TIMARU BOROUGH COUNCIL

Timaru Herald, Volume CI, Issue 15397, 14 July 1914, Page 5

TIMARU BOROUGH COUNCIL

ORDINARY MEETING. The Borough Council met yesterdayafternoon, when there were present-—■ His Worship the Mayor (Mr E. R. Guinness'), and Councillors Green, Horrcll, Milling, Hunt, Hurdley, Pearson, Currie, Murphy. Beck, Souter, and Wallace. An apology was received from Councillor MeDuff. MAYOR'S STATEMENT. The Mayor stated that the overdraft to. date was £17,926, and the bus takings for the last three weeks £124 14a 7d. Since last meeting the Quarry Committee accented tho tender of Mr" A. Fibbes at £3OO 17s 4d for the formation of a .road to the quarry. The Works Committee again recommended the widening of Stafford Street North, and Evans Street, also that Hasselt Street be widened. The chairman of the Chamber of Commerce informed him that the Council had the right to nominate one representative' to the Chamber, and he hought it might be as well to exercise the privilege. He thought the Council ought to instruct the Works Committee to take steps to have Evans Street regraded and remetalled at -once, and give them power to proceed with the work. He thanked the Councillors for attending at that unusual hour, as ho knew several of them had been caused much inconvenience. ACCOUNTS. The Finance Committee reported receiving a letter from the Audit Inspector in relation to the annual accounts and the unsold debentures, £50,000 drainage loan. He recommended that unsold debentures be cancelled and destroyed. The following accounts were passed for pavment:—District Fund .-General £993 TBs lOd, waterworks £lO6 15s 9d, Caroline Bay £l7 2s 6d, park and reserves £95 Is sd. abattoir"£67 13s Bd, library £54 6s 9d ; omnibus service—salaries £77 3s Sd. petrol £45 lis Bd, sundries £55 12s 8d; drainage and sewage loan—pipes £23 14s- 9d. sundries £1: 10s. allowances £278 2s 6d, connections £2B 13s; street formation loan account 5, £240 Is 4d; No. 4, £1 19s; recreation reserves £lll 19s 6d;. quan-y loan account £1 ss; waterworks. £ll 2s 7d; total, £4212 0s 73. A resolution was passed limiting tlio overdraft at, the Bank of New Zealand to £22,000.

CAR HIRE: CHARGES OBJECTED TO. Councillor, Wallace objected to an account for motor car' hire by the Works Committee which was at the rate of 12s 6d per hour. He considered the charge was exorbitant, and he meant to oppose it. He compared, the charge with other hire fees, and he thougnt the matter' ought to be brought under the notice of the person concerned. Councillor Green said he understood there was a--regulation charge of 8a per hour. Councillor Hunt did not think the Council should have to pay 12s 6d an hour for hire, when it was lower in Christchurch. , Councillor Hurdley suggested making an arrangement for paying so much while running, and half-price while standing. The Works Committee had occupied about two hours discussing business, but the charge of 12s 6d was still retained though the car was not running. He thought .the Works Committee could get a car on that basis any time. -, ■ ■ The Mayor said the Bus Committee was considering the matter of car fares and in all probability a report would be presented to the next meeting. BOROUGH ENGINEER.

The JBorough Engineer, Mr J. H. H.owitt." reported that shingle repairs ' have been made oh various streets, I footpaths, and clipping and cleaning, on ! other® One hundred and fifty-six - feet .of 9-inch pines have been laid in j Hurdley Street, and to enable the Smithfield Freezing Works to be drain- j ed a 6-inch connection has been wit ' into; the northern outfall server. The . outlet of George Street sewer has re- j quired to be scooped three times lately on account of the accumulation of i shingle. A start„has been made pre- j paring more asplialt for footpaths. He ; would like to know which footpaths the j Council intend to asphalt next season. That part of Evans Street from Thomson's store to Waimataitai Road : has cut up badly this. last fortnight. This is primarily due to the frosts, i which have disintegrated the shingle formation,' and secondly to the heavy traction traffic, which has been very great lately. He recommended that the road be shingled and "scarified from the top of the liill to "White -Street. Tlie portion from tl» bridge to White Street is getting very bare. Robbs's Lane also requires shingling from end to end. He recommended that tenders he called •for shingling these two roads. The abattoir road at this time of the year requires a lot of attention,, and is constantly requiring shingHngl Hesuggested that .some arrangements should he made- whereby outside carters ought to be made to contribute towards the cost of upkeep. Waterworks.—The laying of the 6ineh main in Rathmore Street and Mai thy Avenue is now completed, and all the house connections have been made to same. The' small temporary supply pipes have still to ho taken up. This will be dene as soon as possible., Work has also been commenced laying the 10-inch main from Wai-iti Road to Church The trench has been opened from Sefton Street to Wai-iti Road. The pipes and necessary valves at the junction of Wai-iti Road and Tlewlinp: Street have been laid, and the trench filled in in order not to interfere with the street traffic.

