BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10966, 8 May 1907, Page 4

BOROUGH COUNCIL.

♦ i The ordinary meeting of the Borough Council was held lost evening. Present : The Mayor (Mr Townley), Crs. Sheridan, Williams, Sawj'er, Soinervell, Whinrny, Briglib, Miller, Mann, Harding. Messrs Q. Smith, 0. Hansen, and F. Harris drew attention to the almost impassable condition of the road in Bright street, and requested that something be done to it. — The Mayor said the 'bad jiiece of road was only a chain in length. — Left to Engineer to attend to. Th e Bank of New Zealand, Gisborne branch acknowledged the Council's favor of April 22nd, applying for a limit of £10,000 for the veiir ending March 3kt. Before that limit was fixed it would be necessary for the Bank to Lave the Council's stamped declaration of the liabilities as at Marcli 31st;, 1907, and estimated revenue and expenditure for the ensuing y ear . — The Mayor stated there was sufficient funds in hand to go on with at present. .'■■•■ Mr W. Wood applied for permission to run an American boxball and shooting gallery in the Lowe street auction mart. — Granted . Mrs E. H. Williams, Parau road, Kaiti, wrote stating that last winter residents on that road were over their shoe-tops with mud and water. In view of this it was thought the Council would do up the footpath, as there were so many houses in that neighborhood now on which rates were paid.— The Engineer stated the work was in Land. , Messrs E. W. Mills and Co., Wellington, informed the Council that they had received another shipment of special swheel horse street-sweeping machines of most improved pattern, made by Wm. Smith and. Sons, Barnard Castle, England. . The price was £57 10s delivered on rails or boat. Wellington. Several New Zealand towns were using them, Wellington having three in daily use, while in Great Britain there were 5000 machines in use. —Civ Bright said the machine was no use until they had more road asphalted. The Returning Officer, Mr H. M. Porter, asked the Council to reimburse him. j •for .-art outlay of £1 Is, cost of employing an extra clerk to expedite the business at the late election.— Agreed to. , Mr M. Eichelbaum, representative Oppenheim and Co., Wellington, -wrote asking that the water supply be laid oiKto^ qts^vfafffSfx?;. ""I'lie connection would have* to be laid across the river, and he asked if there I would be, any difficulty in putting the pipe . ■ from the main to the river through the intervening; property, which was controlled iby Captain Tucker, M.L.C. The factory i was using 3000 to 4000 gallons a day.— .(Agreed to. : - Mr W. Miller, Inspector in charge, Agricultural Department, Gisborne, brought under the Council's notice the desirability of declaring gorse a noxious weed under the Noxious Weeds Act within the borough. It existed on valuable lands, and until declared the Department had, no ' power to deal with it unless the local authority moved in the matter by declaring it under the Noxious Weeds Act. — The Council resolved to declare gorse a , noxious .weed within the borough. — Discussion took place on the question _pf boxr thorn hedges, and Cr. Miller moved that owners of such hedges abutting on footpaths be given notice to eradicate- them. Or. Miller said it only needed""" a little ; courage to carry out this reform, for everyone knew in. his heart that they ' should come out.— lt was decided that no- . tics be given in accordance with.Cr. MilI lei's motion that all owners of boxthorn l hedges abutting on footpaths be / given three months to remove them. ," ■ . Mr I. S. Simson wrote askinV the Council to pass a resolution that liis deposit of £3 be returned to him for the reasons that his medical adviser" recommended that he should leave Glisborne at once, and not return till next summer, and that his legal adviser informed himi that he could not take his seat at the (Council table when j i elected as it against the Act. Thereifore he was illegally nominated, and if | I elected a new election would have had to i 'take place. In the first place he thought it unfair to the ratepayers' to go away for several months, ajnd in the second place he thought it unfair to the Council to put them to the expense of another election. Unfortunately he only gave 30 hours' no- . tioe instead of 48. hours. He trusted tlie Council would give the matter their consideration, and in event the Council not ; being able to legally return his deposit, ■ -['.that they, would pass a resolution to spend | it onrthati much neglected spot, the Vio- ; toria township, by gravelling the footpath j from the New Zealand Shipping Co.'s store, so that tlie places where the water' lay in winter might be kept dry, and' i women and children be able to get to town •.with dry feet;— Cr. Bright said ''.as" the ■'-, Council had no power to refund the de- , posit, he would move that the money' be spent aB recommended by Mr Simson.— | Tlie Mayor said that in previous similar i cjises 'they Lad not been able to refund the !ideposit. Tlie Co.uncil 1 had no power to do ! so. — Ci. Bright's motion was carried. I Messrs Mackrell and Colley and Alpha Sawmills Co. asked permission to blow j their factory whistles at 7.45 a.m., 12, 1 12.45, and 5 p.m. It was a necessary con. venience to them in the carrying out of their work.