CITY COUNCIL.

Evening Star, Issue 3324, 15 October 1873, Page 2

CITY COUNCIL.

Thoro were present at this afternoon’s meeting of the Council the Mayor ami all the councillors. The Finance Committee recommended that Mr Weidner, clerk to the late Mayor’s Court, be allowed three months’ notice from the date of the Council's intimating that they would dispense with his services. Among the correspondence read was a letter from the Superintendent, who wrote that having been led to understand that it was the intention of the Council to expend LLM/iiOon a City Hall, it had occurred to him that accommodation might be found in the proposed building for the Supreme Court, in which case an additional LU),OUO would be available. “The two amounts,” continued his Honor, “put together would suffice to erect an edifice which would be creditable both to Dunedin and the Colony, and which would provide accommodation for the Colonial Parliament should it at any time decide upon holding a session here. Should this suggestion commend itself to the City Council, I shall be glad to communicate with the General Government on tbc subject. I may observe that, in ray opinion, the municipal sections in Dowling street, are, from their nosition, admirably adapted for the purpose indicated; and contiguous to those there is a quarter-acre section belonging to the Government, which, although under promise to the volunteers for a drill shed, might also, I have no doubt, be arranged for as part of the site for a City Hall.” A proposition to appoint a Town Hall Building Committee, to consist of Crs. Woodland Butt, Walter, and beeves, was negatived by the casting vote of the Mayor. The mat'er was then referred to the Works Committee, to which Cr. Keeves was added. Mr H. Bielfeld, of the Times Restaurant, wrote asking 1,2,500 ; Mr Kdnnnd, 1,2,700 ; Mr Farra, 1,1,200; Mr H. S. Fish, jun., 1,2,000, as compensation for shifting their premises 53ft back from Princes street. The City Surveyor reported, in reference to the accident in the Cutting, that the plans passed by him showed that the cornice, on being placed in position, stood on the side of safety, as represented by 1 30 a ain t 1, and that practical experiments supported the theoretical idea. The accident was caused in his opinion, by vibration of the scaffolding. !fe also pointed out that his duty was simply to see the requirements of the Building Ordinance complied with, and he was not a supervising architect or clerk of works. The opinion of Councillors was that the Surveyor had enough to do without acting as Building Surveyor. The Reserves Committee reported as follows ; As to Mr Pointer’s application offering LlO a-year for the grass on the South Dunedin Recreation Ground, and L 5 a-year to erect a lodge at the Kensington end of the ground, that it be declined and bis last contract cancelled by giving him a month’s notice of the Council’s intention to do so; the grass on the Recreation Ground to be then advertised to be let by tender for a period of six months. —As to the letter from the factor for the Church trustees on the subject of the proposed widening of Princes street, south of Jetty street, that the committee had written to the Government requesting to he informed in what way and to what extent they would Vic willing to assist the Corporation in this matter. —That an advertisement lie inserted in the newspapers inviting applications from skilled gardeners to attend to the various City reserves and cemeteries; salary at the rate of Ll5O per annum. The Works Committee recommended as follows That no action be taken at present in the matter of a regulation prohibiting the erection of verandahs in the City ; that a log embankment about thirty feet long be placed in Duke street, hear ids intersection with Cumberland street, at an estimated cost of L3O ; that twelve inch pipes be substituted for’the present stone culvert laid near Mr C. Reid’s propeity, Arthur street; re the proposed Town Hall —that the sections owned by the Corporation at block 15, Dowling street, be fixed upon as the site for the erection of a Town Hall; that competitive designs be invited, the three first approved designs to remain the property of the Corporation and be paid for as under—First, Ll5O ; second, LIOO ; third, 1,50 ; re providing for a market in the proposed Town Hall building, that the establishment of a market in connection with the Town Hall is not necessary ; that replies had been sent as under : to the Provincial Government, asking that the site on -which the Five Brigade Station at present stands may remain open for traffic ; to the Provincial Secretary on the subject of completing Cattle stieet to its fijl width and permanent level, intimating that the Council expects the Government to carry out the agreement as to forming the street to permanent level; to the' Dunedin Waterworks Company, intimating that they must re-metal all the streets where metal has been laid and displaced by their contractors wdiilst laying water pipes; that the house lately occupied by the messenger at the Octagon market, be fitted up as a temporary library room for the Fire Brigade. [Left sitting.]