Contracts completed and in hand were, reported on. Four men are at work knapping the spalla from the Harbour Board quarry, but only a limited amount is broken so far on account of the large size of the

stone. Tlie'\ supply of stone also from the quai-ry is limited, otherwise more men oould be put on. .. Plans for the formation of Nile* Street and completion of .Highfield drainage were submitted. George Street sewer. —In conjunction with the Sanitary Inspector I have inspected as far as possible at present the "defects in this sewer. Some defects were found in the street sumps ■owing to the water seal in these being temporarily broken, which was partly due to the sumps being leaky j and also due to evaporation. These defects have been remedied so far as they have revealed themselves at present. To overcome the trouble due to evaporation I have arranged to have the. sumps kept full of water, thus maintaining t3ie seal preventing disagreeable odours escaping. Tt is a difficult matter to tr.ace all the drains leading into this sewer, they/having been laid so many years,,. ,_a.ll ,'jlpipwledgc i,, ,of position liaV been lost', there being'ho plans as a guide. Many of these old private drains, I understand,' have been dsearded without being properly sealed up, or what seals there were must have become inoperative through evaporation due to the lapsing of timo, and it is from these old drains, in my opinion that most of the trouble from offensive odours arises. To help to ventilate the sewer as far as the j Council is concerned. I proposed carrying 6-inch c.i- veint pipes with suitable cowls up buildings in the fpllowing positions:—At the Shamrock Hotel, at the back of Prieist and Holdgate's in the Arcade, at Mr Geaney's, corner of Sophia, and Church Streets, and at the "Woollen Mills, where also a. properly -scaled manhole will be required. I , have not been able to proceed with the | erection of these vents owing to the difficulty in orocuring the necessary c.i. piping. These however are now obtainable, and when prices for the erection are received the work will proceed with immediately. As building operations have commenced on the Beverley Rond subdivision it is necessary to extend the sewer drain f or a distance of about four chains. Tenders should be called for this work.

PUBLIC LIBRARY. ! 1 The Librarian (Miss Culverwell) re. ' ported for month that the attendance in the'newsroom'was 7130, or a dailv average of 27-1. There' wore circulated : <•■■»&■> fjooks 746, fiction 3670, total 4422. Fines, subscriptions and sales amounted ! to ££3 ls'lOd. Thirty-nine new borrowers .were added during the month, | . 267 books wftd re-catalogued, and 56 : class books and 67 fiction were added. She acknowledged donations of "Love : on Smokey River," from Mr F. S. Shrimp-ton, "A Guide to Pretoria-," official, 193 3, from Cook's Tourist Department, "The Bruce and Wallace," 2 volumes, presented to th,e library by "Stravaiger" on the 000 th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn... The book issues were keeping up well and \ the proportion of class books issued was I also highly satisfactory. Good use w-ns made of the juvenile section, and this last week there were added such beoks as ."Cook's Vovaees," "Mimgo Park's Travels," "With Stanley on the Congo," Lamb's "Tales from Shakpspeare," etc. etc., to this section, to the evident appreciation of the younger people. THE CHORAL HALL. PICTURE LICENSE REFUSED. The engineer reported that ho had carefully inspected the plans for eon- j verting part of the premises of Messrs

O'Callaghan and LeCren into a picture hall. Hd found that the structural plans were in order, but before issuing a permit he referred the Council to clause 2, part 22, of the by-laws. Mr Beck said there was barely any use discussing the matter further as it was directly contrary to the by-laws.

The Town CieSrk, in. answer to a. question, did not think the "application could be granted under tV e nafofit-• - tion clause. It required the engineer to recommend it. Coune'llor Green thought the modification clause was for strueural alterations and could not apply where the position cf the building was at fault as was the drawback with rho prestnt application. Councillor Wallace said the greatest objection so far as he cr;u!d make out was that the hall would le above the fihops. They had that however in the case of the Assembly Rooms. : j The Mayor,said].these were built befool the by-law was passed.

It was ultimately .leorled that the application of Messrs O'Calli.giinji and LeCren be refused, as it r id -.. i t comply with thiei by-law.

TENDERS. Tenders received for living down a croquet lawn at the gaol reserve w«re — A T. £42., Hav Brothers £47 15s 'C O'Hagan £75 15s. Tentlei-s were received for erect'ng 50 rtonping-twaop notices on the bus routes —Parr and Co. £l3 15s P. K T.-mb £l4 6s<lcL R. S. Griffiths £l6 17s 6cl, J. Craigie £l7 Os \V. C.-oper and Son £ls. , GENERAL COMMITTEE.

