CITY COUNCIL.

Evening Star, Issue 3800, 29 April 1875, Page 2

CITY COUNCIL.

The ordinary meeting of the City Council last night was attended by the Mayor, Councillors Walter, Fish, Mercer, Barron, Beck, Reeves, Grant, Gibson, Carroll, and Isaac. Among the correspondence was a letter from the Under-Secretary, who wrote that the Government would give give prison labor to the extent of one-third the cost (not, however, to exceed L1G8) of the proposed diversion of the water of Leith; from the Secretary of the Harbor _Board, objecting to the discharge of night-soil into (he sewers, and thence into the bay; from Mr 11. Gillies, calling attention to the presence, in the main lower reservoir, of the anacharis alsinadrum, in respect to which I)r Berggren, the Swedish botanist, when visiting the reservoir twelve months ago, said it would yet cause enormous trouble and expense if steps were not taken to destroy it. It is a plant which it is almost impossible to destroy, except by draining off the water and digging every vestige of its roots out, and he warned him (Mr Gillies) that it would go on increasing in a marvellously rapid way, till it would choke up the whole reservoir. Mr Gillies recommended that advantage should be taken of the present low state of the reservoir to get rid of the pest, which could be easily done just now. . V recommendation from the Public Works, Committee that Livingston (asphalt layer) who had offered to impart all information in his possession rc preparation of asphalt for a consideration, should receive a sum of L3O for doing so, was, after discussion, negatived. Mr Wm. Bai ness tender for drays at Union street quarry for three months was accepted. With regaril to Mr W. Bells letter complaining of the Council entering into competition with him in the matter of selling metal, the committee recommend that the practice of selling metal from the crusher be discontinued, but that screenings be sold from-time to time as required.

ihe following letter from the Superintendent, relative to granting the two sections contiguous to the Albany street school as a playground, was read

lou inform me that the City Council are willing to lease the sections in question, subject to areutal to be determined by the price pci acre which the other portions of the res ( rvo will fetch by auction 1 baa hoped—seeing that the object in view was solely for the benefit of the citizens themselves and so advantageous to the locality—that the City Council would boo its way to letting the sections at a. nominal rental. Unless this can be done, Ife r that the school must remain in its present uusatis factory condition as regards playground. It is all that the Government can do to find money for buildings. I would therefore venture to submit that (he subji ct might bo ro-considcrcd by the Corporation. I may add that a similar question will crop up soon iu connection with the Normal School now being erected on the old Hospital Reserve. In dealing with the icsiduo of this reserve it may be well to bear iu mind that in all probability the time is not far distant wbeu the whole cost of providing school buildings, if not of teachers also, wifi devolve entirely upon the particular districts coucorncd.

In the discussion that followed, Cr. Fish warned the Council that steps would probably be taken at the ensuing session of the Provincial Council to transfer these reserves from the City but he did not think the Government would find it so easy to commit such an act of spoliation. The City (Council should endeavor to have a stop put to this perpetual filching and threatening, and should apply at the next session of the Assembly for power to take all matter connected with these reserves out of the hands of the Superintendent. He moved that the question of the desirability of vesting the fud control of the leasing of the various City reserves solely in the City authorities, be remitted to the New Act Committee, for the purpose of giving effect to the same. Crs. Gkant, Isaac, and Walter endorsed the action proposed to be taken ; Cr. Merger thought the Connor, should not be stingy, but at the same time did not like to see the threats .held out by the Government; Cr. GinsoN did not think the letter dictational; Cr. Reeves thought it only the thin edge of the wedge, and that the Government also wished to get possession of other reserves; and the Mayor said it was high time that action should be taken by the Corpoiation to assert its right to these reserves, ■ and considered that the proper place to go to i was Wellington. The Harbor Board intended at next of the' Assembly to get pps-

session of these two reserves. He deemed it to be his duty as Mayor to let the Council know that, and he trusted that prompt action be taken. The motion was carried, and the question of the particular reserves mentioned by his Honor referred to a committee, to wait upon the Government. The following letter from the Superintendent was also read ; The Provincial Council nt its last session resolved that eight acres of the old Cemetery Reserve should be conveyed to the Otago University as a site for new buildings. Since then it has appeared to the University Council that a more suitable site for the buildings would be the old Botanic Gardens Reserve, now under the administration of the Corporation of Dunedin. It is very justly held that mimediate proximity to the Hospital and to the Provincial Museum would be a great advantage to students in connection with tbe Medical School which lias already been established, and the School of Mines, which it is hoped will shortly he established in the University, It has been represented to me that the Corporation would be willing to exchange the Botanical Gardens Reserve for an equal area of the Cemetery Reserve. If so, 1 nbnii ; oe glad to be informed accordingly, with a view of the necessary legislative action being taken in the matter.

The letter was referred to the Reserves Committee.