BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 5969, 14 August 1912, Page 3

BOROUGH COUNCIL.

The ordinary meeting of the Lawrence Borough Council was held on' Monday night. Present: (His-Worship the Mayor (Mr Jamea Hobertson), Crs. Mcintosh, Christie,'Artlhur, 'Winn, Munro, Varcoe, Thompson, T>nrv, and McKinlay. Correspondence.

From Palmer and Sons, in reply to Council's letter drawing attention to discrepancy in weight of metal supplied, explaining' how it ht> • currcd and' enclosing! a corrected invoice— Received.

From F..'Robertson, asking for permission to remove spruce tree o >poslte his to Works Committee with power to aet. From Cecil T. Cross, lessee of Borough Etdowment, Tnapeka West, applying for 100 firs and 100 miacrocarpa trees for plant/ine out this season.—Request granted ; trees to toe procured by clerk as soon as possible. From 'New Zealand Farmers' Co-op-erative Association, Ltd., re motor vehicles,—'Received.

From Treasury DepartMxerjt,' advisinw payment of £24 lGs Walanco of subsidy on rates.—'Received. Head Surfaceman's Report.

The head surfaceman reported that during the -past two weeks he had put out sixteen trucks of metal on 'Bess Place, completing the order for 458 yards. The Works Committee had given instructions for the ordering'; of an additional fifty tons to complete the metalling to the station.—The report was received. Tho clerk reported in connection with the metalling of 'Ross Place that so far the expenditure had been £142 13s 10d.. This included metal, £6B 14b 9d ; freight, £55 7» I7d; and cartage, £lB lis 6d.

Cr. Winn commented strongly upon the amount paid for freight and said that strong representation should be made to the Railway Department with a view to. a reduction in the charjre for the haulage of metal. Cr. Leary said the Council some years ago applied 'for » reduction] and received a reply to the effect that the. Department could not differentiate between one part of the countiy and another. There wag, however, ao harmi in making a further effort to obtain a reduction on this charge, and he moved that the Minister of Railways bo written to drawing his attention to the exorbitant charge for the haulage of metal.

Cr. Winn seconded the motion which was carried.

Works Committee Report

Cr. Mcintosh, Chairman of the Works Committee, reported that Mr F. Martin had abandoned his application for a portion of the Town Hall reserve for building purposes ; that the surfaceman had reported that it was impossible to scrape the gangway in Lancaster street and the Committee proposed later to put d■_ :i a little moro gravel on it ■ and' that the crossing having been put into Mr Paulin's paddock in Pladda street they had promised Mr Smyth that some gravel would bo put down (m that street as soon as conditions for cartage permitted.—Approved.

Accounts. The following accounts were passed for payment : New Zealand Railways £l3 1 1 Palmer and Sons 168 14 9 R. Marshall 9 (i 0 E. D. Mason and Co. 16 8 Total £92 1 6 Sain Yards Reserve. Only one lender was received for the lease of reserve sale yards, i--- ■•..

from Messrs J. B. aud H. T„. Thompson, who offered tho upset rental of £5 per annum. On tho motion of Crs. Leary anid McKinlay the tender was accepted. The Street Crossbills. Cr. MfcKinlay moved the motior, of which ho had,given notice at last meeting, viz., " That the authority to procure, two trucks o''" sewmings for crossings in Ross Place bo cancelled." In moving this motion Cr Slekinlay said he did not ibclievo 'in trying; to rescind motions passed by tho Council except under exceptional circumstances. Me was not present when the motion was carried but he understood, that'it was against the recommendation of the whole of tho Works Comimiittce, and ho did not think the Council should over-ride their decision. Whilst nf.rth the previous week he had been looking for such crossings in towns similar circumstanced to Lawrence and could find no evidence of such a nd he agreed with those with whom he had discussed the .subject that such raised crossings were a mistake. He moved his motion accordingly. Cr. Christie in seconding lhe motion said the Works Committee wore not strong on the point that them should bo no distinctive crossings ; all that they desired was that the Council should wait till the metal put down was consolidated, and then if they considered them necessary- to put them .down.

Cr Winn said he was a supporter of putting down screenings for crossongs, and he contended if thev -were put on no!w ttilere would -be mo iapparent rise in the level of the street.

His Worship gave the details of some observations he had made during tho bad weather and as a result of these he was satisfied that tho crossings were necessary, and he was going to oppose the motion. Cr. Leary said that at the meeting when the motion was carried he had not voted, but he- was now going to support the motion as a protect on the manner in which it had been carried.

Cr. Mcintosh supported Cr. Christie's statement. The Works Committee were not, he said, opposed to the crossings—they merely thought them unnecessary at the present moment.

Cr. Thompson favoured the putting down of screenings for crossings of a permanent nature.

On the motion being put to the meeting there were five votes in favour and five against, and his Worship gave his casting vote against the motion.

General. On the motion of Crs. McKinlay and -Leary the Works Committee' was authorised to procure. additional metal (up to five trucks) for the repair of Beaumont Bx>ad and Irvine street.

In reply to Cr, Winn the clerk said there had been no reply from Mr B. Ryan re the traction engine for the levelling of the metal in Boss Place. His Worship again brought forward the ptoposal to erect a direction board at the Hospital comer showing the road tc« Dunedin, and after the matter hadi been discussed in, jocular manner for some time the clerk w ft s instructed to write to the Otago Motor Association inquiring if there were any complaints from motor drivers as to their difficultv in finding their way out of Lawrence. The question of 'providing the town with a better lighting- system was brought forward by CrMclntosh who complained of tho\ delav in regard to this question. The merits of acetylene as an outdoor illuirrinianti was informally discussed; tat ho definite action was decided upon in the meantime.