— Civ Bright said he was responsible for the present by-law, and' the ; reason' for it was ,to give tlie Council 1 power to stop the blowing- of whistles j when necessary, suck as in the case of •sickness. He moved tliat permission be j givenr-Cr. Whinray said lie would like to I add an amendmentfthat the Alpha whistle be greased, or a more modern one used in place of the pre-e nfc hideous whistle:— Crs. -■ Sheridan and Miller declared that they lived in the vicinity of the sawmill, and were never troubled with it.r-Cr. Bright's motion was carried. ■ ■'}'■' . Mr Coustin, representing Mr RobertHay, reported on the waterworks as' follow :— Contract, No. 1 : The laying, and joining of the main line of pipos had readied the big bend on the Gisborne side of the Reay bridge; The whole of the pipes, bends, valves, etc., required for . tlte completion of the contract, with the exception df two shipments of .15?inch' main., are now either on Gisborne wharf or at the site of the works. Contract No. 2: Practically the whole of the cast iron : water mains and fittings required for'reticulation contract are now in Gisborae. The pipe-laying, with construction of brick walls, etc., was' completed in the town of Gisborne, and the work was proceeding at a fair rate in the township of Whrttaupoko. There still remairied* tlie •balance of Whataupoko, and Kaiti,- and the laying of the steel mains at the two river crossings. Time: Botli contrac'tors had been notified that the specified time for completing contracts expired on Ist Mav and after that, date, unless otherwise instructed, he would deduct penalties set forthi ia the agreement with the Borough Council. Mr Moody, reticulation contractor, had applied for an extension of six wcoks, and the contractor for the main line had applied for an extension of ten weeks. He asked that the question of penalties be allowed to stand over until the completion of the contracts-. — The Engineer V recommendation as to penalties was approved by the Council. A letter was received from the borough solicitors, advising that the Council were able to dispose of the old Roebuck road end abuttiiirr on Taruheru river.— The Council decided to offer the land at the same price as it lmd been acquired to tlie Hospital Trustees. Mr E. G. Matthews-' wrote, stating the Stout street footpath in the dip beyond Shcelwnd street was in a bad state, and nothing had been done to it since it was formed seven or eight years ago.-— Left to the Engineer, who said that very little could be done to improve the road. The grass might be cut, but the mud would still exist. Mr J. East, wrote asking that the drain from Mis Harney's private hospital to Taruheru river, recommended by the EnKinder, be made a- Council undertaking.— Cr. Bright "thought'- that in view of the drainage scheme the matter, should be. held over. I'he Harbor Board were objecting to drainage into the river.— Dr. Williams said it was neeessur- for the private hospital to ltave a drain "before a license could be obtained.— Cr. Bright said he was not against permission being granted to put the drain down, but in view of the coming drainage scheme the Council should • not entail any expense in such a matter. — It was decided to reply that tlie Borough Council could not see tlicir way to becoming partners in the drain. The County Council advised that they had under consideration the necessity of providing offices suitable to the daily increasing business of the County, and with u view to taking united action in providing such accommodation for both Borough and County Councils, aisked if the Council would appoint a committee to meet a, L'ountv Council committee to discuss the best menus of obtaining a suitable build- J ing. Tlie lease of the present County office had four years to expire 5 but the landlord was willing to terminate tluit lease if it would serve the interests of theCouncil to remove to offices. The County Council would meet on May 17th, and if a favorable ansAVer was" received would then appoint a committee to confer with the Boiough Council.— Mr F. Stafford wrote, stating he was prepared . to erect a brick building 1 on section 93, Gladstone ; road, for the purposes of Municipal buildings. —The "Town Clerk said section 93 was where Mr Stafford's shop was.— A plan was laid on the table of a proposed buildiujr on the Council's sectioii near the Supreme Court. The Mayor said ■ the County clerk- had : been shown the plan, and had said that half off it was too small . for the Council's needs.— Cr. Whinray held that- the Council had been a lodger too long. He thought the borough should go in for a Town Hall, and something perr manent if they did go in for anything wliich would meet, the requirements Of the town. — Cr. Sheridan agreed that the Council should erect municipal buildings as soon as they could. Tlie section near the Supreme Court was held by the Council, with a tag- Hint it was to be used for municipal buildings.— Tlie Mayor wanted Jo- know what councillors mi-anl by a Town Hall, and was assured by Cr. Sheridan that he had in his mind a fine public building, with oftices. etc.— Ci. Miller asked what revenue they could expect from such a building. — Cr* Bright thought the section on Bead's quay w-ais a suitable oue. They could build and share with the County Council, the latter to be tea-

