MUNICIPAL CONTROL

Taranaki Daily News, 19 December 1933, Page 3

MUNICIPAL CONTROL

BOROUGH OF NEW PLYMOUTH MONTHLY MEETING OF COUNCIL. REPORTS ON WORK DONE IN TOWN. Work done at New Plymouth was reported on at the monthly meeting of the borough council last night. Those present were the Mayor (Mr. E. R. C. Gilmour), Councillors S. J. Smith, J. Brown, J. W. Darby, P. E. Stainton, T. P. Anderson, F. Amoore and F. S. Grayling. The electrical engineer was given authority to instal coloured lights in Devon Street during the holidays. Mr. R. W. D. Robertson ■ wrote agreeing to dedicate a corner with a tenfeet frontage to Devon and Hobsoa Streets. The New Plymouth branch of the Red Cross Society and the District Nurse Association sought permission to take up a street collection on March 9. The application was referred to the special committee considering street collections to arrange a schedule for the year. At the suggestion of the chief inspector (Mr. R. Day) the ■ motor speed in Devon Street and Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve was fixed at 10 miles an hour. The Ngamotu Seaside Committee advised that Messrs. R. J. Deare, W. Short and W. P. Griffith were appointed an executive to confer with the council to facilitate the council taking over the control and management of Ngamotu beach. NGAMOTU BEACH CONTROL. Councillors Amoore, Anderson and Brown were appointed a deputation to wait on the New Plymouth Harbour Board concerning a license for the control of Ngamotu beach. The resignation of Miss N. I. Mac Lean from the Carnegie Institute committee was received and was referred to the committee of the institute to make a recommendation for filling the vacancy. A letter received from the committee of the New Plymouth public library and the Taranaki museum concerning the strengthening and extending of the Carnegie library was referred to the finance committee.

The council decided it was unable to make any grant in response to an appeal from the New Zealand Labour Party for funds for building a hall in memory of the late Mr. H. E. Holland. Seventeen residents of Fulford and Brougham Streets requested that now that drainage work was complete the footpaths be kerbed and asphalted as far as Pendarves Street and that the roads be put in order. The petition was referred to the works committee.

A petition from seven ratepayers of Record Street requested repairs to the street to make it suitable for the traffic upon it. The footpaths and water channels needed repairing, the petition stated, in urging for the sake of economy the desirability of having the road surfaced with a permanent material The request was referred to the works committee. •

The Taranaki Jockey Club was given permission to close the dead-end part of Wakefield Street for the Christmas and February race meetings. The date of the next meeting of the council was fixed as January 22. ENGINEERING WORKS. The engineer (Mr. C. Clark) reported that during November the high head had been in operation on most days from 7.30 a.m. to 7 pun., the low head being sufficient to cope with the demand for water at night. The Henui bridge on the southern side of the tram rails was stripped and the decking found to be in good order. The road surface was built up to a new level and grouted with three coats of bitumen. Both sides of Nobs Line (McLean Street to the sea) were formed and: metalled, partly with gaol gravel and partly with old metal from the Henui bridge and the centre plot built up. The sides of the roads in Eliot Street (Devon to Gill Streets) and Gill Street (Eliot to High Streets) were metalled and tarred out to the channels. Belt Road (Glen Almond to Gladstone Streets) was metalled, and three chains near the top of the hill had been grouted with two coats. Kerb and channelling work had been completed in Waiwaka Terace, Young Street (by Queen Street comer, kerbing to form path by rockery); Fillis. Street (Gover to Liardet) northern side, with southern side in hand. Gilbert Street (Cameron to Gover) was in hand. Relief works had been carried out on the Seaview Road extension, Hori Street formation, Nobs Line formation, Hobsori Street yard and reserves. Good progress under difficult conditions had been made on Contract No. 10 of the sewerage scheme. Mr. R. Day, chief inspector, was granted leave to attend the .annual conference of the New Zealand Sanitary Inspectors’ Association at Napier from January 30 to February 2. The question of hedges overgrowing the footpaths in Carrington Road was referred, to Inspector Day to deal with. As soon as black soil was available, the engineer was instructed to grass down the part of Webster Street damaged by the laying of sewers in front of Mr. C. Murray’s property. The engineer was authorised to amend in various ways the draft contract with Fitzroy Quarries Ltd; for metal supplies, the more . important amendments being: (a) The company to be permitted to remove stone from the abattoir reserve on payment of 6d per cubic yard; (b) In case of a breakdown of the contractors’ plant they are to be permitted on certain conditions to use the council’s crushing plant; (c) in view of reduction of the quantities of metal required the bond to be reduced from £5OO to £3OO. Consideration of a letter from' the Frankleigh Park Progressive Association regarding improvement of footpath in Govett Avenue was deferred until the sewers were laid. Various matters referred to in a letter from the Fitzroy Progressive Association were referred to the engineer to deal with.

