AKAROA BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 4, Issue 382, 2 April 1880, Page 2

AKAROA BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Wednesday, March 31. A meeting of the above Council was held at their Chambers, Balguerie Street, on the above date. Present: His Worship the Mayor, Crs. Chadwick, O'Reilly, Armstrong, Kissel, Wiggins, Bridge, Bruce, and Cullen. MINUTES. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. CORRESPONDENCE. The outward correspondence was then read, consisting of a letter from the Clerk, intimating to the Akaroa and Wainui Road Board that the Council would be willing to bear their share of the expense towards improving the Onuku road to the Catholic and Dissenters 1 Cemetery. There was no inward correspondence. REPORTS. On the reports being called for, the Chairman of the Works Committee was absent, and his Worship remarked upon the fact, saying he thought it a pity that he should not have been present, as important works were to be discussed. FINANCE. The same gentleman, who was Chairman of tho Finance as well as of the Works Committee, being absent, his Worship on bis behalf stated that the overdraft at the Bank was £163 7s 2d, and apologised for the Bank-book not being on the table; that the amount of rates due and obtainable was £22; that with regard to the Pound Mr Hahn refused to pay the 15s charged as rates. He also referred to one or two other cases among the list which he held in his hand of unpaid rates, and asked the Council to express their wishes on the subject. Cr O'Reilly said that with regard to the Bank-book not being presented at the meeting, he believed Cr Kissel had already spoken strongly on the matter at a former meeting, and he considered it should be at hand at every meeting, for the Council to be able to see it. With regard to the defaulters mentioned, he considered that the matter need not take up the time of the Council. Or Cullen said he deemed the matter should not have been brought before the Council. Cr Wiggins spoke to the same effect with regard to the Bank-book being on the table on meeting nights, and also thought the matter of rates should not have been brought forward before the Council. If any particular point was necessary to be dealt with, the Finance Committee were the proper persons to deal with it; if it was a mere matter of obtaining the money, the rate-collector was the proper person to see to the matter. His Worship explained that the reason the Bank-book was not forthcoming was that the last payment into the Bank had only been made at a little before three o'clock that afternoon. ACCOUNTS. The following accounts were then brought forward — Fenton and Wilkins £2 2 0 Joseph Saulo, labor 0 7 6 E. Citron, stationery 0 14 6 Some little conversation took place with regard to the item of £2 2s for surveying the levels. Cr Cullen said he believed that Mr Meech, a councillor at the time of authorising it, had asked for the levels, and that the Council should bear the expense. Cr Wiggins said he believed Mr Meech had asked that the levels for the school fence might be supplied /by the Council, but had not understood.that he (Mr Meech) had intended the Council to be put to any expense in the matter. Cr O'Reilly said he remembered the levels being applied for, but that it was not to be at the cost of the Council. Cr Bridge said he remembered the affair, and he bore out Cr Cullen's statement to the fact that the permission of the Council had been given to obtaining tlje levels, and that the Council had undertaken to liquidate the expense. Cr O'Reilly stated that the work had not been done by the proper authority of the Council. Cr Wiggins said that he considered it had been proved that. the Council had agreed to give the levels, but he deemed the point in question was what was implied by giving the levels. He said he deemed "it the duty of the Council simply to supply any levels when called upon, ! and that it was not necessary on each rind j every occasion to employ a duly qualified surveyor for the work, and that any j expenses entailed in such matters should j be met by the party requiring them. (A slight passage of arms ensued between his Worship and Cr Armstrong, the latter gentleman having been convicted of the enormous crime of " smiling a smole." It being proved, however, that the "smole" was not intended for his Worship, peace was restored.) Cr O'Reilly proposed that the accounts be passed. Seconded by Cr Bruce, and carried. SUBSIDY. Cr O'Reilly asked whether the Clerk had written to the Government re the subsidy. The Clerk replied that a letter had been written and read last meeting. hahn's bridge. Cr Wiggins drew the attention of the Council to the discreditable state of Hahn's bridge, and deemed it the duty of the Council, now that amicable arrangements had been made with the Bank, that steps should be taken in the matter. He suggested that a report should be prepared on the matter, and laid before the next meeting. His Worship stated that he had drawn up a report on the matter, but it was not read, being ruled to be a specification, rather than a report from the Works Com-, ruittee. _ ■' Cγ Wiggins moved—" That the Works Committee prepare a report on the matter, to be laid before the next meeting/ Cr Bridge seconded the motion, likewise enlarging on the necessity of the work. The motion was carried.

