CITY COUNCIL.

Globe, Volume VI, Issue 660, 1 August 1876, Page 2

CITY COUNCIL.

Monday, July 31. The ordinary fortnightly meeting was held in the Council Chamber. Present—His Worship the Mayor and Crs Ick, Thomson, Turner, Hawkes, Bird, Jones, Gapes, and Schmidt. The Mayor said that, before the business of the Bitting commenced he would like to read a few notes he had made on a matter which was at present an all absorbing topic—" Observing that there exists a somewhat widespread feeling of dissatisfaction in regard to the present state of the streets and footpaths, I deem it to be my duty to make a few remarks respecting the same. No one I am sure feels more acutely than the members of the City Council generally, and the works committee in particular, the want of funds to enable us to combat with the severe frosts and drizzling rains we are usually subjected to at this season of the year, and which naturally cause the Council to be deluged with letters asking for relief. By referring to the city surveyor's report, it will be seen that a very large proportion of the revenue for this year has been spent in metalling tbe streets and shingling the footpaths, and still they cannot be put in anything like good condition to bear the heavy traffic during the winter months. Ratepayers who grumble (and all have the right to do so) should attach the blame to the proper parties, viz, the past Provincial Councils of Canterbury. While the province has been revelling in the wealth of a huge landed estate, the dwellers in the towns, always representing a third of the population of the province, have first been induced to become municipalities and take over the management of their own affairs, and then left out in the cold as regards endowments ; consequently they are all obliged to do the best they can with the amount they can raise by rate or any other amount they can by importunity obtain from the Provincial Councils. Any statesman would have considered this his duty—to apportion the proceeds of the public estate upon some fair principle of distribution, but such an idea does not appear to have ever been possessed by our provincial legislators and administrators. The income of the City Council from general rates is but about £7OOO per annum, which has to be applied to a variety of purposes. All Jhe money the Council has borrowed or received from the Drainage Board has been specially obtained for drainage purposes, and therefore cannot be otherwise expended. The difficulty however of keeping the streets in anything like decent condition duriDg winter is not singular to Christchurch, for I observe in a recent number of the Melbourne Argus that the corporation there, with its income of some £90,000 par annum cannot do so, and yet so far as my memory seryes me, Melbourne does not cover a much larger area than Christchurch. Citizens who " rush into print" to air their grievances, should bear in mind that there are in Christchurch some thirty miles of streets and sixty miles of footpaths, which the Council are expected to keep in good order, whereas the funds at their disposal are totally inadequate for onefourth of that amount. Several miles of the streets of Christchurch are main roads of the province, especially those leading to the railway station, for which we have no special vote. The Provincial Government like to shew a profit on their management of the railways, but they don't say anything about the cost of some three coats of me'al per annum on Madras and Manchester streets, which have to bear the bulk of the traffic whereby they make the said profit. In preparing " estimates of expenditure" and the requisite " ways and means " for the current year, the Council have been placed in a very awkward position. They had no positive information as to when the Abolition Bill would come into forcp, nor how much money they would be likely to receive under its provisions, and certainly could not forsee that the finances of the country would necessitate a departure from the previsions of clause 22 of the said Bill in which it is provided that the costs of hospitals and charitable institutions shall be borne by the consolidated fund. Under the proposals of the present Govei nment we are to receive £ for £ equal to the sum raised by general rate of Is in the £, say some £70)0, as well as the license fees, some £3OOO, but we ar.e now to be saddled with the maintenance of charitable aid and the hospital, with the promise of 5s for every £ raised by private subscriptions. At present there are abundant reasons for believing that the taking over the maintenance of these institutions will prove a " White Elephant," aud should such be the case, it leaves little or nothing but rates for the council to depend upon in the future. I have obtaiued from the surveyor an estimate of what it would cost to properly form the streetp, under three headings, viz : —l. For heavy traffic—Eight miles with a coatiag of three inches of broken metal on a foundation of large blocks of stone, at a cost of £2264 per mile, amounting to £18,112. 2. Moderately heavy traffic, eight miles of street with a coating of three inches of broken metal only, at a cost of £I9OO per mile; total, £15,200. No. 3 Ordinary traffic, sixteen miles of streets with a coating of shingle, at £IOOO per mile ; total £16,000. Footpaths—Sixty-four miles of asphalre, 4ft Oio. wide, less about three miles now laid, making sixty-one miles, at £3'i3 per mile £22,143 ; total for both roads and foo paths, £71,455. In order to carry out such a work, it would be necessary to borrow some £70,000, which would mean an additional rate of about eightpence in the £. The annual election of councillors will take place in about Bix weeks, when there will certainly be one vacancy to fill, and this will afford an excellent opportunity for those who condemn the present slate of things, to bring forward a candidate pkdgcd to have the etrets and footpaths put in thorough order at the aforesaid cost. Personally, much as I regret our inability to cope with these works, I still think we cannot r.fford to pay an additional eightpenuy rate, and therefore had better go on as At present,"

