Thames Borough Council.

Thames Star, Volume XI, Issue 3653, 10 September 1880, Page 2

Thames Borough Council.

The usual fortnightly meeting of the Council was held last evening. Present— His Worship the Mayor and Crs Speight, McGowan, Marshall, Bawden, and Wilkinson. :..,. ' ■ QUEEN STBEET. Mr Mulville wrote drawing attention to the want of a few loads of gravel on the Queen street footpath at its junction with Amy street.

Cr McGowan moved the reference of this matter to the Works Committee, and included the water table, which he said was in a filthy condition.—Carried. APOLOGIES. „ The absence of Crs Osborne and Wilson was apologised for. ._ BEMISSION OF BATE. A letter was read from P. Clarkson, junior, of Upper Albert street, stating that he was rated for two Houses, one of which had been removed a month after the valuation.

The Mayor said ihat by the amended Municipal Corporation Act they had power to remit ihe rate in cases of this kind.

. On the motion of Cr MeGowan the rate of the house removed was remitted. dr. payne's complaint. A letter was read from Dr M. H. Payne calling attention to the defective state of the water table in front of his. residence in Pollen street. He suggested that the footpath be raised to the permanent level, and the water table made, the residents to be charged pro rata. Eeferred to Works Committee. 6TATUTOBY DECLARATION. Crs Speight, Mennie, and McGowan, on their re-election took the Statutory declaration under, the Municipal Corporations Act. BAD FOOTPATHS. A letter was read from Mr E. McDonald calling attentioi) to bad state of the footpath, on the east side of Queen street between Amy street and Cochrane street.

Beferred to Works Committee. notice; A letter was received from Mr Wilson on behalf of Mr Bobert Graham, stating that the latter having found a purchaser for one of the lots in Queen street, used by the Borough as a paddock, he desired possession of the same on terms of the agreement by the Ist of October.

deferred to Works Committee. "VVAIOKABAKA DBAINAGE. A letter was read from the directors of the Queen of Beauty Company asking the Council to agree to refund to them any gold duty which they might obtain from their mine in future. ,

Cr Marshall asked had any application been received from the Hauraki Pumping Association, as if not none had been, he thought the present application should be postponed till the Bis; Pump people communicated with them.

Mr McGowan said that the matter of aid to drainage should be; considered comprehensively, and he thought the appointment of a committee was requisite. —The matter was finally postponed. MAEINE FAMILY HOTEL. Mr J. A. Miller wrote applying for a refund of the £40 paid by Mr S. Stephenson for the license of the Marine Family Hotel, the R.M. having refused to permit the transfer of the license on the ground that Mr Stephenson should have applied immediately after the fire, and because he considered the Collector of Customs received the money irregularly. j It was decided to inform the writer that on Mr Stephenson building again, if the license was refused they would refund the £40. BEBIGNATION. Mr E. W.Hollis notified to the Council his resignation of the Superintendency of the Shortland Fire Brigade. WATEB HATTEBS. A number of residents near Bull's battery wrote asking that a stand pipe be erected in the vicinity. Referred to Works Committee. A number of Upper Albert street residents wrote asking that a large water pipe be laid down. Referred to Water Committee. CEOSSIKG. Permission was granted to Mr W. I).

Eeid, grocer, to make a cart crossing in front of his shop.

MrNEBS 1 RIGHTS. It was decided to concur with the suggestion of the Counly Council re the meeting of local bodies concerning the miners' right fees. TEAMWAY BAILS. A letter from the Public Works Department stated that the matter of the tramway rails x on the reclamation had been referred to the Engineer-in Chief. Mr Speight said he believed the Borough application would be granted. TAEAUU THAMWAY. A letter wasreceived from the Public Works Department saying that the application of the Council would bo enquired into, and that persona who had borrowed rails from the tramway would be requested to return them. WATER BATE. The Council declined to remit the rates for the Thames High School. BAILLIE STEEEI.

The Works Committee were requested to pay a visit to Baillie street, the roadway being in a bad state. ' BAILWAY. The County Clerk wrote stating that the Chairman, with Crs Carpenter and Deeble, had been appointed to represent that body on a committee of members of local bodies to consider the present position of the railway. BOBOTJGH HOESE. The Foreman of Works was instructed to sell one of the Borough horses to the , best advantage. , >, LIBEAEY. A letter was read from the Secretary to the Premier stating that he had been instructed to state that the Council's, representations re the stoppage of subsidy to the library was under consideration. A letter of a subsequent date stated that the Government could not. grant any aid.

A PBESENT. Mr Deeblc wrote stating that he had given two bags of kidney seed potatoes, one each for the Hospital and; Orphanage gardens. Received with thanks. BEPOETS. Reports from the Library Committee, Works Committee, Turncock and Foreman of Works were read and adopted. ASPHALT. The Mayor said he thought that it was time now they should consider the question* of asphalting, which it would be remembered the Council had discontinued till the fine weather set in. He thought they might go on with Mary street; He pointed out the necessity of top dressing the asphalt footpaths at once.

Cr McGowan spoke on the unfinished state of the Tararu footpath,

After some discussion the matter was postponed till next meeting.

■■■: COMMITTEES. The Committees for the ensuing year were appointed as follows :—Cemetery: Crs Bawden and Speight; Water Supply : Crs Speight, Bawden, Mennie and Marshall ; Works: Crs Wilkinson, McGowan, Osborne and Speight; Fire Brigade : Crs Bawden, Mennie and McGowan; Finance: Crs Osborue, Wilson and Marshall: Orphanage: Crs Wilkinson, Speight, Osborne and Marshall. THE MAYOB's STATEMENT. The Mayor said that when he proceeded to Wellington the Council entrusted him with certain matters affecting the Borough which were likely to come.before Parliament, and he thought the present was the proper time for him to give a statement of wbafc had been accomplished. The first thing he would refer to was the Grahamstown and Tararu tramway. He. was glad to tell Councillors that during the session just closed an Act was passed handing over the line in 1881. Then the Water Supply Transfer Bill had become law, and the supply was now vested in the' Borough, although they might not expect much immediate benefit from the tranfer; still the time would come when it would be a valuable endowment (o the Borough. The Municipal Corporations Act had also become law, and would be found valuable.' In the first place, Councillors we're now in a position to make a roll at any time, a privilege which they did not previously enjoy. Now they possessed the right of putting on new names and striking off others which should not be there, whenever they liked, a power which, he thought, would be appreciated by the burgesses. Another important matter which Parliament had attended to was giving power to outside districts to merge into the Borough. The law had. now been amended, and if a suburban wished to join the Borough, all the ratepayers had to do wajs_ to send a petition to the Governor, who would grant it, unless a counter petition signed by as many persons was sent down within a certain period. Councillors would remember that Government had been applied to for the t exemption of the Relieving and Nuisances Officer from payment of fees when appearing in Court. An Act had been passed granting the required power, and in future that officer when appearing in unsuccessful cases, would not be required to pay costs. He believed he would have been successful in obtaining a loan for the Borough from the Insurance Department had not sortie person here used influence to prevent it. He could not say who the party was. His Worship farther referred to the amendments in the Municipal Corporations Act, the purchase of the Mangakerikeri Block, which he thought would be handed over to the Borough as an endowment. From his interviews re the money due to the Borough by Government, he felt sure they would shortly get a portion of it. After referring toother matters« His Worship referred in terms of praise to the assistance ho received from Sir George "Grey, Messrs Sheehan and Speight. A hearty vote of thanks was accorded to the Mayor on the motion of Cr Wilkinson, seconded by Cr Marshall. The Council then adjourned.