CORRESPONDENCE

Colonist, Volume XLIX, Issue 11974, 29 June 1907, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE

was read and considered. Amongst the letters received were the following :— From -residents Trafalgar Boad, asking for formation of path. — Referred to Committee. From Mr J. Ching, asking leave to exchange gravel for soil.— Granted. From Mrs Severne, complaining of state of road, Hampden street West. — Referred to Commit&ee. From Secretary Brick and .Pottery Company, indicating that sound pipes would be supplied for any cracked.—Referred to Committee. From Dr Gibbs, complaining of the quality of gas supplied and the presence therein of sulphur. Cr Hampson said he had also been troubled with sulphur fumes, and bo did the Mayor, who said he had spoken to the foreman, and he would again see him. — Referred to Committee. From Nelson Employers' Association, asking for use of Council Chamber on the Bth July. The Mayor said the charge was three guineas a night. — Resolved to inform applicants of terms. The Mayor said he would rather these bodies would not apply. They could make no distinction. From Mr F. W. Hamilton, asking Council to define footpath in Bronti street. Referred to Committee. From Mr J. Henderson, acknowledging receipt of testimonial, and thanking the Council. From Mr St. John, submitting plan of sub-division and roading block of land known as Moorehouse's, and asking Council to consent to same. The Mayor moved that this be referred to Committee, with power to act. Cr Snodgrass seconded the motion and suggested that care should be taken as to drainage. Motion carried. REPORTS were then read. The Finance Committee reported : — 1. On letter from Mr W. Newport: That the contract fur nightsoil removal be renewed for one year at fivepence per service, the Council to pay half the cost of accident insurance. 2. On letter from Messrs Coward and Co, ; Consideration deftrred, 8, On letter Itom Dr Burr •

That this claim be paid. 4. On letter from Mr H. Wood That the 3in water main be extended to Weka •street and the lin main be taken from thence to the City boundary and Mr Wood's premises connecte'3 therewith. 5. On letter from secretary Citizens' Band. — Consideration deferred. 6. As to Abattoir ditches: Consideration deferred. 7. As to Abattoir Inspector's report: That the matter of gravelling the road be left in the hands of the Mayor. 8. As to gas reticulation : That th ) following work has still to be carried out— Gin main, Collingwood streot from Halifax street »o Cambria street, and from thence to Milton street, about 47 chains, estimated cost £94 15s;. 6in main from Gagworks to Port, about 50 chains, estimated cost £100; 3in mains, about 103 chains, estimated to coat £122 6a 3d ; total estimated cost, £317 Is 3d. The Commitete recommend that the whole of this work be proceeded with as rapidly ns possible. 9. On letter from Mr F. W. Fnirey: That all animals suitable for tho purpose required by Mr Fairey be slaughtered at any time at the Abattoir upon arrangements being made with the Manager. That Mr Fairey be granted perrnisslou to enter upon the Abattoir premises at any time to remove the offal. That "the Abattoir employees bury the undigested grass' for a period of six months. 10. As to complaints by butchers: Consideration deferred. Adopted. Public Works Committee reported:—L On letter frpmMr liukfn j That the lane be gravelled at a Co3t not exceeding £1. 2. On letter from residents Trafalgar Square: Consideration deferred till next meeting. 3. On letter from Mr A. C. Cotfcorii That this matter be rof erred to the Foreman of Works: 4. On letter from Mr F. H. SeJdon : That a post be erected at the corner of Woka and Milton streets. 5. On letter from Mrs Baker: That a load of gravel be placed on the footpath. 6. On letter from Mr H. Finney : (l)As to right-of-way off Bridge street, consideration deferred; (2) As to Shakespeare Walk, that the track be properly graded at the Hardy Btreet end, and tarred ashes be placed upon it at the proper season; that in the meantime ashes be placidd upon tho Walk and posts erected by the last house to prevent horse traffic. 7; On letter from Mr D. Whifcing: Consideration deferred. 8. On letter from Mr T. Neale: That permission be granted to yut in a crossing under the supervision of the Foreman. 