A CORRECTION.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2181, 4 May 1870, Page 2

A CORRECTION.

(To the Editor of the Evening Star.) Sir,—Allow mo to correct an error of a single wqrcl in your condensed report lest night of my remarks in the Council on the corn duty ujotion. I did not call the fanners “pampered trash,” but a pampered elms, inasmuch as, inter alio, while tho other branches of trade in the Colony were taxed for the imported material used in their trade, and also for the tools and implements used, the farmers had their seeds free of duty, and the agricultural implements required also exen.pt from tax. —Yours, &c., Jas. MTkooe. 4th May, IS7O.

CITY COUNCIL. THE GAS QUESTION. There was a special meeting of the Council this afternoon to consider this question. The whole of the Councillors were present. His Worship the Mayor, instating the object for which the meeting was called, hoped that personalties would not he indulged in. Mr Fish rose for the purpose of moving that the recommendation of the Gas Committee he adopted. When many months ago he had the honor, if he might so term it, of introducing the question of the desirability of the supply of gas being in the hands of the Corporation before the t Council and the public, he had occasion to express his regret that the tadt had not fallen into better hands, into the hands of some member of the Council who was better able to express his feelings on the subject, and to place before the Council and the public the matter in the clearest light. He had more occasion now to express that feeling of regret, because he felt he was not able to place the matter so forcibly and properly before the Council as he could have hoped to do. However, as the task had fallen into his hands, he would not shrink from the resjionsibility. He would reiterate the Mayor’s expression of opinion, that personalities should not be indulged in ; for his own part, he would scrupulously avoid them. After reading a passage from Patterson’s work on Municipal Corporations as to the desirability of Corporations managing gas works, he proceeded: He thought there could not be the least doubt that the principle so clearly enunciated in that book, every word of which he approved there could be no doubt that that principle had been endorsed over and over again by the Council. (Mr Wilson :No ) There was the fact that, from the late contest for the mayoralty down to the present time, every candidate for municipal honors who went in, went in on the cry that the Corporation should have gas works of its own. Looking round the Council table, ho saw some live members who were pledged by most solemn promises to support the question. Mr Wilson demanded that the names should be given. Mr Fish protested against those unseemly interruptions; but he had no objection to name. Eirst there was Mr Jack, next Mr Thoneman, and next his esteemed friend Mr Carroll. Mr Carroll objected to his name being made use of. Mr Fish would again protest against these senseless interruptions. While he had a tongue he would exercise the liberty of speech in the Council, for the benefit of the citizens and enlightenment of the Council. He based the remarks he was about to make on the assumption that the Council had already affirmed the principle referred to, therefore he inferred either the Council must buy the old works or build new ones. It was his object to show which was the more preferable course to adopt. He had no doubt that'some’of his friends and the public who had hitherto been his staunchest supporters, would say he was inconsistent in advocating the purchase of the present works. He would respectfully ask them to consider whether he was or not. The principle was what he contended for—he did not care how it was attained, so long as it was not prejudical to the interests of the citizens. Ho was about to go into certain figures, and, if thought necessary, he would support an adjournment in order that their correctness might be tested. Mr A. K. Smith’s tender for new works was L19,00l) odd, and being the lowest would doubtless be accepted if it were determined to erect new works. (No.) He would take Mr Blair’s report of the present works as being tolerably correct, although he thought it was, if anything, under the mark. Therefore he assumed the depreciated value of service and metres was L 2420. The next item was parliamentary expenses, which he put down at L3OO or L4O ». Next were contingencies, which Mr Smith estimated at 10 per cent, on the cost of new works. He had not taken that as his figure, but put it down at 74 percent., which on L 20,000 would be LISOO. There was engineer's commission L7OO, and progress ments which he reckoned at LS7S. The agents of Mr Hutcheson preferred to take the amount of debentures as purchase money at par, while if the Corporation built they could not float them except at a reduction. He then wont on to show that by purchasing the works the Corporation would at once destroy competition, effect au immediate saving in public lighting, whereby the actual cost of the purchase would be reduced to L 12.250, or a clear profit by the transaction of L 2,250. This calculation he based on the assumption that the Corporation supplied gas at 17s per I,oooft. Mr Thoneman seconded the motion iro forma. Mr Carroll -was opposed to purchasing the present works. The citizens had decided against it, and those gentlemen who now advocated that course were formerly opposed to it. He would leave it to the ratepayers to offer an opinion upon the change that had come over their views. /Tim Gas Committee, without having the courtesy to consult the Council, got Mr Blair to report upon them, and his report was a melancholy one—everything was going to ruin, and required to be reconstructed. In addition to his estimate, the Committee recommend L 7.000 should be given out of the ratepayer’s money to enable Mr Hutchison to deal liberally with those persons interested in the works. Mr Smith had reported that the works were totally ina lequate, but yet the Committee entirely ignored that report* Besides, the Corporation could not manage the works as cheaply as Mr Hutchenson, under whose superintendance they were erected, and who knew every faulty portion of them. Mr Fish’s figures were hardly worth refuting ; they were assumptions. Mr Wn.KiNRON condemned tljo pqrchasg of the works, which were inadequate to supply the City. They were tinpot things, and had been patched up to make them look respectable. He knew a firm here of six persons who were prepared to erect works and supply the Corporation for public lighting at LlOdO a year, and to supply the public at 15s per 1000 feet. He had reasons against the purchase, but forgot them, and hoped the Council would not be so foolish as to buy the works, a-thing they would regret all their lives.

Messis Walter and Thoneman spoke ip favor of the motion, and Messrs Wilson and Griffen against it. The Mayor said that had the parties been balanced he should have left it for the citizens to decide whether or not the works should be purchased. The vote was then taken as follows ?—For: Messrs Fish, Thoneman, and Walter. — Against : Messrs Griffeu, Carroll, Jack, Wilkinson, and Wilson.