CITY COUNCIL.

Globe, Volume I, Issue 20, 23 June 1874, Page 2

CITY COUNCIL.

Monday, June 22. . * The usual weekly meeting was held in the Council Chambers. Present—His Worship the Mayor, and Crs Bishop, Jones, Gapes, Lane, lek, Hobbs, and Calvert. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed.

Cr Jones desired, before the business of the evening commenced, to make an observation which would dispel a misapprehension that existed outside with reference to the £lB9 official expenses of the Mayor passed .at a recent meeting of the Coincil. Many persons believed that that amount was in addition to the £3OO for official expenses voted to his Worship for the year. Such, however, was not the case, as this £lB9 was portion of that amount, aud he felt that this should be known by the ratepayers. The Mayor asked how much of last year's rates remained uncollected.

The town clerk replied that thirteen summonses had been taken out that day, and that all the money of that rate which could be got in would be duriug the current week. The Mayor said that with reference to the remarks by Cr Jones, he had read an article in a local paper which must have been written under a misapprehension, as persons reading it would be led to believe that the £lB9 voted him was in addition to the £3OO. This was entirely a mistake. He had asked for £l5O out of official expenses voted to him, and that did not nearly cover the amount which he himself had paid, and it was perhaps as well that the ratepayers know this. He had also seen the Council blamed in another paper for the condition of the streets. He thought it a pity that the press should run down the City Council, when, so far as they had the means at their command, they were doing their best for the 1 mblic. He trusted the press, observing this, would back up the efforts of the Council. The town clerk reported receipts for the week to be as follows :—From rate collector account general city rate 1873, £2l 10s 2d ; Waimakaiiri, £3 10s M; fines from 11. M. Court, £5; from city surveyor (building fcort), £2'las: for closet pans. £6 12s; kerosene license, £1 ; rent of Market place, 7s. Total receipts £43 lis Gd. Drainage account, dr £589 19s lOd ; drainage rate account cr (including receipts, £5 lOsGd), £2ll 3s -hi; wages and sundry bills to be paid on general account, £44 s<i 6d ; wages, &c. account drainage, £IG Gs 6d. The city surveyor reported—1. i; I have to call the attention of the Council to the fact that the tendej of Jlj

John Miller, St Albans, for shingling the roadway from Cashel street bridge to Montreal street, was accepted a fortnight since but that the contractor has not yet commenced his work. 2. "The kerbing and channelling in Latimer square is progressing favorably. The channelling of Durham street upon the new plan will be commenced this week." In connection with the report a letter was reed from Mr John Miller stating that he had made a great mistake in the specifications for shingling Cashel street, and he was prepared to do the work with unscreened shingle at the price he had given in his tender or forfeit h's deposit. It was resolved that Mr Miller's deposit be forfeited, and the matter be referred to the works committee with power to enter into a fresh contract.

. The resolution passed in committee relative to the position of surveyor to the Council were brought up, received, and adopted. The following letter was read from the secretary to the treasury, Wellington :—" I have the honor to inform you that three debentures, numbered 108*.). 1990, and 1901 of the collective value of £3OO, issued under the Immigration and Public Works Loan Act, 1870, have this day been forwarded to the Bank of New Zealand, Christchurch, to be handed to you, or your nominee." Attached to this letter was one from the manager of the bank, stating that, these debentures were.at the disposal of the City Council; -

A.letter was read from tho Provincial Engineer asking permission in carrying out the work of drainage at the old police depot, Armagh street, to carry a line of pipes from that building into the Avon, and stating that the Government would make their arrangement with the owners of private property thjrqngh. which the pipes would have to pass. Permission granted. The following letter was read from the clerk to the Avon Road Board :—" I have the honor by direction of the Board, in answer to your letter of 27th May last, regretting your inability to undertake the work proposed by the Board, to reply. " That the Avon Boad Board have contributed the half cost of boundary works whenever requested to do so by the City Council, and believe a resolution was passed by it that it would perform any works required to be done within the belts by any of the adjacent Boad Boards upon payment by them of half the cost.

" The health of the residents on the East town helt is affected by a stagnant ditch hidden by a. large growth of gorse over it and part of the road,- which would be got rid of by the work proposed by the Board, as well as imprGving the belt and giving easier communication to a large number of persons living there; ' j " The Board hopes that the City Council will reconsider the matter, and put the work in hand at Once."

Cr Hobbs moved—" That this Council will be happy to expend the money of the Avon Koad Board on the road under consideration, and also expend an equal amount when in funds." Cr Calvert seconded the motion.

The Mayor said the Council would have to show their balance-sheet in November, .and he thought it his duty to tell them that they were heavily in debt at the present time, and were not in a position to carry out works of that kind .

> Cr Lane quite concurred in the remark that expensive works should not be carried out by the Council in their present position, but could point to several works which the Comcil had carried out that might have been deferred, notably the substantial fence erected on Cambridge terrace. Cr Hobb's resolution was put and carried. The Registrar-preneral's reporc on the vital statistics of the Boroughs of Auckland, Thames, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch, Dunedin, antf Hbkitika r for the month of April, 1874, was laid on the table. A letter was read from Messrs Wrigg, Williams, and Taylor, residents in Madras street north, drawing attention to the state of the footpath between Salisbury street and the north town belt. Referred to the works committee. A letter was read from Mr W. Cuddon, drawing attentiou to the state of Tuam street from the Scotch Church to Montreal Btreet.' ' ■>: ■■ Referred to the works committee.