Or Hawkes said he was sure he was only fexpressing the general feeling of councillors when he thanked his Worship for the trouble he had taken in committing to writing the views they all held on the present state of the streets and footpaths—a state they very much regretted, but were unable, in their present position, to remedy. The Mayor desired to ask the Council whether they would object to the Drainage Board seeking to obtain the necessary authority from the Assembly over the water supply from artesian wells throughout the city. The engineer to the Board had estimated the waste of water here from that source to be about 240 gallons per head, or about ten times as much as was wasted by [ any other city with a similar population. He had brought the matter before the Council as a committee had been appointed by the Board, and it was desirable to Bend up the result arrived at to the Assembly this week if possible. After some remarks from Councillors, in which the necessity of some body having control over the present waste was admitted, it was decided to postpone this question until it has been brought before the Council in proper form and discussed, the ratepayers in the meantime having the opportunity of considering whether they would wish the Drainage Board to have such a p jwer in their hands. The town clerk reported as follows : Beceived for week ending July 22nd, account of general rate, 1875, £52 Is ; Waimakariri do, £8 13s 6d ; generalrate, 1876. £B4 16s ; Waimakariri do, £l4 2s 8d ; rent of Market Place, 7s ; fines from Resident Magistrate's Court, £6; sale of debris, £l3 18s 6d; Christchurch Drainage Board, £29 10s ; Government grant for Fire Brigade station, £SOO ; licenses, £4 ; total receipts for week, £713 8s Bd. Beceived for week ending July 29fch—general rate, 1875, £BS 9s; Waimakariri do, £l4 4s lOd; general rate. £166 7s ; Waimakariri do, £27 149 6d ; rent of Market Place, 7s ; fines from Resident Magistrate's Court, £lO 15s ; contribution to channelling, £2B Is ; Scott Brothers' purchase of old iron, £39 0s lOd ; total receipts for week, £371 18s 2d ; grand total for fortnight, £IOBS 4s lOd. Overdraft at Bank on general account, £4989 15s 6d ; drainage loan account—Or, £12,989 8s 9d; drainage rate account Cr, £I9BO 17s 8d ; wages and bil"s paid by works committee for week ending July 25th, £215 15s 5d ; to be paid for week ending Wednesday, August Ist, £295 16s lOd ; bills, &c, paid and to be paid on drainage loan account, £l5O 2s ; Fire Brigade, £166 19s lid ; salaries to Council officials, £7O 16s Bd. The report of the surveyor was read as follows : "1. In compliance with Cr Turner's resolution respecting bridges, I beg to report that hitherto the supervision of the bridges has been exercised by myself, with one or two exceptions, when not having time personally to see to them, I have sent the carpenter to do so. I have not thought it necessary to examine them oftener than once a month, although really they have been seen oftener, as I never pass over a bridge without giving it some scrutiny. In future I will make a point of examining them once a fortnight, and when anything connected with '.the bridges requires attention I will report it to the Council. Within the last two years I have condemned and pulled down as unsafe fifteen bridges, i. e., four over the river and eleven over the smaller watercourses in the city. These fifteen