CITY COUNCIL.

Evening Star, Issue 3199, 22 May 1873, Page 2

CITY COUNCIL.

The usual fortnightly meeting of the City Council was held last night in the Council Chambers, Present —His Worship the Mayor, Councillors Mercer, Ramsay, Neale, Barnes, Walter, Thoneraan, Woodland, and Rossbotham.

The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed.

TOLL-BARS, Cr. Rossbotham called the attention of the Counoil to the letting of the toll-bars, and stated that he understood nothing had been done by the Municipal Council to carry out the views of the Corporation on the subJe< The Mayor said that from the position of parties in the Provincial Council, it was found impossible to bring the matter forwaid. In fact the unfortunate turn taken by affairs rondere’d it impossible to attempt transacting either that or any other legitimate business, almost everything having been neglected through the struggle which took (dace between the parties. He did not know very well what the Council should do under the circumstances, unless it was that they should ask the Superintendent to withhold the letting of the tolls until the next meeting of Council was held. On the motion of Or. Barnes, it was agreed that a deputation, consisting of the Mayor and members of the Finance Committee should take steps with the view of carrying into effect the suggestion wade by the Mayor,

OOBREBPONDBKOB. t Letters were read from the Provincial Go* vemment stating: (1) That it was the intention of the Government to place a sum on the Estimates as an allowance to the revenue officer, for the purpose of enabling him to procure convictions incases of sly-grog selling; ami (2) informing the Council that thirty - three feet of land at the back of the section on the Princes street reserve was not included in the sale of sections in block 42, although, through some inadvertence, the same was conveyed to the Council. Messrs Smith and Anderson wrote stating that the District Land Registrar had requested production of certificates of valuation in pursuance of the thirty-fifth section of the “ Lands Transfer Act, 1870.’’—The Mayor explained that the object aimed at by the Registrar was to charge certain fees for bringing the lands referred to under the operations of the Act. He thought the matter should be brought under the notice of the Government, so that these fees might be remitted. He expressed his opinion that to public bodies like that of an incorporated body, every concession possible should be made. Residents in London and Cargill streets wrote complaining that a small spring of water at the top of Albert street, into which at present surface water from the top of London street, the Lunatic Asylum grounds, &c., was discharged, had become a source of nuisance to the neighborhood, and requesting the Corporation to obviate the same. After discussion, the question was referred to the Public Works Committee. A communication from Mr H. P. Hardy, warden of St Paul’s Church, relative to the closing up of Gaol street, was also referred to the Public Works Committee. Messrs H. Brown and Sons wrote requesting the Council to sanction a departure from their buildings regulations. ... The Mayor said there was a principle of considerable importance involved in the request If the Corporation had building regulations, it was necessary that they should be strictly enforced. If remitted in one case, they would have to remit the regulations in every case. Cr. Barnes referred to a case in which the' concession sought for had been made. .. The Mayor : Is that the case of Mrs Diamond ? If so, she has been summoned for the offence, and seven days were allowed to remove the building. The matter was referred to the Public Works Committee.

Mr R. Boenick wrote, requesting compensation for law expenses and other losses sustained by the applicant through an alleged ambiguity in the proceedings of the Council. —The Mayor said that they should decline farther negotiations in connection with this matter. Without exhausting the means at his disposal for an amicable adjustment, the applicant exercised his undoubted right of having recourse to law. He lost the case, and now he came to the Council and asked for compensation. The application was disallowed. FINANCE COMMITTEE’S REPORT.

The Finance Committee reported as follows: —lst. As authorised at last meeting of Council, your Committee have by advertisement invited applications for the office of City Valuator, under the provisions of the Otago Municipal Corporations Ordinance, 1865; salary at the rate of L2OO per annum. 2nd. Accounts have been passed as per warrants, amounting to L 844 7s 3d. 3rd. Your Committee recommend that the valuators who compiled the last assessment for the City be paid as under ;—Mr Millar, L 75, inclusive of the amount already paid him on account; Mr Fenwick, L 47 10s: Mr W. T, Winchester, L 47 10s: and Mr W. M. Hawkins, L26—making a total of L 196.

