CITY COUNCIL.

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 839, 2 March 1877, Page 2

CITY COUNCIL.

TIJUBSDAY,

The adjourned ordinary fortnightly meeting of the Council waa held yesterday at the usual hour, Present—Hia Worship tjrp Mayor, and Os Jones, Ick, Nathan, Turner, Hobbs, Bud, and Thomson. Theminuie : of the previous meeting were read end confirmed. Or Hobls moved—•' That the town clerk be instructed (o confer with the city valuers cud obtain a list f.om them of those objections lothe valuation lists which they arc prepared to allow; and, subject to the approval of the judge of the Assessment Court, adveitisj the same for general information.” Or Jones seconded the motion, which was agreed to. The town clerk reported as follows:—Received for week ending Feb i a:/ 17th —On r■ count of general rate, 1876, £352; W*>imaka.M do, .£l2 ; fines from K. M; Court, £4 ss; rent of Ma"ket Place, 7s ; receipts from bath, 16a 6d ; licences, £5 10s; dog licenses, £26 10s ; total receipts for week, £331 8s 6d. Received for week ending B'ebruary 24th—General rate, 1676, £ISB 18s ; Waimakaiiri do, £33 6s 4d ; fines froth B. M. Court, £2; rent of Marketplace, 76; receipts from bath, £4 4s; bjelaw, Is; licenses (dogs), 16 ; general, £lO IQs; total receipts for week, £2fi6 6s 4d ; grand total for fortnight, £597 14s IQd, Drainage loan account, Or, £879 18s 101 ; general account, Or, £4738 2s 5.1 ; drainage late account, Or, £3189 9 i (id ; wages, paid and to be paid on general account, £1853 I Is 6d ; on drainage loan account, £298 12s 21. Cr Ick said he desired to refer to cue An important report from th* finance committee had been read at the last meeting of the Council, explaining why they had been called upon to pay the extra amourf oo i. f»B« .• urn«•»!*■ of rh« city

had heard this matter talked about generally, and as he considered the committee deserved the greatest credit for the man: f v in which they had grasped the cause, hef- h j : ‘, ' document should have been printed in >-uo<.u of the proceedings. Cr Jones fully endorsed the rcm„ its or Cr Ick, and thought the report should have been published for the information oe the ratepayers. . Cr Turner spoke in the same view, after which it was decided to hand tne reporters a copy of the report for publication The following is the document alluded to Report of Finance Committee, n x. Your committee report that they have carefully considered the claim made by Messrs 0, Flocton and Co for the sum of £2O for additional work in collecting information connected with valuation roll, and recommend that the amount be paid.^ “ 2. They think more diligence might have been exercised by Messrs Pearce and Tribe in collecting the necessary information for the valuers, in which case the above claim would not have arisen. “3. They consider it to be the duly of all officers of the Council to devote the whole of their time daring office hours to the bueiness of the Council, and any outside appointments should be in no case allowed, provided any of the work belonging to such appointment has to be done during the day. “ 4. A return of the names of defaulters who have not paid their rates for 1876 has been prepared and laid on the table, “ Instructions have been already given to summons for all balances in arrear. “ f>. Your committee beg to recommend the appointment of Messrs David Craig and B, 0. J. Stevens as sinking fund commissioners under clause 161 M. C. Act, 1876. These gentlemen have agreed to act. “ F. Hobbs, Chairman “ February 19th, 1877." Tha city surveyor reported as follows; “I. That the 15 ton road roller, which was ordered from England some time ago, is expected to arrive in Lyttelton in the course of a week or two. “ 2. The channelling of the East belt is now laid. Culverts of a temporary nature in connection with it are being laid in to answer present requirements, which culverts will be removed when the Fast belt sewer is constructed. “3. The roadway of Hereford street west and Peterborough street west are being lowered to suit the channels.’’ The report was approved. A letter was read from the Heathcote Road Board in compliance with a letter received by that body from the residents on the east side of the East town belt, requesting that the roadway and footpath in front of their premises, extending from Gloucester street to Hereford street, maybe formed, and saying the Board will pay their customary proportion of the cost of the work. In connection with this letter one was read from Mr W. E. Smith, Madras street, requesting that the ditch might be filled in and the footpath formed in front of his property on the Gasworks road. After remarks, Cr Jones moved—“ That the work be done on the Board paying in the usual contributiou.” Cr Hobbs seconded the resolution.

