THE BOROUGH COUNCIL

Southland Times, Issue 23178, 20 April 1937, Page 4

THE BOROUGH COUNCIL

LAST EVENING’S MEETING

There were present at last night’s meeting of the Gore Borough Council, the Mayor (Mr A. T. Newman) and Councillors J. A. Wright, J. A. Baldey, W. K. Hamilton, R. L. Reid, N. Robson, T. Sim, F. S. Graham, A. McLachlan, R. S. Green and J. C. Ray. The Works Committee reported that it had been decided to recommend that the matter of raising portion of Maitland street between Hamilton and Woolwich streets be left in the hands of the foreman of works to carry out when the material was available It was decided that the trees in Ardwick street which were likely to interfere with telephone wires be attended to by the borough gardener and the Gore School Committee. The Works Committee further recommended that the inspector of nuisances (Mr P. Kelly) be instructed to serve notices to several residents in Anzac street to have gorse cleared from their properties, Reporting on the flooding of Irk street the Works Committee recommended that £lOO be placed on the estimates for providing a new storm sewer and that the borough engineer (Mr E. G. Wilson) be instructed to supply plans and specifications for the work to be done.

The committee further reported that the foreman of works had been instructed to have protection work carried out on the east side of the Mataura river at once and to have • the island ploughed and the willows removed. The matter was urgent because of the river being at a suitable level for the work to be done. The recommendations were adopted. On the recommendation of the Finance Committee it was decided to donate £2O towards the King George V Memorial Fund for the establishment of permanent health camps. The committee further recommended that, where judgment had been obtained for rates and amounts not, satisfied, the town clerk take steps to have the properties sold. It was also recommended that because of the position of the finances of the borough, summonses be issued for all unpaid rates, which were not arranged for.

Relining of Water Mains

The Lighting and Water Committee recommended that after hearing an explanation of the procedure of relining water mains in concrete: (1) That £lOOO be provided this year for the purpose of cleaning and relining of the 7-inch water main from pumping station to reservoir, and (2) that the matter of arranging the money be "referred to the Finance Committee. The Mayor said the mains had been, down for many years. The pressure had fallen considerably and it was time something was done. The cost was £625 a mile. The Finance Committee had considered the matter of racing the money and had discussed three schemes as follows: (1) An increase of Id in the general (2) An appeal to the Loans Board to raise the money by a poll. _ (3) To apply to the Minister of Employment and the Loans Board .to raise the money by loan without going to the ratepayers. The Finance Committee favoured the third proposition. ( m The Lighting and Water Committees recommendation was adopted. After discussion of the ways and means of raising the money the Finance Committee’s third proposition was carried. . , The Water Committee further recommended that as to the application by the Farmers’ Dairy Federation for a. supply, the company be notified of the council’s position relating to the relining of the seven-inch water mam, and that if this were carried out it might be possible to arrange for the supply required by them at the rate of 6d a gallon metered., Should the council agree to the committee’s recommendation to reline the 7-inch water main, the work would be undertaken early in spring and would take approximately six weeks or two months, and should be completed by the end of October or November. It was expected that when this had been done, the supply required would be available. Should the company decide not to wait until the work had ben done, the council would have no objection to their digging a well elsewhere, and would allow them to carry the pipe-line under the streets, subject to indemnity and guarantee by the company io the council. All documents required were to be prepared and approved of by the council and all costs were to be paid by the company. The recommendation was adopted.

Sale of Poppies

The Gore Returned Soldiers’ Association was granted permission to sell poppies within the borough on April 23 and if needs be on the morning of April 24. , An invitation to the members of the council to be present at the Anzac Pay service was accepted. Mr D. Mason, of Railway Esplanade, East Gore, wrote drawing the council’s attention to the bad condition of the road from the comer of the East Gore school to his property. He asked for repairs to be made to the road as soon as possible. , The matter was referred to the Works Committee. The borough engineer (Mr E. G. Wilson) wrote stating that he had made a .thorough inspection of the Theatre Royal. He considered it to be in a poor state of repair, but was reasonably structurally sound. He considered rigid conditions should be laid down in the issuing of the licence about the necessity for a periodic inspection and the remedying of any signs of weakness. ' , The foreman of works (Mr A. Richardson), reported that the following streets had been graded:—Pomona, Wigan, Fairfield, Irwell, Tyne, Norfolk, Richmond, Ontario, Toronto, Dundas, William, Devon, Surrey, Mary, Avon, Oxford, Rock, Nelson, Halton, Albany, Howard, Wentworth; also Courts road and the Railway Esplanade. . The health inspector (Mr R. Connor) reported that the town had been fairly free from infectious diseases during the year; The following cases had been dealt with: Tuberculosis, 8; scarlet fever, 4; pneumonic influenza, 2; diphtheria, 2; puerperal infection, 2; infantile paralysis, 1; total, 19 cases. A circular was received from the Invercargill City Council giving an outline of an estimate of the contributions from each local body in Southland for the proposed centennial memorial. The contribution from Gore was estimated at £259.

The Mayor said that the council had decided at a previous meeting to take no action. He had been talking to his Worship the Mayor of Invercargill (Mr John Miller), who had expressed disappointment that the Gore Borough Council had dropped the matter. Mr Miller had pointed out that the matter had nothing to do with the people of Invercargill. Councillor T. Sim: Did you ask Mr

Miller if the Invereargill City Council would still be prepared to pay its estimated contribution if the building were erected at Gore? Councillor F S. Graham said he did not see why the council should spend the ratepayers’ money in erecting buildings at Invercargill. . It was decided that no action be taken.