Otautau Town Board.

Otautau Standard and Wallace County Chronicle, Volume II, Issue 101, 9 April 1907, Page 5

Otautau Town Board.

The usual monthly mooting of tho Board yesterday evening was ai tended hy Messrs Swban (chairman), Scatter, Salton, King and Matheson. ' j DltAtN CONNECTION. tl. Porter, licensee of Railway Hotel, asked for some concession towards connecting his premises with the main drain from King street. This application had been held over from last meeting. — It was resolved., on the motion of Messrs Matheson and Scatter, that' the application he declined. Members expressed themselves to the effect that to grant such an application would open up a very difficult point, and tend to applications from anyone m tbe same street demanding a similar concession, and involving the Board m considerable outlay. The matter was one that could he dealt with by the Licensing Committee and the Health Department. who's who ? Tho Rev. W. Beckett, Methodist minister, applied for a crossing into the newly-erected parsonage on Yellow Bluff road. Mr Beckett intimated that' he had made application to the Wallace County Council, and had been referred to the Board, as the local authority having control of the road. He desired that the niatter might receive prompt attention before the wet weather set m. — On the motion of Messrs Swhan and Scatter, Mr Beckett was again referred to the County Council, tn whom the rates on the property were p;iyab!e, ns the proper authority to construct the crossing. Further, on the motion of - Messrs Matheson and Salton, the clerk was instructed to write to the Inv_rcargill Borough Courcil for information as to the control and upkeep of boundary roads between the municipality and adjoining boroughs, and also the making of footpaths and crossings on either side of such roads. Members were of opinion that while the road was under the control of the Board — it being a boundary road with a separate rating authority on either s i_e — the cost of upkeep was equally payable by each body. OUTFALL DITCH. John Swap asked for a grant of £ for dB for a main outfall ditch between his property and Town Board leasehold sections occupied by Mr Salton, , such drain would greatly improve the j sections and besides was the only out- i let for draining the swampy part of ' Devon St. Mr King moved and Mr j •T Scatter seconded that the application , be granted on the work being done by i applicant to the satisfaction of the | Board and at a total cost not to exceed ' £2, of which the Board- will contribute ■ £1. GOVERNMENT GRANT. Mr J. C. Thomson wrote stating | that he was writing the Minister for \ Public Works as requested by the Board for a grant of £ for £ towards the erection of a foot-bridge over the Otautau River, and asked what was ■ the estimated cost of the work, as the ' Minister would require that information before givine any reply. The Chairman intimated that he had seen Mr Thomson and had advised him that the Engineer's estimate was < £100. The Chairman's action approved. BALANCE OP LOAN. The Secretary to the Treasury ad- j vised that the final payment of £200 ; of the Board's Loan for Street Im- ; provements had heen placed to their oredit m the Bank of New Zealand. It was decided on the motion of Messrs Swhan and Salton that the amount be placed at fixed deposit for six months with the Bank of N. Z., as it was not desirable to go on with the work during winter months. DEFECTIVE ASPHALT. The Chairman was authorized to engage Mr J. Dimmock to top-dress all the defective asphalt with as little delay as possible. WHO OWNS THE RIVER ? Mr M. Games, contractor for making crossings on Esplanade, waited on Ithe Board with a letter received from Messrs Fleming and Co., Ltd., •» stating that they held him liable for any damages through his removing gravel from the bed of the Otautau river below the dam, and demanding * cessation of work at once. Mr Games desired the Board to indemnify him against any damages, as he was removing the material at the Board's request.— n the motion of Messrs Salton and Scatter, Mr Games was authorised to complete his contract with material from the Recreation Reserve hill, and that he be allowed 3d per ton extra.— On the motion of Messrs Matheson and Scatter. tho clerk was instructed to write to the Commissioner of Crown Lands, Invercargill, for information as to chainage and plan of section 50, block 11, Aparima Hundred, and whether the Crown grant included any part of the , Otautau river, and, if so, had any reservation been made as to the control of the river ; whether any river chainage existed opposite such section on either side, and whether tho owner of the section named was a'so owner of ti.e bed of the river. KILLING IN A OULVERT. The second culvert from Main street m Chester street having become dan- • gerous, it was decided to call for tendors forthwith to hnvo smm fi^ l^ 1 ;*• aud gi'ttM ilea, «.);<.* Llic cii-iii v.a... ..i---structed to attend to the woik. NOTICE TO RESCIND A MOTION. Mr King gave notice that he intpndH to move at next meeting that

for a bridge and culvert m Chester Street he rescinded. Newton's crossing. Tho Clerk was in f trucked to engage the surfacemen to put a crossing m at Mr T. F. Newton's property and to utilise the IS inch pipes recently taken from Campbell's crossing m Harbison Street. Material fpr . formation of crossing to be taken from inside Mr Newton's entrance gate. BALANCE SHEET. Tlie Clerk submitted the balance sheet for year ending 81st March, and on the motion of Mr Salton it was received, tho Clerk being thanked for his successful efforts m tho collection of the Board's rates. | HALF COST. On the motion of Messrs Swhan and Matheson it was decided to make application to the county council for payment of half cost of work on Hulme Street at Coulter's Hill viz £1. ACCOUNTS* Accounts amounting to £12 7s 8d were passed for payment. CEMETERY TRUST. Immediately at the close of the Town Board meeting ihe members of the Cemetery trust met. The Clerk of Wallace • County Council wrote that the Trust's application for a grant of £10 was held oyer pending inquiry as to what the money was to be expended on. The Clerk was instructed to reply that the money was to be used m carrying the Main Entrance road m to the cemetery through to Clitheroe Street, by a side cutting through the cemetery. •Mr Soaker rrporh-'-d thi!, Iho 3r>;!.on had cut do-vn most of ihe novious weeds and would get the young gor.sr grubbed out shortly. Accounts amounting to £1 15s Gd were passed for payment. DOMAIN HOARD. The Audit Department returned the Domain Board balance-sheet certified as correct fbr the year ending 31st December 1900. The Domain Board had on hand on that date £21 Is 2d m the Bank of N. Z.