CITY COUNCIL.

Evening Star, Issue 3658, 12 November 1874, Page 2

CITY COUNCIL.

The regu ar meeting of the Council was held last night ; the Mayor and all the Councillors except Or. B.urou being present. The following was the principal businers transacted:—

Two letters from the Under Secretary were read Ore forwarded for the consideration of the Council a lelt.-r from the Commissioner of Police relative to the nuisance occasioned by people standings in groups on the fo'{piths, s.v uv; th.t complaints were frequently ma le on tho subject The police were looked to to remedy the nuisance, but there was no law to prevent it, and as people when requested would not move mi, the Commissioner suggested that tho City Council might psi r. bye-law to meet tho case. !be .-ecou-i intimated that the Government were U' nblc to say when prison lab r would be fiviidab e f >r proceeding with the embankment; of the Water of the l.eich. The first letter was referred to the Bye-laws Committee ; an i in regard to the seeond, a deputation was appointed to wait upon the Government.

Dr. Cole made application for tho appointment of City Health Officer. Tne Council adopted the ynnita-y Committee’s recommendations :o advertk-e for applications from the members of the medical profession, iu Dunedin for the appointment of medical officer t ) the local Board of Health; that the To in O.erk bo instructed to forward to each member cf the medical profession iu fianedin a circular calling attention to the fact •hat, by section 7 of the Public Health Act, IS7d, notice should he given of the existence of any contagions r.r .infectioni dangerous disoises within the : ity ; that the Town Clerk write to the < entral Board of Health, suggesting that instructions be i?s,tcd to the me lic.il offi.ee to forward a mou hiv report o: the state of tho health of the ( ity, iu terms of the Actio* 15.2 The remuneration attach, d to the office of me lieil offi ;er to the local Baird of Health was fixed at tif.y guineas.

Major Atkinson’s application for permission to erect a powder magazine near the North Dunedin Drill-shed, was referred to the Work’s Committee. As it would be built of iron and lined with timber, there would be no fear of accident.

The Bye-laws Committee reported : “ Having considered the question of the charges allowed by the Council to the sex tons in resoeet to Sunday funerals, your Committee recommend that no alte-ation he made therein. The sextons are allowed a fee of 10) for each adult, and 5j for each child, these fees being pii-1 bv the relatives of deceased persons, in addition to the ordinary burial fees ; and your Committee docs net propose to disturb this arrangement,”

Tin Finance Committee reported recommending tiut fch .2 accounts, amounting to 1 .‘>4 Ids, forwarded by the Firs Brigade, for goods ordei'c 1 by the Brigade from England bo p.»:o, bub that in future mo goads bo ordered without the consent of the Conned first being obta ned; that the fire iusuranee companies be requested to pay the foregoing amount, the expenditure being incurred for their benefit ; that the offices of the Rang ;r and Revenue Officer be kept sep irate —the he venue Offic r to act as Exeeuiive Officer under the pr - visions cf the following Acts, viz., the Licensing Acts and Ordinances, the Dangerous Goods Act of 18G9, the Adulteration of Food Act, and the Bakers and Millers Act; that the salary of the Revenue Office! be at the rate of L'JUJ per annum, and that of the Ranger L 15 0; applications for tho two o diets to be rec.ivcd forthwith. A claim of LSOO fur compensation for damage to property on two sections in Dowbng street, or to have the land cut down to the new street level for 50fc o GOf: back, was made. In reference to claims for compensation by re-idents in York Place f »;• alleged damage dene to their properties, the Works Committee recommended that no compensation should be given, on tlie ground that “a Corporation is not liable to pay compensation in these alterations 1 f street levels ; ’ at the sar.e time, the committee recommended that the City Surveyor be authorised to accommodate, as far as possible; all owners of properties alfv.bd, v. Rh surplus earth, for the purpose of ti ling up their sections to now street levels. An amendment moved by Cr. Isaac—“ ? hat the Council, while n d holding itsc If legally responsible for any damage to property caused by making permanent levels of iboCity, consider it a matter of equity that some compensation should be made to owners cf property to assist them to get access to their tenements ” —was negatived.

ibe iowii Clerk of Geelong, in reply to the lown Clerk of Dunedin, wrote that there was no bye law in Geelong again?!; the hawking of butchers’ meat ; and the Town Clerk of Melbourne, that the hawking of butcher* 1 meat in that City was prohibited by resolution of the Council, under which urosecutious were made.

