BOROUGH REPORTS.

Thames Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 17678, 31 August 1929, Page 5

BOROUGH REPORTS.

WORKS OF THE MONTH.

POSITION OF COUNCIL

LABOURS OF COMMITTEES. The following reports were tallied by the various committees of the Thames Borough Council at its meeting on AVcdnesdav evening:—

Finance Committee.

The Committee hogs to report having examined the' accompanying accounts and recommends that same he passed for payment:—District fund, £IB3O 6s 4d; electricity, £221 4s; cemeteries, £24 8s 7d; streets improvement loan. £179 11s 7d. Mr. J. -Fyfe (officer in charge of Electricity Department and book-keeper) having tendered his resignation and being desirous of taking up his new appointment as from September 10, the Committee met and authorised applications to he invited for the position at a salary of £lB2 per annum returnable on Friday. August 30, at noon. The Committee recommends that the resignation be accepted with regret, and that a letter be sent to Mr. Fyfe expressing the Council’s appreciation of his services.

Works Committee

With regard to Mr. J. S. Jobe’s complaint on behalf of ratepayers of Broad Street re dangerous and unsightly state of the watercourse in their street and petitioning for theconstruction of a 12 inch tile pipe line thereat, the Committee recommends that tlm petitioners be informed that the work required to be done is estimated by the borough engineer to cost £IOO and that if they .contributed £SO. the Council would undertake the work. Snnitory inspector’s report on premises occupied hy the caretaker of parks. That in view of the borough engineer’s estimate for connecting these premises and the Indies’ rest room with the existing soil pipe being £4B, the Committee recommends that such work he. not undertaken, but that the hath, and sink waste be trapped at an estimated cost of £B. In the matter of requisi-

tion of property owners of Edward (Street for footpath access from the west side of Sarnies Street, the Committee the work lie carried out in accordance with the borough engineer’s report, at an estimated cost pf £l2 16s. -The Committee recommends that 6 inch pipes be laid where deep earth drain exists on east . side of. Edward Street, at present dangerous to vehicular traffic. The Borough engineer estimates the cost at £9 18s sd. That Mr. Thos. Hays (borough, foreman), he appointed traffic inspector for the borough in accordance with the regulations under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1924. fn the event of two or more burials on Sundays necessitating extra labour the extra, cost he apportioned equally in respftot thereto. The Committee recommends that > the services of H. Dovell, borough workman, lie used for the purposes of collecting bowser fees, sewerage, hose and extraordinary water charges and other charges as the Committee mav Jdec.ide at an|v time, the town clyrk to prepare lists of such for record and the carrying out of the collections. Tn connection with the figures asked for hv the Council respecting water accounts, with n> view to approaching the Government for assistance, the Committee avails itself of this opportunity so as to avoid delay, to direct the borough engineer to report on the water supply and the economic aspect thereof. That the offer of 2785 feet b.m. West Australian jarra timber delivered to borough yards for £4l 14s 8d he accepted. From Ohinemuri County Council asking Council to he represented at a conference of neighbouring local bodies to go into and discuss the question of co-oneration in the appointment of a traffic* inspector, the Committee recommends it he informed that the Council has already a traffic inspector. avliosp appointment is combined with other duties and that the nrarngoment is working very That a concrete covering lie constructed over the deep drain on tb» south side of Richmond Street, Pollen Street to Queen’s Theatre, at a cost estimated I>y the borough engineer .at £B, towards which Mr. ,T. T'wchill has offered to contribute £1 10s. Electricity Committee.

The Committee has advised the Tui Gold Mining Company in reply to its inquiries that- the Council would undertake the erection of the transmission line to the Company's mine, estimated to cost £l£S 4s and that the Department would he prepared to supply the transformer for the pur-

pose of the line. Payment on completion of the work. With regard to the application of the Thames District School Committee for a concession in the electricity charges in connection with the dental clinic, that the Committee ho informed that the Council cannot see its way at the present time to make a concession, but that the matter would be reviewed in three months’ time. The Committe submits the following report of. the Borough electrical engineer on the state of electric poles and the suitability of conorete poles for future replacements :

“Our poles which have been erected about 17 years were of a mixed hardwood, including a few ironbark. tip to the present the replacements would not exceed 5 per cent. For twelve months ending last March 14 poles were replaced. On making an examination I find that there are poles that will need attention shortly, and as time goes on we can expect that the percentage of replacements on the original poles will increase, hut for this year not more than 14 to 20 poles should he required. The ironbark poles that were erected with the original lot appear to lie as good today as when they were put in. The suitability of the- concrete pole for line construction has been proved beyond a doubt, hut from an economical point of view there is still a difference of opinion between engineers, as some claim the ironbark pole is good for 40 to 50 years, or even longer. A fair amount of outlay is required for making concrete poles and to compare in price with ironbark, they would require to be manufactured in large •numbers. As fur as we are concerned I think it would l>e advisable, for a time at least, to adhere to ironbark.” Tliat special lighting be provided on Saturday nights at the intersection of Grev Street with Pollen Street.