BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume III, Issue 419, 20 February 1890, Page 3

BOROUGH COUNCIL.

The above boilv met on Tuesday evening. Present: The Mayor, and Ore Townlev. Lucas, Lewis, Dunlop, Harding, Taylor, Whinray, Hepburn, and Coleman. Mr W. E. Akroyd, secretary of the Library, wrote asking the Council to remit the rates on Ibeir property. Cr Coleman thought they should assist the Library it it was in their power to do so. In reply to a question, the Clerk said the rates amounted to about £2 5s a year. Cr Lucas said he would like to see the rales remitted, but the question was before the Council on a previous occasion, and it was found that tbs rates of a public body could not be remitted, Cr Coleman moved that a reply be sent staling the Council's inability to grant such a request, The motion was seconded by Cr Lewis, and carried.

Mrs 8. DeCosta wrote asking the Council to have the necessary repairs done to the footpath outside her hotel on Bead’s Quay. Cr Coleman considered the Council was unable to touoh a work of this sort owing to the present state of the finances, and he would move that the work stand over until the latter end of March. Cr Lucas seconded. He said the Council had left more important works over for the same reason. The motion war then carried. The Fire Inspector made a report on the Fire Brigade team, who are about to leave for Wellington to take part in the annual com petition. He asked the patronage of the Mayor and Councillors at the concert on Thursday evening. The Mayor said there was no resolution necessary, but he thought they would all wish the team success in the competition. Accounts were passed as follows • —R. John ■ ston and Co. £2 2*. A. Muir £3 12s 91, Wilsons and Horton £1 ss, Graham, Pitt and Bennett £2 4s 51, Insurance £2 s‘, Gas Company £25 3s 4d, petty cash £5, Rent amount £l.l, Returning Officer £1 Is,

Cr Lewis drew attention to tha necessity of cleansing tha Gladstone Iliad aper slio-vers of rain. A resolution that the matter be attendal to waa carried.

A deputation Jhert waited on the Council re the Crown Ministers’ proposed visit to Gisborne. Mr Dickson said a meeting of the ratepayers had been called rather hurriedly together for the purpose of forming a deputation to watt on the local bodies so that they could act conjointly in laying tha wants and requirements of thia dintriot before the Ministers, The local bodies would then ba able to formulate some scheme or schemes to lay bet ire the Ministers, so that the district would have wbat was wanted long ago, a share of public moneys in the place, Mr Gannon said there Bed been several private telegrams received tn Gisborne, and it was quite evident that the Hoti. Mr Mitchelson and Hon. Mr Richardson would visit thia district aa soon aa the Cabinet meetings were finished. Hathen handed the Mayor a list of those subjects to which the meeting thought the attention of the Ministers should be referred.

The Mayor thanked the deputation tor their attendance, and in doing so ha said thoy all recognised the importance of taking advan. tags of impressing upon the Crown the requirements of the district, They had been constantly urging their claims upon the notice of the Government, and the time had now arrived to make a full representation of their wants. He considered that all the public bodies must recognise such a spontaneous expression of public feeling, and do all in their Sower to bring about a successful issue of the [misters' visit to this district.

Mr Dickson then thanked the Council for the courteous way in whioh they had been received, and the deputation withdrew. Cr Whinray said the Coqnoil should frame some forcible representation to the Ministers on the harbor and native lands questions, Cr Lewis proposed, “ That this Council give the views of the deputation most careful consideration, and will have much pleasure in co-operating with the other local bodies in Urging the public requirements of the district.” Cr Harding seconded the motion. Cr Lucas moved as an amendment, <• That the Mayor be requested to call a public meeting to thoroughly discuss the different matters of importance which it is desirable to bring under the notice of the Ministers, regarding this district. The date to be fixed by the Mayor.’- He said they should make the matter as general as possible. They saw what bad occurred the other day when the deputation waited qn the Coqnty Councilone of the Councillors actually ran away. Cr Wbinray explained that there was no quorum when the deputation attended the meeting. Or Lucas said there was a quorum, He thought it would be far more satisfactory for a committee to wait on the Ministers to be formed at a public meeting. There were only a few persons who knew of the meeting of ratepayers, and others would like to give expression to their views. Or Coleman said he was in favor of the motion, Cr Hepburn considered the general public should have a voice in the matter, and he would accordingly support the amendment. Or Lewis said that if the County Council declined tq co-operate, they should net ignore the deputation. Personalty, ba did hot feel at all pleased' with the qaqner they (the deputation) were received by that body the other day. He considered that it would be a slight on the meeting that was held by ratepayers it q further meeting waa called by the Council.