The Mayor said that there was one recommendation made in the report to which he wished to object. Mr Millar had already been paid more than he was entitled to. Properly speaking, the whole trouble and expense to which the Corporation had been put in connection with these valuations ought to be saddled upon his shoulders. He had undertaken to do the work at a salary of Ll5O per annum, and either through want of ability or otherwise, the task had been improperly performed. Or. Ramsay expressed, an opinion that although Mr Millar had failed, the Council was, in a great measure, responsible for that failure. Reflections had been cast upon the manner in which the work was being done by him. These reflections he seemed to have taken too much to heart, and sent in his resignation. Another unfortunate circumstance that intervened was Mr Millar’s illness. Had these reflections not been made, he hid no doubt but that the work would have been done more satisfactorily. The Mayor replied that the default had taken place before the reflections referred to were made. These reflections did not justify him in the course he took, and they were withdrawn so soon as it was found that they were incorrect Mr Millar had thrown up the work of assessment when he found that he was unable to carry it out Cr. Ramsay : Through illness. The Mayor: The Council should not be called upon to pay a sum of L 46 for his illness. Cr. Thoneman said Mr Millar, according to the amount of the assessment, was entitled to receive LBO. When it was found that he could not complete the assessment in time, several persons were employed to do the work, and it was found that they had spent more time and taken more trouble over it than was originally intended. Claims for extra charges were made, and the Finance Committee recommended that they should be paid LlO additional

The Mayor : Mr Millar, by the motion taken by him, might have placed this Council in the position of being without a valuator at all—at least, in time for the requirements of the Act Illness is no excuse for the delay which took place. When a person enters into an agreement with the Corporation and then breaks it, to reward him instead of making him suffer is a very bad principle indeed. A motion for adoption of the report as read was then put and carried.

PUBLIC WORKS.

A lengthened report from the Public Work* Committee was read, authorising the construction and alteration of lamps in High Ward; the repairing of footpaths in Walker street; and the gravelling of footpath in Forth street, from Albany to Duncan streets, the cost of the lastnamed work to be charged against LIOO allocated to Leith Ward; also, the lately formed portion of Filleul street to be metalled and charged to L4O allocated to Bell Ward. A number of applications from private parties for the repair of drains, the making of street crossings, etc., was granted. LIOO to be expended in each ward in gravelling the footpaths as Councillors considered necessary, was likewise recommended. Clause sof the report was as follows Your Committee recommend that the proposal of the Government be accepted regarding the retention of forty-six feet of Gaol street, on condition that in the event of the Gaol being removed outside the town at any future time, the Corporation to have returned from Gaol street as much ground as they now give up; and recommend that Mr Mirams be appointed to value the two weighbridges at present in the hands of the Government, which the Government is willing to dispose of at a price tp be determined by a mutual party.” With regard to the hour for closing the market, the repprt recommended 10 p.m.; and a further recommendation that a regulation should be passed, prohibiting persons from keeping pigs within the portions of the City situated between Maitland and Dundas streets; and that LIO,OOO of six percent, bonds beuold, and the proceeds allocated for outlay in each of the four wards. The report was adopted without discussion.

WATERWORKS COMMITTEE REPORT,

The Waterworks Committee reported as follows .’—Receipt of the following communication from the directors of the Waterworks Com pany “ Sir,—l am instructed by my directors to ac knowledge receipt of letter of the 9th inst., and in reply respectfully to refer you to my letter of date April 21. lam further directed to state that the Corporation has been misinformed as to the inability of the Company to supply the wants of the inhabitants of the City.—l am, &c., (Signed) “ Thomas Dick, Sec.”

Your Committee demur to the statement therein made, to the effect that the existing Waterworks can supply the whole of the fair requirements of the inhabitants of this City. Seeing that the directors of the Company do dine the Council’s renewed offer to purchase the Company’s works and plant, your committee recommend that it be empowered to engage an engineer to report as to the best available site for the construction of proper waterworks for the Corporation of this City, and details and estimated cost of such work. The report was adopted. The Mayor produced and read the following draft memorial to the General Assembly on the subject of the proposed Waterworks “ That a Company was incorporated by ihs ‘ Dunedin Waterworks Act, 1864/ for supplying the City of Dunedin with water. That by various Ordinances passed by the Superintendent and Provincial Council of Otago— viz.,