A letter was read; signed by several residentsin Peterborough streeteast,callingattention to the very bad state of that road, and asking that it might be shingled. Referred to the works committee to report upon. . Abetter was read from Messrs L. Nathan and Co., and'others'holding property in St. Asaph street, asking that the footpath might be formed on the north side from its junction with Colombo street to Manchester street, so as to enable them to carry the storm water into its proper channel. Referred to the works committee.

A letter was, read from Mr Thomas Stokes, drawing attention to the state of the pathway between Barbadoes street and the town belt on the north Bide of Cashel Btreet east. Referred to the works committee.

A letter was read from Mr C. Anderson, builder, asking permission to erect a scaffolding at the Borough Hotel on half of the footpath. ■ Permission, granted under the superintendence of the surveyor. > The Mayor would like to ask the works committee whether the post had been removed on the Whalely road, in front of Mr Baxter's premises, as it had stood there over two months.

Cr Ick replied hot, but that Mr Baxter intended to remove it.

Cr Bishop would desire to remark that, though Mr Baxter had consented to remove the post,-still it only abutted five inches on the footpath.

The Mayor said that' he had measured it, and found that the measurement was nearer fourteen inches., t '

The following report of the firo brigade committee, on the, letter from the hon secretary to Insurance Association relative to stove pipes not passing into brick chimneys in blocks of wooden buildings, was read : "Having considered the subject of the danger from stove pipes, brought, before the notice of the Council in a letter from the Insurance Companies Association of the Bth instant, recommend the Council to forward a copy of clause 4 of by-law No 5, relating to this subject, to the secretary of the association.; and your committee suggest the advisability of the clause being published for general information.

"With reference to the subject of the supply of water for fire prevention purposes, your committee find the proper siae pipes are

now in stock, and have no doubt the works committee will take an early opportunity of putting t::cradown," The report was received and adopted.

The weekly report of the inspector of nuisances was read, and after a slight alteration approved. The Mayor desired to mention that at a late meeting held on sanitary matters, his Honor the Superintendent had told him that the Government regretted they had been compelled to place immigrants in Armagh street, but they intended paying particular attention to the drainage of that building, and to take every means to prevent any offensivencss arising from there. He (his Worship) had remarked to his Honor that it would be as well if they got tired of playing at soldiers, and converted the drill-shed into a barracks for immigrants. [Hear, hear.]

Cr Hobbs moved—" That the town clerk be instructed to advertise for tenders for the banking account of the City Council for the next three years." His object in moving the resolution was that, after a conversation with some gentlemen in the city, he believed that the Council might obtain better terms than they did from their present bank. He thought it would be wise of them to follow the example of the Provincial Government, and from time to time make an alteration by calling for tenders for their banking business. The Council had adopted a fair practice with their other accounts, and divided the work between the two papers, allowing each to have it six months at a time, and though that practice as related to time would not apply to the banks, still he did not see why the principle should not be maintained. He had been informed that one of the banks was prepared to give more interest to the Council for their deposits, and to charge less for their overdraft, and was also willir.g to float the Council's debentures. Though, according to their abstract of expenses, they had not had to pay a large amount for thoir overdraft, yet, as he hoped they would soon have from £IO,OOO to £12,000 to their credit, he felt that in getting the best interest they could obtain for their deposits, that they were only doing their duty to the ratepayers. He was not present on the last occasion when this matter had been discussed, but he saw no reasons advanced in the report of the discussion why their account should not be withdrawn from the bank if it was to the advantage of the Council that it should be. [Hear, hear.] Cr Ick had great pleasure in seconding the motion, but did so from a different point of view to that taken by Cr Hobbs. He (Cr Ick) was a free trader and would oppose any monopoly. He considered that the local institutions had not had fair play, and believed that the same opportunity should to be given to them as was possessed by other contractors when tendering for various kinds of works. He had withdrawn a similar resolution on a previous occasion as the argument had been used that their overdraft had been so small, and that they had banked so long with the same bank that they were under somewhat of a compliment to it. He thought a trial would only be fair at any rate, and had much pleasure in seconding the resolution. Cr Lane would have had no objection to support the resolution if he was not aware that a compact existed between the banks as to the rates on deposits and overdrafts, and if the banks acted honest to each other, the Council would obtain as good a rate from one as another. It seemed to him almost ridiculous to compare their account with that of the Provincial Government. When the Government had thousands of pounds to remain at interest, it made the matter a special one, and it was then to the interest of a bank to secure that deposit ; but with them they might have three or four thousand pounds in a few months. And unless their debentures sold better than they were at present doing, as out of all the communications sent out, only one reply had been received, and not another single offer made for any of them, even under par—they would not even have that amount, and it might be a question for the banks to think twice before allowing them any overdraft. Under all these circumstances, he should oppose the resolution. Cr Gapes would support the resolution, if only to test the question whether a compact really existed between the banks or not. [Hear, hear.] They (the Council) were only doing their duty in obtaining the greatest amount of interest possible. Cr Bishop said from what had been stated by Cr Hobbs he would support the resolution.

Cr Hobbs in reply would remark that all the banks were customers of the Council, and each paid rates, and were- entitled to a share of the Councd's work. He had been led to believe that this compact spoken of only referred to private customers, but the Council was not a private but a public body with ample security. He had, as he had stated, been informed that one of the banks was prepared to float their debentures, and if such were the case he wished the opportunity to be given to them and tenders to be called for.

His Worship—" Well, if it don't do any good, it won't do any harm." The resolution was then put and carried, Cr Lane only voting against it. Carriers' licenses were granted to F. J. Williams, William Reese, and Charles Hunter. The Council then resolved itself into committee.