Cr Turner moved, as an amendment — “ That the clerk lay on the table copies of nil reso'utions adopted affecting the propor lion to be paid by the Council for works on the town belts adjoining the Road Board districts.”

Cr Nathan seconded the resolution, which was ca*ried.

T\yo letters were read from Mr Chudley, Manchester street east, drawing attention to water flowing into his premises from Salisbury street. On the motion of Cr Nathan, seconded by Cr Thomson, the surveyor was instructed to prepare an estimate of the cost of forming the unformed portion of Salisbury street. A letter was read from the Drainage Board, expressing thanks for the Council's offer to collect the rates for the current year at 5 per cent.

A letter wss read from the Local Board of Health, calling attention to the state of a private street off Durham street. The Mayor referred to the condition of this street, and hoped that on the question of health alone the Council would take the matter up of private streets, and exercise the powers they possessed in the direction of having this nuisance throughout the city remedied.

Cr Turner referred to the very great risk that owaeis of property ran by forming private streets without conforming to the_ requirements of the Municipal Corporations Act. On bne occassion where an application referring to the formation of a private street had been sent in, when the intended action of the Council became known the result' was that tho original owner of the land at once sent in a cheque fur its formation and drainage, which possibly saved him frpm the penalties he had incurred. He woujd move—“ That the surveyor be requested to' report on all existing private Streets laid out within the city, specifying those that had been laid out after the np.ticea required by tho Apt.” Qr Nathan seconded the resolution ,which rvas agreed to. A letter was read from Mr J. B, Grcsson, in reply as to the cost of forming and draining a right of way between Madras and Barbadoes streets, and requesting the Council to grant an interview to several of the residents in the vicinity with reference thereto.

After discussion, the letter was referred to the works committee, with power to act. A letter was read, signed by a number of residents in Horatio street, proposing the payment of £1 per month on each section in return for cost of forming and draining that street.

■ i Referred to the finance committee. The Secretary to the Treasury, Wellington', wrote forwarding description of account approved by his Excellency as the form in which the general account of the borough ebbuTd be drawn out, as defined in subnotion 1 of the section’ of the Municipal Corporations Act, 1870. ' A letter was read from the Colonial Secreofilcc, in reply to an application for qqqO acres of rural land as’ an endowment in aid of the city funds, saying the Government would talre steps, to have 2000 acres reserved mi nested, sud accept the selection pf t’-ie Council, provided the land was situated within the Provincial district of Canterbury. After discussion, 1c was resolved, on the motion of Or Turner—" That the selection of the land be referred to a committee, to coneiefc of the Mayor, Crs Hobbs and Ick ” It was understood that the committee should have the power to employ experts if found iu Oe ueo^aary,

A letter was read from the Lyttelton Borough Council wit!) refer- nee to an endov.un ;i>t of 'aid for Cn.it borough, and its se! com in r mnrctiou w Uh that of the city. T. e 'orn i-’- C: rn i :structed to reply Ikrr •ho t.’o.i -nil h;uo n•> land in view at

preb ,it, and to employ an expert to choose laud, A letter was read from Mr E. C, J. Stevens in reply, expressing satisfaction at the Council having appointed him one of the sinking fund commissioners under the Mauicipal Corporations Act, 1876. ■ A letter was read in reply from the Assistant Under-Secretary, Wellington, expressing regret that the Government could not undertake to place a sum on the estimates towards the maintenance of the Christchurch Fire Brigade. A letter was read from the secretary to the Gas Company, saying the company were willing to contract for lighting the city gas lamps for one, r.wo or three years, at £7 15i each per annum for the small lamps, and £9 for the large ones. Cr Ick said that he had noticed, particularly after the fire at Mr Bishop’s which occurred last week, that the gas lamps wore put out just at the hour of night when they were most required. Lat erly, he had been spoken to of this by several persons, and it was well known that most of the fires in the city, and robberies took place between the hours of 12 and 3 of the morning, He would like that the lighting committee should take this matter into their earliest consideration, in view of the approaching winter.

It was resolved to refer the letter to the lighting committee. On the motion of Or Nathan, seconded by Cr Turner, it was resolved to call a special meeting of the Council for Tuesday next, at 4 to consider the specifications prepared by the surveyor of the asphalting of the city. An interim report from the bye-law committee, with suggestions to the solicitor for framing hackney carriage aud borough stage bye-laws, was ordered to be laid on the table for general information. Forty-one applications received for the position of borough inspector were opened, and after consideration Mr Frank Hobbs was elected to the office. The Council then adjourned.