9. On letter from Mr J. M. Berkley : That they have no recommendation to make. 10. On letter from Mr E. 0. Fannin: Consideration deferred till next meeting. 11; On letter from MY G. Atkinson: That one bar be lifted to allow o* the passage of a perambulator. 12. On letter from residents North Esk street : Consideration deferred. 13. On letter from residents Toi Toi Valley: That the culvert at Mr Webster's gatejand the ditch on his boundary be filled up and the bricks be used to make a culvert to carry the water to the other side of Toi Toi street above Montreal road ; that a footpath be formed on Mr Webster's side as far as Montreal road, and also on the opposite side of the road for a distance of about 20 chains altogether; that the lamp be removed and placed at the bend of the road ; estimated oust about £50. 14. On letter from residents Cambria street : That the footpath be gravelled with Wakatu gravel, cost not to exceed £.Q. 15. On letter from residents Waimea road: That the foot* path be patohed with Brigbtwatef gravel. 16. On letter from Mr Jj MoHarg : That the zig-zag footpath be repaired as soon as. possible; 17; On letter from Messrs Magi nriity arid Sons: That the fence be erected, the matter to be left in the hands of the Mayor and Acting Town ClerK. 18. As to the time-table for motor 'bus: That the time-table submitted be consented to, and the license extended until the end of the present year. 19. As to storing timber: Consideration deferred, the Mayor to report as to cost of making an enclosure on land behind the firebell in Hardy street. 20. As to removal of building Corporation yard: Consideration deferred. 21. That Mr Orsman be requested to pay for damage done to footpath in Trafalgar street. 22. That tne Rocks road be patohed and pointed as recommended by the Boreman of Works'. 23; OrJ letter from Messrs Langlands and Co. re purchase of soil : That they have no recommendation to make. 24. That carting over the tip road bo prohibited, as this interfered with the distribution of rubbish. As to clause 23, Cr Robertson moved that Mr Langlands be permitted to take soil from gas trenches on condition that he replaced same with gravel. Cr Snodgrass seconded. The Mayor strongly opposed. The motion was carried. As to clause 24, Cr Bisley said there was a good road, and he objected to the proposal. The Mayor said the reason was that otherwise the tip could not be kept in order. Cr Bisley said it was to the interest of the Council to allow carts to go in that direction. He moved that the clause be referred back to the Committee. Cr Snodgrass seconded, and said more damage would be done to roads by requiring men to go a mile and a half out of their way. The motion was carried, and the report, as amended, was adopted. The Mayor reported as follows :— l. Permits to connect with sewers had been granted Mr Miller, for premises of Mr Deck and for new^Girls' School. 2. The Foreman of Works reported : Re Hacnpden street, that footpath had been completed, cost £12 3s 6d, tarred ashes were used. Rocks Road wall: This had been attended to in several placeß. Britannia Heights : Clearing of watertables and patching of upper part Washington Road had been completed, cost £12; Maitai metal was used. 3. The following works had been completed since the Council took office : Footpaths Waimea street, both sides, Tasman street, Sunley's, Ngatitama street, and Webley's, Milton street. Watertables cleaned and repaired : Stanley Crescent, Mount street, Britannia Heights, and College Hill. Patching: Trafalgar street fiom Bridge to Halifax streets. Church and .Examiner streets. He instructed the foreman to put the men on the streets in rainy weather to scrape the mud off. tfronti street bridge would be completed to-morrow, except painting, and cattle should be . kept frjm crossing. The oost, including approaches, which were left ou in the original estimate, was £45. 4. Gas reticulation: This work was being carried out, the work of putting in services being done by the present staff. He had instructed the foreman to put on the men for the day work trenches. 5. Gasworks: The Newcastle coal had arrived in excellent condition, and would all be in the works by about Wednesday. The Anchor Company was weighing same. The foreman reported that the old Gasworks weighing machine was worn out. He advised the Oounoil to purchase a machine of similar dimensions.

