Thames Borough Council.

Thames Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2881, 10 May 1878, Page 2

Thames Borough Council.

The usual fortnightly meeting of the Borough Council was held last evening at the Council Chambers. Present—His Worship the Mayor, Crs Ehrenfried, Bead, Butt, Wilson and Benshaw. MINUTES. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. THE BUBGESS jttOLL. Cr Bead said he had a question to ask before going on with the business, with reference to a statement in the Erening Star some days ago. Who had given the printing of the Burgess 801 l out of the place when there were two firms here who would have taken it ? And who had given authority to telegraph all over the Colony for prices? Was it authorised by the Finance Committee P Mr Dean said in accordance with the instructions of the Council he had seen 1 about the printing of the 8011. He had seen both firms here, and Mr Wilkinson had tendered £31, and Mr McCullough and Co., £3118s. The first year the roll was printed, when it was larger than it was now, for £12, and next year £15, so he came to the conclusion that that the tenders had been concerted, and --*"" were not proper ones. After consulting the Mayor he sent off to the printers at Auckland and found it could be printed for £25. Before sending it off to Auckland he had again seen the local firms, and the Advertiser reduced theirs to £3010s, and the Star theirs to £2817s 6d. Even then there was a considerable difference between the prices of the local firms and the Auckland price. - ~' Cr Bead said that he understood that several telegrams had been sent all over the colony asking for prices. Mr Dean said none had been sent by him. ' - Cr Ehrenfried said in these matters he" thought the Council should have been consulted. Cr Bead said it did not look like a concerted tender when they differed so much, and when the Advertiser wai highest the second time. ' - " Mr Dean said that the Finance Committee hid refused to pass an account of Mr Wilkinson's for printing the accounts, one insertion of which was £9 15s.

Cr Bead : That's like robbery. The Mayor said that the two prices for printing the Eoll had been submitted to him, and, as a simple Councillor, ,he recommended that v the printing be-tent to Auckland, as it could be done- £6 cheaper there. He did not order it, bat simply recommended it. Cr Bead asked the Mayor if they could rate the people in Auckland? How could they expect to get people to pay rates if , they took all the work from the place P. The Mayor said that was not the ques- , tion. He thought the Borough was being imposed on by these local printers. The price of the printing rose from £12 for a big roll to £31 for a comparatirely small one. „ - - '

Cr Bead said that the Auckland tender was within a small fraction of the local prices. He thought that the printing should never be -sent out of the place. The printers often did things gratuitously, which the Auckland printers would sever do. The Mayor said that he had simply given the advice (o save the Borough funds. The prices of the local offices were exorbitant. Crs Ehrenfried and Butt objected to a step like that being taken without the consent of the Council. Cr Butt asked what the Council was for ? The Mayor had taken the Council's business.'. •■• i The Mayor said he had only given advice when asked, and took the whole responsibility for his action in the matter. He never thought of ignoring the Council. Cr Benshaw said that at first he had been inclined to find fault with the Town /Clerk, but he now thought it was a poke in the right direction, and he had only done what he considered an unpleasant duty. He thought it had been injudicious of him to take the step he did without consulting the Council. The increase iv the price of printing the roll was probably caused by the number of columns ad* ditional to be set up. Cr Ehrenfried said he thought it was a question, they should have been called together on, and expressed his opinion that if such a question cropped up again ' the Council should be consulted. Cr Butt suggested that tbe whole question of tendering should be gone into. He thought that everything should be done by tender. Cr Bead said that if that was done he , and other Councillors would resign to* morrow. He for one preferred the profit to the honor. It would benefit him to do things by tender. Cr Ehrenfried suggested that the matter had better be let drop, and in future the Council should be called ' together if a matter like this cropped up.

