Pahiatua Borough Council.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume II, Issue 117, 28 February 1894, Page 3

Pahiatua Borough Council.

Monday, February 26.

Aji adjourmd meeting of the obo\ • Council wm Wd on Monday evening. Prinnt-llii the Miyor G. I! South). (r* Burrows. Birnts. Tots will, ¥«;«. Brigs** sad W« son His Council si ones went into coin mittss to comidsr the situation in connec lion with ths proposed erection of s bndgs over ths Msnfauunoka nw, snd discussed the tastier for nearly two hours. On resuming Mr R. F. rtrtullf. one of the competitors who hsd furnished a desigr. %%id that he wss prepared to carry out the erection of e bridge according to the design, and to put up the protective force he hsd specified 110 was prepared to guarantee that the fence would last for five tears; if it dul not ht would hand over XIOO He wanted to know what the Council had to say to him on this matter. The Mayor said live resolution appointing Mr Rranev as judge bound the Council to accept his decision. The l Council had very properly recognised all through that ihrj were not themselves iu a p s t an to judge between the designs. Thev had appointed a judge and he had reported, end that report bound them. , That was all be could aay. Mr Greville said he would like to ask whether the Council, as reasonable men and men understanding the meaning of w.-t-i*. emeu satisfied with the report. The Mayor replied * perfectly.” For . kusw I • > satisfied with tho report The lueamn.- of it was to him perfectly clear. Fvery Ciimufflor at (far table had at some *imc or other expressed the same opinion that the report was per f»-et!v clear. It had been deplored by i members of the Council that in thehonent | eir beat they bad offend* 1 people. This was not an uncom ro*>n occurrence. Ths only possible mmm ha aoaftd gftra was that the deci con of the judge bound them and that the d«c.*ton of the jo ige w as perfectly in leUigtble to them. Mr Greville said he wanted to under- ' -wind thoroughly that the Council were perfectly satisfied with the decision. The Mayor said they had no option. , Thev would be stultifying themselves were they to act otherwise. Cr Bauson “aid they were almost f< ed t«> have Mr Reanev as the Govern ment eng neer. Mr McKenzie had said , that Mr R aney was to report on the I • The Mayor said the Minister made it a con I t;on tnat the engineer was to approve of the plana before they uesd Go * rn ue.u monrr. He made u clear that nn es* this ; w« re done no Go* eminent money would I be u«ed on the work. Seeing that this j wn so. and that in ths opinion of the Crs j Mr Kt. net was ws 1 fitted to make a re ; port. | »- appointed him to judge. When Mr Keoaev ha t completed his report he told him he would have been much more j •Mistisd to hare sunply answered the ! mestions. but that he considered it unfair • for a judge to gi*e an opinion without j gn .ng hi*. reasons also. He had done so j out of fairness to the competitors. Or To**wid said Mr Reaocy had no idea , who the competitors were The Mavor remarked that had they employed any other engineet Mr Heaney would still have had to approve of the plan' before the\ could obtain the ' subsidy. Mr A. Reese asked if there was not a . conimun.eatiin received from the Mmistei J of I«ands assuring the Council that the X6OO would be available when the work I had progressed a certain distance, before j the dep. tation inter vie ved him. The Mayor replied that there was a . .'oosmu meat ion received from the member for the district, but not from the Minister | Mr Re«s* said it was currently reported ( in town that the money would be available j wh« n the work had progressed. Mr Dawson said Mr Hogg bad told him . that the money would be available, but j at that time he did not know that the t .Government would first have to approve of th*s plat*'. Mr McKenzie made that } point verv -iear and decided. Mr Gretiile said hs would like to know what the Council proposed to do in the matter of ths bridge. Cr f move Thst Mr Fraser be aaked if he will act as consulting engineer to act w.th Mr Beaufort in suggesting and earrMng out protective works for bridge j over the Mangatamoka River and that a -ub committee of three Councillors be ap , pointed to « onsult with such engineers re the work mentioned, the committee to ; have pow. r to authorise the work to be i gone on w uh if the engineers consider the i msnsj m hand can be spent with safety and advantage. Th* M nor. in seconding the resolution, •u.d hie chief reason for doing so was that the\ might have the opinion that was asked for in the last few lines—whether the Engineer considered the money in hsnd b. -pent with ad\antage on the The re**olution also empowered the commute* to deal with the matter ini mediate)*. That would bring the matter ' to a hea *l If the Engineer decided that ih* usoney could not be so spent they * Id h. -t pustpoue thv matter until neat >ear. If otherwies, then they could j «*oi nine nee work without delay. Cr To*“Will said he would vote against the resolution because he did not think it fair to the competitors that they should o • of them to act as consulting : engineer To treat them fairly they should not appe :it either of them in this capacity. It aeeiiifd »b»urd to gel a design, then an j unfavorable report on it, and finally to ( ..pp* mt ' competitor m connection with j the earn- work. It was contradictory and : unfair. *> It re fore he would oppose it. ] ir Burrows agreed with the resolution, end only objected to Mr Frsser on the : petitors. Cr Birme said if Cr Bnggs would allow tht name* of other t-n/ineerv to go in— ' for instance that of Mr J. T. Carr, of ' Napier hs wouln support the resolution If ti.es inserted the names of anv qualified , engineers, other than those of ths com petitor*. he would he pleased to assist in the matter. It was hardly just to ask Mr Fraser to act as consulting engineer in this utattrr. He was surprised that Mr Re*»ey had not rsfused to do what v»" s-ked of him by the Conned. I r I*»arson asked if the Councillors anew who b * designs cams from. The Mayor replied that they knew per feotly well now. t r Y * said it would be bad taste to ap I • int one of the engineers to supervise ths work eft* r a portion of his work had be*n condemned by the expert appointed. The government had practically appointed Mr MHMT. Cr Bnggs said they would not be doing their duty if they postponed thi* mailer . i v**r He was willing to put in hu resolution the name of either Messrs k* nc.eds Reasev Brtmfltr. Carr, or any other e .nneer. Until that night he had rot the slightest d abt whose were the P ! * n *- , a i i r 1 *%swilf moved sn eioetwinem that . - .b comm.r.'r m ppomtrd to endeavor i poKU*l *• Scotia’, plan of protactive work.. Tha .cii.ni. might be altered an t adopted. I ti« amendment ku not eeeonded. • . re—.l if-r » wither pot end let, OO’v Cr Brigg. ..ippurting it. I / • Hap it Tli . wl courßmr—i

