OTAUTAU TOWN BOARD.

Otautau Standard and Wallace County Chronicle, Volume 1, Issue II, 10 May 1905, Page 3

OTAUTAU TOWN BOARD.

THE PROPOSED LOAN.

MEETLNG IO BE CALLED.

) _ !• The usual fortnightly me »tlng of this Board ' was held on Monday eV_niiig, wben tbefe 1 wore present, MessM E. Mi hie<nn {chair- • mart) N. Kelly, It. Scatter, and A. H. Ofllcoi 1 . 1 BVL.VNCE SHEET. 1 The Clerk presented the annual balance ■ sheet, which he said had been duly audited 1 and certified to by the Audit Department As I correct' The total income for the year ■ was £415 Ba lid, which included a balance 1 of £83 brought forward oh the 31st March, 1904. The total expenditure Was £435 6s lid, there being thus a debit balance At tbe 31st March, 1905, of £19 IBs> Among the items of receipts Were the following :— Rates collect d, £94 3i\ publicans* licetis s, _123 ; rent ot ball £'62; Government subsidy on rates £21 13s sd; rents of reserve, £14 llsGd: Tbe principal items of expenditure were, street improvements £ll2 7s 4d ; licensing expenses, £12 0a 6d J sUbddy Wallftci t'ounty Council, cabbage tree embankment, £20 ; King sireat outfall drain, £51 103. The OUuSau C Jtnatery account showed a total iricome of £52 Gs 7d, made up of balance at 31st March, 1904, £15 Is ld and cash receipts, £37 5s 6d. The total expenditure was £28 7_ Gd add there was a cash balance m the b ink at 31st March. 190"), of £23 19s ld. Inthe special accodnts, the Government Loans to Local Bodies account showed a debit-balance of £51 16s 4d. That was a:i amount expended from the general funds of the Bdard, m addition to the £630 they received for the main sewer. The total available assets of the Board amounted to £103 15s 5d and the outstanding 11 tb'lities to £24 13s. OI.V.DTAU BtUDGB. A letter was received from tbe clerk to the Wallace County Council stating that, with reference to the Board's request for a footbrid.e to be placed over the Otautau River, the council had passed a resolution to the effect that a notice be put up at each end ot the present bridge, notifying ibat tbe by-laws provide that no horse or vehicle shall be ridden or driven over the bridge faster than at a Walking pace. The Chairman said he had Seen from the newspapers that the Chairman of the County Council had made a remark to the effeot that th's Town Boar 1 Was doing very well out of tbe bounty. Since he became a member of tbe Board the rates had become double what was spent m the town. He thought the chairman should not have made suoh a remark. If t c County would hand over to the Board the rates they received from Otautau, he. did not think tbey would have to a?k tbe county for one penny. The' Board had never asked for anything they h<d not a right to. There was no doubt a footbridge was urgently required across the ' Otautau river.

Messrs Scatter and Officer concurred m ihe Chairman's remarks.

On the motion of the Chairman, seconded by Mr Scatter, it was resolved *•• that the Board, having noticed a printed report of a remark made by the Chairman of the Wallace County Council, to the effect that the Board was doing. well out of the council, repudiate the charge, and ooint out ihat the reverse is the case. The Board is strongly Of opinion that tho County Council is receiving as rates from the Town District, a very much largerevenue than they are expending on tbe main street, having iv view the tact that the principal expenditure made was for the traffic bridge over the Otautul River, and that was built by Government vote and not out of the revenue derived frrm rates. '

Mr Scatter seconded, and the motion was carried, the <"lerk being instructed to send a copy of it to tbe Wallace County Council.

THE PROPOSED LOAN, The Clerk read a communication from the Seoretary to the Treasury m reply to • queries of th- Board, m which he stated that sections 7t013 of the Local Bodies Loans Act 1901 (which repealed the Government Loans to Local Bodies Act 1886) clearly indicated the steps to be taken to obtain a loai by a poll of the ratepayers.

The Clerk then submitted the following schedule of works which it was prooosed should be ca-ri d ou*, subject to the approval of a ratepayers' meeting, m the event ot a loan being obtained : Chester Street to Dur barn Street, 22 chains of asphalting £68 ; Alderly Street to Chester Street, m main street, east side, main street to Queen Street m Alderly Street; King St-eet to Queen Street m Chester Street — kerbing and asphalting the whole, £125 ; crossings for same, £15 ; North Otautau fnm Harbison Street to N.W corner of sec. 11, blk 2, Kerbing and asphalting. £62 ; main street, from Alderly Street to bridge, east side, asphalting, £12 bridge, esplanade, £50 ; bridge m Chester Street £25 ; embankment north side Otautau River, £20 ; ditto south side. £40 , kerbing from Chester S reet ti Knutsford Roa'l, East side Kins Street,, £45 ; bridge m Harbison Street, £20 ; railway to cemetery, Clitheroe Street, formation and gravelling, £20 ; culverts m Knutsford and King streets, €15 ; Queen Street from Ches'er Street to Rochdale Street, formation and gravelling, £35 ; Che3ter Streot to Durham S*reet. Main Street east side, kerbincr, formation and gravelling, £115 0s 01 : King Street from Knutsford Road to Nantwitch Street, form tion and gravelliag £39; D^von S'reet from railway crossing to Knutsford Road, formation and gravelling, £18 ; Queen Street from Aiderley Street to Ch *ster Streot, kerbing, formation and gravelling, £42 ; Nantwitch Street from King to Kendall Streets, excavation and formation, £50; Hulme Street, footpath to recreation ground, £10 ; Rochdalo Street f-om Main Street to Queen Street, formation, gravelling and footpath. £20; Miry Street, North Otautau from Esplanade to Lieman Street, formation and gr.wslling £90, total £937. 'I he Clvrk stated that the revenue during the three years this work was m progress would, m addition to the loan, at the very least be £900. Th *. Board would therefore have £1500 to expend. Of course there would be theordinary expenses of the Board to meet, but during tbe three years— it was not too optomistic a view to take— thero would be £937 spent on street improvements. If they borrowed. £600 they would have £112 of ordinary revenue pr annum to spend, m addition to their loan, on street improvements. They did more than that last year, and . tbe rates wjuld increase".

