BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXIV, Issue 8056, 3 November 1897, Page 4

BOROUGH COUNCIL.

The Borough Council met last night. Present : The AJayor (in the chair) and Crs Skeefc, Nolan, Hepburn, Nasmith, Taylor, Lewis, Kennedy, and Harding. REMISSIONS. Letters requesting remission of rates were received from E. Chrisp, for house in Roebuck road ; E. Smith, hous&in Gladstone road ; andH. Forbes, house in Lowe street. — The two first applications were granted, and consideration of the third was held over. MUNICIPAL FRANCHISE. , The Town Clerk of Gore forwarded a series of resolutions passed by the Gore Borough Council giving reasons why the municipal franchise should not be extended. The Town Clerk of Dunedin also forwarded a copy of an extract from a letter sent by thorn to Mr M. J. S. Mackenzie, M.H.R., to the same effect. The letters were chiefly directed against the Municipal .Franchise Enlargement Bill, now before Parliament. — The Town Clerk informed the Council that no copy of the Bill had been sent to them. — Cr Nolan : Our member has not had time to send it. From what he had heard of the Bill, he added, he thought they should certainly oppose it. — The Mayor said no doubt there were blemishes in" the present system, but it was a question whether the proposed measure provided a proper remedy. — Cr Nolan proposed that the Mayor and Crs Kennedy and Lewis draw up a protest against the measure and forward it to the member for the district, first requesting Mr Carroll to forward a copy. — This was agreed to. RAILWAY REFORM. Mr Samuel Vaile, of Auckland, forwarded a copy of an " open letter," addressed to the members of the Legislature, on the subject of his stage system of railway management, and asking the Council to urge their member to have a trial made of the system. — Cr Nolan : We had better tell him we are not particular about, the system as long as we have a railway. — The letter was ordered to lie on the table. CLEANING! TIIK j;i:inc:i>. Mr J. XV. Bright wrote bringing under the Council's notice the fact that the Pool street bridge was usually being swept between S and 9 o'clock in the morning, just the time when most traffic takes plate, and the Council would easily see that that practice was most objectionable and a menace to the public health. He saw no reason why the work should not be begun in the early morning and be finished before the traflic commenced, and he would feel obliged if the Council would instruct accordingly. — The Overseer said he had had the bridge swept in the early morning, and generally it was finished by half-past seven. The traffic in early morning, however, was greater than later in the morning. — The Mayor said the man told him the bridge kept cleaner if he swept it after the heavy traffic was over. — The Overseer said objections had been raised to the hour of cleaning whenever it was. It had been cleaned before 8 o'clock in the morning. — It was decided that instructions be given to have the bridge cleaned before 8 a.m. SANITATION. T. Faram wrote offering to undertake the removal of all fever stools and destroying same from hospital, and Whataupoko and Kaiti districts for one year, commencing on Ist October, for £!>2. —The Town Clerk said Mr Faram recived £30 a year from the Borough. — Tfie Mayor proposed that the offer be accepted, and it was agreed to. PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE. The Public Works Committee reported : The Committee met on Friday October 8 at 9.30 a.m. Present : Crs Skeet, Hepburn, and Taylor. The culvert across Childers road was inspected, and the Overseer was instructed to have the upper end blocked up with brickwork so as to prevent any offensive matter getting into the culvert and causing a nuisance. The footpath in Grey street between Childers road and Gladstone road was examined, and the Overseer was authorised to have the grass cut off and the footpath shingled from the portion already done to corner of Childers road. Aberdeen road footpath was also examined from Ly tton road to Stanley road, and the Overseer was instructed to clear the grass oh" and shingle the portion of the footpath not already gravelled to a width of about oft. A small length near the Hospital was also authorised to be repaired. — The Overseer said the work authorised was in progress, but there was very little gravel obtainable just now.— The report was adopted. OVERSEER'S REr-OJtT. The Overseer presented the following report : — As requested by the Public Works Committee, I have had the grass taken off the footpath in Aberdeen road to a width of sft. The north end of the brick culvert in Childers road has been blocked up at a cost of £1, and the footpath in Grey street from Childers road to Gladstone road has been formed and shingled. The two lengths of black birch timber for the lower walings of the footbridge are to hand, and will be put on as soon as convenient. Mr Sawyer has finished his gravel contract, having delivered 131 yards of gravel and 158 yards of shingle, 39 yards in excess of that contracted for. I would recommend a final payment for the same. The recent westerly winds have blown a good deal of the sand back into the drain cut by Mr Dolcmau, and (he north end of the brick culvert is almost blocked up. I would recommend that the sand be tinted away or the culvert extended through the high bank, which is about one chain in length. The latter will cost £"20. Carting the sand away down Disraeli street south will cost £li. Some person is in the habit, of taking a horse over the Taruheru footbridge in the early morning. To prevent a continuance of this I would suggest that a turnstile be erected at the town end of the bridge, high enough to allow perambulators to pass underneath. Payments, X2l Is 7d, as per vouchers.

Cr Harding asked if any lease to the athletic bodies had been signed yet.— The Mayor said no ; they had not yet got their title to the reserve. He thought some of the sand would have been used for levelling the ground. — Tlie Overseer, in reply to a question, said he deemed it necessary to remove the sand.— Cr Skeelsaid this culvert bade fair to he a costly arrangement.— Cr Nasmith said he thought the Council should offer the sand to the athletic bodies to till up the old drain in the domain. He moved that that be done.— Cr Nolan : While you are waiting for an answer the drain is being filled up. — Cr Hepburn said a good flood would carry it right through the culvert.— Cr Nolan thought the Council should take some steps to see that the borough's properly was protected. He proposed that the Overseer's report in this matter be adopted, so that the sand could be removed in the event of the athletic bodies not requiring it.— Cr Nasmith said it was thoroughly understood the Council was not to be put to any expense in the matter.— Cr Harding thought the whole thing had been badly managed, and that the Overseer should have provided for such an emergency. Now the <.-.\pcn»i: would fall on the Council, mid there was no telling where it would end.— The Town Clerk said the specifications were prepared by an engineer.— Cr Skcet said the banks would be blown away even after tin; saini had been removed. He objected to the Council being put to any expense.— Cr Kolan said if the work was not done the Council would be put to a great deal of expense. They could not expect thn athletic bndie-i to deviate the drain, and then maintain it. — Cr Hepburn said no doubt the Council would have to pay, but the specifications should have-provided for the removal of the stuff.— Cr Nasmith thought if the drain was cleared out and the sand placed on the proper side, it would be all right. —The Overseer was instructed to have as little done as was necessary.