CITY COUNCIL.

Evening Star, Issue 4154, 20 June 1876, Page 2

CITY COUNCIL.

The fortnightly meeting of the City Council was held this afternoon; present—the Mayor (in the chair), Crt. Reeves, Grant, Gibson, Woodland, Campbell, Leary, Brown, Isaac, Mollison, Chapman, Roberta, and Quick.

The Loyal Unity Lodge's application for that part of the Manure Depot fronting the Hillside road for a lodge-room was referred to the Reserves Committee.

A letter from W. Wright, asking that the cutting down in Union street might be proceeded with at once as property holders were averse to building in its present state, was referred to the Works Committee, with power to act. A request by the Deacons' Court of Knox Church, asking that Pitt street should be completed, was referred to the Works Committee, with power to act. The Standing Orders were suspended for the purposes of considering* motion on the Order Paper that the Municipal Bill be re committed for the purposes of reconsidering clauses 5 and 6*.

Cr. Leabi-'s motion, that the Council resolve itself into Committee, having been lost, Cr. Leary moved that the clauses, be reconsidered, which Was objected to by Cr. Isaac, who demanded that in the event of one clause being re-considered that the whole Bill should be re-committed. Ho objected to the "puerile and childlike" action of certain members, who wished to have the Bill re committed after being dealt with, and moved that the Bill as passed be printed. Cr. Reeves said, if the Council .were determined not to have six wards, which would give better representation, he would be in favor of wipiug out the wards altogether. Cr. Lbast explained that the motion was brought forward in no factious spirit; he merely wished to have the question decided by a full Council. The motion on being put was lost by six rotes against five. The City consequently has only four wards. Cr. Quick moved and Cr. Chapmak seconded, "That clause 27 of the Dunedin Municipal Bill, 1876, be reconsidered, with a view to striking out the word 'male' in the first line."

Cr. Chapman strongly advocated the extension of the suffrage to women. Cr. Grant supported the motion, but said he was not in favor of all female propertyholders being entitled to vote. If such war granted, certain females might enter a polling-booth and cause a commotion.— (Laughter.)

Cr. Isaac did not agree with the sensational idea of certain young men that ladies must vote. It would not be elevating the standard of ladies, but lowering and degrading them.—(Cries of «' Question.") He could not understand women throwing off their chastity and entering a polling-booth and ask for a ballot-paper. The Mayor complimented the seconder of the motion for the way in which he had placed the matter before the Council; and strongly supported the franchise being extended to women who were property* holders.

The motion was carried, and the franchise was thus extended to both classeß.

Cr. Isaac asked that the voting be taken down.

The following reports were brought up :

The Works Committee recommended that the level of Qeorge street, west side, from the Artillery Hotel to St. Andrew street, be raised, the estimated cost being Ll4O and the gieatest difference of level about 2ft. That Conoigate street be formed from a point south of Russell, street to Serpentine a venue at an estimated cost of L 1,650, Mr Tomlin* am baring agreed to allow the encroach upon his ' leasehold and to the cutting down of a hill thereon to supply material. That tenders be called for the \ formation of Gargill street from Albert street to Arthur street, and Arthur street from Cargill street to Rattray street, provided the owners of the pro* perties abutting on these streets will allow the embankments to be Sloped on to their pro* perties. That the kerbiug. and channelling of Princes street south, both sides, be postponed for the present. The net cost of this work to the Council would be about L 1.530, after allowing for repayments from property-owners. And re Mr D. Proudfoot's letter, that a road has been constructed through the sandhiAto the Ocean Beach, but as this road does not fflfe a continuation of the Hill* sideroad, the Committeeareof opinion thatnoperson is entitled to the subsidy voted by the Council, the condition on which the subsidy was agreed to not having been complied with. The Gas Committee reported that, having been advised by the City Solicitor that all tho necessary deeds conveying the gasworks property te the Cor. poration have recently been executed and the title complete i the LIOO gas bonds issued in De* cember last for the purchase of the gasworks hare been handed over to the vendors. The Finance Committee reported: In reply to Messrs Sargood's application for an allowanoe in respect of their not having occupied their new pre* raises for the whole year, that it has been resolved not to allow any reduction from the full amount of the rate; that Messrs Barr and Oliver's application for reduction in the amount of their valuation has been declined; and that the Committee had had under consideration the correspondence with the Bank of New Zealand relative to the first loaa, which is highly satisfactory.