bridges have been replaced by new ones in seme instances, and in others by brick or wooden culverts. Manchester street bridge, which is not included in the above number, is now under repair, and I hope will again be open for traffic in a few days, The rept irs to this bridge will cost about £6O, and will render the bridge safe for two or perhaps three years longer ; but as decay has commenced all over the bridge, it is difficult to sav positively l"ow long it will stand. The principal cause of the decay to the part now being repaired is, that instead of the bridge having solid beams they are composed of three inch planks bolted together, and the wet getting in between the planks has caused them to rot. The seemingly long time this bridge has closed is owing to the following circumstances : In the first place the men could r,ot be fpared from other work to commence it, and in the next place T could not determine what the bridge required until the planking was taken off, and after this was done a couple of days' unavoidable delay took place in procuring the necessary timber. " 2. The means of egress from the Music Hall has been improved by an additional Staircase, 4ft wide, fiom the gallery. As far as regards the condition and strength of the material of which the building is composed, I consider it quite equal to the demand upon it, if the building is only to contain the number of persons for which it is designed. " 3. It will be necessary to repair the roof of the Resident Magistrate's Court, as the shingling is in a very rotten state. *• 4. Dr Frankish was lately thrown out of his buggy, in consequence of the unfinished state of Madras street. I would therefore beg to suggest to the Council the necessity o? stopping the channelling of the streets for two or three weeks, to enable me to follow UP the channelling with the consequent alteration of the footpaths and roads, more quickly. With the men I have at present I pannot do more than proceed with the earthwork as fast as the channelling, and as the channelling is now six miles in advance of the other work, there is no chance of my being able to overtake it unless the channel work is stopped for a time. " 5. The works committee have requested me to lay before the Council a statement of what had been done within the last six months, to render the roads and footpaths of the city in as good a condition as possible during the winter months—77so cubic yards of shingle have been brought into the city at a cost of £1937 ; 7000 cubic yards of broken metal have also been obtained, at a cost of £3500 ; carting and spreading the above, including picking up roads, £050; total, £6f 87. The amount of rates for this year is £7385, so that it will be seen that 5 6ths of the entire rates have already been expended on the above work. The whole of the above quantity has been spread on the streets, with the exception of about 300 cubic yards, which is retained in stock for repairs. Broken stone and shingle is still being brought into the city as fast as it can be obtained. At the commencement of the winter orders were given for the road scraper to be used as much as possible. This has been done whenever the weather and the state of the roads permitted ; the scraper was used freely laßt winter, but it was found that the remedy was as bad as the disease, as the mud collected by the scraper was often in such a liquid state that

