CITY COUNCIL.

Evening Star, Issue 3586, 20 August 1874, Page 2

CITY COUNCIL.

The usual meeting of the City Council was hj Id last night; present—the Mayor, Crs. Barron, Beck, Carroll, Fish, Gibson, Grant, Isaac, Mercer, Prosser, Beeves, and Walter. EMPLOYMENT OF IMMIGRANTS. A letter was read from the Government forwarding a list of immigrants in want of einplos m mt. The Ist was forwarded at the request of a deputation which lately waited on the Government upon the subject. Cr. Isaac took exception to the deputation having waited on the Government. The subject was referred by the Council to the Works Committee, and it was ultra vires of that Committee to form themselves into a deputation. Cr. Fish supported that view of the matter, and commented upon the remarks made on that occasion by the Secretary for Works. Those remarks were of such a nature as to ba wholly uncalled for. He ((Jr. Fish) would move, “That the Council is not prepared to inaugurate new works for the employment of immigrants ” He thought it was simply nonsense for the Government to say that it would be exceeding its powers, and that the Provincial Council would not condone any proceeding on its part for the inauguration of such work as would employ some 200 or 3 JO of the new arrivals. It was not their duty to step out of their way to find employment for these men, but if the Corporation had work to do, then it was their duty as a Corporation to get the best men they could, and pay them proper wages. For them to think of employing these men was simply absurd. They were cooks, butlers, glass-eye makers, &c (liughter)—and it would be an insult to the ratepayer to employ such a class of men. He did not believe in the Council allowing itself tp be ijafrie a jparty to any proceeding tending to rpdffQ§ the current rate oi wages. The letter stated that these men were being employed at 3s, 4*. and IJs, and it was simply asking the Council to make a pauper-house of itself in asking the Council to find employment for them. He regretted that the immigrants should have been brought to such straits : still it was the duty of the Government to provide the remedy ; and this was an attempt on the part of the Government to shift the responsibility on to ihe shoulders of the City Council, Cr, Isaac seconded 'fhe motion. Cr. Grant said he had hscl soms of the late immigrants in his employment for the past two weeks, and found them as good men as he could wish for. Ha thought the Corporatiou ought to assist the Government ih finding employment for th- se poor men. The lerier was formally referred to the Works Committee. miscellaneous. A letter from the Government, asking permjs.'iou t.o eyect cottages for immigrants on •ertaia sections hfaitland ; also one asking that a more central sRe for the Museum snould be granted; and a private letter, drawing attention to the danger’ aris ng from dairymen s cattle being allowed to depasture on the resirves, were referred to the Reserves Committee. An application by Messrs Sparrow and Co. to be allowed to erect a chimney of iren sit fl their works, as they wtre about to construct a large £team hammer, the vibration of which would occasion danger to a brick chimney, was referred' to Dje Wprks Committee. In reply to a letter from the Government, it was decided that the Corporation declined to recognise that it had any responsibility with regard to the damage done to the Middle School building by the excavations in Dowling street. The appointment ©f keeper of the public baths was resery§d for consideration by a commiri.es, A letter from the Municipal Council of the Thames, asking the Council to co.-operate with them in forming a municipal league to get a Bill passed in the Assembly for extending municipal powers, was referred to the New Ordinances Committee. The resignation of Banger Bain was accepted, tixff Councillors speaking in the highest terms of ify Bain’s efficient and diligent discharge cf his‘ dutiej sj,s an old and faithful servant to the Corporation. A letter was received from Hr Bakewejd on the underground drainage system ; one from the Government referring the Gounod to the clause of the Act by virtue of which Cr. Mercer had been elected a member of the Ifarbor Board ; and a telegram from Mr Reynolds to the effect that the Waterworks Bill bad passed tfi‘i kegfs.lative Council, and that he expected the Gas BijU would pass this week. On the recommendation of the Rye-lawg Committee as to the nuisance caused by the dressing of building stone or stone for kerbing or channelling upon or near the public s,treat line, it j was agreed:— ‘That, in all future i orporapion contracts, a clause be inserted prohibiting this practice; also, that Inspector Nimou be instructed to carry iuto effect the provisions of bye-law 2, which effectually prohibits private contractors from dressing building stone within the City, except under proper restrictions.” The recommendation of the Works Com- . mittee, that the pound at St David street be and placed at the junction of the Ping H;lf Rpad or the Town Belt, instead of at the North Dunedin DRli-shed, in conse quence of the Dpill-sfied bging used as a school, was adopted. ~ " the widening of princes street. The committee appointed at last meeting to report upon this subject brought up the following recommendation:— “That after inquiry they bad Arrived at the conclusion that it would be moVe econopacal to pro.eed'with the widening of that part of the street between Jetty and Police streets at once.” (p. Walter moved, and Cr. Mercer: seconded that the report be adopted. Cr PeossEH opposed motion. He thought tne proper course to pursue would be to decide whether or not they would go ■ Op with the work without having any condi- ‘ tion attached to it. He would move as an' amendment, Tbpt the report be referred back to the commitjfcec, in ardor that piore explicit information he obtained.” Cr, Bet'ic seconded th,e amendment. Cr. Walter said fie could stee no reason why the work should to delayed. In the

present state of the Corporation finances, there could be no Tea-on why they should he-itate in spending a few thousand pounds on a work of so much importance. Cr. Reeves said the matter was referred to the committee to inquire as to whether it would be more g mvenieot to go on with the work now, or in two years hence, and that committee had adopted the opinion that in two years hence the buildings would be of very much more value than they were at present. Cr. Mercer spoke in favor of the motion, and Cr. Grant against it, and the motion was put and carried. Cr. Prosser moved, as a further amendment, ‘‘That, before adopting the recommen ation, a competent valuator be requested to provide an approximate valuation of the buildings ; and t' : at he be also instructed to state what he considers a fair sum as compensation to the residents for loss in regard to their businesses ” After discussion, this was negatived. Cr. Prosser then moved, as a further amendment, that consideration of the report be deferred until the resolution of which Cr. Fish had given notice sh >eld have been con sidered, He would like to know what Cr. Isaac kn *w about the value of a building, and he did not think that Cr. Fish was doing justice to his constituents in the course he was pursuing. Cr. Fsh had said that the question was a matter of indifference to him ; but the extent to which he was interested would only be known when the matter was settled, He intended to state what he considered a fair way of settling the matter ; but he would not now do so, because he saw that the majority were against him. * r. Fish seconded the amendment, and said he perfectly agreed with it. He denied being personally intereste 1 in the matter, except that he would protect himself and those on the reserve from spoliation. < ’n the motion of Cr. Walter, the Council adjourned until three p m. this afternoon.