CITY COUNCIL.

Evening Star, Issue 3860, 8 July 1875, Page 2

CITY COUNCIL.

The usual fortnightly meeting last night was attended by the Mayor (in the chair), Crs. Barron, Carroll, Fish, Grant,'Gibson, Isaac, Leary, Mercer, Prosser, Reeves, Walter, and Woodland. Though a good deal of business was got through, very little more than half of thaton theoraer paper was disposed of; and a special'meeting is to be held on Wednesday. The principal matters dealt with were the following : Dr Cole tendered his resignation as Health Officer in consequence of having to leave Dunedin through monetary embarrassments. Dr •Niven had offered to fill the vacancy till the Council made other arrangements, and he wrote offering his services. Dr Cole’s resignation was accepted and a vote of thanks awarded to him ." for the zeal and ability he has displayed in discharging his onerous duties.” Henry Spiers, contractor for the St. Andrew street sewer, asked for consideration of his case. He would have finished the work within five months from the date of the agreement had the Corporation supplied the material promised in reasonable time. He had to dismiss his men ten or twelve times through the delay, and estimated his loss at Ll5O.

When the accounts of the Fire Brigade for expenses at the recent fires were read, Cr. Fish suggested that the Council should look into the whole matter. _ He referred to the resolution carried some time ago that unless the Insurance Companies contributed more liberally, the Brigade should be disbanded, and he thought this provision should be insisted upon. The matter of building a new engine-shed was deferred until the Council obtained its now loan.

Messrs Bright Bros, reported the sale in Melbourne of LIO,OOO worth of debentures and forwarded the net proceeds, less commission, &0., L 9.377. In his report, the Surveyor recommended that Brown street, between Duncan street and Elm Row, be widened to its full width, which with the extension of the culvert, would cost about LSO. Victoria street could be excavated and formed full width for a length of one chain and a*half from its junction with York Place for L4O, and this would afford access to one or two houses now very isolated. The Water Supply Committee reported that it had been agreed te pay Mr M'Gregor, 0.8., L2O per month, during the construction of extra works, in addition to his present salary. The depth of water in the reservoir was 31ft. Doubts having arisen in certain quarters as to the advisability of constructing the proposed new reservoir (No, 8) in preference to raising the embankment of the existing upper reservoir (No. 2), the committee deemed it advisable to ask Mr M‘Gregor to embody in writing his reasons for urging the construction at the present time of the No. 3 reservoir in preference to the other proposal. Mr M'Gregor reported as follows:

In my opinion additional storage capacity will be obtained in a much more satisfactory way by constructing the new reservoir than by raising the upper embankment. Ist. No. 3 will store 12.000. gallons, and No. 2 10,000,000 only after the embankment is raised 15ft. 2nd. The cost of increasing the capacity of No. 2 to ten millions will be L 3,000. 3rd. The construction of No. 3, bolding 12.000. Will cost from 1.3,500 to L 4.000. Moreover, there are several objections to rising the present embankment, some of which 1 wifi enumerate : —lst. The pitching and metalling on both sides will require to bo removed. 2nd. The present inlet channel and all the masonry must be removed. 3rd. The masonry at the mouth of the storm-water channel must be removed,' and new bye-wash constructed, and a storm channel'connecting the old with the new bye wash, 4th. If the embankment is raised on top of tho present one, the foot of the inside s’ope will go down into the upper end of the large reservoir, and take about one million gallons from its capacity; besides, it is very doubtful whether the small pnddle wall in the present embankment would be wide enough for an increased height of water to come against it, and if a new or even an additional width of puddle wall were found necessary, a new embankment might as well be constructed. In addition to the objections above referred to, there would be the inconvenience of working tho creek into the large reservoir. During the alterations, the water could not be allowed to settle before running into the reservoir—it must either be allowed to run to waste or taken 'in whether muddy or clean—and the level of tho water in the large reservoir wonld require to be kept down below the base of the upper embankment while the works were going on. When the present upper embankment is deepened to 15ft all round, according to the plan now being proceeded with, a very good settling basin will be formed, capable of storing five million gallons of water. A 7-inch castiron syphon pipe has been laid down from the small reservoir to the largo one, and works admirably. This I propose to adopt as the permanent method of drawing the water from the upper reservoir, and during the dry season the quantity stored (five million gallons) will be available for supplying the town and will be obtained at a cost of about LI,OOO, besides improving tho quality of the whole water supply, in consequence of removing the silt and mud that formerly accumulated in the upper basin.

The Committee fully agreed with the water engineer’s report, and recommended the construction, without unnecessary delay, of reservoir No. 3, at an estimated cost of Li,ooo. This recommendation of the Committee was opposed by Crs. Prosser and Leary, and the first mentioned in proposing as an amendment, “That it is not desirable to erect the upper reservoir,” said the extension of No. 2 reservoir would give an additional supply of three million gallons, while the present reservoir could be so deepened as to hold at least twenty-four million gallons ; and the city thus be saved L 2,000, as according to Barr and Oliver’s report the proposed No. 3 supply would cost from L 15,000 to L20,00Q. The discussion was adjourned till Wednesday. It was resolved to request the General Government to amend the Public Health Act, so as to render it suitable for the municipalities throughout the Colony, and to ask the Hon. W. H. Reynolds to take charge of the Bill. The Finance Committee recommended that Mr Dick be retained for six months, from Ist July, to advise the Town Clerk on waterworks matters, and check the waterworks books; his remuneration to be fifty guineas. That the Town Clerk be allowed a bonus of ten guineas, and Messrs Jamieson, Creagh, and Goodman each L 7 10s, in respect of recent extra duty, which has had to be performed at nights. The Works Committee recommended that Mr Cargill’s application on behalf of the Dunedin Servants’ Home Committee for metal at a reduced cost be declined; that the formation of Victoria street be proceeded with to Cargill street at the lowered grade, from the termination of Casey’s contract; cost, say Lll6.