TIMARU BOROUGH COUNCIL.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 3364, 15 January 1884, Page 2

TIMARU BOROUGH COUNCIL.

An ordinary meeting of the Borough Council was held last evening. Pro* sent —His Worship the Mayor and Crs. Bower, Proctor, Massey, Bush, Gibson, Hill, Sutter, Gabites, Jones, Allen and Sherratt. CORRESPONDENCE. Outward correspondence was read and approved. Inward correspondence was read : From Messrs Laidlaw and Son, Glasgow, advising shipment of certain pipes per James Wishart, ship from Glasgow, and enclosing B. of L. and invoice. From Mr R. B. Sibly, offering to deliver blue stone metal, broken or unbroken. Offer declined. From Mr F. LeCren, expressing his willingness to give a guarantee for water supply to his house for three years, and enclosing cheque for £2O. The Council agreed to grant the supply on terms already specified. From Mr S. Tyler, pleading inability to pay rates in consequence of age and paralysis. From Mrs Oxby, asking remission of rates, owing to her husband having died from the effects of injuries sustained on May 14,1882. Both the foregoing requests for remission of rates were at once granted. From J. Hammond, requesting a 4wheel vehicle license and a driver’s license. Granted.

From Mr Watson (contractor for pipehead constrnction), asking for settlement of balance of bis claim.

The Inspector, M r Annand, reported that the work had been faithfully and fully carried out. From Messrs F. J. Wilson, A. Sinclar, and A. Turnbull, asking premission to attach a shed of wood and iron to the Grain Agency’s large building at the foot of Strathallan street.

The Building Surveyor reported against the application. Cr Gibson moved, and Cr Sutter seconded—“ That the application of Mr F. J, Wilson, on behalf of the Grain Agency Company to put iron screen on the store on the beach be declined; if the work be proceeded with the Mayor to instruct the Borough Solicitor to prosecute without delay." Or Hill said if the latter part of the resolution was struck out, he should vote for it—otherwise he should oppose it. He did not believe in threatening the Grain Agency with a law suit, while the Government was allowed to put up wooden buildings with impunity. Cr Gibson regretted there should be any difference of opinion on this subject. He advocated fighting the matter out and if necessary appealing. Government was not amenable to borough regulations, so the parallel was not a good one. Gr. Sutter concurred and expressed surprise at Cr. Hill’s remarks. How the Magistrate could have given the decision he did in the case of the former shed (for it was clearly wrong), he did not know.

Some discussion ensued as to whether the building regulations needed altering. Or. Bower urged putting the motion, not talking about modifying the regulations and publishing an admission that these were deficient.

The motion was pot and carried, Or Hill dissenting. From Mr J. S. Bennett, Elizabeth street, calling attention to insufficient drainage in front of his shop. Referred to the Works Committee. From J. Brosnahan, offering to lease part of the water-race reserve for 10 years for cropping and planting purposes. The letter was received. wateewoeks extension tendebs. Tenders for carrying a water supply to Mr LeCren’s residence were received as follows :—B. Forgan, £34 3s fid; T. McGill, £29 18s fid; B. S. Watson (27 chains at 19s 7d), £26 11s; H. Barker, £26. Or. Bower remarked that it was by the merest accident that one of the tenderers bad heard about the work bein open, (Or Gibson —Name). He should not give the name. Councillors might receive his statement or not, as they chose, but he wished to know why the matter had not been advertised. The Town Clerk said he had seen all the tenderers personally, in plenty of time, and had got prices from all. Or Gibson said ther Town Clerk had been instructed by the Committee to see the various contractors and get prices for the work ; and it appeared from his statement that he had done so. The Council decided to accept the tender of H. Barker. SUNDAY WOEKS. The Foreman of Works reported on the works in hand and required, as follows :—“ The contract for works in King street is completed satisfactorily and the contract for putting on the metal on King street is also completed. The prisoners are getting on very well with the cuttings in King street. The stone culvert in the hollow|will require lengthening about 30ft., if the owners of the property will allow the tailing over of an embankment on their sections I have examined the northern end of Grey road, near Mr Collins’, and to carry a road as far as the sections are fenced in, to make anything like a road half a chain wide, I should want 1000 yards of stuff and 9 chains of forming. The work is all filling in, and there are no cuttings on the road except a bit by the old show ground, which would be wanted in Elizabeth street. There can be an accommodation road formed by cutting down about 2ft fiin at Mr Collins’ gate and collecting all the stuff between Mr Collins’ and Sefton street and removing the two banks in Sarah street (350 yards). The cost would he about £34 or £35. I am now getting a good deal of inspecting done in different parts of the town, and I have put down in a memorandum book those places that are all right and those that are not." eeown stebet again . r The Foreman of Works handed in the following report on the Brown street sewer:— “ From the following statement you will find a few calculations made by me

