CITY COUNCIL.

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 919, 5 June 1877, Page 3

CITY COUNCIL.

Monday, June 4. The ordinary meeting was held at tin Council Chambers. Present —His Worship tire Mayor, and Crs. Turner, Ick, Hobbs. Hawkes, Bird, Nathan, and Thomson. The minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed.

Cr. Hobbs desired to make an explanation with reference to a report of some remarks that had appeared in one of the newspapers, wherein he was stated to have stopped a letter which the Council had resolved should be sent to its destination. The facts were that during the time he had been in the chair it had been the practice to ask his opinion of matters connected with the Council, and one day when met in the street the letter in question was submitted to him, and he had merely suggested that a# the desired action was being taken, possibly under the circumstances the Council might wish to withhold the letter for the present. He had intended to have stated this at the last meeting of the Council, but having a long sitting of the Drainage Board that day he had not remained during the whole meeting of the Council. During the two years he had occupied the chair he had made it his study, when advising in the intervals of the meetings, to do so in a manner which would accord with the wish of the Council, and he considered he was only doing himself justice in making this explanation. The Mayor reported that he had received links from Messrs Anderson, Jameson, and Sawtcll —■ their contribution towards the Mayor’s chain.

The Town Clerk reported as follows : Received for week ending 26th May—Account General rate, 1875, £4lss ; Waimakariri, do., 19s 2d ; general rate, 1876, £22 ; Waimakariri do, £3 13s 4d ; deposit (Knowles & Co.), £2 ; rent of market place, 7s; account of Horatio street, £2 ; licenses, £1; dog tax, £l2 10s; fines from R.M. Court, £3 15s; pawnbrokers’ license, £10; total receipts, £63 19s 6d. Received for week ending June 2nd—General rate, 1874, £2; Waimakariri do, 6s 8d; general rate, 1875, £2 7s; Waimakariri do, 7s lOd ; general rate, 1876, £23 18s; Waimakariri do, £3 19s 8d; rent of Market place, 7s ; account of Horatio street, £3 ; license, £1 ; rent of office from Board of Conservators, £lO ; publican’s license fee, 5s ; fines from R.M. Com*t, £6 10s ; dog tax, £7 10s; total receipts for week, £6l ; total receipts for fortnight, £125 10s Bd. Cr.—Balance on general account, £B3B 7s sd; drainage loan account, cr., £6BB 6s 6d; drainage rate account, cr., £3193 0s 6d ; bills, &c., paid and to lie paid on general account for fortnight, £543 0s 7d ; on drainage account, £384 13s 6d.

A letter was read from the Lyttelton Borough Council in reply to one suggesting a conference of delegates from the various municipalities to decide upon combined action as to deductions for charitable institutions, saying that Council were of opinion that it would be well in the first instance that delegates from the various municipalities in the Canterbury district should meet at Christchurch and enter into correspondence with those in other districts as to the action to be taken.

A letter was read in reply from the Wellington Borough Council on the same subject, saying that at a meeting held on the 29th May it was unanimously resolved by that Council to concur with the suggestion made. On the motion of Cr Turner, it was decided to take no further action on this question until the whole of the replies have been received.

A letter was read from the Local Board of Health, enclosing copy of recommendations from the Health officer (which have already appeared in print) as to the adoption of pans in the immediate vicinity of drains and creeks, and requesting that the Council will enforce the use of pans in such cases. The town clerk stated that this matter had been attended to by the city inspector. Cr Turner ivouid go a little further and move that the letters be referred to the sanitary committee with a request that they would see that not only was immediate action taken, but also that the whole recommendation was carried out under their supervision.

The motion was seconded and agreed to. The report of the Eire Brigade committee, held over from the previous meeting and published at the time, was again read. Cr. Hobbs, in the absence of the chairman of the committee, explained that it was intended to form the tanks of concrete, with wooden covers. He would move the adoption of this clause.