‘Dwiedifi yr»U>rwMjOnvm Interest Orfinaac^^^D^OrdS^ 1804 Ajnehomeiit Ordinance, 1806’—the shareholders of the Company haye been guaranteed payment of a dividend of eight per cent, ana hare received half-yearly large sums from the Provincial Treasury, In addition to the revenue arising from rates. That by the first recited Act power was conferred to levy a compulsory rate on the Inhabitants of Dunedin. That the Imperial Act entitled ‘The Water* works Clauses Act, 1847 ’ is incorporated with ‘ The Dunedin Waterworks Act, 1864,’and by section 35 of the said Imperial Act the company as undertakers were bound to provide and keep in the pipes to be laid down by them a supply of pure and wholesome water sufficient for the domestic use of all the inhabitants of the town. That although the said company have been incorporated for nearly nine years, they have faded to supply l ® large portion of the City with water, and their works are inadequate for the supply of the whole of the upper portion of the City, to the great detriment of the inhabitants m a sanitary point of view, as well as loss on the occasion of a fins. ITiit the Municip&l Council have long been persuaded of this matter, and have felt that » necessity existwl for a remedy to obviate _ the continued wants and inconvenience, which can only be found in new works providing a copious supply for the use of the inhabitants in the higher localities of the City and environs. That previous to incurring expense in new works, the Council were desirous to compensate the shareholders of the Company for their efforts in partially bringing in water into the City, and offered to repay their whole capital expended, together with a bonus thereon of fifty per cent., which wmdd virtually have given to many of the sharchokiers the profit of 100 per cent, on the amounts paid by them for their shares. That this offer, so extraordinarily liberal, was at first accepted, and then, upon a difference as to the currency of debentures demanded by the shareholders for the amounts payable by them, was finally refused. That although the shareholders never incurred any risk, having been protected by Provincial guarantee, yet they nave completely failed in 1 accomplishing the object for which they received such protection, and the obligation is now laid upon the Municipal Council to avail themselves of the provisions of the ‘Municipal Waterworks Act, 1872,’ to obtain for the inhabitants a proper supply of pure and wholesome water for domestic use. That as the Dunedin Waterworks Company have not only failed to carry out the purpose for which it was originally authorised, but have also refused the liberal offer made to them by the Council, and as the erection of new works by the Council will involve a double burden on the inhabitants, by reason of the compulsory rates now levied by the Company, it is reasonable that their right to levy such rates be withdrawn, and that the guarantee hitherto enjoyed by them be also withdrawn. That there can be no objection to the Company continuing their partial supply on the ordinary principles of fair competition; but the Council objects most strongly to the public money being wasted in affording a guarantee for the execution of an enterprise now found to be inadequate for the purpose in view, while the Company might have avoided all loss and made a handsome profit by selling their works to the Municipality ; and the Council also object to the principle of compulsory assessment in the, circumstances mentioned That so much of the ‘ Dunedin Waterworks Act,_lß64,’ and amending Ordinances as authorise the levying of compulsory rates, should be repealed, and the provisions of the Provincial Ordinances authorising a guarantee should also be repealed. May it, therefore, please,” &c. The Mayor continued to say he thought that, or something slightly amended, would, be very suitable for them to send up to Parliament. He had very little doubt but that by putting the case fairly before Parliament they would succeed in getting the guarantee. Every chance had been given to the Company to sell out on advantageous terms; but the offer had been absolutely refused. The letter read to-night was far too curt, and otherwise improper to be sent to any body dealing with a matter like this. The intention was to proceed at once with the erection of the proposed new works. A letter appeared in the Times of the day before yesterday by a “ Medical Man,” in which it was alleged that sickness was prevalent, caused by drinking the water supplied by. the Company. Cr. Barnes spoke of the imperfect arrangements made for filtering the water in the upper or smaller reservoir. All sosts of filthy and impure matter was discharged from stock and slaughter yards situated in the vicinity of the reservoir. In fact, the water of the small reservoir was perfectly green and putrid with the vegetable matter which passed into it. He believed that if the bottom of the reservoir came to be cleaned out it would be found to be clotted over with a thick skim. Referring to London and Manchester, the speaker concluded by saying that at these places the water supply reservoirs were cleaned out at frequent intervals, which was not the case with the Dunedin Company’* works. * Cr. Neale alluded to the fact that as far back as twelve months ago the subject of the impure state of the water supply was discussed in the Council. He mentioned that fact with the view of removing any impression that they were decrying the water unjustly. The motion was put and carried, adopting the memorial as read. BORROWING POWERS, Pursuant to notice, Or. Barnes XRqvqq “ That a special meeting be called for Monday, to discuss the proposal that LIO,OOO of six per cent bonds be sold, as recommended by the Public Works Committee:” The Mayor said that it would be much better if the Public Works Committee would first consider some scheme for the appropriation of the money, before the Council was asked to recommend the issue of the debentures. mittee bad not yet considered the question in that aspect. They ought first to take into consideration what was to be done with the money. It appeared to him that they were putting the cart before the horse. Cr. Barnes characterised the opposition shown to the motion as a mere quibble. The Mayor replied that he was not opposing the motion. All that he opposed was the manner in which it was sought to be brought forward. He wouldj on receiving a proper requisition, call a special meeting of the Council to consider the propriety of borrowing tbs amount indicated. The proposition as it stood was out of order, and he ruled accordingly. The Council then resolved iteelf itjto Com; mittee to consider the appointment qf % valuator.