BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume LXII, Issue 9627, 16 March 1910, Page 5

BOROUGH COUNCIL.

MONTHLY MEETING.

The ordinary meeting of the Mastertou Borough Council was held last evening. There were present:—The Mayor (presiding), Crs J. H. Pauling, W. Praguell, R. Rigg, J. Elliott, J. C. Ewingtou, W. Morris, and F. W. Temple. Leave of absence was granted to Crs Prentice aud Hoar. WORKS AND FINANCE COMMITTEE. The Works aud Finance Committee reported as uuder :—Accounts. —Ac-. counts totalling £310 Is Gd, as set out in "Orders on Treasurer" hook, were submitted and passed for payment. Abattoir.—A return of the Manager for the mouth of February was submitted and received. Pound.—A return of the poundkeeper for the mouth of February was submitted and received. Hospitals and Charitable Institutions " Act, 100.).—The Town Clerk reported regulations having been made providing for the election of a new Board under this Act aud that tbe Borough Returning Officer was takiug the necessary steps to conduct au election. Abattoir.— Tho action of the Manager in increasing barbers' wages was approved. Wairarapa Cricket Association. —Au application was submitted from this Association for tho sole use of the Park ou the 2oth and Stith inst., with tho right to charge for adnnssiou, tho. occasion being a cricket match betweeu Wairarapa and Marlborough. The Committee have instructed tho Town Clerk to grant the Association the use of the Pari, on the days named, with the right to charge for admission therejo not exceeding the rate prescribed by statute, subject that ladies aud children are to be admitted free. Technical School. — commuuication was submitted from the secretary asking the Borough to undertake the tar paving of the school frontage abuttiug on the public footpath ou Dixou-street, aud suggesting that the Borough and the School Managers bear aud pay a moiety of tbe whoie cost. The Committee recommend that the request for the Managers be grauted and that the matter be left iv the hands of the Borough Engineer to carry out. Remission of Kates.— Th 9 Committee have considered several applications for the remission of the current rates on the grouud of poverty, aud recommend that the requests be not acceded to; subject, however, to roll eutry I No. 70.1, £1 13s, and roll entries Nos. 120 and 130, £li 10s ucl. paying onehalf of such sums, the Committee have instructed the Town Clerk to take the balance in settlement of the claim, a moiety to be writteu off ou the said ground of poverty. Cr Pauling asked if uo stated charge was to be made to tne Cricket AssociaI tion for the use of tho Park on this occasion.

Cr Morris, who moved the adoption of the report, stated that no chargewas to be made, as the Association paid a certaiu sum annually. Cr Pauling said he did not see why they should have tbe use of the Park free of charge more thau any other Association.

The report was adopted. The secretary of the Welliugtou Farmers' Meat Company wrote applying for permission to use the private road through the abattoir property to the site of their proposed works for a period of about three weeks. Cr Morris was of the opinion that the Council ought to be somewhat cautious iv granting the application, as hundreds ot tous of material would probably be carted over the road, which was not iv too good a state at auy time.

Cr Pauliug stated he liad beeu informed by the chairman of the Company that they would keep the road in repair during the time tbey used it.

Cr Temple was of the opiuiou that the applicatiou should not be grauted till the Couucil had moro informa tion at their disposal

Cr Ewiugton stated the fact of the road beiug used would probably be to the advantage of the Council, as it would iv all probability be left iv better order thau it was at present.

Cr Rigg suggested that the application be" granted subject to the road beiug kept iv repair, aud left in such order as to be approved of by the Borough Eugiueer. A resolution to that effect was car'NORTHERN APPROACH. The secretary of the Mastertou Chamber of Commerce wrote for warding the following resolution with regard to the Northern Approach : — "That iv view of the County Council's decision to build two wooden structures at the Northern Approach, this Chamber urge the Masterton Borough Council to insist on the original resolution being carried out— viz., that .the Borough aud County Engineers formulate a scheme for the Northern Approach, aud that in the event of their failing to agree, a consulting engineer be engaged to settle the difference; that in the opinion of this Chamber the bridge or bridges should be constructed of concrete or more lasting material than timber."

The Mayor stated that it seemed to him rather late in the day to re-open this question. The County aud the Borough Engineers had already met and discussed the matter. Although he personally agreed that one bridge would have been better than two, he was not an engiueer and was certainly not going to fail out with the engineers over the question. The County Couucil had stated plainly that they would not entertain any scheme for divertiug the river from its present course. It was only after considerable difficulty that the Borough Council Had got the Couuty Council to go into the scheme at all, aud lie was very much afraid that if an attempt were made to interfere with it at this stage the whole thing would be dropped aud tho scheme put back to where it was twelve months ago, thus blocking a very urgent work. He wanted to see the work dove, and thought tbe proposed scheme would meet all requirements of the town for the next thirty years or so. It would be a great pity to block it, and be for one would not be a party to anything that tended to do so. If it were found that the County Couucil were prepared to modify their scheme, well and good, he would be ready to agree with them, but beyond that he would not thiuk of interfering at this stage. Cr Pauling said the Chamber of Commeroe seemed very active now that the matter was practically settled, but they did not make any attempt to

back up th_ Borough Council when the latter were trying to get a different scheme adopted. Had tho members of the Chamber of Commerce put their shoulders to the wheel then something might have been done. "It is of no use locking the door after the horse,has gone out," he said; "and I for one do not feel like doiug anything in the matter now."

Or Ewingtou stated that instead of modifying the scheme they would be extending it, and it would mean at least the construction of half a mile of protective works up the banks of the river nearly as far as Daniell's mill. The iroubark timber to be used in the proposed bridges would last between thirty and forty years, ancl those who advocated ono bridge wore simply throwing .dust in the eyes of the ratepayers.

Cr Morris agreed with*) Cr Pauling. The Chamber of Commerce, he said, had met month after month, aud had not supported the Couucil wheu they might have doue'so. He was against any proposal to swerve oue iota from their present course of action.

The Mayor suggested that they inform the Chamber of Commerce that the Borough Council were unable to withdraw from the scheme already consented to, aud that it was too late to interfere without the consent of the Couuty Couucil.

It was eventually decided that the Chamber of Commerce be referred to tho County Council, and if they are willing to entertain the proposal the Borough Council will offer no objection.

Cr Morris drew attentiou to the bad lighting of the town. At present street after street, he said, was not lighted at all, while other lamps were burning all day. He wauted to know why.

Cr Temple explained that the men had been busy sinking a tar well, aud had not had so much time to devote to the work. The matter would te attended to.