BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Globe, Volume I, Issue 62, 12 August 1874, Page 4

BOROUGH COUNCIL.

LYTTELTON. The Council met as usual on Monday evening last. Present—His Worship the Mayor, and Crs Buist, Graham, Grange, Kenner, Hawkins, Allwright, and Young. The minutes of the two last meetings held on Monday and Thursday last were read and confirmed. The following correspondence was then read From Mr Nalder, stating that Mr Packard was duly elected according to the provisions of the Act. This raised the question as to whether Mr F'ackard's sureties should be left in the solicitor's or banker's hands, and it was decided to leave them with the Council's solicitor.

A letter was read from Mr Packard representing that the books when-handed over to him by Mr Perrin were not posted up. The Mayor stated that Mr Perrin had not yet handed over an account of the petty cash, though he. had spoken to him about it as lately as 2 p.m that day. From Mr T. H. Potts, Chairman of the Victoria Road Board, running as follows : " I have the honor to lay before your Worship and the Borough Council of Lyttelton, the following memorandum of advantage to be derived from the extension of the Orphanage road towards Cass' Bay. " In the first place the commercial area of the town of Lyttelton would be greatly extended, the southern boundary of the town has been for years fixed about Dampier's Bay from the almost inaccessible steepness of the Northern road towards the Bays. With the help of the proposed road shipwrights who have been driven from their former holdiugs by the reclamation from the sea, will lay down their slips in such places as Baker's or Corsair Bay, where they can carry on their industries with the advantage of ready access to their works by a good road. Asa natural sequence houses will be erected close by the various places business. The ill effects that might arise to public health from the proximity of the slaughter yards to the town will be obviated by their removal to a more distant site, a step whioh medical opinion will no doubt soon pronounoe to be a necessity. The space now occupied by the slaughter yards, stock paddock, and the land as far as Baker's point suggests itself as a suitable spot for a recreation ground for the inhabitants of Lyttelton, at the same time it should be the industrial school of the orphanage children, where these children would be properly instructed with the use of the spade, and so they would be made useful colonists. Shrubberies and plantations would convert a bare and desolate piece of wilderness into a charming resort for the people of Lyttelton. Within this proposed recreation ground is that great boon a never failing spring of excellent water, and a sandy bay that would afford an excellent bathing place. For many months of the year morning and evening, the place would surely be much resorted to by the townspeople, who under the present system of running trains, are practically put to bed or shut out from the rest of Canterbury from 6 p.m., with the exception of one evening in the week. " Baker's Bay is a fine site for the erection ot an infirmary, where fever-stricken convalescents from the plains would soon drink in health from the pure sea breezes that visit that spot. I have already urged this undertaking on his Honor's attention, and on that of his Executive ; have procured the careful survey of the route, which is marked out by pegs and benching. I trust that your Worship and the Borough Council will give to the scheme your active support, which, whilst it will benefit the bays of the Peninsula, I have certainly shown confers a much larger boon on Lyttelton, as it is the first step to a good practicable outlet from the town to the neighboring districts, and in its course gives roads to the shipwrights and their slips, to the powder magazine, bathing place, &c, and affords a site for public garden and shrubberies for the people. " I have the honor to be, " Your obedient servant, "T. H. Potts" Cr Allwright approved of Mr Potts' letter, and thought the Council should assist him in every way. Cr Hawkins also coincided with Mr Potts' opinions. The Mayor spoke generally in favor of the scheme. Cr Graham proposed that a meeting should be held between some of the councillors and Mr T. H. Potts. Cr Grange wished to raise a warning voice, and recommended great care should be taken. After a few remarks from Cr Buist, Cr Hawkins moved " That a committee, consisting of his Worship the Mayor, Cr Allwright, and the mover, be appointed to confer with the Chairman of the Victoria Koad Board." This was seconded by Cr Grange, and carried. Accounts to the amount of £23 8s were passed for payment. Cr Graham referred to the matter of appointing a town crier. Pie did not know if they had the authority to appoint such an officer. He would ask the Council if they were desirous anything should be done in the matter. After some discussion the matter dropped. Cr Grange moved, aud Cr Buist seconded, that the following letter be sent to the Secretary for Public Works:— " Sir, —This Council desire to remind you that a letter, dated the 20th June, remains unanswered re water supply. The urgency of the case is our excuse in again troubling you with this matter." Cr Allwright said that at a previous meeting a grave charge had been brought against the former Mayor. He was sorry to have to rise to defend his conduct. After twenty months of silence their present Mayor brought forward the grave charge of incompetency against him. He denied the charge, and would prove that the present state of affairs was not his fault, but had occurred during the present Mayoralty. They had drifted into a state of difficulty, but it had taken the Mayor twenty months to discover it. His Worship—l only referred to negligence in the matter of not procuring sureties from Mr Perrin when he was elected. Cr Allwright resumed^-A great charge had been laid against him, and it was only their duty, if he proved himself innocent, to exonerate him. In clause IC2 of the Act in reference to sureties, it was distinctly stated that the Council should take sufficient securities. It was not the Mayor alone that was responsible ior the thing, but the Council