it could not be carted away with the appliances at the Council's command, It is impossible to use the scraper on roads where shingle or metal has been lately spread, consequently the only means of cleaning that portion of the road which gets worn smooth first would be by hand, and Hi at would be a very expensive process. I must now repeat what I reported twelve months' back, namely, that there are no properly made roads in the city, they are mere tracks formed of vegetable soil with a sprinkling of Bhingle on the centre, and, consequently, unfit to carry the heavy traffic which they are now subjected to. Unless a great expense is incurred to put the roads in order, the present state of things will exist for years to come, as the vegetable soil is constantly rising through the shingle and broken stone and becomes mud, and until it is all exhausted, and its place supplied by shingle or stone, the roads will not be firm and hard.

" Signed—C. Walkden, " City Surveyor." Clause 1 of the report was approved. On clause 2 being read, Cr Hawkes said he had been in the Music Hall the other evening when this part of the building was crammed with people, whom he was sure would not have been able to get out with safety in case of fire. In his opinion egress should be provided at the end of the T, or western side. He would move—- " That the Music Hall Company be communicated with, informing them that the steps taken are not to the satisfaction of the Council; that the surveyor be instructed to confer with the company, who must provide sufficient egress to his satisfaction, viz— Doors and staircase on the west side of the building—sufficient time being given to carry out the work, and that in the event of this not being done, the license will be withdrawn." Cr Gapes seconded the motion, which was agreed to. Clause 3 of the report was referred to the works committee. In connection with clause 4, it was resolved ou the motion of Cr Hawkes—' 1 That the construction of the side channels be discontinued until such time as the formation of the footpaths has overtaken the channelling." Clause 5 was approved. At the request of Cr Hawkes, the works committee promised to give instructions for a more general use of hand scrapers on the city footpaths. Crs Gapes and Thomson referred to the nse the asphalte crossings were being put to by many persons, the latter councillor pointing to the disgraceful condition in which the contractors of the Theatre and new hotel in Gloucester street allowed the footpath there to remain—in, he might say, a perfect sea of mud, to the annoyance of foot passengers. The surveyor said he had observed this, and on Saturday had told the contractor that the wood must be taken out of the channelling, and the nuisance at once remedied. The report was then approved as a whole. A letter was read from the Secretary for Public Works, saying that a voucher for £SOO in aid of the erection of the Fire Brigade Station had been forwarded to the Treasury for payment. A letter was read from Mr J. P. Jameson on behalf of the Music Hall Company, saying he had received a note from the town clerk in reply, informing him that the wooden building erected in Cathedral square had been so with the sanction of the works committee. Mr Jameson desired to submit that the proximity of that building affected seriously the insurance of the Music Hall, adding greatly to the risk from fire. The bye-law had hitherto provided that outside walls should be substantial and of uninflammable materials. This had not been adhered to,' and in {addition added to this there was also the very great objection to the opening a bar for the supply of drink in that locality. Cr Ick, as chairman of the works committee, said that the Mayor and surveyor had seen no objection to a permit being given to Mr Beattie before his application was brought before the committee. Mr Beattie had promised that he would be responsible for any increased rate of insurance on the hall while his shed was allowed to remain where erected during the building of his hotel. . There could not have been any serious objection to its being permitted there, as the magistrate had granted the necessary authority for vending liquor. The Mayor explained that when he was asked whether he saw any objection to the shed being erected he said he did not. Mr Beattie had offered to meet the Council in every way they desired. Cr Hawkes-thought this complaint was a most frivolous and unnecessary one on the part of the Music Hall Company. It was decided to send a reply to Mr Jameson that the Council see no necessity for nterfering in this matter. A letter was read from the Commissioner of Police in reply, stating the action taken by the police with two hawkers who had obstructed Cathedral square, and which has already been made public. -In reply to Cr Turner, the town clerk said an official letter had been forwarded to Dr Foster, who had replied verbally. Cr Turner wanted a definite opinion before taking any action, which would fix the whole of the responsibility upon the city solicitor. The Mayor explained what he had verbally heard from Dr Foster bearing on this question, and said that he (Dr Fo3ter) had already taken certain action. Cr Hawkes must again remark that this was in his opinion one of the worst pieces of petty tyranny ever exercised by any body who happened to possess a little power, and the action was a disgrace to the Council. Cr Gapes wsuld endorse to the very letter every expression which had fallen from Cr Hawkes. The Mayor said he had simply followed up the wishes of the Council in the course he had taken. A letter was read from a widow with a large family, saying she had lately lost her eldest girl, and some of her oth<r children were laid up with sickness, and asking that her rates for the previous year might be remitted. She had been summoned for the amount.

The rate collector reported favorably, and his Worship explained that when the circumstauccs came to his knowledge, he delayed any action being taken until the matter had been brought bafore the Council. 0.1 the motion of Or Gapes, seconded by Or Schmidt, it was resolved to remit the year's rate asked for. A letter was read from Mr W. Bush, enclosing receipts for rates paid, saying there waß some mistake, and requesting the Council to consider the matter.

