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BEACH IMPROVEMENTS.
DEPUTATION TO THE MINISTER.
. The Newcastle Council on Monday night
r'tcrreb In tho impro'encnl, committee
lion Mayor'8 minute recomomending that a
sum of money be spent upon continuing
ifohe bads improvement eehemr. A point
wona roised by Alderman Timbory that Ito
council could not lousily spend the rate
payerso money on lthn propound work. iE-I
wan not opposed in spendiog lion moboy.
'but soimply wished Io know how the coon
cii etood in Iho mualer. It may hb ex
plained that at. lih prenent limo lion Ocean
orohoren aro the property of tho Crown.
and have never bee 'vested in the omni
clpal council. Realising-tho diliculty of
the altuation, thlo corporation some time
eince made an application to the Govern
ment to have the foreahorcs dedicated to
them, and the matter has since boon
favourabla considered bly the Maitland
*Land hoard. ?lrho laller body have recool.
mended. t.hab"th lioun eulln opplleallon.le
granted, and it is expected that the Lands.
loeartmcent ill accede oto tho requesrt. It
Ia , doubtfult IP gtes the forenharos are
dedicated 1011ti0 council tbey will to TOr
much changed. "Tho Muunilpalities A
provides that corporate funds ehall only be
expended en roads, otrecei, etc., and under
lie provisions ion council bho no power to
deal with Itho city parho ond reserven.-bt- "
elmply'net in the capacity of trusteer and
expend such funds an are granted for tlon
purpose. It is In view ef 11h10 difficult
that Alderman Timtury wnuld like 10 ev08
a definite decisien arrived ate'and In tcIt
the question, he intends tabling altwotlon
at the next meeting af the councl,.
• It wIll be remembered that during Ald
erman Tim'bury's term of oilnco as Mayor
In 199,'Mr. O'Sullivan Mllinltertfor Works,
made-a distinct promise of £6000 for beach
-imPedvements. Thin muney wan 10 he ex
pendedat lion role of £1l00ia year until-the
wark was finished, provided Mr. O'Sullivan
remained in ofiler, but although that gan
tleman still remains head, of the Publio
Works Department.,,the comncll has only
received £920. non'withsanding the foot
that £1250 have been opent. It was dis
tinctly understood when Mr. O'Sullivan
made the prmllso that as soon as one eC
ties of the improvements was completed
the money would be available forothe next
sectilon of the work. Alderman Timbnua,
claims that this promise ohould be ful
filled, and for that purpose has placed a
mntion on the business paper for the next
meeting, providing that a deputation wait
opcu- Mr. O'Sullivan, requesting busn to
provide funds to complete section 2 of the
beach improvement echeme in accordance
with hl4 Promise made in 1891. In plao
lng the motion on the business paper,
Alderman Timbury takes the view that the
improvement of .Newcastle beach is a wore
which should dot fall upon the City Cor
poratlon alone. The people who use it.
enmeofrom all over the district, and for
bhat reason the motics proposes thet the
Parilamentary representatives for the
elty and district, Gloucester, Dungog, Sing
metn, East and West .iaitland, be asked
to tahe part in the deputation. The step
in a wine one, and if the deputation is well
supparted it is dilmleuli eto see howl the Mini
ater for Weorks can refuse to fulfil the pro
mise made to Alderman Timbery is 1199.
To attempt to corey on tie work with
out apperling to t11e Government for the
r•edrmptlion of helir promioeseesud bo
nnwlse.o no susael :oion might to Intor"?
protcd.by the Minister for Works as an
Indlcation that the Council did not ro
qulro.telp, end on the other hand should
1h1 money be spent, and by an unforo
nice contingency a chance of Govern
nost lube place, it might- he diilicsult for
thes ouncit to recoup themselves for
the money expended.
Whllie dealing with tilts question It
may be pointed out that the sins and fol
lic .of the City Council In the. past are
coming to light. Years ago by permis
clont ot the civic authorities rubbish was"
deposited at the rear of tlle hospital,
and II the course of time the grass grew
over.' In tile intervening years the thou
sands of plcnlc parties which use the
bench' little dreamed of the decomposing
matter upon which they were sitting, al
though.ther .woreAlmcs when a remark
able odour would nrlso, Its origin oftqn.
puzzling the residents of the locality.
Within, the past fortnight or so the re
maoval of some sand from the beach at the
locality Indlcted has caused a portion
of'the bank-to slip away. The result is
hstolaling, Hundreds of bottles, old
tlnao,,hd alflkiads o( rubbish which werea
burlid' there years previously aro now
falling out of the embanikment anl' bo
foullnng the beach: Children playing bare-'
footed.In the sand run terrible risks bo
cause of iho broken glass, to say nothing
of. the oycsore caused by the rubbish ..
otrewn across tlme sand. The breal k away.
ndIts' result is an Instanceof what may ,
happen years hence if the rubbish is still
tipped upon the beach. It Is elleged that
Iho Borough Council has no legal control.,
of tho beach, this fwroresres not having
beehudedlcatcd to them. 11 this Is so, It
would be Interesting to know what right
they had to dump filth on thoe foreshores :
and spoil what did not belong to thlem;
Two new notice hoards have been erected
tl.ar Miller's seats, wnrntin persona that
any attempt to deposit rubbish on the
bleach at that pdint will be followed by ,
punishment! It Is a pity that In this
respect the legislation Is not retrospec
tive. It it were, a succession ob alder- '
nen, who at varicus times have occupied
the Mayoral chair, and have each bhen,
gllty of spoiling thile beach, might bh
mnade:to add a little more to the Councll's I
credit balance by way of fines.
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