The Mayor said that bls mind vacillated upon the point as to whether a public meeting should be called. tjo far, however, from such a course being a slight upon the meeting of ratepayers it would be adopting the excellent principle set by them, for there was no doubt a muoh better scope for the discussion of those questions iu a public meeting. If the Qoquty Council refusal] to join with the other local' holies In making representations to the Ministers it waa dear that the success would not be great; but that body must be singularly unfortunate If it oould not discern many special requiremeats to whioh ths attention of Ministers ought to be directed, It was absurd to think that the spares population |h the vast dis'trict' of Oaqk County could construct the necessary roads, and thoroughly develop the district's resources. The County Council could do very little with the small funds st ita command, and in the town they could not help seeing that the trade was drifting away through want of better means of intercommunication. He thought a public meeting would do good, indicating the state of the public mind in regard to the requirements of the district, and it would probably encourage the County to take some more energetic action. Sqoh a meeting could' be hq reflection oh anyone, and would strengthen the hands of the local bodies.

Or Ccleman pointed out that there was a misapprehension regarding the County Council, There waa no quorum present when ths deputation waited at ths Council rooms, and as no notice had been given that a depu. tstion would wait on ths Council, the fact that ths deputation did go could not have been the cause of there not being a quorum. Bq far as anyone knew there was nothing to justify an opinion that tbs majority of the County Coqncil would not be in favor of acting with the other local bodies.

Cr Lucas contended that no slight would ba east oh the deputation ■ by: a public meeting being called—it would add weight to whatever Other action was taken. Ths amendment was then put and lost, the Mayor and Crs Townley, Hepburn, and LucaS, voting for it,

A deputation consisting of Messrs Rosie, Humphries,' Craig, and Fraser waited oh tbe Council asking that the ’ Ovsraser should be instructed to have the footpath from Peel to Bright street tarred, as all the occupiers were willing to pay a third ef the cost. In reply to a*question, the Clerk said there were only about £3O in hand. Cr Coleman said it was a very small margin to work on for silt weeks. ’ After some discussion, a motion was carried for ths work to be dons, At Mr Whinray's reausst ths OveareurwM instructed io arrange for asphalting tbe footpath in front of Mr Whinray’s ptemiMs, fcal gcuiteaiu bttHnt lb* wpoam

I The Mayor proposed the motion of which he had given notice, to have a committee—Cra Lucas, Townley, Coleman, and the mover—appointed to call for tenders to have the land in the vicinity of the Waihirere stream surveyed, so that it might be proclaimed under the Public Works Act, the committee to report to the Council. His Worship dealt exhaustively with the subject, making comparisons between the reports whioh the Industry of the Council in ths past had got together. He took it as a self evident proposition that a supply of pure water was au absolute necessity, and though the question of means had led to the matter always being postponed the longer it was delayed the more expensive it would be to procure a supply, and some dreadful epidemic might visit the town as had bean the case in Cromwell and other places. He referred to tbe methuda of draining all the filth into the sand, and with the strata of ths formation of the town making it a sea of filth flowing a few feet beneath the surface, that impure water being again pumped up for use. The wells must get worse year by year until the necessity for procuring a supply might he forced upon them in a very expensive manner and with the loss of muoh iifo. With tanks, too, they knew that unless the roofs were clean, and tbe tanks constantly cleaned, water oould not be good. The speaker alluded to the gradual depreciation of the value of town property, and-said the decrease was partly due to the want of a water supply, and such a want would make it continue to decrease. As to the matter of means, no immediate expenditure would be required, as it would be soma weeks before definite action oould be taken, and the main object at present waa to secure the source of supply, so that it might not fall into the hands of those who would hold it for speculative purposes. Cr Coleman considered the Mayor’s idea was a very good one, to at once make arrangements for procuring th? site before the cost of it was greaily increased. Cr Lewis said there waa no doubt the Waibjrere Creek was the source from which a supply of water must eventually be obtained. The motion was carried unanimously.