Or Bisley said he understood they were paying £50 a year for weighing coal, and be was glad to see the suggestion that they should obtain a weighing machine. Or Field moved that tenders be invited for the supply of weighbridge. Seconded by Or Bisley and carried. The Clerk of Works called atention to various matters in connection with drainage works. —Referred to Committee. The Inspector of Nuisances reported that the city was still free from infectious disease. The Abattoir report showed the number of animals slaughtered to have been as follows: — Sheep 597, lambs 120, cattle 89, calves 9, pigs 47, total 862. An application for increase of wages, to one of the employees was fefered to Committee.

TENDERS. The question of tenders for cause way septic taDk was deferred til later, to be taken in committee. GAS TRENCHING. Ttie following tenders were receiv ed for thi3 work:— Cody and Finni Kirn, 17s per chain; Wise and Co.. 16s &l per chain. The lowest tendei was accepted. ORDINARY BUSINESS, Cr Field referred to the trees in Victory Square, and moved that de ciduoua trees be planted along the south side and the pinus insignia cut down when they grew, one tree to be cut down now. He also proposed that dressing" sheds be provided at Victory Square, and also at the Botanical Gardens. Tha latter matter was referred to the Comraitteo., Cr Snodgrass seconded the first proposal. Tbe Mayor thought it would be better to plant New Zealand shrubs than deciduous trees. The motion was carried. A loiter from Messrs Langlands and Co. re progress payments, and which was read at last mooting, was again read. The Mayor said it seemed to him there was no alternative, they must abide by the decision of the Clerk of Works. A report the Clerk of Works showed that he certified to £130. It was agreed to pay same. GASWORKS. Cr Grace referred to the Gasworks, and said the report showed that for month of May the gas produced was 3,228,000 feet, while the quantity sold was only 2,158,000 feet. Apparently there was a waste of over a million feet. It was inexplicable that about a third of the production v/ha unaccounted for. He moved that this roattor be referred to the Committee for inquiry. Cr Field seconded, and said that in March the amount unaccounted for was about the same. The Mayor said the shortage, after allowing for lamps, was 870,000 feet, but they should allow ten per cent for wastage. He was pleaded to say that financially the position of the Gasworks was improving, for in April, tho overdraft was £5827. while to-day it was only £4708 Cr Snodgrass said that all the meters were not read on the same day, arid therefore they could not say accurately what the loss was. Cr .Hampson said that anyway the leakage was too big, and he thought the mmc had come when a Committee should endquire carefully into tho whole working. As to the overdraft, he said that when they paid for the £600 worth of coal now being taken in their overdraft would go up again. "Or Field said that if they deducted the gas for street lamps and the ten per cent, the loss was about half a million feet. The motion was then carried. Or Hampson asked leave to move that the Premier be asked in considering amendments to Local Bodies legislation to provide that Local Bodies might keep separate accounts for such trading undertakings as gas works, tramways, etc., and that copies of the resolution be forwarded to the members for the distriot, and the Municipal Corporations Association. The Mayor said he thought this proposal should go through the Municipial Corporations Association Cr Grace seconded the resolution. The Mayor suggested that this should be sent as a remit to the Association. Cr Hampson pointed out that if that were done it might be too late. He would agree to make it also a remit from the Council. The motion as amended was carried iinanimoumslyj The Mayor said he had reoeived the Municipal Corporations Superanuation Scheme, and he moved that it be referred to the Committee.— Carried. The Mayor said they ought to have pogsesion of the old Cemetery, and he would bring that matter, also that of the Collingwood Street Old Cemetery before the Premier if they empowered him. Or Bialey thought the condition of those ceraeterie3 was a disgrace to the City. Many old identities rested there, and he maintained that it was their duty to keep these Cemeteries in order. Cr Giace thought they might also be beautified.; but thef were not in their hands. g On the motion of Cr Hainpson, seconded by Cr Grace, it was resolved that the Mayor be empowered to take steps to secure these Cemeteries being vested in the Corporation. Cr Snodgrass urged that beltg of native trees should be planted on the Haven road and Waimea street sides of Milton's Acre,and he moved that the matter be referred to tbe Committee. Cr Field seconded the motion. The Mayor said this land was too valuable, and besides trees would shade the roads. Cr Grace thought Milton's Acre would ultimately be built on, and said they should not plant many trees. Cr Bisley hoped Milton's Acre would never be built on, but that it would be beautified. The motion was carried. The Mayor said he bad been invited to present to Sergeant-Major Redmond the^Stead |Gold Medal for bravery. The presentation would take place on Saturday of next week, and he asked that as many Councilors as possible would attend. Cr Bisley moved that a sum not exceeding £10 be expended in setting up fallen tombstones in the two old cemeteries. Cr Feild seconded the motion, which was carried. Cr Snodrgass said thsy were paying 2s 9d for gravel obtained from Mr Huffam, and they had equally good metal at the ends of Halifax and Grove streets (in the hill), and Mr Jickell said the metal there was as good as the Wakapnaka gravel. He pointed out that the cost of carting from Halifax or Grove street would be considerably less than at present. He moved that this be referred to the Committee for enquiries. Cr Bialey seconded the motion, ■which was carried. Cr Bisley alluded to the return presented on his motion showing the whole of the employees, and their salaries and wages, and referred to the cost of gas production, which he believed could be reduced. He moved that they write to the Palmerston North works, and ask for particulars as to cost of production. Cr Field seconded. The Mayor said Palinertson North were private works. They had better apply to Municipal works. Cr Bisley said he wanted the in- i formation from Palmerston North, ■ and Cr Hampson said they were more likely to get the information i from private works. The motion v:zz r-.rried. Cr Grace moved that the ComrnUtee enquire and. report as to the cost of carting. . Cr Bisley seconded, and said they ' were paying an average of £41 per 'fortnight for carting alone, and ' for labor. He would also move for a ( complete return. [ The motion was carried. \ Ur Bisley mentioned that they estimated an expenditure of £2330 ' this year on the roads, and they now had not much more than £1000 of tha amount left to expend. Cr Bisley moved that a return of the Gas and Water-fittting department be be submitted, together with J one showing the street carting done for the past three months. j Cr Snodgrass seconded pro forma, but said the Acting-Town Clerk had a great deal to do, and thay had no Gas Engineer at present. j After discussion the motion was carried. On the motion oi Cr McConchie, tbe question of footpath in Vanguard street was referred to Committee. The Council then went into committee to consider the question of tenders for the causeway contract, j

and tbe appointment of Engineer: was agreed that tbe acceptance < i tenders for the causeway bo defem until the Engineer is appointed, ar we understand that the ultimate a| pointment of an Engineer now di . pends simply upon the result of e» - quiries as to details.