TIMARU BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXIX, Issue 12143, 11 August 1903, Page 4

TIMARU BOROUGH COUNCIL.

The Timaru Borough Council met lasl evening. Present: The Mayor and Councfflors Priest, Turnbull, Hawkey, Sealey. Rothwell, Parkes, Harney, and Oborn. Apologies -were accepted for Councillors Waite, Young, and Wallace. MAYOR'S STATEMENT. '""The Mayor stated that the overdraft was about the same as at last meeting, about £5400. It would be necessary to pass a resolution authorising the Bank to grant ah overdraft for the year, to the .amount of the overdraft possible te be required, £7OOO. The outstanding rates for IVWI were about £SO, and the Town Clerk had made out a list (31 names) and given it to the solicitors to be sued for. He ana Councillor Obom had attended a Greater Timaru" meeting at Waimataitai. ine meeting was. well attended, and a good deal of interest was shown in the matter. On the whole the meeting was adverse, and *h«re was a good deal of adverse criticism, but (as ; after the first meeting) those present had told him or others that they were willing to come into the borough. The matter had been put straightforwardly before the people concerned, and it now rested with them to decide whether it was better to come into the borough or to bear an extra rate for special drainage, for they must do one or the other. Mr Marchant, the engineer to the Caroline Bay Committee, had furnished a detailed estimate of the cost of beautifying the Bay, and it was now on the table. It would be necessary for the Council to decide what they would do, and be unanimous about it, and decide "whether to go before a public meeting. At the same"meeting they should take up the question of permanent improvement of the streets.The abattoirs would be finished in about a» month, and it would then be for the Council to decide how they were to carry it on. It had been decided to carry it on as at Nelson, by employing their own butchers and staff. They had information in writing, but he thought-it would be wise for the Council to send one or two delegates to Nelson, to personally, examine the method of working there; he thought it would pay the Council in the long run to obtain information by personal inspection. No further communication had been received from the Government re the dispute about interest on the drainage loan. All Councillors, he was sure, would agree with him in regretting the death of an esteemed lady, Mrs Luxmoore. She was an estimable lady, famous for her benevolence, always active in looking after cases of destitution. Mrs Luxmoore was a citizen that the town could ill afford to lose, and they all, he was sure, "regretted her death, and recognised that her death meant a very great loss to the community. BUILDING BY-LAW. An application by Mr Petrie to build a four-roomed cottage in York street was ' received. The application had been objected to, as the new building would be within the limit of nearness to another building. The application was granted, the'two buildings belonging to the same owner, and through a misunderstanding about permission the foundations had been put in. It was decided that in future notice be given that buildings are not .to be commenced until a permit has been 'giveri in writing. An application to build an office, in wopdi in a new coal yard for Mr Watson >on Sophia street, was refused, because the occupier of the next section had been refused permission to build in wood, and was compelled to build in brick. SANITARY. '•-."■.; Councillor Sealey cSrroborated the report of: the Inspector of Nuisances regarding drainage over the cliff from Turnbull _street to the railway property. He considered .it a disgraceful state of things.—Mr Beswick said he proposed to ask the railway people to put a concrete channel along the fool of the cliff, as he considered it their dutyTto do it,, as they, had cut off the natural drainage. ' Councillor Rothwell drew the Overseer's attention to cue need for provision being made for storm-water drainage at the toj of Wellington street. / Officers' reports, dealt with by the Com mittee on Friday,., were adopted. THE PARK. A letter from Mr Hall-Jones re;.trees for the Park suggested that if the trees wanted were large it might be cheapei to get them locally than from the Stat< nursery at Tapanui. •The.Park Committee submitted a list oi .trees (estimated at £lO worth), they re commended. .__

Councillor Sealey thought they could get the large numbers of commoner trees from the nursery, and the few "specimen" trees from•Jncil nurseries.

Councillor Parks gave an estimate, of the cost of a combined dressing-shed and tool store at the football ground. ''" The reports were adopted; and the dress-ing-shed was ordered to be built. ACCOUNTS. •/'•',

Accounts were passed for payment: General £387 12s, waterworks maintenance •£45 12s lOd, darinage loan account £22 i Os 6d, market reserve 9s, aboatoirs £9 i;10s, Park account £lO 16s Bd, deposit £3. ■'.;?■'■. . •■-- - ,:

5 Three appUcatious-'ior remissionof rates.' JJ|t account .of poverty were received.—The \ that judgment should be ' •'(ihtaJned against the property, aid then ■ the r<ue could bo collected from a future ■ owner. If that -were not done, the Council's claim would lapse for rates of The Mayor's suggestion was adopted in respect of the majority of the cases, two or three being remitted. * CAROLINE BAY.