also, and, therefore, the present Mayor was equally culpable with himself in the matter of the sureties, as he was a member of that Council at the time Mr Perrin was elected. Since the occurrence the Mayor had been twice elected, and yet had never looked into the matter. During the time he (Or Allwright) had been Mayor there had been no discrepancies, they had all occurred under the present Mayor. If there were any discrepancies at the time he was Mayor he would pay them out of his own pocket on condition that the present Mayor would make up the deficiencies that had occurred since he held office. He did not think the Mayor had brought forward hia motion of censure with any idea of benefitting the town. "When he quitted office the last time, jthere had been a vote of thanks passed by the Council for his services. He questioned much whether the Mayor was in order in moving the resolution the other night. In clause 142 of the Act, it was 'stated that 7 days clear notice should be given of a resolution like that proposed by his Worship. He had wished much to be present when the minutes were read, as he thought the resolution should not be recorded as it was not seconded. He had intended to vote against the minutes being passed. When Mayor, he had done his best for the Borough, and certainly did not deserve the censure heaped on him by his Worship the Mayor. Again, he stated that he would make up all that had been lost during his time of office, and he might safely do this, for there had been no deficiency. Unfortunately, there was a great one now. £2l had been lost to the Borough by getting an expert to examine the books. He could speak another hour on the subject, but thought he had made out a clear case, and it was needless. , The Mayor seconded the resolution for withdrawing the resolution against Cr Allwright from the minute book, j?7'o forma, to get an opportunity of speaking on the subject. The Council were competent to judge between himself and Cr Allwright. The whole affair was not worth taking notice of. Cr Allwright had done hiß duty with regard to money during his term of office, and in fact it had only dawned upon himself during the last audit that matters were going wrong, and they would all bear him witness that they (the Council) would not credit it when he first brought the matter forward. The audit did no good except finding that the statements made in the books were correct. In fact, for the money given it was impossible to expect the auditors to do more. Cr Allwright asked leave to withdraw his motion. He had only brought it forward to gain an opportunity of defending himself. Cr Graham would say a few words on the subject. If Cr Allwright were blamed for the past they might go yet further back and blame Dr Donald and others that had held the office. He regretted much the disagreements in the Council, and thought that the quarrel had merely taken place in the heat of the moment. He hoped that this untimely breach might be healed, and the minute against Cr Allwright expunged from the minute-book. Cr Allwright's motion was then, by leave of the Council, withdrawn. The Mayor said he had had his patience severely tried by the late clerk at the time he had brought forward the resolution against Cr Allwright. He would be happy to concur in exonerating him from blame. Cr Grange asked if it was usual to enter in the minute-book resolutions not seconded. Cr Graham moved—" That next Monday the resolution blaming the late Mayor be expunged from the minute-book." The Mayor stated that a deputation had waited upon him and proposed an amalgamation of the Lyttelton Volunteers and the Fire Brigade, He had contrived to find something out about the matter and found the union was not possible. At the same time the Council could facilitate the erection of a drill-shed for the joint use of the volunteers and fire brigade. There had been some talk about a reading room, but that was not necessary when the Colonists' Hall was in existence. What he proposed was to give a site for the building, as a first step to encourage those interested to raise funds for the erection of a building. Cr Buist thought that if the two bodies were joined they would both be spoilt. The Mayor stated that Mr Perrin had made no claim for his salary for the last five weeks. It was no doubt the intention of that gentleman to endeavor to make up the money lost by his inadvertency. He would ask the Council to say if they were prepared to give the money to Mr Perrin. Crs Grange and Hawkins were both of opinion that they had not the right to give the money, which was the property of the ratepayers, to Mr Perrin. Cr Grange moved—" That the matter be adjourned for a week." This was seconded by Cr Buist and carried. Cr Buist called attention to the roofing of the deadhouse.

The Council then adjourned. The following notice of motion was given by. Cr Kenner—" Cr Kenner to move, that all that piece of ground at the back of the Colonists' Hall be fenced, from the engine house to the outer end of the pound, and the ground planted at an early date."