The General Committee had considered correspondence and made the following recommendations amongst others:—That-Mr O'DonneU's offer of £lO respecting gorse on his section be accepted-; Mr John Bono's offer of plants or shrubs to be accepted with thanks. That Mr Rooney's claim for stone in Abattoir paddock be nob ■allowed except; cost of spaliing. On a complaint of one of the cab drivers that he was not allowed to use the stand telephone, it was deckled that thei telephone be removed unless the conditions are complied with. A license to bo granted to Olympia as a shooting gai'ltvry provided tho Inspector's report is favourable. A considerable number of letters received merely required ...to have their contents noted. That a letter from Messrs Scott Bros, for the Council's consent to form the Tiniaru lighting business into a. limited company, and to increase the charge for electric current was referred to the Lighting Committee. Other recommendations were that tenders be ealfcd for about four drains of sewerage in Beverley Road: for a new pound; that plans of Nile Street 1 storm drain and underground drainage be referred to "Works Committee ! for report at next meeting. That drivers' licenses be granted to G. F. Raid and Todd, witfli a w'arning against breach of by-laws, and that G-. Laurie's apolication be held over for a. month, ail other applications to be granted; also all applications for carriages and taxis, carters and dangerous goods licenses, the Omnibus Committee- to report on cab stand and fares'. That tho Works Committee report as to footways to be. asphalted, and that about. 100 shrubs be purchased for Caroline Bay. The report was adopted. The Reserves Committee recommended till at the application of the Bands for further subsidy be held over until after the Bands' Carnival.

■ OMNIBUS AND LIGHTING.

The Omnibus and Lighting Committee recommended that Mr Thomson's tender of 35s 6d for tunics, and Ss 9d for caps be accepted. That spare parts be ordered as per engineer's list. That the engineer be instructed to provide new springs and to effect other necessary repairs to • the Argyle chassis ; and ihat tenders be called for 50 stopping place signs.

The Committee reported that they had inspected the garage, and authorised some minor alterations. The report was adopted. THE QUARRY. s

The following tenders for the formation of the road to the Quarry (estimate £32O)—M. Sevlj £330 3s 4d, ,A. Fibbes £3OO 17s 4d (accented). Messrs AHchurch and Co's. offes - of Mr A. Vincent's traction and crushing plant at £4OO was held over.

THE WORKING STAFF. Tho Works Committee reported that after 'holding several meetings and hearing the views and explanations submited by the borough engineer and foreman, with reference to their work and methods of carrying it out, tho Committee recommended, that the jborongh engineer be instructed to reorganise his/staff without delay so as to provide for: (aY the more economical working of his department; (b) greater expedition in completing the works authorised; (c) immediate and prompt attention to the maintenance and ordinary repairs of streets, footways, etc.; (di closer supervision of workmen, and (e) avoidance of loss of-. time in instructing workmen as to their work and duties They recommended that the Committee be instructed to report as to the result of such re-organisation not later than the first meeting 4n Octob?r next, and that workmen be employed 48 hours per week as at present. Councillor Souter suggested that the report be held over meantime. Councillor Pearson thought the Council should discuss the report in committee,re;ating as it did to a professional man.

The Mayor said he was not particular whether it was considered at present or delayed till next meeting. There was' nothing of a-u urgent nature in the report, and it the Council wished it could be held -ever.

it was decided to discuss the reportand the Council went into committee. The leport was afterwards adopted. WORKS AND SA-NITATION committer:. This Committee, after further consideration, confirmed its recommendation of the 18th Juno last, with reference- to widening Stafford Street north ' and Evans Street, and improving the I corner of Hewlinss Street and xai-ici Road. The Committee recomended: That steps he J .aken to acquire the necessary land for widening Masse!! Street from Girls' High School to Craigie Avenue and that- the- estimated cost of acquiring the necessary land and cost- of formation work be included in the proposed street loan. That the north end of Selwyn Street be shingled where necessary. That the borough onjrineer be instructed to prepare a pi'an -and report, of drainage works for Caroline Bay. That Messrs Scott Bros be instructed to install electric light at iho st&bles at the estimated cost of £ll los. That the plan prcnared by the borough engineer, reducing the grade, of Newman Street, be approved.

That one "Peerless" pick-up sweeper be purchased at an estimated cost of £25.

Regarding the district health officer's certificate under sect. 90 of Public Health Act 1908 condemning Mr Davidson's stables, Trafalgar Street, the Committee 'had been advised by the borough solicitors that sect. 5 of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Institutions Act 1910 rendered sect. 90 of the Public Health Act inapplicable to-this Council. ' That Messrs Gruhn be offered £lO for refencing their land, and that- the Council form the road when the land is dedicated. That the borough engineer be instructed to form foot-path oil the north side of "Waimataitai road. In the matter of Mr Gregge's complaint relative to the amount of batter on Lis section, the Committee had no reeommendation to make. The report was adopted., with the exception of the recommendations to widen Stafford Street North, and Hassell Street, which were held over till next meeting.

THE DOMAIN". The curator (Mr D. X. Harper), reported on the work for the past month in the Domain. The new deer fence was now well advanced, and the subsoiling of the proposed native garden was finished."" The small reserves were tidied up, also Alexandra Square up to where tho trees are to he thinned. Craigie Avenue is now in hand. He recommended that, some of rue ceese on tho pond be disposed of as ihere *• tre far too many of one sort and they were very savage towards the other birds. He again brought up the necessity for making some arrangement to supply hot water for visitors to the Park during the summer time. Tho report was received. This concluded the) business and the Council rose at 3.20 p.m.