LAWRENCE BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XII, Issue 512, 22 March 1879, Page 3

LAWRENCE BOROUGH COUNCIL.

. The ordinary meeting of this body, ■which was adjourned on Monday last,

was held on Wednesday evening. . The attendance Was as under : — Councillors Williams (in the chair), Walker, Bell, Anderson, Monaghan, Tolcher, and ! Jef- . f ery. , ' „-,,;, ' MINUTES. , The. minutes of the previous regular. . meeting were read and adopted. ~ ' j " ' ' COBRESPONDKNCE. . /The 'injsrard was, read and approved. Thfi outward consisted of the following Jbusiness* ; — - Letter from Mrs Lucy> Smith, asking , for the remission of rates due on certain sections .belonging to the late James . Smith.— lt was decided tb apply to- the Trustees of the estate for payment of the rates due;' . > Letter ■ from the Tuapeka Hospital 1 '{Committee, requesting a donation from •the Council on behalf 6f the building fund of the new Hospital.^-Referred to ' the'Finan'ce Committee to report thereon. Letter from Mr J. E. Pope (Inspector of Nuisances), informing the Council that he had impounded several horses fbiind'^randeripg within the limits of the ',' „an£.,, likewise within the' ' old cemetery grounds.— Letter received ; and, the .Public Works Committee in1 ' structed fjo repair 'the, fence surrounding the old cemetery., •},'.; „A 4»legram was received from the Commissioner of Crown Lands, requesting the Council, to, forward a general plan of [the „■: district, showing the probable course of /y the mojpbjied water race.— Onjthe motion

of Cr Jeffery, it was resolved to secure a survey of the race, and forward the plans required by the Commissioner.

A lengthy letter was received from the Corporation solicitors (Messrs Howarth, Hodgkins and Webb) in reference to the bye-laws formed by the Council for the purpose of levying a water rate. — The letter pointed out several defects in the bye-laws, and suggested the best course to be. adopted with.the view" of "commencing the proceedings; de rihvo. — Considera.tionvofiUiei letter. ,waa deferred until next meeting. .CHARGES FOR THE USB OP THE TOWN HALL. Sub-Committee, appointed at a previous meeting, submitted a schedule of charges for the usq of the Town Hall, as follows' :— Ordinary 10s 6d ; entertainments, concerts, &c. — single nighty £2 2s; second night, £1 10s ; third night and over, £1 ■; balJs and allnight entertainmeuta, £3 3s ; local quadrille parties (six nights), £6 6s : day perwfbrmahcesVlos'63 ;' bazaars" (per" iday and night), £2 2s ; soirees and meetings, £1 10s. — The foregoing schedule w;is adopted by the Council. 1

PUBLIC "WORKS REPORT. The Works Committee reported as follows :—: — „ The Committee have to report that the works authorised to be done in Annan-street have been satisfactory completed, so far as formation is concerned; but we think a few loads, of gravel might be put on the footpath, and as it is 'easily procurable, might be done at little expense. . , The. surfaceman informs us that the ruts in Hill-street, which were ordered to be filled in, were of such magnitude that he found the best way-of filling, them was by partially forming the street,- .whiclj he has done for about nine 'chains,' *and calculates that two days more, with the assistance he has, will complete the job. The bridge in Derwent-street has been replanked by the contractor and <r only" Wants the I 12in. plaiiks, for wheel tracks, to complete it, which will be done as soon as he receives the timber from Dunedin. The footbridge in Campbellton-street has also been re-planked, and the old culvert and new portion have been covered in, according to specification, and now only wants a few loads of clay and rubble to complete the work, but this we think might remain till more prison labor is available.

Our attention has been called to; the dangerous state of a culvert in Stranraer-street, where it is crossed by the racecourse, and we recommend the same be re-covered.

The report was adopted with the exception of the last paragraph having reference to Stranraer-street.

FINANCE REPORT.

The Finance Committee, in their customary report, informed the Council that the overdraft at the Bank now amounted to £558 17s Bd.

ACCOUNTS.

The following accounts were referred to the various Committees : — Anderson and Brunton, 30s; J. Driscoll, £4 83; P: Barkman, £4 4s ; D. Cochrane, £10 16s ; " Bruce Herald," 10s 6d ; G. B. King, £131756 d.

TENDERS FOR GRAVELLING HARRINGTON-ST

Six tenders were received for gravelling Harrington-street from Whitehaven-street to the coal-pit. Mr John Pearson's tender (L 2 per chain for rubble), being the lowest, was accepted.

BLUB STONE ROAD METAL.

The tender of Messrs Cavanagh and Pettigrew for the supply of 300 yards of metal from Glenore, at 8s 6d per yard, delivered at the Lawrence railway station, was accepted. Two other tenders were also received — one being from Mr Moore (of Milburn) offering to deliver the quantity required at the rate of 12s per yard. The sample of stone which accompanied the tender was admitted by all the Councillors to be far superior to the sample which was accepted, but owing to the way in which the Council was embarrassed financially, the cheaper stone was preferred.

SANDY-STREET.

Cr Walker brought under notice the fact that Sandy-street had been left in an unfinished state. He could not assign any particular reason, but he thought it seemed very singular that the Council had decided not to proceed further. By the expenditure of some L 3 on the improvement of a culvert, the street would be rendered passable. — A good deal of discussion followed, it being understood eventually that the matter brought under notice would receive attention.

ROUGH ON THE PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE.

Cr Monaghan took occasion to disagree with the manner in which the Public Works Committee performed their duties. He was convinced that it would be preferable to let by tender all works of the value of L 5 and upwards. Of late the Council had been treated to a great deal of what might be termed "cheap" work, which was very unsatisfactorily executed.

The Chairman— Cheap and nasty. Cr Monaghan — Very nadty.—(Laughter.) Some Councillors might laugh, but he could assure the •Chairman that there were Councillors in attendance who ought not to have put in an appearance when certain works wereundertaken.

Cr Tolcher did not think the former speaker was justified in abusing the Public Works Committee. The gentlemen' who comprised that Committee were noted for their energy and business tact, and it was very unfair — especially when they devoted their time and attention to the performance of their duties without receiving the slightest monetary consideration in, return; — for Councillors to jump up, and rail against them.

Or Anderson remarked that during his absence from the last meeting the Council had r,esolved not to proceed further with the improvement of Sandy-street, and why he could not tell. • As a rule the Public Works Committee endeavored to give satisfaction to the Council. , . The matter dropped without any .proposition being submitted for the guidance of the Committee.