CITY COUNCIL.

Globe, Volume III, Issue 267, 20 April 1875, Page 3

CITY COUNCIL.

Monday, April 10

The usual weekly meeting was held in the Council Chamber. Present—His Worship the Mayor, and Crs Ick, Bishop, Calvert, Gapes, Schmidt, and Jones. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed.

The town clerk reported receipts for the week to be as follows :—From rate collector, account general city rate, ,1874, £27 6s; Waimakariri do, £4 11s; watering rate, £ll 16s 9d; fines from Resident Magistrate’s Court, £8 15s ; carrier’s license, £1 10s ; . Market place rent, 7s. Total receipts, £54 5s 9d. Drainage account —Cr, £3741 8s fid. Drainage rate account —Cr, £llßl 7s 3d. Overdraft at Bank on general account, £1960 19s 6d. Wages, &c, to be paid on general account, £292 12s ; on drainage account, £4OB 5s Id,

The Mayor said that his Honor had forwarded him a copy of a telegram stating that his Excellency would receive an address from the Lyttelton Borough Council on his arrival there, and would receive an address from the Christchurch City Council on Thursday at the levee, which would be undress, and held at 12 o’clock on that day. A ball would take place that night (Thursday) in the Oddfellows’ Hall, and it was his Honor’s wish that it should be attended by all classes, and be a citizen’s ball in the fullest sense of the word. It was not intended to give his Excellency a public reception on his arrival in the city, but he trusted the citizens would show their loyalty by hoisting bunting and cheering him as he passed along the streets. His Excellency would arrive at the Christchurch terminus between 12 and 1 o’clock on Wednesday. He (the Mayor) had received notice from Messrs Garrick and Cowlishaw of their intention to proceed against him in the course of a month to recover £SOO at the instance of H. M. Goodger, in an action for false imprisonment. He was glad to see that Cr Bishop had tabled a motion with reference to this. The surveyor reported as follows ;

“ 1. Two trials with the steam fire engines took place last week with the following results. It-was first tried with two engines, and the supply of water was not equal to the demand made upon it. A second trial was made with only one engine, and on setting it to work at the Colombo street sump the water was exhausted in five minutes, A trial was made at the next sump, four chains nearer the river, and the water was exhausted in thirteen minutes; and on trying the sump four chains nearer still (which is eight chains from the river) the supply of water was found to be sufficient for one engine. This proves, in my opinion, that the pipes are clear, but that the water will not flow sufficiently fast down them, owing to the great distance it has to travel. The very trifling fall the pipes have, and the obstructions caused by the inequalities of the pipes and the joints between them, which create a great amount of friction; also, the water at the river has nothing but the atmospheric pressure (151bs to the square inch) to force it through the pipes, whereas it is drawn from the pipes with steam power of 601bs to the inch. Should the Council think it desirable to adopt further measures to make the water more serviceable for fire purposes the only available method I know of is to construct a weir across the river, with a moveable sluice gate, which must be shut whenever it might be found necessary to use these pipes. \Ve might by this means raise the water from 12 to 18 inches, which would add considerably to the rate at which it would pass through the pipes. It is not possible to say whether this would treble the rate at which the,water would flow through the pipes (which I consider necessary), for however clearly these matters may sometimes be theoretically proved, the theory is often contradicted by the practice, but there is one thing quite certain, that it will supply an additional i,power to force the water through the pipes, and consequently increase the supply. “2. The offensive channels in Manchester street, which I was last week requested to report upon, I have examined, and I consider the only real remedy is a stone or concrete channel, but I can slightly improve one side by turning round one of the culverts which now crosses the street.” Cr Gapes, after remarking that the erection of the weir suggested in clause 1 of the report, might flood property on either side of the river, and affect rights at present held, moved—“ That this clause be referred to the works committee.” Cr Bishop seconded Ihe motion, and felt that the matter was not yet ripe for discussion, as the surveyor would require to thoroughly consider all the surroundings before he could give an estimate of the cost to make this work answer the original intention. He felt, however, that in justice to the works committee, he ought to say that they were opposed to this work from the beginning. Cr Ick agreed with the motion, and would like the Council to agree to have the joint opinion of a second professional man on any work which it might be considered desirable to carrv out. Or Jones still believed that the works would prove a success, and that an inexhaustible supply of water would have been obtained, and the expectation of the promoters realised if larger pipes of iron had been laid down instead of the present ones. Cr Gapes’ motion, amended by the addition of Cr Ick’s suggestion, was put and carried. On clause 2 being discussed, Cr Jones moved—“ That its consideration be deferred for a week.” Cr Ick seconded the motion, and regretted that the sanitary committee had.not brought up a report on this clause, as it involved an important question. Cr Bishop felt that, if the channelling asked for were done, it would be establishing a bad precedent, as Messrs Vincent and Co were paying in £3O for similar work being done some distance away from their premises. The motion was put and carried.

