BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2530, 17 June 1909, Page 6

BOROUGH COUNCIL.

FORTNIGHTLY MEETING

Tlie usual fortnightly meeting of the Borough Council was held last night. Present-: The Mayor, and Crs. Kirk, Maynard, Darton, Somervell, Smith, Pettie, Collins, and Clayton. - ' CORRESPOND JtiN CE,

The secretary' of the Gisborne Racing Club wrote asking that the Bth of July be declared a halt-holiday from, noon.— 'The request was granted. Mr. W. F. Oederwall, manager of the Gisborne Sheep farmers' I'roaen Meat Co., wrote stating that his company were prepared to pay £260 per annum for a water supply of ten million gallons. and to pay at the rate of 6d per thousand gallons thereafter. Cr.. Collins moved that the request be acceded, to, but on the motion of Cr. Darton the question was referred to the Waterworks Committee to report to the Council. Mr. Stanley Muir wrote asking tor an extension of time in which to extend his drain as ordered by the Council.—The request was granted. Mr. H. 0. Jackson wrote on behalf of tho leading native owners in the Waihirere Nos. 1 and 2 blocks, that he was instructed to say that tho owners are prepared to negotiate with the Council as to the terms upon which portions taken by the Council for a quarry reserve shall he paid for. He pointed out that as the lands have been taken for quarrying, tlie payment should be in the form of an. annual charge on tho quantities used each year. This course, he claimed, wou d not necessitate a large payment bv the Council. — The matter was referred to the Finance Committee.

A petition, signed by numerous residents of T' o r Gladstone Road, Albert Street, and Desmond Road, was read, praying that a lamp miqlit be erected at tho corner of Albert Street and Gladstone Road, instead of Ait the corner of Cook Street as proposed by the Council. —It was decided, after discussion, that the Council adhere to its former resolution. The Stationmaster, Mr. H. T. Day. wrote drawing the attention of tlie Council to tho erratic and misleading time kept by the town clock, which is at present 6| minutes behind New Zealand mean time, by which the trains are run. The Mayor said that a local watchmaker had said that the clock was right and the railway time wrong. On the motion of Cr. Collins, it was resolved to obtain a report from Mr. Seymour. ' Mr. C. J. Reakes, .Chief Government Veterinarian, wrote stating that he had forwarded the proposer! amended scale of charges at the abattoirs'to the Governor, with a recommendation for its apnroval.— I The letter was received. Mr. O. R. Spragg wrote stating that, with the approval of the Minister for Agriculture, lie would be pleased to accept the position of manager ofl the local abattoir. —The letter was received.

REPORTS.

WORKS COMMITTEE

The "Works Committee reported as follows: — “A committee meeting was held on Bth June, at 9 a.m., there being present: The Mayor and Crs. Darton, Maynard, Pettie, Smith, and Somervell! A journey was made to inspect the! locomotive crane at Kaitaratahi, and a couple of trucks were filled by the grab and shunted to the siding, which the committee deemed satisfactory, and it Avas agreed that a progressive payment of £SOO be given to Messrs Chambers and Co. On the return journey, a visit was paid to Wailiirere quarry, from whence st-one is now being obtained. The committee met again on 9th inst., when Crs. Darton. Kirk, and Sniith were present. Tenders for formation of Stanley _ Road were received as under: H. Partington £73 19s, N. W. Mooro £lOl 7s 3d. W. Gordon £74, H. Laurent £BS. It was decided that the lowest tender (Mr. Partington’s) be accepted. The question of tenders for water waggons was then considered, when it was agreed to accept that of Messrs Cooper and Duncan at £IOO each (cog-wheel drive). An inspection was also made of the two sanitary waggons made by Mr. Ormond, and your committee would recommend thatjbliey be taken over and paid for, as thev appear satisfactory." Cr. . Collins said that he had been unable to he presept, and asked the Mayor to give them his opinion of the Kaitaratahi grab and gravel pit, in order to satisfy the public mind. The Mayor said the machinery and line had proved themselves perfectly satisfactory. Regarding the lme, he thought there, was no possible danger, as only a little over two chains was not a heav- line. This portion would have to be removed, but the engine had been going over it without any .injury or risk whatever. Mr. Widdop, the engineer, had assured him that the line was perfectly good enough for their requirements. He was sorry that the principal Councillor who had spoken so strongly against the proposal had not been present when the committee inspected. The ratepayers could fee ‘perfectly assured that the Council had got a good asset, and that the,, work was perfectly satisfactory. ’ Cr. Darton said that although the machinery had not been properly tested that was not the manufacturers . fault, but the Council’s. The arrangements in connection with Kaitaratahi were such as would be made by a pack of schoolboys, and he saw nothing tor it but a rank failure. He was not speaking of the locomotive grab, which he thought was an excellent piece oi machinery, but of the whole ai rangements. With all the necessary preliminaries it took at least half an hour to fill each truck, and it should, immediately 'be arranged for another line V necessary, and a larger supply oi trucks. The line was in his opinion, f,, r too lmht, and although cheap, it Sea? and nasty. The sleepers w >re merely willow saplings, and he would like to move for a report horn Overseer on a better method of ’dealing with the question of obtaining \ travel from Kaitaratahi. V* Or. Pettie seconded the motion. Ho V'reod that the line was too light, but believed it to be sufficiently atsgnff enable the present work to bo^timHe was satisfied they baa a ic y good tiling, but it was also possible that fit might be improved upon. He only seconded the motion in , net the Council have an voting on the question if it w.. • - j The Mayor said there was no n, Tor the suggested informatio . - , •could not get enough trudks to t< ' ' - gravel away, and it was no uso ordering how long it took to fill ‘ . - ■lt was farcical to''say that the thing was . going to he an absolute '7 •and lie predicted that they would „ enough revenue out of it to pay their wages. They did not want to Tut

