CITY COUNCIL.

Evening Star, Issue 3848, 24 June 1875, Page 2

CITY COUNCIL.

The usual fortnightly meeting of this body last night was attended by the Mayor and all the Councillors. The following was the principal business transacted: — Re the widening of Princes street, Messrs Smith and Anderson wrote re Farra’s writ, stating that they had purposely refrained from doing anything more than entering an appearance in the said action on behalf of the Corporation. Messrs Cook anti Muir intend to apply for an injunction to restrain Farra and the other tenants from taking any' further proceedings, pending the judgment of Jthe Court upon the matters of law involved in the case —the Solicitor - General v. thO Corporation of Dunedin. It was expjMosd by the Mayor that the Corportioit Solicitors had been instructed to left*.* the matter between the tenants and the Church Trustees. Cr. Fish urged that to save «• Sense to both sides a test case should be triecg E tie action went against the tenants, they would be mulcted in very serious damages. After having got the tenants, by threatening to force them to go to arbitration, they should save needless expense. It must be admitted that under the present circumstances the tenants were in a very peculiar position, and that from no fault of their own, Cr. Pbosskb moved—“ That the letter of Messrs Smith and Anderson be received, and that the solicitors be requested to act > in accordance with the advice given in their letters of the 19th and 23rd instant.” It would be wise for the Council to simply act upon the advice of their solicitors, and say

nothing in the matter. Or. Reeves moved an amendment— ‘ That the letter be received ana that the Corporation act strictly in ae cordance with the advice of the solicitors in he original motion was carried, rr‘ hkenmg the Citizens’ Committee to the* Tailors of Tdoley street ” ?r e l«sted the Council’s representattve at the Harbor Board. E Campbell and Oe. made the following offer to give an additional supply to the reservoir ... e supply toe present reservoir with as much more water as it at present rei B ll OuW ? rater b ® Wwn in an open f^R D Mtl th i r ° Ugh P” vate Property, viz., under “ the , 0 T ta « 0 Waste Lands Act 1872) for the sum of L 4.000, Time required for bo doing, about two months. If the water has to be taken clear of all private property the cost will be 1.8,000, and time required for doing the work about four mouths. Before laying the scheme before the Corporation, we would ask a guarantee that in case they adopted it we would get the above sum for its construction, or a bonus of 1,1,000 should they choose to carry out the same under their own engineer and contractor.” Referred to the Water Supply Committee. iho Lighting Committee reported(l.) relative to the exchange of sections required tor the Albany street School playground for Government land at the foot of bt. Andrew street, required by the Corporation as an extension of the Municipal Gas Works site, that r*® to® -simple of these properties be arranged for instead of _ simply exchanging leases ; and (2.) the Committee asked for power to engage «. m ?? tiei^r pe f son . to roport as to the value of the Gas Works, &o. .The latter recommen«a!ioliijga’'le,n?e *° considerable discussion, and ultimately it was resolved to call a special to . conß ider the whole gas question, ihe Sanitary Committee made the following recommendations That the City Soli itors T u ® B ted to draft an Amendment Bill to be introduced into the Geueial Assembly at the ensuing' session, in order to remedy all known defects m the Public Health Act, and to confer proper pewer upon the Council to cause the abatement of all nuisances, especially on lands owned by absentees, at the cost and charge of the owners m succession of such lands, such costs and charges to be recoverable in a summary way; that power be obtained to compel all owners of bouses within the city to construct a brick and cement cesspool at each house to the satisfaction of the Council j and that the Council obtain power to construct such cesspools on the property of absentees, the cost thereof to be a charge upon the owners in succession of any such properties, and to be recoverable m a summary way—the Council to contract for a periodical cleaning of all cesspools within the city; that assistance to the inspector of Nuisances be obtained for the purpose of house to house ■ visitation, his Worship ■ to appoint the temporary assistant, who is to act under the instructions of the Medical Officer. That the 1 down Clerk arrange with Mr Street, the Re* ! gistrar at Dunedin, for the stated supply of tho returns of Dunedin vital statistics in the form I rec l u T®d *he Health Officer; estimated cost* I Ba y» L2O per annum. That the Health Officer be requested to submit for the consideration of the Council a draft of proposed Regulations under the Public Health Act, referred to in the letter from the Central Board of Health, dated 6th March, 1875. That the Health Officer’s salary be increased to LIOO per annum. That as the Otago Harbor Board has written relative to the evil effects likely to arise from offensive matter being allowed to discharge into the harbor,' no fortheF' permission be granted for branch drains from private properties to connect with thO' main Corporation sewers, if such branch drains are to convey any solid matter from waterclosets into the Corporation sewers. That no aclipfi be at present taken relative to the suggestion of tho Central Board of Health that the Loo>il Boaid should erect a fever ward outside the city. Consideration of the clause relating to cesspools was deferred, and the proposal to increase the Health Officer’s salary negatived by five against four. The City Surveyor reported that the cost of continuing tho formation of Victoria to C .'gill street would be LIOO. He valued the land (2 roods 2 poles) enclosed in Castle street, at 8820. The cost of filling he estimated at L 202, which leaves L6lB, as the sum which he considered should be paid to the Corporation for the freehold of the laud. 11 e specially reported on what principle, as regards the crosssection, the streets were formed, in older that all parts of the road may be of equal utility for traffic. With our present facilities for metalling, the streets are in much better form t.hn.q they were two years ago. The Water Supply Committee recommended the Council to adhere to its former decision to at once construct the upper reservoir, and that there was no necessity for obtaining the opinion of another engineer on the permanent scheme. r) n Cr. Pbosseb’s motion, the report was referred back, in order that the committee might fully consider the scheme suggested by Mr M'Gregor, and the letter of Messrs Oliver and Barr. The matter is to be fully discussed at the next meeting. The Beserves Committee having reconsidered the claims of the report of 9th June. 1876, relative to the exchange of sites proposed re Supreme Court buildings, and also the annexed letter dated 11th June, 1875, received from Mr I. N. Watt, the Chairman of the Commissioners, now recommends that proposal No. 3—that sections 26, 27, 28, 29, and 30, aU fronting Moray place, be given for a new site for the Supreme Court House, Resident Magistrate's Court, and Police Barraoka, provided the General Government cede to the Corporation, as soon as new buildings whall have been erected, the present Court House site and the Gaol site—therein contained be accepted, the Government to arrange with the Volunteers for their Drill-shed site, &c. Cr. Walter, in moving the adoption of the report, said the exchange would be a profitable one for the city; while Cr. Lvabt anticipated the Council would profit L 2,000 a-year by it. The following amendment was carried:—“ That this Council will agree with either one or the other proposals of the Commissioners in re the erection of a Supreme Court, &&, bn the Octagon site, and defer till next meeting of the Council, which site they will accede to/’ The SursßQiTaNtiENi' writing under date the 23rd June, called attention to the “imperative necessity ” which exists for securing some portion of ground in connection with the Normal School His Honor added that m fully were the Government alive to this necessity, that in case of need they would give in exchange an equal area (say two sections!of the ground recently occupied by the Middle District School