Consideration was adjourned for a fortnight, to make full enquiries as to any mistake in assessment.

A letter was read from T. Stout, saying that, when driving in Madras street, his cab went into a large hole ; several of the plates of his springs being broken, and enclosing account for same. Ordered to lie on the table. A letter was read from the manager of the Gas Company in reply, concerning the state of the public lamps in the city, informing the Council that the complaint should be rectified as soon as possible. Deemed to be satisfactory. Letters from the following persons had been received since the last sitting of the Council, and attended to by the works committee :—J. W. Tread well, H. E. Alport, Tillman and Ponsford, H. V. Gully, J. Meadows, Heathcote Road Board (2), Miles, Hassal, and Co, W. Ollivier and others; telegrams from town clerk, Napier, Registrar General (2), W. H. flargreaves, T. G. Vermall, Messrs Holt and Co, E. Johnson, A. Blakiston, J. Anthony, Peter Hill, Mrs A. Pepper, and H. Crooks. The following annual report of the Fire Brigade committee was read:— " Your committee desire to congratulate the Council on the small number of fires during the past year, viz, twenty; few only of which were of any magnitude—those of the City Hotel and other properties in the Triangle, and Bates' chair manufactory. " The Council will see from Mr Superintendent Harris's report to the committee that the plant, Sec, are in good order, and that he requests the purchase of 1000 ft of new hose. " The committee again call the Council's attention to the urgent necessity for s'eps being taken to obtain a proper supply of water for fire prevention purposes. " The committee recommend the Council to vote the following sums of money for the current year's expenses of the brigade, viz— Maintenance, £470; new hose, £7O ; total, £540. j

" The committee recommend that a cordial voto of thanks be passed by this Council to the officers? and members of the Fire Brigade and the officers and members of the Fire Police for their valuable services during the past year. "T. D. Jones, " Chairman of Fire Brigade Committee." "July 31st, 1876." The following is Mr Superintendent Harris' report:— " I have to report that the Brigade have attended fix fires, in buildings during the past quarter the one of heavy loss being Bates' chair factory. "The total number of firea for the year ending 20th July have been, buildings, 20 ; unnecessary alarms, 2 ; false alarms, 1 ; gorse fence, 1 ; chimneys, 2. Total, 26. The total of last year was fourteen, ten of which were in buildings. We have had more than one fire during the year at which water could not be obtained. This will require the Council's early attention. " W. Harris, " Superintendent; and " Chief Fire Inspector." Cr Bird hoped that the fire brigade committee would take the necessary measures to prevent a repetition of the ringing of the bells similar to that which took place the other evening on the occasion of the false alarm. The people who were rushing about the streets in all directions, believed from the continuous ringing, that half the town \i as on fire. Cr Jones said that the boys, whom he be lieved had rung the bell for the purpose of earning ss, had been summonsed. Both reports were adopted after one paragraph had been eliminated from that submitted by the committee, Cr Gapes moved —" That the triangular piece of roadway, on the west side of the Market place, be formed for the convenience of omnibuses and cabs." Cr Schmidt seconded the motion, which was agreed to as a temporary measure. The usual report of the inspector of nuisances was read.

On the motion of Or Thomson the license of the cabman, George Webber, who had beea convicted in the R.M. Court for disorderly conduct at a house of ill-fame, and referred to in the report, was cancelled. Or Hawkcs said that a gentleman had brought under his notice the practice of the changing of the night pans by the contractor's men, which might ba one cause of the spreading of fever. In this instance new pans had been specially obtained, which were soon afterwards found to have been replaced by others old and filthy. Or Gapes, as chairman of the sanitary committee, promised to make inquiries. Several licenses were granted, and others declined, after which the Council adjourned.