; '*to6 expensive work on the iine ns ,u ‘was in clanger from floods. The - 01, . n ' rdntio’i of the lino was in ,c •j»tT,u-nd,-:'a'ud tho docomo&t* ' wfls :/'nly;

required to work on this part cf the line, not on tho lighter portUu. Thty had really nothing to complain of in the line or in the way the work lu-.ii been carried out.

Cr. Collins said that alleg.iti ms had been made which wonld caPso unrest in the minds of the ratepayers, and lie was very sorry to say that such statements had been made. Their success in raising a loan had been endangered by Cr. Darton, and he was going to speak on the matter. The complaint had been made by an engineer to Cr. Darton, and he, Cr. Collins, had since found out that that engineer was an employee of the Council. He Held that this was not right, and, although he was not present at the gravel pit, he agreed with some of Cr. Darton’s statements regarding it. Tlie rails were not the heavy rails, nor were the sleepers the usual heavy sleepers. The best that was possible had been done for the line, which was not permanent, and they might at any time have a flood which would sweep the line away. This would be so, because the line*Was laid, on the bed of the river, and ho held that the line was quite" good enough for the work that would be required of it, and the public of the town need have no fear of voting for any scheme which included the Kaitaratahi gravel pit. If they fdied 20 trucks a day, they would get profit enough, not only to pay the wages, but eventually pay, for the machine itself. He was sorry that the debate had arisen as it had led-to discussion which might endanger their loan proposals. Cr. Darton alone was responsible for the present situation, and in endangering the loan proposals they were doing a great injustice to the district. Cr. Somervell also expressed his appreciation of the locomotive grab and crane. He characterised it as an excellent piece of machinery, and one of the best speculations ever made by the Council.

Cr. Clayton said the discussion might be beneficial to the ratepayers. He thought it might be reasonable to obtain a report from the Overseer on the grab and the way it worked, also to make any suggestions that he might think fit. He thought an effort should be made to get the extra trucks necessary to avoid any loss of time by the men working there: Cr. Darton, in reply, said that what he really wanted to bring under the notice was the necessity for better arrangements. He wanted the. gravel pit to pay, but with present arrangements they could only fill at 'the most 15 trucks a day. If they could fill 50 trucks' a day by different methods', it was their clear duty to obtain all the information possible, and that was the reason why lie wanted a report from the Overseer. He wanted a better scheme than they had, and it was admitted on all sides that the line was bad. At present two men with long handled shovels could do as much as the grab was doing. The motion, on being put to the meeting, was carried by 5 votes to 4. FINANCE COMMITTEE. The Finance Committee presented the following report: —- “ Your Committee have to report that they considered the application of Mr. J. O. Parker for a refund of portion of wholesale license fee overpaid, and after reading section 73 of the Licensing Act the committee are satisfied that £6 13s 4d only, should have been paid. They would, ..therefore, suggest that in renewing the license this year, instead of taking the full £2O, the clerk be instructed to collect only £6 13s 4d on Mr Parker’s license.” The .report was adopted. The nightwatchman (Mr W. Fraser) reported that since the last meeting of the Council there had been no outbreaks of fire in the borough. WATERWORKS COMMITTEE.