upon the capability of the Brown street sewer. On the 17th November last we had a somewhat heavy rain—l may say a greater rainfall than we usually gst—lasting for 16 hours, the rainfall being 2? inches. The watershed I ascertain by a reference to a map of the Borongh and suburbs, and an inspection of the locality shows that the catchment area is about 125 acres, which would give 868,000 cubic feet of water, allowing Jinch for evaporation. The sewer is capable of carrying off 36,000 cubic feet per hour. That would take 24 hour to carry off the storm water ; but it is evident the absorbing nature of the soil, together with the usual evaporation, must have been over inches. I take it to be so from the fact that the bulk of the rainfall was from five o’clock a*m. to one o'clock p.m., and during a portion of that time Brown street, at its junction with the Market Beserve, and a portion of the paddock at the corner of Brown and Cross streets, were partly nnder water ; but at 1 p.m. the sewer had carried it all off, and the rubbish was cleared from abont the grating of the trap at the corner of the Immigration garden. Tbis trap is connected with the sewer by a 9-inch pipe. lam therefore of opinion that with a good large trap at the junction of Cross and Brown streets, and iron gratings in. the natural waterways, the sewer would be large enough for all ordinary rains, but in the case of extraordinary rains it would be necessary to build in the east or sea side of the trap a length of 12inchpipe, so that if there was more water than the sewer could carry off, the extra flush could pass through the 12-inch pipe and thence down the water table, when the lower part of Brown street is filled up to the adopted level. Even after that is done, the stone culverts across the streets leading to the traps may require enlarging.” The Works Committee’s report was also read, and that body was requested (1) to see to the piper head screens, and (2) to extend the George street culverts. The foregoing reports were adopted. waterworks inspector’s report. The Inspector, Mr Beswick, reported that he had visited the race several times since the last meeting of the Council. On Sunday, the 6th inst., the contractor, Robert Elms, reported to him that a portion of the race near the dam bad given way, and he arranged with him to forward material for repairing the same next morning, and now bad to report that the repairs had been made, and the water was now running from the dam to the reservoir. Advantage was taken of thejstoppage to thoroughly overhaul Mr Spooner’s length of race, and men had been employed to assist Spooner, and the race was now in good order. The reservoir being connected with the mains,Mr Spooner would in fntnre be enabled to keep his length of the race in very good order without additional assistance. Owing to the nature of the weather, there was a great growth of grass and weeds along the course of the race, but the contractor, by employing assistance was able to keep it in fairly good order. The present mode of cleaning the screens at the reservoir was very inconvenient, as there was no room te work. He asked the Council to allow the gallows to be moved from the old pipe head to the new work, and also a stage for screen washing, to be laid close to the well with a fence round to protect the well from rubbish blowing in during the cleaning, &c. Mr Spooner would be able to do the work himself. The contract for White street extension bad been let and completed since the last meeting of the Council. Cr Bower enquired what was the nature of the breakdown, and what the Inspector had done in the matter ? Or Bush asked whether Mr Annand had not passed this weak point. He would like to know also whether the Inspector knew anything about stone and brick works ?

The Inspector proceeded to explain what he had done in the matter. He had assisted the contractor as the work was urgent, and had sent him to procure the necessary cement without loss of time.

Cr Bower said he was perfectly astounded at the Inspector’s explanation. It had been agreed that the Council should send the contractor the material he needed, and here the Inspector, by bis own admission, had actually told the contractor to get what he wanted! Here were eight barrels of cement got by the contractor 1 The thing was very unsatisfactory. To use a nautical phrase, he thought a “ round turn ” had been taken by someone. Cr Gibson said he could explain something of this. Before the contractor began, Mr Beswick, the Inspector, called on him (Cr Gibson) and asked his advice, He advised the Inspector to tell Elms to take up a barrel or two more cement than he would need, in case of emergency. The Inspector did so; and, as the speaker could testify acted for the best. The contractor, Elms, had done his work well He himself had seen it, and knew it was well done. Cr Bower had questioned the veracity of the officials. He (the speaker) considered their veracity quite equal to Cr Bower’s; and that gentleman, in matters of this sort, was not altogether a competent judge, being unacquainted with building matters. Or Bower indignantly repudiated the remarks of Cr Gibson. Who was Or. Gibson, that he should always stand np in defence of the Council’s servants whenever they were spoken to? It was a role at which Cr Gibson was rather good. Every officer should be in a position to answer direct questions, and he really did not appreciate a Councillor being always on his feet, and putting his back up in defence of the Council’s servants.

