BOROUGH COUNCILS.

♦ - ' SYDENHAM. A meeting of the Sydenham Borough Council was held last evening; presentMr J. Hadfield (Mayor), and Councillors Cutler, Bell, Manhire, Jacques, Daye, Sim, Meikleham, Young,, Taylor Halley, ancl Murray. In answer to the Council's i request for the removal of the railway gates at Falsgrave Street, the Minister of Kail- ! ways wrote that he was prepared to accede , to the request on condition that the Council defrayed the cost and erected efficient cattle stops. The ClerK was instructed. 1 to write, to the Department stating that the Council thought the work should be done by the Department. The Sydenham Football Club wrote asking the Council to close the cricket ground of Sydenham Park during the winter of 1900, as it was thought necessary to plough and resow it.. The matter was referred to the Reserves Committee. A letter was read from the Charitable Aid Board stating- that they- lad allocated the amounts to be paid by the several local authorities for the maintenance of charitable institutions, and the amount required from the Sydneham Council was £186 7s, payable in May, 1899, or in 12 monthly instalments of £15 10s 7d each. The letter was received. The Finance Committee reported the. receipts during the past fortnight to have been £164 19s sd, and recommended payment of accounts amounting to £70 19s 9d. The balances of accounts stand as under : Credits-^Separate trusts account £86 9s 4d, interest account £627 2s sd, loan account £4700 14s sd; total, £5414 6s 2d. Debit— General ac- - count £3083 18s 4d. The report was adopted. The Works Committee reported that a. mis- I take had arisen in the allocation of tenders J for gravelling streets, and made a recom mendation for their redistribution. The Committee had granted the request of the Sydenham BowMng Club to have a site j set apart for a bowling green in Sydenham ! Park, and recommended that the Club should be authorised to prepare and fence the green. The Committee asked authority to level and lay down to grass the eastern end of- the oval in Sydenham Park, and recommended that the new street through Rural Section 17 should be named "Fairfield Avenue," as requested by Messrs Harman and Stevens. The report was adopted. A petition from the residents of Southampton and Montrose Streets was laid before the Council asking, for the erection of a street lamp. The matter was referred to the Lighting Committee. Councillor Jacques, one of the delegates to the conference between the City and Sydenham Councils and the Beautifying Associa- . tion, reported that it had been resolved that an a-venue of plane trees should be 1 planted along the Belt from Colombo Street to Lincoln Road, and from Waltham Road to the junction of the East Belt. The delegates from the Beautifying Association had stated their readiness to contribute £30 or £40 towards the scheme, which was estimated to cost £100. The report was received. Councillor -Cutler read a letter from Mr Gt-thbert, engineer to the Drainage Board, with reference to the maintenance qf drains and culverts, stating that the Board, acting on the advice of ite solicitors, considered itself liable to maintain only those bridges or culverts which it had erected. It was resolved that the Council's representative on the Conference should be empowered to support a motion to procure", a legal opinion as to the liability of the Drainage Board to maintain culverts in- i dependent of that obtained by the Board, j The meeting then terminated. \