The Railway Department was granted permission to erect a fence in Molesworth Street, five chains in length and extending 21 chains east and 21 chains west of the centre line of Liardet Street and encroaching 2ft 6in on the path, the fence to remain during the pleasure of the council only.

In reply to Lis letter requesting that the small space between the Fitzroy Post Office and the footpath be surface sealed, the chief postmaster will be informed that the work on the footpath having been completed it would be too costly to send the plant back to do such a small strip. Letters from Mr. Benoni White were received and it was decided to inform

him that the mere receipt of such letters did not infer that the council admitted any of the allegations contained ip them. It was decided to inform the Frankleigh Park Progressive Association that the matter of grading the section of the stock route below Mr. Hunter’s property and the construction of a. culvert at the junction of the stock route with Govett Avenue was in the hands of the engineer, who had been instructed to effect early in the new year such of the w’ork as he deemed necessary. A letter from Mr. E. Hayton regarding completing the western end of Fillis Street was referred to Cr. Smith to report upon.

A letter from Mrs. A. E. Grant regarding the condition of the footpath on the southern side of Vivian Street, from Dawson Street to the tenrfis courts, was referred to the engineer to effect such improvements as he deemed necessary. A letter from the Fitzroy school committee requesting that the grass in Barriball Street opposite the school bo cut referred to the engineer to give effect to. In reply to his letter requesting the council to repair the overbridge at Baring Terrace the district engineer of Public Works will be asked whether the department wduld carry out the work, and at what price. The engineer was instructed to form and gravel a footpath in Bayly Road from Breakwater Road to the railway line further and as far beyond as possible without undue expense; to cut the grass on the sides of the road in Carrington Road, Vogeltown; to submit a report and estimate of the cost of metalling the eastern side of Victoria Road, from Shortland Street to Holsworthy Road; to metal and surface seal Fillis Street (full width) from Liardet Street to the filling and 18 feet in width from the filling to Gover Street; to clean up the rubbish and generally tidy up Watson. Street,' northwards of Devon Street; to surface seal the footpath on the northern side of Devon Street west, from: Mount Edgecumbe Street to Morley Street; to form and gravel a footpath where possible in Devon Street west, from the end of the present path at Mr. Parker’s house to Doone Street; to surface seal the footpath on the western side of Mangorei Road, from Waiwaka Terace to the entrance to the Girls’ High School. Activities in the electricity department during November were reported bn by the electrical engineer (Mr. W. H. Huggett. Eight applications were received for supply, 66 alterations and additions were made, and 28 new connections were added to the system. The Waiwakaiho River was normal to high throughout the greater part of the month. The highest and lowest iflow measured at the intake being 6ft and Ift 9in respectively. The Mangamahoe Lake levels were maintained between 6in over and 6in below the top of the spillway gaps. Relief men were employed about the hydro lands cleaning between the trees and on the lake banks.

Power had beta drawn continuously from the Public Works bulk supply, with the exception of two slight interuptions for very short periods. In the power station the No. 2 turbo-generator set had been shut down for cleaning and overhaul. The maximum load recorded at the power-station was 2900 k.w. and the greatest number of units supplied in any one day 46 —550, with a total of 1,012,550, including 292,150 supplied by the Public Works Department, against 2700 k.w., 46,110 and 1,318,537 units for the corresponding period of last year. An increase of £45 13s compared with the corresponding period last year was shown in the revenue from the trams in November. The report of Mr. G- J. Wyatt, tramways engineer and manager, showed a total revenue of £llB2 19s from 147,773 passengers, an increase of 4130. The buses travelled 5912 miles and earned £220 7s lOd from 25,381 passengers, an increase of £5 10s 9d and 734 passengers. Details of the operations are:—Main route: Mileage, 15,776; passengers, 112,905; fares, £914 11s 9d. Westown route: Mileage, 7346; passengers, 34,868; fares, £268 7s 3d.

Mr. R. Day, chief borough inspector, reported that licensing fees etc. collected in November totalled £224 10s lOd. Seven cases of diphtheria were report • ed on.