' SIDE CHANNELS. Or O'Reilly spoke about the bad state of the side channels, they being, in many parts, entirely blocked. He moved— " That tenbers be invited for clearing the side channel's in the principal streets, to be laid before the next meeting of the Council." Seconded by Cr Cullen and carried. FOOTPATHS. Or Bridge referred to the bad state of the footpaths, and considered that something should be done at once, in the present favourable weather, towards repairing them. He moved—"That tenders be called for gravelling the footpaths in the Borough, a depth of not less than two inches." Cγ O'Reilly pointed out the bad state of the footpath from the Mail office to Church street. He thought that an equal depth could not be given to all paths, as some were in a much softer state than others. On some of the paths, the clearing of the large stones would be necessary. He thought the depth should be left to the Works Committee Cr Wiggins spoke to the same effect, and suggested as an amendment that tenders be called foi supplying gravel at per load, and it to be left to the Works Committee where and in what thickness it should be put. Cr Bridge aocepted the suggestion, and the proposal Avas then put, to the effect— "That tenders be called for fine gravel suitable for footpaths, at per load, including spreading, the number of loads required to be left to the Works Committee." Cr Wiggins seconded. Carried unanimously. CULVERTS. Cγ Bridge drew the attention of the Council to the bad state of the culvert opposite Sunckell's shop, and considered that the matter should be seen to by the Works Committee, which course was decided upon. Cr Kiesell asked whether the culvert in question <vas not an ordinary crossing, and a personal matter, rather than a public one. His Worship replied that the culvert was a public one. Cr Wiggins thought the point raised by Cr Kissell a most important one as a precedent. He doubted very much whether it was the duty of the Council to provide crossings to give access to private property. Cr Cullen concurred in the opinion expressed by the last speaker, and thought that if this crossing was repaired by the Council, there would be many other similar claims put in. RETURNING OFFICER. Cr O'Reilly moved—"That the Town Clerk be appointed Returning officer for the Borough." Cγ Bridge asked whether a resolution passed August 6th, 1879, to the effect that a Returning Officer, " other than the Town Clerk," be appointed must not be rescinded, prior to making such appointment. After some discussion on the matter, it was decided that the prior resolution must first be rescinded, and the motion had to be postponed till a fnture meeting. WHARVES. Cr Bridge moved, pursuant to notice— "That a resolution of the Council, of date July 24th, 1878, to the effect' that this Council do not take over the wharves from the Government' be rescinded." In speaking to the resolution, Cr Bridge referred to a letter which had appeared in the Mail on the subject, and vouched for the correctness of it. He thought too much had been estimated as the amount to be incurred in repairing the wharf ; he considered that £100 would go a long way towards putting it in good order. He thought the present an important time for considering the matter, as the time for the wharfinger to pay in his rents to the Government was approaching, and he thought that taking into consideration the present impecunious state of the Government, it would hardly be so easy to get the money, once paid, returned. Ho stated that he had been in communication with the present wharfinger, who had acknowledged that the present wharf tariff was utterly absurd, and that he wonld be perfectly willing for fresh dues to be levied, and the lease altered accordingly. Then their was the store, which at present could be monopolised by any one who chose to put a large quantity of goods in it, and keep them there for an unlimited period. There was no reason why storage should not be collected for its use. The speaker then touched upon what he considered the unfairness of one wharf being free, whilst the other was not. He considered that they were both properly Government wharves, and that the £80 subscribed some years back by the residents had been thoroughly recouped by the free use which had been had of it since its erection. He considered that the Clerk could easily collect the dues, and that the money coming from the wharf should be speut on it. He considered that the wharves should be self snpporting, and not kept up by the Borough money.

Cγ Bruce seconded the motion,

Cr Cullen quite agreed that the matter should be represented to the Government in the strongest language possible, but thought Cr Bridge was hardly justified in stating that the Government would not spend any money on the wharf.

Cγ O'Reilly thought that Cr Bridge should have brought forward some proof of his vari«us statements. He considered that the Government wharf was totally unfitted for the requirements of the place. He moved as an amendment —" That the member for the district be asked to ooramum'cate with the Government with a view to getting a new wharf built, as the so-called Government wharf was unfit for the requirements of the district,- and utterly rotten."

Cr Wiggins pointed out that the motion before them was one to rescind a former resolution, and the amendment was hardly pertinent to that. For his own part he did not sco the necessity of the motion to rescind, as the resolution to which it referred had been negatived, and therefore would not need rescinding. With regard to the reason that existed for the opinion that the Government would not spend money on the wharf, they would remember that the Provincial Governments had ceased to exist, and one of the strongest arguments used in-favor of their abolition was that all these local matters should be managed by local bodies, and that the Government of the Colony should not be troubled with them. He felt sure that sooner or later they must face the responsibility of taking over these wharves. At

the same time he would he willing to support the amendment of Cr O'Reilly if it were only for the sake of getting a decided answer from the Government, though he had no idea that it would be a favorable one. He would suggest that the Government should be communicated with direct.

Cr O'Reilly consented to alter his amendment to that effect.

Cr Kissel thought it would be better to write to the member for the district.

The Mayor ruled that the rescinding resolution need not be put, and consequently Cr Bridge's substantive motion came before the Council as follows:— "That this Council take steps towards opening a correspondence with the Government with a view to taking over the Akaroa wharves from the Government, and asking them to refund certain monies received by them as wharf dues during the last three or four years in order that the Government wharf! may be put into a state of good repair before the Council assumes the management."

Cr O'Reilly's amendment was to the effect that the Government be asked tobuild a new wharf or repair the present one as it was utterly unsuitable.

On the amendment being put, Crs O'Reilly, Cullen, Chadvvick, Armstrong, Kissel, and Wiggins voted for it, the Mayor and Cr Bruce against it. It was consequently carried.

The Council then adjourned,