nuts until the borough required the whole of the building. — The Mayor moved, Cr. Sheridan seconded, and it was carried un^ animously, that the time had arrived when municipal buildings should be erected. — On Cr. Miller's motion, Crs. Whinray, Somervell, Miller, and Bright were appointed a committee' to confer with tlie County Council's committee on the subject. The Borough Inspector, Mr J. R. Little, reported : — "As requested by your Council at last meeting to furnish a report on the sanitary condition and disposal of rubbish at the depot, I have visited the same, and beg to report as follows : Owing; to the uneven surface of the ground, caused by the sand ridges, we have, by the Council's instructions, always' filled in the low-lying places with the rub. bisli from, tlie town, and when a sufficient quantity of rubbish had been deposited, we used a .horse-scoop to cover it over From the 'high ridges, after wliich it wns sown down with, grass seed cleaning, and the ground levelled as near ns possible. I might stat e that for u long time there has been very little rubbish taken to the depot, as it generally has been, deposited on the southern bank of the Wuikanae, where it is duly spread out and covered with sand to reclaim the river bank. The Hon." Captain Tucker keeps a man for that purpose. The nightsoil at the depot is buried regularly every morning in a satisfactory manner, according to instructions received from' the Health Department, who have visited the place at different periods. I might state that it is impossible to keep a place like the depot without some signs of what it is used for, us vve^ive had to make tlie roads through 1 the depot with tlie rubbish from the town. I would be glad if your Public - Works Committee would visit the placei and see for themselves, and advise me if any better method, of disposal could be substituted. Owing- to the terrible state of the Awapuni road during the winter, another liovne will lvave to be procured at once to carry on the nightsoil work,; I visited the abattoirs last week, and I -was asked to report to your Council ..on. the insufficient shed room for cattle. There are now ten butclwifs using the abattoirs, and there ■ are only sfo pens for cattle. This causes a lot of trouble, as strange cattle have to be mixed together. The] head butcher, suggests 1 .that four more pens be added to the present shed at tjie baclc of-,, sanie^ jivhi cli^wjjild [jjaait ~srtecfi a-^segs ~6Spenaiture.'—E^gaixlhig; the sahitaiy condition of the depot the Public Works Gbinmittee wer e authorised to report on the question, Cr. Harding stating there was a I difference of opinion as to whether it was offensive "or not. Mr Harvey Gibbon, Borough, Engineer, rejiorted :■ — "Crawford road culvert : This work lias been practically completed, traffic 'being 1 able to pass over it. A com- \ plaint was lodged that the material for the filling-in of the approaches was being ! taken from the old tram line in the Wainui road, and injuring what lias hitherto been used as a footpath. An arrangement was arrived at on the ground between ttte County Chairman and the Boiough, that when the excavation had been finished the ground should be formed up and gravelled. Maintenance: Tlie staff has been very busily, engaged in patching and gravelling throughout the borough; in fact, the demaridfi for repairs, consequent on the wet weather, were eo great that the ordinary complement of drays had to be increased by four additional ones. During j the last two montlis over a thousand yards J of gravel and the same amount of broken metal had been used. Roebuck road bridge: .The steel work for this bridge arrived by the Squali on Tuesday, 30th. April. The contractor is now taking delivery. The railing ajppears to have been damaged-' to': some extent,- but Vas. far as can be seen the 'balance appear§ to ; be in fair order. The duty ; on the *■ material amounts to £377 5s 4d. Grey street bridge : .Owing to a scour Vat the foot of the breastwork a ■considerable^settlement of the bank took place. To_ 'prevent a recurrence,- I aim excavating 'down at the back its i far as possible," putting in an-other-plank, and refilling, to water level with clay, sand proving of 110 value, as it runs whenever a small opening occurs. Nortlicoie road : In accordance with your iiislructioiis % I have to report on the condition of this road. It is unformed from end to end. Tliere.are no houses on ifc at p!riesent. There as, 'however, one; in course of erection, about' half -way along it. I could noli! recommend ; any tiling feeing done there at -present: • Ballance street : I examined the footways and drains in this? street, and suggest ■ that when gravel is available the eastern footpath should be attended to from Stout street to Russell street, and the drainscleaned out. Metal : Tile vtry pressing ne,ed of 'the borough at the present time is a bountiful supply of metal. No more Patutahi stone, is available until spring, and gravel will be 'unobtainable. I. have already reported oh the amount of metal required to puit the joads in even passable condition. To ( take one road as an example—Gladstone road. Tlie last spell of wet weather showed tliat the surface of line road vvas completely worn out, and required metalling the whole- length. I carefully measured it, nnd estimated that to give it a, coat of metal 9in thick right across would require no less than 17,094 cubic yards. Even supposing only half the width were done, ib would still take over 8000 cu'bio yards of ■.'