QUEEN STBEET. A letter was read from Mr B. McDonald,

complaining of the unsatisfactory state of the portion of Queen street, near Karaka - Creek, at spring tides. Mr Dean said that the Works Committee had decided to do nothing to (fflK-; street till after the creek was straightened. The Provincial authorities had voted £350 for the straightening of the creek. An answer to this effect was ordered to be sent to Mr McDonald. THE BEACH BOAS. A letter was read from the trustees of the Grahamstown Wesley an Church agreeing to the removal, back of the church fence for the straightening of the road providing the work was done to the satisfaction of Mir S. Gribble. The letter was referred to the Works Committee, and Cr Renahaw, with power to act. BOBOUGH ACCOUNTS. A letter was received from the Treasury, Wellington, asking in future that the Borough accounts should be furnished in triplicate inttead of duplicate, as at present. . ' - BTBBETS, ETC. A letter from the Government re the requirements of several sections of the Municipal Coporatiens Act, re the width of streets, alleys, etc. - . THE £3000 GBANT. A letter was received from the Govern* ment, acknowledging' the receipt of the Mayor's letter re the finances of the I Borough, and stating that the letter would be considered by the Cabinet. Beoeived. MUNICIPAL CONFEBEKCB. A letter was read from the Milton Council, approving of the formation of the Municipal League. The Town Clerk read a list of the suggestions prepared by the Committee appointed for the purpose of completing the arrangements re Municipal League and *

the draft of a letter prepared to be sent to each of the Boroughs willing to form the league. It was decided to send the letters and suggestions to the various Boroughs. The Town Clerk said that nine-tenths of the Boroughs had returned favorable answers to the letters ro formation of the league. PROPOSED WORKS. The Town Clerk read a voluminous report from the Foreman of Works on the various works and prices of the same that required to *be done in the Borough. Irrespective of the cost of the proposed Beach road—£s4oo—the total cost of the proposed works amounted to £4,639 4s Bd. ■ _

The Town Clerk informed the Council they would have to decide on the proposed expenditure to-night, and make an estimate of their probable income. He had prepared the following statement: — Monies Ayailabm.—From rates now ■truck, £150; rate of 5 per cent, for the year 1878-79,' £1800; subsidy from General Government, £1900; registration of dogs fees, £90; publicans' licensee, £2100; auctioneers' ditto, £50; theatre and other buildings ditto, £11; kerosene ditto, £25; slaughterhouse ditto, £44 ; steampacket ditto, i£jjr>>"Cart and omnibus ditto, £70 ;..rents and profits from property, £26; fines and penalties, £25; public pound, £25 ; subscriptions in aid, £200; gold duty and gold revenue, £2000 j refund from General Government of the amount deducted last half year for maintenance of hospitals, etc., £700; other various sources of revenue—cash in hand, wholesale spirit, brewers' licenses, night soil, £50—£9,271. Proposed Expenditure. ■—Payment of overdraft, Bank of New Zealand, £1785; U.P.A. and Waio-Karaka Drainage Association, £2000; cemeteries, £100 ; hospital and charitable institutions, £700; fire brigades and prevention of fires, £250 ; Water Supply Committee towards 9-inch mains, £350; publio pounds and pound-keeper, £25; Local Board of-Health, £75; officers' salaries. (including auditors £25), £451; allowance to Mayor, £150; valuation of Borough, £60; cost of elections, £70; legal expenses, £50; stationery,.printing, advertising, &c, £200; broken metal to make up quantity requiied by Foreman of Works, £726; filling in Baillie street, from Richmond to Grey street, £185 j filling in Mackay street, from Sealey to Grey street, £300; filling in Campbell street, from Pollen to Bella street, £145; filling in Beach Road, from Brown street to Cochrane street;, £457; making bridge over Tararu Creek, 12 feet wide, £95 ; coating with sand bye-road up Tararu Creek, £4 : : coating with gravel Tramway road up Tararu Creek, £3; widening road and forming footpath from Climo's to Tararu school, £10; forming bye-path past Farmer's, Tararu Road/ £5 ; repairs to bye-roads, Kuranui Hill, £6; repairß to Waiotuhi Creek road, sohoolhouse aide, £12; repairs to Upper Albert street, £14; forming bye-road Waio-Karaka and. Irish Town, £24; repairs to byeiroad Bird-in-Eand hill, £5; forming footpath Karaka Boad, £30; forming footpath Mary 'street to Pulleine's, in Eyre street, £88, forming footpath from Boundary Creek to Fricker's £5; wooden water-tables on each side of Pollen street, £624; public baths and washhouses, £500. Total £9504. James Kikkktb, Mayor.

