DEPUTATION.

Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2575, 19 May 1871, Page 2

DEPUTATION.

A deputation from the City Council, consist ng of the Mayor, Councillors Barnes and Livingston, and accompanied by Mr. W. H. Reynolds, M.H.R., and the Town Clerk, had an interview with the Superintendent to-day. The Mayob explained that he had several matters to bring under his Honor’s notice. The first was with respect to the Princesstreet reserve. As his Honor was aware, the Maories had taken action against the Superintendent fur the recovery of the Crown grant for the reserve, which was given in the Superintendent’s favor, as was also their appeal to the Court of Appeal. The Maories had given notice of their intention to carry an appeal to the Privy Council; but that was nearly eighteen months ago, and no farther steps had been taken in the matter. A couple of months ago the City Council telegraphed to the law officers of the Crown at Wellington asking what steps had been taken in the matter; and Mr. replied that the appeal had gone home. Bqt subsequently the Provincial Solicitor stated that it was impossible that the appeal could have gone home without him knowing of it, and that he was therefore inclined to think there was some mistake. So far as the Council was concerned, his Honor would remember (hat the Provincial Council was had passed an Ordinance vesting the management of the reserve in the City Council, but li s Excellency’s assent had been withheld from it in view of the legal proceedings referred to, and the result was that the Council could not give absolute leases of the proprrty. Messrs. Briscoe and Co., one of the tenants, were anxious to build a warehouse at a cost of LSOOO to LGOOO, and although Mr. M’Neil, the resident manager of the firm, was willing to take the risk, he could not persuade his principals in England to accept anything short of a real title. He had stated that unless something could be done to remove the difficulty, bis firm would be obliged to build a wholesale establishment on their land in Bond-st., and remove their retail business to another part of the City. He (the Mayor) need hardly say that the removal of such a large establish: meut fropi off the reserve would (end to depreciate the value of property there. The object of the deputation was to ask his Honor to bring strong pressure to bear on the General Government to induce the Governor to assent to the Ordinance at once. 11 e was, however, afraid that the Ordinance had lapsed j in which case he had to ask his Honor to introduce a new one into the Council, and possibly he could assent to it himself.

His Honor replied that he would re-intrp : dime the Ordinance aq a§ked ; but ho must reserve it for the Governor’s assent. He had been in communication with the General Government, and he thought there would be no difficulty on their pai t in recommending the Governor’s assent to the Ordinance, so soon as the time had elapsed within which the Maories had been allowed to appeal, which would be about September or October.

The Mayor observed that the Council protested strongly against the proposed construction of the Southern Trunk Railway along the Hue of Crawford street on public grounds, apart from the injury which would be done to property : they thought no street

in the City should be used for railway purposes. A proposal had been made that the Dunedin terminus should be at the extreme erid of Crawford street, which would allow of heavy goods being carried from one terminus to the other by means of trucks drawn by horses. , . His Honor did not sympathise with these views ; he would like to see railways through nearly every street, if possible. With regard to Crawford street, he had induced the General Government to remove the line outside the street, so as to give 50ft. clear street line. The only question was, that it would cost a very large sum to take the line outside the street altogether ; and seeing that they were tied down to an expenditure of LSOOO per mile, to get within which they had to cut down everythin" very close, he thought it was almost a hopeless case to ask the Government to °M°r Reynolds observed, whatever might be the opinion o£ the General Government,

he did not think the views of the citizens Dunedin on the matter ought not to be ignored. By doing so the Goveminent wouk be committing a blunder; they should nol carry the thing too far. His Honor said he must speak bis mind. He thought there was an endeavor being made to tight the battle of the terminus over aga'u j he thought it would be unwise to reopen that question. Unnecessary obstacles had been thrown in the way of constructing the line; and a good deal of selfishness was being exhibited in the matter. Proprietors of land were asking ten times its value as compensation, and it was only to-day that a case came under his notice of a man who asked LSO per acre for land which only cost him LI an acre, and originally cost 10s an acre. As to Crawford street, he thought some arrangement could bo come to, such as that suggested by the deputation of merchants that waited on him a coup.c of days ago. All of them except Mr KatLiay seemed inclined to pay towards the cost of carrying the line outside the stieet. Various other matters relating to the City were touched upon. His Honor promised to introduce a Bill into the rovincial Council giving legal effect to the alienation of a part oi the Town Belt, North Dunedin, for cemetery purposes ; and he promised the assistance of the Government Inspector to the City Surveyor, in carrying out the proposed improvements on the Southern l.e reatiou Ground. It was explained that the Corporation contemplated incurring an outlay of L6OO or L7OO in improving the Octagon, and it was asked that the Government should take steps to have the present unsightly f mce round the Cargill monument removed, and a proper railing substituted; but his Honor replied that, while he admitted the desirability of the work, it was a forlorn hope that the Council would authorise the expenditure of L2OO, which would be required. As to the matter of tho old Botanical Gardens, his Honor would not like to say that the Government would not endeavor to sell a portion of it The Government, however, could not do so without first obtaining the necessary power by Ordinance from the Provincial Council; and if, as the deputation alleged, the proceeding was calculated to deprive the citizens of a useful piece of ground for recreation purposes, the City Council could protect the citizens’ interests in the Council. There would not, however, be much ground left unless it were protected ; nnd this the Government intended to ha' e done by prison labor. In return for taking a portion of the reserve—for only a portion would be taken —the Government proposed to give the use to the public of a portion of the hospital grounds and garden, which would be fenced off. Necessary repairs in Moray place, Cumberland and Castle streets would be attended to as soon as prison labor was available for the purpose; and the matter of arrears of subsidy and arrears of Inspector of Nuisances’ salary, would be submitted to the Provincial Treasurer fur his consideration, and the application for tho services of a surveyor in calculating a base line for the City would be re r erred to the Chief Surveyor.