■metal.-.- What applies to Gladstone road applies 'to nearly eyerv road in the : borough ; they are practically worn out and require metalling, in a very short time tne road Avill be completed to the Waihirere quarry, a)id then the question, of tlie tram line to the station will have: to be considered. I have taken out the quantities for a tram line to Waihirere station, and find the cost will be about £759 per mile, and the distance can be taken at two miles, making £1518 in all. It Ik-is been suggested that the matter should remain in abeyance until the railway in connection . with the outer harbor scheme has been completed, and that the Council should take over the railway when the breakwater has been .constructed;' but I cannot recommend such a proposal. It is estimated that the Value of such railway after completion of the works would amount to £15,000, arid that the Council would take it over at that figure. By comparing, the cost of working a -short -tram: line from the quarry 'to Waihirere station with that of the Harbor Board's railway, it will be' seen tlmt the tram is very much more advantageous : Cost of working tram line from quarry U^Wafliirere station, including maintenance and 10 per cent, for interest and depreciation, £550 per annum; cost of working railway, including maintenance and 10/ per cent, interest and depreciation; £2400 per annum. But if 50 cubic yards of crushed Tnetal were taken from the .quarry, per diem for, say, six montlis, this would amount to 7800 cubic yards, and would cosk delivered on. the streets by Council's tram line '£21-73, but if delivered by the railway It would amount to £3482, giving- 'a balance of £1309 in favor of the tram line, or, an amount very nearly equal to the- cast of its construction. With regard to the, stone, I have not the slightest doubt asV.tp either the quality or tTie quantity to beN?btained. I would respectfully suggest tluit "the Council sliould give immediate consideration to the scheme, so that the urgent demand for road material may be met by a continuous supply from the only place in tne district where there is an abundance'.' .of metal, which can be put on tlie 'roads at a price. Unit permits of a liberal use."— Cr. Wliinhiy said he wished he could be convinced, like the Engineer, of' the value of Waihirere stone.— 'Vh& Engineer said the stone was a splendid one for their secondary streets'.— Cr. Sawyer considered" tliit the Wai-hirei'e stone should be tested on a road where there was heavy traffic, such as on Gladstone road. — Cx. Miller said if Waihirere stone was as good as Kaitaratahi gravel they should get it. They wanted 30,000 yards of gravel to do any good with their back streets, but they could . not obtain it.— Cr. Somervell held that it was advisable to have Waihirere stone tested before using it in any quantities.— Or. Wliinray was not so sunguinc as^-the Engineer, , and did not share his opinion as to its quality and utility. He did not think there whs any stone there fit for the harbor .works.— Cr. Bright said he was prepared, with th© samples shown them, and the Engineer's opinion as to the- 1 quality of - the'. -stone, and the practically unlimited supply, to accept the re-commendation.-tliat 'it was a good metal for their secondary streets. Now tliat drain-' age was a matter of days, the Council should tack on to tlie drainage loan sufficient to put their streets in order,, and save them from continual patching.— -The Mayor said there was no need for a loan for, the purpose of getting Waihirere stone in, us tl^e boiough had sufficient funds this year. The difficulty Was not so much money as the lack of plenty of good metal. The Council had as much money as they could wisely spend in tli© coming year.— - On the niolion of Civ Sawyer,'- seconded by Cr. 'Miflery.the Engineer was authorised to take as nuich Waikanae gravel as the carters could supply. Cr. Sawyer said this was better gravel than Kaitaratahi.— It was resolved that the Council inspect th e Waihirere stoiie deposits on Thursday week. On the motion of Cr. Bright the Engineer was authorised to form and metal the narrow footpath from DeLautour road to the borough boundary, a matter of 2£ chains.— Cr. Bright pointed out tjiat there were u huge number of borough children attending Kaiti school, and where DeLautour road intersected -.the main road the crossings were bad. The Chairman of the County Council hud given him to understand that gravel would be 'put on from the old tramway road.— On Cr. Blight's motion it was also agreed-' to: extend fli e sanitary service to Mangapapa school free of chaige. „ v