The Watenvorks Committee presented the folloAving report:— “Your committee have to report that they met on Friday, 11th June, 1909, at 7 a.m. There Avere present: The Mayor and Crs. Kirk and Smith. A journey A\ r as made to^ the Arai Valley, and a site for caretakers’ dwelling inspected, when it Avas agreed that the original selection Avas the best, but before deciding it might perhaps be advisable to obtain from Mr. Parker an estimate- of the value of tho land on the original site. The question of cutting off the water during the operation of lowering the pipe at creek crossings was discussed Avith Mr. Bignell, when it, Avas arranged that before cutting off the supply the contractors would first lay a neAv pipe line across the creek, and then disconnect and reinstate on each side of the stream, thus leaving the town Avithout Avater for as short a period ad possible. A tour of inspection was then made to the headworks, a distance of 3) miles up the creek from Wilson’s Avoolshcd, where the work of reinstatement hadf been carried out. The committee think it is to be regretted that the engineer did not arrange to take the two deviations immediately above the present intake over the spur, or along the papa face, Avhere there is sound foundation, as Avas discussed between him and the old Council upon his last visit; but instead of this line being on solid ground it has been constructed Avith what appeared to he tAvo very dangerous angles in the centre of the stream and centre of river bed, both of which are in loose rubble formation. Some dissatisfaction was expressed at the concrete over tho pipe at one of the crossings not being properlv' covered, and that several of the weirs had been constructed without using railway iron as specified; with these l exceptions tlie contractors appear to have earned out their work fairly Avell and your committee \vould suggest that the 1 engineer be written to stating that the Council expected the agreement of sth December, 1908, carried out in its entirety.” The Mayor said that the committee did not desire td say anything to the contractors about the matter, except regarding the snpplv of Avater, and their suggestion had been Avell received* by .tlie contractors. Tlie AA r oirs had not been .properly constructed, and the covering of the pipes Avas most incomplete. It Avas tempting Providence to alloAV things to remain,as they are, and it would not b<\ long before something should be done. Tie did not intend in any Avay to reflect on the contractor, thought that tlie Engineer should have made different arrangements with regard to at least two of the ci'ossings. He, moved that a copy of the report be sent to the Engineer, and that he be requested to see the contract carried out. , Cr. Darton said the Engineer might possibly have a good' reason for making- tlie deviation he had done. He thought that-perhaps the piatter might be referred tet the Engineer, but ho did not think they should bo asked to adopt tlie report. Cr. Pettie thought it would he a great mistake to adopt a report which

contained a reflection on the Engineer. Cr. Collins took the same view, and it was decided to carry out the suggestion contained in the report. OVERSEER’S REPORT.

The Overseer, Mr. M. Morgan, reported that the tarring of Gladstone Road had been finished to the junction of Peel Street, and'that the bldpk. between Peel and Bright Streets had been -started. At the completion of this, the Napier gravel would be used up, and he recommended that another 100 yards be procured. The tar block from Grey Street to Derby Street required a coat of tar. The path authorised in Palmerston Road had been formed and gravelled, and would! be tarred as soon as possible. This formation ,should bo taken round the corner of Bright Street to Gladstone Road. The footpath adjoining Mr. Tattley’s property had been gravelled to the approach to the bridge, which was being erected and tlie approaches filled in. The bad parts of Crawford Road bad been covered with sand, and the path was being fenced for protection against tlie cattle traffic. The pitching in Roebuck Road would be begun as soon aa the gas mains had been laid there. He reeommonded that an additional set of teeth be procured for the grab. The estimates for street work would be placed before the Council as soon as -possible. It was necessary that every street be Avorked out on " the levels ” laid doAvn before any estimate as to Avork required to be done could be arrived at. The report was adopted, the suggested AA-orks to be attended to. INSPECTOR’S REPORT. The inspector, Mr. J. R. Little, reported tliat Mr. Sheridan had removed the old building in Gladstone Road, and the repairs to the house and shop at the corner of that road and Disraeli Street Avere in progress. No further report liaA r iug been received from tlie Health Department re recommendations' for remedying existing sanitary defects, notices had been issued to tlie people interested from the notes taken by the Department’s inspectors during their inspection. He had issued notices, where necessary, for the extension of drains to loav Avn-tcr mark, and most of tho people notified were carrying out the AA'ork as directed. Notices re disconnecting urinals from the main Avater supply Avere being carried out, and the ones belonging to the borough Avould be disconnected as soon as possible. He had inspected the lodging-houses, theatre, billiard saloons, and public balls, and found them satisfactory. He had inspectod stores Avhere kerosene and other inflammable materials AA r ere kept, and as the quantity of these materials av as increasing every year, he considered it would_ be necessary to consider* the establishing of a bond so as to centralize the storage of such. Mr. Ormond had satisfactorily completed his contract for sanitary waggons. Mr H. Warren had only finished about 100 soil pans. Water was being laid on to the site of tlie shed authorised at tho depot. He recommended the granting of licenses to boarding-houses (25), for storage of dangerous materials (10, public halls, etc. (6). and billiard saloons (2). The report Avas adopted. ; ACCOUNTS. Accounts aiiiounting to £3769 9s 7d were passed tor. payment. •3 1 .

f NOTICES OF MQTION f . '

Or. Clayton gave notice to move the folloAving resolutions at next meeting of the Council:—• “That a committee, consisting or Crs. Darton, Collins, Pettie, Smith, and the mover, be set up to revise the Standing Orders, and that, Avhen revised, they shall he printed for the guidance of members.” “That an agenda paper be prepared, and placed in the hands of each Councillor at least 48 hours before each meeting, so that Councillors may bo cognizant of, and have an opportunity of "considering business before the sittings of the Council.” “That the advisableness of eonsiderinc the question of having a municipal destructor be -discussed, and that action bo taken if desirable.