Cr Gibson—How about the “ round turn

Cr Bower (warmly)—l say my question was not answered, for Cr Sutter immediately got up and abused me . Cr Sutter (in mock-deprecation)— Your Worship! I never, really now Cr Bower continued (disregarding the interruption)—that he had put certain questions to the Inspector, and did not receive satisfactory answers, and this he best described by the phraseology he had used, viz.“ A round turn.”

Cr Bush said the Inspector ought to have seen to the work being done. He (the speaker), as a practical man, knew very well it was useless to tell men to do work of this sort, they must be looked after, if the work was to be done at all. Cr Jones said he had listened with pain to what be could not but characterise as the unmanly attack of Cr Bower upon the Inspector; the more so, because the attacking party knew nothing at all about the sort of work he now criticised. It was a very underhand business, and he felt bound to say he did not at all like it.

Or Gibson remarked that lengths of rivited iron Burning might well be employed to bridge over future breakages, pending masonry repairs. His Worship said a good many dark hints bad been thrown out about supply of materials, but he desired to remark that there was nothing that could not be explained in a moment. Elms had come to him (the Mayor,) on the Monday morning to buy cement. He had told Elms he could not supply the Council, but he would supply Elms hsmself, and

as the latter pressed him to do bo, he let him have the cement. The Council had nothing to do with this. They would pay Elms, and Elms might pay him some day or other, Cr Bower had asked for explanations. There they were. Or Hill (warmly)—Well, your Worship, I think Cr Bower, has sustained unmanly treatment at this table, in being attacked for merely asking questions. It appears true that very soon it will be as much as a man’s life is worth to ask questions of the Council’s servants, and this state of things is really intolerable. I will ask a question, now, myself. Is there not another mile length of the race that needs repairs ?

Mr Beswick, Inspector, explained that the reservoir-keeper was engaged on that work.

Cr Bower defended himself from the accusation Welled at him. Cr Gibson—Are we to have Cr Bower on his legs all the evening, Tour Worship? After a few more desultory remarks, the subject dropped. MUNICIPAL PASTURES, Cr Hill moved, and Cr Allen seconded —“That the Foreman of Works be instructed to take on two of the surface men lately suspended, with the view of keeping down the growth of herbage in the street channels within the Borough, and other necessary works.” In speaking to the motion, Cr Hill referred to the urgent need of proper steps being taken to keep down the excessive growth in the side-channels.

Cr Gibson remarked that it might be worth while to consider the propriety of letting the streets out for grazing. (A laugh.)

Cr Allen observed that he would advocate dispensing with the plant, and letting everything out by contract. Something should be done, for now the streets were overgrown with docks and weeds, &c. Or Sutter advocated leaving these things to the discretion of the Mayor. He himself had failed to see these * docks, &c,’ that Cr Allen bad talked about.

His Worship said he believed he was justified in saying that this was got up rather to find work for certain men than for getting necessary work done. Cr Hill vehemently denied this. He would fling this statement back in the teeth of His Worship He would now say that some of these men had been dismissed, for the purpose of getting rid of them. He had heard that from the Foreman of Works.

The Foreman said Cr Hill was entirely mistaken. What he did say, was—that having no more work for the two men in question, be had discharged them ; and if they were taken on again it would have to be on a different footing, for many reasons. Cr Bush remarked that only ratepayers ought to be employed in day laborAfter further discussion the motion was put and lost. His Worship remarked that Cr Hill’s purpose would be served some other way eventually, most likely. Or Hill (in a heated manner) —Your Worship, I repudiate these insinuations, and fling them back in your teeth, and I say it is a disgrace to a Council, when its bead casts reflections on any member merely because he brings a motion forward. The subject then dropped. VAEIOOS. The following resolutions were passed without discussion:—“That the Foreman of Works prepare and lay on the table at next meeting, plans and specification for improvements in Gray Eoad.as reported by the Foreman of Works.” “ That the Foreman be empowered to get the various pitched crossings put in repair by re-laying, by contract or by day labor. Accounts were passed as follows : General account, £290 8s Id; Waterworks loan, £35 10s lOd ; maintenance account, £4B 18s. The proceedings then terminated.