Hamilton Borough Council.

Waikato Argus, Volume XXV, Issue 3959, 12 December 1908, Page 2

Hamilton Borough Council.

The Hamilton Borough Council met last evening. There were present; His Worship the Mayor and Crs. Mason, Roche, Fow, Rettlcy, Barton Young, Tidd and Davis. • —Milton Street Drain.— Inspector Bennett in reporting on the Milton street drain, said it was offensive only on account of stagnant water and decayed vegetation. On the opposite side of the street, however, waste water caused a nuisance and he had notified the person interested to abate it. —Received. Water.— Mr R. H. Coombes applied to have water laid on to his new house in Jersey street. —Granted. —Flaxmill Paddock. — Mr D. Fry wrote requesting that as the price of (lax was so low that he could not run his mill, the rent for the mill paddock be reduced from £2O to £lO until such time as his mill was again running.—After some discussion the request was agreed to. —Nuisance.— Mr D. R. Bain wrote complaining of a nuisance which existed in the adjoining promises.— Referred to the engineer for investigation. —Compensation.— Messrs Watts and Broadfoot wrote with reference to part Lot 59a Hamilton West, complaining of the damage being done by the contractor for the approaches at the Hamilton bridge. The engineer reported that the conditions of contract placed the liability for trespass upon the contractor; but as a matter of fact no encroachment had been made on the property. It was decided to forward the report of the engineer to the complainants. —Circus License.— Mr E. O’Neill requested the council to make a reduction in the license fee for his buckjumping show. —-The council declined to entertain the request. Water Cart.— A letter from Mr H. Kelly with reference to a statement alleged to have been made by Cr. Davis at last meeting with reference to the supply of horses for the water cart was “received.” —Legal and Finance Report.— The Finance Committee recommended that a progress payment of £G7G he made to Mr Fraser, contractor for the Hamilton bridge; that ' the work at the footpath on the Ohaupo road be done as soon as funds are available; that general rates, £lB 9s; special water rates, £lO 10s 8d; water rates, £8 15s sd; and sanitary fees, £2B 18s 8d; be written off, as they,were uncollectablc; that the matter of raising a loan for the purpose of Horse Bazaar extensions and improvements be deferred for six months; that Messrs English’s and Bruce’s accounts be paid on the basis of 21 guineas a day; that the offer of the Waipa County Council of £l3B, share of cost of metalling the Ohaupo road be accepted.—Adopted. Contes Street.— Mr J. Coates wrote agreeing to complete Coates street, and maintain it for six months, and asked to have the dedication sealed and returned to his solicitor.—Agreed to, —Accounts.— The following accounts were passed for payment:—Goodfellow, Ltd., £1 17s 9d; J. R. Fow, 10s; Hamilton Hardware Co., 17s 7d; Parr Bros., 14s 2d; Lindsey and Schneider, £1 Is; J. Chambers and Sun, 19s 9d; H. Upton, £3 3sßd; Ellis and Burnand, £8 7s 2d; Hamilton Gas Co., £2B 16s lOd; Wilson and Co., £B9 18s; Paul’s Book Arcade, 7s Gd; J. H. Lymburn, £1 2s: Cousins and Atkin, fis Gd; Fricker and Bradley, 18s; H. S. Bates, £2; H. Kelly and Son, £53 16s 4d; P. Kelly, 18a Gd; W. Lovett, £G2 10s 3d; E. Breckon, £Gss4d; H. Voats, £6 18s Gd; Waikato Times, 17s stl; Wages, general, £74 18s Gd; streets loan, £SB 13s lOd; cemeteries, £l9 17s; total, £153 9s 4d. —Hitching Posts.— The Farmers’ Auctioneering Company applied for permission to erect hitching posts outside their new premises in Ward street. —After some discussion it was decided that the request be not acceded to. —Dog Tax.— The dog tax for the ensuing year was fixed at 10s with the exception of sheep and cattle dogs, 2s Gd. —Tenders. The following tenders wore recicved: Carting: Kelly and Son, and Jolly and Clements, , (accepted); printing, Waikato Argus, Waikato Times, and F. Tuck, (accepted); general supplies: Parr Pros., (accepted) ; dog registrar, F. G. Hunt, E. Cory, and S. Finlay, (accepted); poundkeeper; F. G. Hunt (accepted); dog collars: H. Priestley, M. A. Going, P. Armanter (accepted). —Next Meeting.— It was decided to hold the next meeting on Tuesday, 22nd December. —Engineer’s report.—

The engineer reported as follows; General work: Maintenance work has been effected in Rostrevor street, Ward street, Collingwood street,

Victoria street, Milton and Hood streets; now that the paths in Victoria street have been formed to the permanent level, the work of tar and sanding the eastern path is being undertaken as requested by the property owners some time back. Saleyarda: The drafting yards at the saleyards have been metalled and blinded and alterations effected with the exception of the removal of one sheep pen near the pig unloading stage, which the auctioneers consider unnecessary.

New formation; 3400 scp. yds of tarred macadam have been laid in Victoria street and short metal suppiles prevent rapid progress being made with this work. The formationn of Clyde street deviation from Galloway street to State Farm Road is in hand.

Kerbing and channelling ; 2750 feet of concrete kerb and channel blocks are in stock, and I propose to commence laying same on each side of Victoria street, north of Alma street.

Waterworks: The contractors for the waterworks plant have not yet completed their contract and I have notified them that the penalty for non-completion will be enforced. 2,050,000 gallons of water were pumped during the month, an increase of nearly 68 per cent as compared with November 1907. Nine new services have been laid during the month.

Permits: Six permits for drainage and plumbing work have been issued. —The report was adopted. —Printing the Rolls.—

The manager of the Waikato Argus wrote enclosing a tender for printing for the ensuing 12 months, and stating that should his tender be accepted he would be prepared to carry out the work scheduled at the rates quoted, and it would not be necessary for the council to go outside to have contract work done at increased prices, as ho understood had been the case with the previous contract. The Mayor proposed that the letter be received, and Cr. Roche seconded. Cr. Barton asked what the letter referred to. The Mayor : It is in connection with the printing of the burgess roll. Cr. Young: Is that nut tendered for?

The Mayor: Yes; but the printing of the roll was delayed purposely in order to save expense, and when it was decided to have it issued there was no printing office in town that could do the work in the required time. He had arranged with the two newspaper offices to divide the work, and that was the reason. That was the only job for which they had gone outside, and it was not the contractor’s fault. The executive were acting with the object of saving money to the ratepayers. Cr. Barton: Who paid for it? The Mayor; The council. Cr. Barton asked why the executive thought it would not be necessary to print t he roll. The Mayor replied that the executive were of opinion that the roll would not be required, and did not

want to go to the expense under the particular circumstances which Cr. Barton would probably remember.

Cr. Barton said he remembered very well, and he thought if a tender were accepted by the council the work should be done by the contractor. With other contracts this was insisted on; but in this instance there was a certain amount of give and take and they were establishing a precedent enabling a contractor to take the fat and leave the lean if he liked. He considered that the roll should be their bible and the executive should keep it up to date at all times. Even now the roll was not up to date, and it was not at last election. It should be kept up to date and printed. The Mayor said -whatever blame there was rested on himself and the Town Clerk —the printer did not come into it in any shape. Had it been issued after the sitting of the Revision Court it would have been printed by the contractor; but it had been decided to hold it back until the nominations were in, and it was then impossible for one office to bring it out.

On the motion of the Mayor the letter was received and the inci lent dropped.