oousitting of Crs Bnggs. Wilson, and the mover be authorised to appoint a consult mg engineer from outside tho district to consu l with the Borough engineer re bridge and protective works over the llsnfatainoka river on the Mangahaoroad, with power to at once authorise the work to he proceeded with if the sub committee eonsider the money can be spent with advantage; the suh-eomrailtee to make arrangements in connection with the mat ter and to arrange as in fees. etc. Scojnded by Cr Borrows. Cr Dawson said this was not fair to the romjMtitors as the engineer had seen the p ana of protective works. The Mayor said he had outside know sd.;e of one design only. Cr Da*v«on said the whole thing ho I been mudiled. He did not believo in gnoring these cnnpetitors. The bridges were good -tandard drawings, but thev had not the m**n* v to run the work as fnr as required. Suppose a bridge were put across the present stream it would probably be there in a position of useful ness for years. It would be cheaper fo r them to have a short* r bridge even if it were washed away in a few years, than a build a long one now. If a span Wire washed awsv they could put another span on to it. It was Government’s XftOO that had humbugged the Council; there was no doubt of that. A The motion was then carried. For : The Mayor, and Cra Wilson. Briggs, Yule. Tosswill, and Burrows. Against; Crs Dawson, and Birnie. On the motion of the Mayor seconded by Cr Tosswill it v is resolved that the thanks of the Council be tendered to Mr Heaney for his report. The Council then adjourned.