J. Black), Councillors Inkster, Miller, Manchester, Jones, Cox, Atwill, Collctt, Evans, anel Sanders. The Mayor's monthly statement was read and received.

"The receipts for April and May on I the' general account amount to £l.l G 10s 4d, and the payments to £IOSI 12s scl (including £670 on account of Kolsey's Bush purchase). Payments on drainage account were £522 _lßs Id anel Kelsey's loan account £727 9s hi; The bank balances are —general account (debit* £603, drainage loan (credit) £O7l, and Kelsey's loan (credit) £(57. The Bank 'of New Zealand had notified the council that the credit of loan accounts- cannot be -set. ■oil" against the eiobit of general account, anel that interest at 6 per cent, will be charged on the debit balance of tin's account as from Ist April last. AYe have not yet received the Government subsidy of £670 on the purchase of Kelsey's Bush, when this comes to hand it will relieve our interest charges. Your General Committee has approved of a remit for the Municipal Association Conference in favor of amending the Raiding Act, 1908, so that the creelts on loan accounts can be set off against the debits on other accounts of local bodies, and I am sure that the Council will endorse the Committee's reconi men elation. "On the 3rd inst. the Hon. the Premier, accompanied by the Hon. T. Buxton, visited Waimat-o and unveiled the. memorial tablet in connection with the town clock anel chimes. The notice received was too short to allow of a meeting of the full Council being held i.o arrange details in connection- with the •, isn't, anel I accordingly followed the, lines adopted on the occasion of previous visits from Cabinet Ministers, •■xrept- that instead of confining the luncheon to Borough Councillors I invited representatives of the Cbun'ty Council, the public school, and one or two gontlemt n who were directly interested in the visit. The extension, of this slight act of courtesy will, J trust, meet with the .approval of councillors. "In compliance- with my request, the School Committee held their Empire Dav celebration on the day of the Premier's visit, and the children re-

planted live trees in King George Avenue.

"As instructed by yon, the gas has been installed for lighting the town (•lock ; but a contract has not yet been arranged for winding it, iis we are waiting for information, from similar boroughs. . ' . "'l'h'' police, report re G. Gouleling's application has been received and a billiard saloon :license has been issued to him. "A list of the shareholders in tho AVaimate Gas and Coal Company, Ltd , has been received and is on the table for your inspection." —Correspondence.— The-Bank of New Zealand notified that the credit on loan accounts could no longer be set off against the debiton the general account, as the bank had no claim on the loan balances.—Received. * Plumbers'.licenses were granted to U Hodge and T. A. Russell. —Salary and AY ages. — The Finance Committee reports recommended the Council to favorably consider the Town Clerk's application for an increase of salary, and that the Road Foreman (.J. Eathouse) be granted an increase in wages of Is per day were read. The Alavors minute regarding the 'Clerk's salary was laid on the table. His Worship supported the Finance Committee's recommendation and quoted figures to show that the actual cost of clerical work had only increased £3O m the past live years, while during that time the ra+o-book had grown from 457 items totalling £758 to 2995 items totalling £2207. The ordinary income had more than trebled during' that time. The: Clerk's salary, which used to amount to £ll per centum of income was now less than 5 per cent. Taking the boroughs with less than £000!) annual income, of which there were 69, their management or administration expenses averaged £l4 Lis ner cent, of their income, while their own'borough management expenses only amounted to £lO 3s per cent, of ordinary income. The office work had greatly 'increased, and with the advent of drainage would still further increase, with the result that the privilege extended the Clerk of doing outside work should not be set off against paying an adequate salary. After considering the matter in Committee, it was decided to grant the Town Clerk an increase of £2l per annum, making the salary, including the Domain Board secretaryship, £240 per vear. It was also decided to raise the 1< oreman's wages Is per day. The General Committee reported recommending the. Council to support a number of the proposed remits to be considered at the Municipal Conference, and proposing that a further remit be forwarded iii the direction of making County Councils liable for half cost of lighting boundary streets and roads. — Adopted. It was resolved to authorise the I" ire Brio-ado to procure 16 new uniforms at a cost not to exceed £3 each, and that the Town Clerk and Captain of the Fire Brigade procure a shnt-olf hydrant at an estimated cost of £lO. The AYorks Committee reported having decided to call tenders for shingling streets, anel recommending that the Hospital Committee be notified to clear gorse and broom from the streets adjoining "their property, and that the Justice Department be asked to clear broom from the street at the back of the Courthouse. —Adopted. ' It was resolved to order Air G. b. Meredith to make good a drain he had destroyed, failing which legal proceedings woiilei be taken. His AYorship the Afavor was appointed the Council's delegate to the Alnmcipa. Conference. The Drainage Engineer (Air J. Murray) was present, and reported verbally on' tlie works, which he stated would he completed in a Few days.—Received. The Sanitary Committee were instructed to bring up a report upon the position in regard to the delay in finishing drainage contracts. An application from the Pipe Band to be allowed to use their hall for other than Band purposes was granted. Accounts amounting to £52 Is 3d were passed fov payment.