HAMILTON BOROUGH COUNCIL

Waikato Argus, Volume XXXV, Issue 5533, 14 February 1914, Page 2

HAMILTON BOROUGH COUNCIL

The fortnightly meeting of the Hamilton Borough Council was held last night. Mr A. E. Manning, the Mayor, presided, and the other members present were Crs Hammond, Fow, Speight, Howden, Tristram and Hayter. Infectious Diseases.

Inspector Bennett, in a memo, submitted a summary of the cases of infectious diseases notified in the borough for the year ended 31st December, 1913. They were as follows:—Scarlet fever 3, enteric 2, puerperal fever 3, erysipelas 1, total fl. This was the lowest rate recorded in Hamilton since a record had been kept, and the two last named diseases had not been recorded in previous years.—The report was received, and the Mayor said the borough was to be congratulated on its bill of health. Fire Station.

Mr F. W. Lux ford, secretary of the Fire Board, wrote to the effect that his board were of opinion that the most suitable site for a central fire station was a portion of the top of Garden Place, and asking for terms.—The Mayor moved that Mr Hungerfprd Roche be asked to value the land and report, and that thereafter the Fire Board be advised that the council would prefer that the board should acquire it under the Public Works Act.—Cr Htunmond: This does not mean that the council will refuse to consider their being allowed a lease? -The Mayor: No. --Cr Hammond: Then I am in favour of the motion.—The motion was carried.

Licensing of Vehicles

Messrs Clarkin and Simms, in a letter of 6th inst., stated that they weie advised by the town clerk that it was necessary that the whole of their vehicles used in Hamilton should be licensed. They were quite willing to license vehicles used for general hire, but had a large number of .Irays used exclusively for the council's woik, and thought it would hardly be a fair thing that they should have to pay license fees on them.— The Mayor said he thought it would be better to license all the vehicles, but it was a big question that would require to be gone into, and he moved that the matter be referred to the legal committee.— Agreed to. The Abattoir- Plans Approved.

Messrs Newell and Jamieson, liorotiu, wrote that they were prepared to tender for the offal from the new abattoir when tne latter is erected.- Cr Tristram called attention to the fact that the offal would be the property of the butchers not the tallow.-It was left to the committee to go into the whole question.

Mr Reakes, of the Department of Agriculture, acknowledged receipt of the amended plans of the abattoir. No doubt the council would receive advice from the Minister very shortly. While not expressing any disapproval of the plans as amended, he woul 1 like to bring the following points under their notice: (l)That the abattoir was likely, some years hence, to prove too small so far as hanging space for dressed carcases of mutton and beef was concerned, in the event of the population ncreasing, or any adjacent borough applying for accommodation. The building could be lengthened, but there might he some difficulty in the arrangement of the beef-carrying rails. Straight carrying rails, without switches, could be lengthened to any extent without difficulty in the event of the building being lengthened in future. He was not in any way reflecting on the architects.- The secretary of the Department forwarded an approved plan of the abattoir.—Both letters were referred 10 the committee. Main South Road.

A request from the Mayor of Auckland was- received for the appointment of a representative to a meeting of delegates of local bodies to be held on 18th February in connection with the maintenance of the Main South Road.—Cr Fow proposed that the Mayor be appoined. Cr Hammond seconded, and the proposal was agreed to. At the request of the Mayor, Ci Fow, seconded by Cr Tristram, added a motion that the Mayor be authorised to support a proposal that the Government tane over the main roads. Cr Tristram, in seconding, said that until the Government took over the main roads they would nevei be in a decent condition, simply because the farmers could not afford to make the roads, and the Government could. The Government could atl'ord to make uniform roads. Footpaths. Mr J. W. Hopkins, solicitor, as owner of property in Myrtle street, asked that the footpath should be attended to.--Referred to works committee. A petition signed by about 20 householders in Harwood street was submitted, asking that both footpaths in Harwood street be tarred and sanded, and that provision be made for dealing with accumulated water.—Referred to works committee. Assessment Court. Mr M. Darke was unanimously appointed representative of the borough on the Assessment Court, in connection with this year's valuation. "Honest and Clean." George l J ascoe applied for a license for a fruit stand at "Cosey Corner," opposite the Commercial hotel. He intended to conduct the stand on honest, cleanly lines, so that the poorer classes might be individually benefited, He pointed out that the law allowed him to keep a stand so long as he did not stand and solicit. - The Mayor moved that the application be refused. Retail dealers had enough to contend with without hawkers coining in when fruit was plentiful.—Cr Hammond, in seconding, said others had been refused.— Cr Fow, in supporting the motion, said previous fruit hawkers bad solicited. -Cr Tristram said there were two sides to the question. Fruit could be got at 50 pel cent, less than the ruling price, and we all knew what the cost of living was. The council were there for the benefit of the public as a whole. The sort of action proposed was the kind of thing that led to the formation of "rings.' —Cr Hayter supported the motion, and said they had enough Chinamen in the community to break any "ring."—Cr Fow said the hawkers, instead of giving the public the benefit of cheap fruit, skinned the public, charging more for the quality of their goods than any reputable dealer would. The Mayor, replying to Cr Tristram, said the dealers were responsible ratepaying people, who were worthy of every consideration. The Baths Contract. Messrs Swarbrick and Swarbrick, writing re Farrelly's contract with the borough for the baths, stated that the total claims, bytwelve persons, against the council, amounted to £687, for wages to be paid in full. The council had in hand .1:207 10s, which had to be distributed among the claimants. As one of the actions (there being four dill'erent solicitors engaged) had been brought in the Supreme Court, the only way to get the money distributed by the Court was to move all the motions into the Supreme Court. That would mean that practically all the money would go in legal expenses. To avoid this, Messrs Swarbrick had prepared a scheme for distributing the money outside the Court. This would have given the parties a substantial dividend, and would have saved the council all legal expenses. All the parties except Mr Kelly, for whom Mr Gillies acted, had agreed to this. He refused to make any settlement. The grounds on which he refused were, in the opinion of Messrs Swarbrick, quite untenable; but as they could not make a friendly settlement without his consent, they had now no alternative but to take the entire matter into the Supreme Court. —Tha letter was referred to the' legal and finance committee.