'ihe fcurveyor strongly reported against the usiug of the Town Bolt quarries for oth< r than Corporation purposes, that as little stone be removed from the Belt as possible, and that things be allowed to remain as at present, It was, however, agreed to open

up the quarries, to allow of the public getting stnnc for huihliog purposes, Cr. Fish and vV ader objecting to the action taken.

T!IE GAS QUESTION; --•r J. M. \ titchio, auoiney tor Mr Bankiy, wrote I have the honor to acknowledge yours of yesterday, and in reply beg to into m the Council lint I. am willing to renew toe pres- ju contract for gas supply oa the same term* and con litiuns as contained in it. and for three years, with this alteration—that iusle d ' f rccrivng I S per lamp I shall receive LI I per lamp. I regret tint the inon as ;d cost of coal and iub.r foico me to a k so large an increase on the old rate : but 1 c n show, to the satisfaction of tire Council, if nemssary, that- 1110 pci cent,age of the incriarcl rnLi u .0 1 the whole value o: consumption from the wo ks is under, rather tna*'. ovur the percentage of the additional cost of material, Jto. I also find that in consequence of the increase in consumption I c‘iv» dyiivtcl from a wide area in the Ci‘Vj conipared with what used to be the case, and entailing a large expense in long mains and services, it does not bring i > at a ! l an adequate profit to (he Work , as mi ht be expire cd by anyone conspiring Ihqconsumption now with what it was a few years ago. This is no doubt inevitable in a City'which is spreading and giowing as Dunedin is doing ; ' r'ii!" l^' l!8 «r° 9 £ ,i >' c -tl3 , up.*u the operations of the Gas Works.”

loe iouu Glerk then read replies to queries he had forwarded as to the cost of gig supply in different towns of the Colony, " cre - —From the Town Clerk of eni.-j.ton ; “ Gc.s and repairs, LS 7s per ..imp, nod LOs per I COO f at. Monthly account, if pud with in iwdvc days, thirty per cent discount. Contract yearly.” From T!: " •‘"-yor of Auc-k'and .- “ Present price n r lamp. L 8 15s per aminm; 35s each cleaning and keeping ra repair. JNo contract. At present twice cocsiricred very high. hot lighted ei.ht moonlight nights in each month. Company uses a regulator which venet;-: light. We object to price to public, 12s lid net per 1.000 feet.”. From the Town of Hokitika : “Bix stre t lamps just ci\CjO i, with mat ts to two, Fist month average 1,000 lei t each la-up. Price not yet fixed. Private citzms pay IGs per 1 000. and 12a () i for stoves. Company had effired to light-, Oau.pgaiih, and supply twenty lamps wit,h gas for LID each per annum.” From Christon arch : “City lamps, list contract just enucd, L 9 10s per annum, put oat at one o ch-ck every night—every full moan lamps not at for six nights—thr. e before full m >on, three after. Private pe sms, Ifis 8d per 1,000 feet; 15s if paid within seven days of account rendered.” Fran the Town Clerk or .Nelson : “Gas works in the bauds of Couecil. Streets lit by’ Council; no charge. Private person*, 12s fid per 1,000 feet, if paid wnc.a meter taken ; seven days after that, 17«.”

Afotr uiscu-sim, in which the opinion was expressed that the present charges were sufficient, and tho only different opinion was as to the length of the contract, if renewed, it was resolved that the Council is prepared to enter into a renewed contract ou tne same terms and prices as for the past three years, and on no other terms.