CITY COUNCIL.

Evening Star, Issue 3690, 19 December 1874, Page 1 (Supplement)

CITY COUNCIL.

The adjourned meeting of the City Council was held on Wednesday evening ; present—His Worship the Mayor (in the chair), and Councillors Beck, Barron, Carroll, lush, Grant, Gibson, Isaac, Mercer, Prosser, Beeves, Woodlands, and Walter.

THE URINALS. Cr. Fish characterised the new urinal near the Railway Station as a most disgusting insult to public decency. It should have been erected several feet back from the footpath.—Cr. Prosser could not compliment the Suiveyor on the erection of the urinals, A considerable number of complaints had been made about the old urinal opposite the ‘Times’ office.-Cr. Beeves thought that the Council could not have selected a better place for the urinal near the railway station. Those who knew anything of tue old country found the urinals in public places, and on the continent they were actually on the footpath.—lt was resolved that the clause be referred to the Works Committee, with power to have screens placed to urinals where considered necessary.

NIGHT WATCHMAN. oc k was elected night watchman at the Bell Tower. BREACHES OF THE BUILDING REGULATIONS. The following is a clause of the Works Committee s report“ Your committee begs to report having, as instructed, obtained from the Building Surveyor a further explanation of the circumstances under which his Worship the Mayor had, with the Surveyor’s concurrence, granted a modification of the building regulations as concerns a wooden structure near the First Church manse. Mr Mirams satisfactorily explained to your committee that the modifications had been allowed by the Mayor after reference to the Surveyor. It would appear from the annexed list, compiled by the Building Surveyor of similar modifications authorised by the different Mayors during the last four years, that the granting of this particular modification was nothing out of the course of ordinary usages in cases where the infringements were regarded as trivial. Your committee would ask the Council to read the annexed return, from which it will appear that dnring Mr Fish’s three years’ mayoralty thirteen similar eases were granted; during Mr Mercer’s one year’s mayoralty three similar cases were granted; and during the present Mayor’s term of office one has so far been granted. Your committee, however, is of opinion that in future no modification of the building regulations should be allowed without a _ distinct and previous reference to the Council, and recommends accordingly.” C ’r- W f- LTER moved-“ That the portion of tbe Works Committee’s report referring to previous Mayors be struck out.” It was a great oversight on the part of the committee to analyse the doings of previous Mayors, and only tended to provoke acrimonious discussions.

Cr. Isaac thought that the Works Committee had gone out of their way to analyse the action of present Mayors, and that it was most uncalled for.

Cr. Reeves thought that the matter had been referred to the Works Committee to make the fullest inquiry, and they were perfectly free to canvass the action of former Mayors. He thought that nothing out of the way had been done. The committee had resolved not to allow any breach in the building regulations m the future. No ill-feeling had animated the Committee.

Cr. Mercer regretted that the actions mentioned were those he had been guilty of, and was quite satisfied that the Works Committee had taken the matter into their consideration. He had not committed any breach of the regulations during his mayoralty. Cr. Wo dland supported the motion. Seeing that the wooden building in question was for a person to live in, he thought permission should not havf been granted. The cases cited of previous Mayors were not similar to the present. . Gr - Fish said the comparisons made of previous o<imeils were not appropriate, and were calculated to provoke acrimonious discussion. Ihe Mayor had simply brought the matter forward for reasons inimical to himself (Cr Fishl Ihe Surveyor had recommended that permission should not be granted to Messrs Park fL i\A Une ’* anti 01 1 fc . h ® f ofiowing day advised the Mayor to grant similar privileges to another party. If that were to the course to be adopted by the Surveyor the sooner they dispensed with his services the better. 1

Gr : Grant thought that each member of tie Works Committee was equally responsible with the Mayor in this matter. The Council had evidently been satisfied with the Mayor’s explanation when the question was first brought

1 he Mayor said that Mr Fish’s assertion that he moved in this matter for reasons inimical to himself was incorrect, for he (the Mayor) would not trouble to do so.—(Or. Isaac: Oh!) The budding was not used as a dwelling, and no one slept there. Or. Woodland was informed that a man slept on the premises. 1 , i T Mayor showed that it was necessary for the Works Committee to consider the whole matter. If Mr huh had not threatened to move that a vote of censure should be passed on the Surveyor, nothing more would have been heard of the matter. —(Or. Fi.su : Hear hear.) ' ‘ ’ The motion was put and carried. Cr. Prosser then moved “That in future no modification of the building regulations shall be allowed, if such modification give power to erect new buildings or re-erect old ones,” which was carried.

DRAINS AND SEWERS. On Cr. Reeves moving “That the Surveyor be instructed to prepare a plan showing the positions and sizes, as nearly as can be ascertained, of all private and public drains and sewers running under the streets of the City,”

Cr. Isaac threatened to speak for one and a-ha hours, and to quote the Bible from Genesis to Deuteronomy, whereat several Councillors left the room, and the meeting adjourned for a week.