In answer to Cr Ehrenfried the Mayor said thai; Jihey were bound to prepare the statement by the Act, If they could, the works in the schedule would be carried out, but they were not bound to do them. Cr Ehrenfried said that there were several works in the schedule which he would opposej Cr Bead said that they might be bound to go in for a heary expenditure in consequence of a flood or other contingency, and thus the scheme of works could not be carried out. Cr Renshaw moved that the proposed scheme of expenditure as read be adopted by the Council. Carried, THE NEW BATE. Cr Eenshaw moved that the Town Clerk be authorised to take the necessary steps for giving notice of the new rate. Carried. REPORT OP THE OFFICER OF BOARD OF . HEALTH. The report of this officer was adopted. It showed that four deaths had occurred in the Borough during last month —two j children and two adults. REPORT OF FOREMAN OF "WORKS. The report of this officer was as fol- j lows:— j I have the honor to report that daring the month the following works have beea completed:—The laying down of 223 feet of water table for Mr Marshall, Pollen street, Shortland; the laying down of 27 feet of. water table for Mr Bobbett, Pollen street, Shortland; the laying down of 690 feet of water table from Sealey street to Richmond street. Altheugh the water table is completed, I have yet to complete the filling id, and I will report on this in my next. The cost of the above has been £94 10b Bd. Assisted with County Council in making sleigh, road to the Siam claim, I supplying two men for a week and the County Council the same. Asphalt. — Laid down for Mr Marshall, Pollen street, 282 yards asphalt at a cost to him of £284; extras for 223 feet of water table, £7 8s 8d; total, £35 12s Bd. Laid down for Mr Bobbett, Pollen Btreet, 36 yards asphalt at a cost to him of £3 12s; extras for ■water table, 18s; total, £4 10s. The following works are on band :—Laying water tablet and asphalt in Albert street from Davy to Queen street; also in Williamson street for Barty and others. Tne men have also been emplor.cc*. on various other works in the Borougfiy^-THOMAS Bawdon, Foreman of Works.;■'■"*:- ■'■.''. . " , >: ;..; .

The report was adopted. ABPHAM. Or' Bead asked if many persona were in arrear for asphalt and water tables. The Town Clerk said that there were £37 due for asphalt, two of the debtors being Crs Renshaw and Eowe. The Foreman of Works was authorised to get asphalt^ gravel from any one he could. THE MAYOB's SALARY. : Cr Read said that a report had. got about that the Mayor drew two guineas a day when he was travelling, in addition to travelling expenses. ■ The Mayor said that such was not the fact. He only drew one guinea a day for travelling expenses when he was on Council business. He had been rather surprised to see a paragraph in the Star making a similar statement, and had come to the conclusion that it had been done to injure himself. A public journalist who wrote a deliberate lie to injure a private person was not worthy of being a public journalist. Cr Butt: How did you get on with Mr Macdonald? Mr Dean said he never received any travelling expenses, except when at Wellington. Cr Butt: Mr Dean tells us the late Mayor never charged more than the £150 allowed him. I understand the Mayor's is the same—and travelling expenses. I only wanted to lcnow, you know. COfcliECTOll's BEPOET. The collector')! report showed that

during the month £102 had been collected in rates. FINANCE COMMITTEE'S REPOET. The report of this committee was read. The Town Clerk said with reference to the charge of £9 15s by the Advertiser for the advertisement, that the same work had been done by the Star for £4 odd. Cr Rensliaw moved the adoption of the report, the committee to see Mr Wilkinson re the disputed account. Carried. THE SUBSCRIPTIONS FOR JFIKE MAINS. Cr Ehrenfried said he had with him the subscription list in aid of the new fire mains. The total amount collected was £116 2s. The Mayor might be pleased to add to it. The Mayor said he did not know why he should. He had no interest in it. Cr Ehrenfried : Havn't you ? I always thought you owned property in Brown street. If you won't subscribe as Dr Kilgour, perhaps you will as Mayor. I want to make it up to £120, won't you doit? The Mayor: Not' for this. lam not sufficiently interested. Four of the Councillors present subscribed for the printing of the list. WORKS COMMITTEE'S REPORT. The consideration of the report of the Works Committee re the Sealey street water-table was deferred till next meeting. • This concluded the business. Some business of a private nature, from which the Press were excluded, was transacted after.