Or Jones would like to see the footpaths put in order before the wet weather sets in. more especially that one between High and Barbadoes streets.

(Jr Jones reported the recommendation of the works committee as to the footpath in front of Messrs Hargreaves’ premises in Cathedral square. Or Bishop moved “That this Council accepts all responsibility in the action H. M. Goodger v the Mayor, and instructs the city solicitor to take the necessary steps to defend the said action." In moving the resolution, he would like to ask the Mayor if he had acted under the advice of the city solicitor when he gave Goodger into custody. The Mayor said that Dr Foster was at his elbow at the time, and it was his (Dr Fosters) wish that several of the cabmen should he given into custody on that occasion. He (the Mayor) said he would rather not do so, and it would be sufficient to have one man arrested as a test case.

Cr Jones seconded the motion, which was put and carried unanimously. The Mayor thanked the Council for the unanimous vote passed by them. Several tenders were opened for carting broken metal and referred to the works committee for their acceptance, A letter was read from the Timaru Borough Council in reply, stating that the member of the Provincial Council for the town of Timaru, and the member for the South Canterbury district, had been requested to support any measure brought forward for obtaining increased endowments to municipalities. Messrs Vincent and Co’s letter offering to pay the proportion of the cost of channelling the footpath from their new brewery in Colombo street to the South town belt, was further considered.

Cr Gapes moved—“ That the work be carried out as requested by Messrs Vincent and Co.” Cr Jones seconded the motion.

Cr Bishop would like to see the channelling done from St Asaph street to the belt. Cr Ick felt that as the laud from St Asaph street to the brewery belonged to wealthy individuals, the Council should not go to the expense of forming the extra piece of channelling. Cr Gapes’s motion was put and agreed to. An application was received from Wm Verral, asking to put down a pipe drain across the footpath in St Asaph street. Referred to the surveyor. The following report from the byc-law committee was read ;

“ In compliance with the resolution passed on the Bth ult, the bye-law committee beg to hand in the following report with reference to Dr Foster’s draft bye-law regulating the speed of driving round the corners of streets. “ The draft has remained in abeyance for some months for reasons which are known to the Council.

“ When this matter was formerly before the committee, the opinion of its members was not unanimous as to the recommendation mentioned, and the addition which was made by the Council when the draft was placed before them, made the difference of opinion wider. This refers more particularly to that part of High street opposite the Bank of Australasia, where the streets run almost parallel with each other’, and is included in the draft for vehicles to travel only at a walking pace. The committee consider that this would give rise to constant disputes between the police and those riding and driving horses, and as such they cannot recommend its adoption, “ The committee think that, with these remarks, their duties, as implied in the resolution referred to, arc fulfilled; they nevertheless venture to presume that the Council will require further information for futuie action. They therefore suggest that the intended restrictions of compelling horses to be ridden or driven only at a walking pace, should apply exclusively to such streets which meet at right angles, and where there is considerable traffic, such as at the junction of Colombo and Cashel streets. This,',in the opinion of the committee, is the only place where, for the present, the restriction should apply. “ It should be compulsory for horses to go at a slow speed over the bridges, and at that part of Colombo street, near the Bank of New Zealand. “ The committee are aware that the term “ slow speed ”is not free from difficulty. It should be interpreted to mean not exceeding four miles an hour. If the Council anticipate serious embarrassment therefrom, the last-mentioned place and the bridges had better be omitted altogether for the present. “ For the guidance of drivers, any place mentioned in the bye-law would require a distinctive mark visible by day and by night, “Fire engines and mail carts should be exempt from the operation of the bye-law. “ E. B. Bishop, “ Chairman.” Cr Bishop moved —“ That the report be received and adopted.” The committee had felt that to compel persons to walk round all corners of streets would retard travelling more than was desirable. Cr Jones seconded the motion pro forma. He regretted that the committee had thought fit to bring up such a report. There was a great deal of reckless driving and riding going on in the city just now, and the citizens would look to them to be protected against this recklessness. Cr Ick expressed his very great disappoint ment that such a report had emanated from the committee. The matter had been thoroughly discussed twelve months ago in the Council. Accidents through reckless driving were occurring every day, and numbers of persons had spoken to him of the necessity for this bye-law being brought into force. If the recommendations contained in the report were to form the ground work of a bye-law, it would be unsatisfactory to the citizens. He would prefer that the report be returned to the committee for their re-consideration. The Mayor had an objection to any new bye-law being carried out under present circumstances. If in the meantime the police would exercise as much diligence as possible in preventing persons from driving round corners, there would be less probability of accidents occurring. Cr Bishop having replied, the motion “That the report be adopted” was put and lost. Cr Ick said he would be prepared to move a resolution bearing on this question on Monday next. The usual weekly report of the inspector of nuisances was read and approved. An application for a kerosene license from Thomas Lee, High street, was granted. The town clerk read a draft copy of an address to be presented to his Excellency, which was approved, and the town clerk was instructed to have it engrossed. The Council then adjourned.