TIMARU BOROUGH COUNCIL

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13681, 25 August 1908, Page 5

TIMARU BOROUGH COUNCIL

The fortnightly meeting of the. Tiinaru Borough Council was lielil lust; night. Pi esentr: Tiio Mayor, ancl Councilloifc, Wiitterthwaite, Parks, Lentil tviok, Harney, Rothwell, Schmidt, Oburu, Se.iley, Hawkey, Miijlin and Bmrkcr. MAYOR'S STATEMEiYi'.

The Mayor made a longer statement than usual, covering reports on the . businttis done at ithe. Municipal Conference, aiid his visit to Auckland to represent Tima.ru during Fleet- Woek, : ;• as well m kcal matters. (The . subjects above mentioned were in part dealt with in an " interview" on the Mayor's return.) The May it said that the Conference had a large number of 'remits (115), some of them were debated <t considerable length, and the acting chairman at times allowed' tli» conference to get out of hand. The Tiinaru. Council tent up tour remits, two were carried and a- third lost by a few votes only. Those carried referred to the laying out of building sites and the securing the payment, of rates J and those rejected referred to the abattoir business. Superannuation, and the municipal franchise furnished subjects l'er long discussions. He eiw that Mr Fisher had got a Bill through the'lower Hou.su to make the municipal franchise the same as the Parliamentary. He thought it a bit hasty,. and hoped the Upper House would 1 throw it out; ~A propcsal that the Mayor should be elected by the Council was rejected, but another, that the Council should be elected for three yeaie, one-third to go out each year, was approved. I'ropcsals affecting this Council were, one from Ohristchurch that tea, supper and dining rooms sjio'uk? be licensed; another that plumbers' and e'.eclric wirers' licenser, should. be iriad« available over the Dominion. Regarding his visit • to. Auckland Mr Cruigie stated that ho had attended the .'several.' official functions and visited!' the waisliips Connecticut and Vermont. Those who hid made the arrangements for the visit of the American Fleet were to be congratulated on the completeness of their pre-: parationcs. . The Tinia.ru Hag, with red and blue border, and different wording .stood outi well from the rest, and Councillor fiatterthwaite agreed with liini that it was itihei beet of the flags sent up. ..

Turning to home matters the Mayor said the pay sheet was: Drainage loan £154-,, ,7s Id, library building £SOO, Harbour Board £566 19s Bd, /wafcth" works £127 5s Id, general £582 10s lOd; total £1931.20 Bd. 'The amount of outstanding and charges was £7300. He had much pleasure, in recording Uliat a first ; instalment. of £IOOO luid been received from Mr. Carnegie, and the first progress. pay ment would- be paid' frim it. . lie had inspected a house in Browne street which Inid been inundated and damaged! .by • the July flood, and lie recommended that a sum be allowed as compensation. Tfie - . state of the Arcade was not a good advertisement for Timaru, and the propriet- . ors having now eeroti in .a cheque for £SO, the Council according to their offer, . should put it in order, and a!eo put up a couple of lights, say one on each side' of tie overhead building in the middle. The Mayor also made reference to the. underground drainage,- qucetion. t . Councillor Sealey moved a hearty vote . of itlianks to the Mayor for his attendance at the Municipal Conference. : He pro- . posed to vote him 15 guineas for his ex- . penses, but if councillors .wished it made . 20 lie would be glad to alter the figures. The councillors with one accord • said "Make it 20," and' this was done. • Couii-: cillor Oborn seconded, Councillor Sealey put the motion, and' it was carried with, applause. When ij> came up to. the chair to be formally put the. Mayor, thanked •' v the Councillors for their kind appreciation, but said lie would liot accept more than : the usual 10 guinea*?, and he accordingly altered the figure before the motion ' recorded. i . UNDERGROUND DRAINAGE. Mr Marcliant. gave a certificate for! a. liftli progress--payment £400.-to Messrs - Fibbea and Clyina, InaUibg a ' total "of £2400 now certified. —Amount to be paid.

Messrs. Palliser and Soils asked that ilia penalty for exceeding the contract time for their contracit be not enforced, as b\ving to the largo amount of .work they had to do on account of having' to t?«ai with eea water, the job had cost thefli hundreds of pounds,-.more than , either the engineer or themselves had anticipated. It) was agreed thaifc tthe engineer should asked , for ;i full, report for next meeting, : „ THE ARCADE. Messrs Priest and Holdgate,'. ire accordance -w'iiu the arrangement niade tome tinja ago, forwarded from property . owners in. the Arca.de ai cheque for £SO, to pay' for grading and asphalting" th 6 "Arcade. It was agrefed that the Arcade be--pift in -order, and two 30-candle provided. Some discussioft took . placfe dii the question wh,ether iihe work : would liei disturbed' by the nndergipund ? drainageworks; and it was agreed that. if s» the Council would par for repairs." ■ - SANITARY. On the 13th inst., tha Sanitaiy Comuiit-. ■fee visited and; inspected -Unhealthy and ruinous buildings in Bank, Heaton and ; High streets arid recommended;—(l) That the owner of a ished !in Bank.'street'be given. 14' days notice -to demolish' .'.tie. building and remove. iiU 'decayed timber, from the premises; (2) That the owner 'of- two houses in Heatotx street be required to pull down the leiln-tu> of-both' and to put the^frontroomsiti a. ■ anitary; condition; (3) Tliatr tlie. owners «f i>| brick leant.o in High street be notified to have ventilators 'put in the walls of the building belofr the flood level» and to hav6 the ititkiioT done-up and tho walls repapferecT." .. A long and rambling letter .Was read from Mr Miirley,' owner of the shed 1 in Bank Street.' . " ' . - / .

Resolutions "trerc carried ordering the l recommendation's td be qartfed ' out. THE TEA ROOMS.

Three tenders werereceived for thd for one year' of tli© Carolina. Bay Tea Rooms—Mrs Covriin £2O, 'Mis Gib--E-tiii. £26, Miss tiemstalk £52. . ' ' A proposal was made that these tenders be 'held over " and additional tenders called for the lease of tfo'tea rooms and bathing sheds "ipgetlier, ■' an amnjjeliieiit that would '-'suit a married couple, and for the" batliihg sheds Separately to be reconsidered with those how in for ,tJie tea rooms. This proposal was lost 'by.tjie. casting vote of the chuirnian,. and ill-; quiries inade about the. highest tenderer being satisfactory, the tender tfas ' uriani-' • mously accepted. ' - ' MISCELLANEOUS. , Reports of dflicers were adopted' pnd accounts pissed. . " ! " A requtsb by the Exprbss CotoptaV 1 that the' Council undertake t'o, asphalt?" their backyard for thcin was declined. The request of the Te Kara Tennis Club for leave'to play bn the !Pdrk Court was deferred, for consideration of terms on, which \thfe -use of the various playing grounds should be permitted. A resolution closing, soma unnecessary . street lines off 'Preston, street was con- ' . .. *', ' v

A dispute regarding tlij3 use of the cabmen's telephone,'• atid the questibii flf jlrO' viding a second cab-stand wi'e deferi-eil till next meeting, in..th6 meantime to make inquiries. Couricillbr Seally asked for some asliphalfc in front of the South . School - atid was promised consideration '.. . . • ; The Council rose .-at 10.30: p.m. 'S i