The Mayor, in presenting Mr Marchant's estimate of the cost of improving Caroline Bay, said the plan adopted by the Committee had been well considered on the ground. The item for clay-shifting, Is 9d a yard, seemed to him, rather high. The Council's tenure of the ground from •the Harbour Board depended upon their spending £3OOO in three years. He would suggest that they ask the ratepayers for power to borrow £2OOO, on the understandings that £IOOO be spent at present. If they spent £2OOO, there would be the £3OO band rotunda, and the work to be done by the Beautifying Association, they would be very near the £3OOO required by the Harbour Board. In reply to Councillor Hawkey, the Mayor said the £2OOO would supply the caretaker's house. Councillor Hawkey said they certainly should have a caretaker's house.

■Councillor SeaUy would like to see the clay cut down and grassed, and let the Association come forward to embellish it. Some remarks were made about ;the destructiveness o£ the young fellows of Timarn compared with those of Christchurch, and- Councillor Sealey said they were troublesome in Christchurch at first, till the Beautifying Association made'an example of some of them. •The Maynr calculated that a fd rate on the present valuation would pay interest and sinking fund on £2OOO, aod wipe |>ut the debt in 20 years. Councillor Hawkey thought the ratepayers would be willing to grant a Id rate for the improvement of the Bay. Councillor Turnbull would prefer to see the ground work done, and all buildings held over. Councillor Bothwell supposed there would be a revenue from a tea-room.

Councillor Hawkey thought a revenue ' should be got from municipalising all the sports—swings, etc. . , Councillor Parks said they had been talking all along of £3OOO, and they should ask for rhnt sum. ' It was suggested that £2500 be asked for, and that, with the rotunda, and Beau-

tifying Association's work would make £3OOO.

Councillor Sen ley asked if there was any provision for bathing sheds, and the Mayor Baid there was not. That side of the matter could be developed. In reply to Councillor Bothwell, the Mayor said that if the ratepayers refuse the loan, he would put up the band rotunda.

Councillor Turnbull considered that they should not adopt any detail plan; but first get the clay down, and then see what would be best to be done. The Mayor agreed that It would be hard to lay down a hard and fast scheme. Councillor Hawkey reminded the Council that when the proposal was made to the ratepayers before, it was rejected because they had no definite plan. A long desultory conversation took place upon the question of adopting the plan as presented, altering it, or referring it back to the committee for omission or redaction of some of the items. As some of the Councillors objected to some items, the estimate was gone through, and as only two items—tea- rooms and fish-pond, the_ total '£27!>—were thus cut out, it was considered that .the plan might go forward" as submitted, and it was resolved on the motion of Councfflors Priest and Turnbult—

?:,.; "That the Council approach the ratepftyerg asking them to sanction the borrowing of £2500 for the purpose .of improving

Caroline Bay, the term of the loan to be 21 years and sinking fund to be provided. The general scheme of improvement and beautifying the bay be carried out on the lines as per plan submitted. Also that at the same time the ratepayers be asked to sanction a loan for the. permanent improvement of streets according to the levels adopted by the Council. And that the Mayor convene a public meeting for the' above purpose." . . The Mayor said that the late engineer prepared a list of these improvement works to £4500, but a further investigation showed many works omitted, and another £IOOO was easily added. They had better ask for enough to do the whole work, and raise it by £IOOO a year or so. The loan should have a long term, forty or fifty years, with a sinking fund to wipe out 'the loan in that time. ; In five or six years .the waterworks loan would fall in, and 'the rates would be greatly easfed on its renewal:

Councillor Hawkey said .if the. -work was to''be'done, it would be much, easier for the ratepayers to do it out of loan. The motion was carried unanimously. ; THE ABATTOIRS.

Councillor Sealey moved that the Mayor and Councillor Hawkey be requested _to visit the abattoirs at Nelson, with a viewto affording information to the Council as to the general working of the same, and its adaptability to the working of the Timaru abattoirs, £l2 12s to he_ allowed for expenses, and.this- was carried. (The Council rose at 10.25 p.m.