The Chairman : We are not bound to do it all at once. We could first do what was more urgently required I do not think any of the works mentioned fn the schedule should be taken out.

Messrs Scatter and Kelly agreed witb tbe chairman's remarks.

The Clerk, m reply to questions, said they were all works which would probably be required to be done by the ratepayers. There might be other parts of the town which

needed works not included, and these could be submitted to the ratepayers' meeting. The Chairman suggested that the list, as r»ad by the Clerk, should be decided on as the schedule to put before the ratepayers, and the other members agreed. The clerk then explained that fie first steps to be taken was to call a public meeting and place the schedule before it, aid then to advertise ibe proposal m accordance w'.th the

Act. Tbe proposed rate of interest aid tbe amount of tbe loan would bave to bo stated.

Tbe Chairman : Wh.it would the rate ol interest be?

The Clerk : We got the last loan at 3£ per cent ; but it is doubtful if we would get tbe new loan at that rate, as I do not think the Government oan borrow money at that rate. I apprehend it would be 1 per cent. The Chairman : It anything is to be done m tbe matter. I think we should start at once. Mr Officer thought they' should proceed at once With the view* of obtaining a loan. Mr Kelly moved; that a meeting. of ratepay- | ers be called for Friday, 16th June, A' 8 p.m. to consider the question of raising a loan of £600 for 41 year's at four per cent, the schedule read to be the basis. Mr Scatter seconded and the motton was carried. VALUATION ROLL. The Valuation Department wrote advising that a new roll would be written for the Otautau t own district ' as revised. — Received. 3,' AUDIT. ;' ' ' ' The Audit Department clainied £ I 6s Bd, representing a charge for four hours Work at the rate of £2 per day, of six hours, by the Audi Inspec or m auditing the Board's accounts — Approved. A SANITAnV MATTER. IDr 00-ston. District Health OTioer, wro'.e intimating the deshability of calling Upon a certain local resident to have bis premises connected wilh the main sewer —The Clerk was directed to write requesting the resident to have the connection made. /SLEEPERS. A letter Was received from thd District Railway "Engine tV intimating that instructions had baen given for tbe : Board to be supplied with a dozen secoud hand sleepers, as requested. A liATEPVJLER'S COMPLAINT*, Mr A. Larrelly complained of the had state of the road leading to his place. If the Board would gravel it to the. corner, he would do the remainder.;" A few loads of maintenance gravel wereAalso needed opposite Mr McGavock's — Left m the bands of the chairman to have any maintenance required done; gravelling to stand m abeyance. NOXIOUS WEEDS. The Agricultural/ Department forwirded copies of an extract from the ** Gazette," containing a notification of the Board's action m declaring broom, gorse;, and -ragweed to be noxious weeds within the borough. — Received. clo'sivo HOURS. The Chairman mentioned that a complaint had been made to hiriMh'it some of the local storekeepers were jnoß/ 'observing the closing hours and were keeping open rather late> It was of no use having a rule, jf somo storekeepers were allowed to keep open whilst others closed, and something should b% done m the matter. ;He did not like having to bring the matter up, but he was compelled to do so as it was his duty. The C'erk said the closing hours were 8 a.m to 0p m, and 9 p.m Saturdays. Tho matter was m the hands of the police', who could enforce the prope dosing hour.. ' The Board ultimately resolved that the police and the Inspector be informed of the complaint mado. . „■ accounts. A;, Accounts were passed for payment to the amount of £14 17s, Cd. otautau. m daukxess. Mr Kelly directed the attention of th«j Board to the fact that the lighting bf the lamps had been, neglected: by the contractor. On the previous- evening there-was no lamp lighted and it being; a very dark night, the public were considerably inconvenienced. It was only fair to; say, however, thit the contractor was reported to be ill. Oth«?r members of , the Board had also noticed the omission and spoke of the m convenience caused thereby. On the motion of the Chairman and Mr Koily, it was resolved to draw the contractor's attention to the unsatisfactory manner m , which the lamp* were being .atteuded to and requesting him to -remedy matters.or the contract would be terminated. ,