In reply to Cr. Ick, Cr. Hobbs stated that the design of the tanks had been prepared by Mr Walkden. Cr. Ick —I suppose under instructions.

Cr. Turner would oppose the putting a wooden cover on a tank in Colombo street, where there was such heavy traffic. It was, in his opinion, false economy to save a sum of £l5O to £2OO on a permanent tank which would have a wooden top, and through the breakage of a few planks the Council might be mulcted in serious damages. He did net intend to oppose the construction of such a tank and believed it to be necessary, but while desiring to prevent the expenditure of money for any unnecessary purpose, he yet considered that a work of such a permanent a nature should be so covered as to prevent the contingency of any accident. Cr. Ick, though very much in favor of a tank being constructed where suggested, quite endorsed the remarks that had fallen from Cr. Turner, and he hardly thought that the covering recommended in the plan woidd bear the weight of the road roller. Cr. Hobbs explained that by means of a longitudinal beam intended to be laid down the covering would bear any weight that might have to go over it. Had the Council all the details before them with the cost, considered as the committee had had, they would perhaps better understand why the committee had adopted the plan proposed. In reply to a question from Cr. Turner, the City Surveyor said the covering to this tank, though not as strong as a brick one, would be as strong for traffic as the ordinary bridges were.

Cr. Turner asked why a piece of private ground in the vicinity and away from traffic could not bo secured in which a tank might be sunk. Surely some of the private firms in the neighbourhood woidd only too gladly dispose of a piece of land for such a purpose, which would provide means for their own protection.

Cr Hawkcs thought the suggestion an excellent one, and would move “That the report be referred back to the Fire Brigade Committee with a desire that they should endeavour to find a site in the vicinity intended on which permission would be given to sink a tank.”

Cr Ick seconded the motion, which was agreed to. The City Surveyor reported as follows - 1. With regard to the Council’s resolution

respecting the drainage of Aldred’s paddock, I found that I could not do what was necessary without violating the Act; I am therefore endeavouring to obtain the consent of the landowners before I commence it.

2. Young’s land, that I was ordered to report on, I find will cost —Forming and shingling, <£s7 10s; channelling, £160; total, £217 10s. 3. The Council’s men are chiefly engaged in cleansing and repairing the roads and doing the work occasioned by the steam roller. Regarding Clause No. 1, the surveyor said the sanitary committee had visited the street named, and found it in a frightful state, quite unfit to live in. They had directed that immediate relief should be given to the residents, and a concrete channel laid down, but the surveyor had experienced a difficulty in at once taking the measures suggested. The surveyor explained that to drain the place effectually he would have had to remove some of the buildings, and this he could not do without permission from the owners. If he had cut the drains suggested by the committee, he would have had to go round from house to house in so zigzag a manner as to exhaust the very little fall there was to the side channels. The inspector had since informed him that he believed he could obtain all the names in the street to the work being properly carried out. The Mayor again referred to the scandalous state of the place, and regretted that some temporary relief had not been given the residents after the decided instructions from the committee.

Cr. Ick said that this had been done at one time. A drain had been cut, and the residents had afterwards actually filled it in again. This was another instance of the curse the city had experienced by people being allowed to form such streets, and sell land at an enormous profit. He could spot them all, and now they were unwilling to spend a single shilling to remedy an evil of their own creation. After further remarks, it was resolved, on the motion of Cr. Turner, seconded by Cr. Hobbs, “ That the surveyor’s action be approved.” The remaining clauses of the report were approved. The Mayor brought under the notice of the works committee, the state of some of the footpaths in the city. As a rule the footpaths were in fair condition for this time of the year, but some of them required a little shingle, Cr. Ick, as chairman of that committee, explained that they had been compelled to use some footpaths’ shingle they had on hand to bind the roads in connection with the working of the steam roller. The surveyor had been instructed to procure more of that kind of shingle, and it would shortly be to hand. An application was read from Mr R. Hyams, asking to be allowed to hang a few articles on the posts of the verandah fronting his premises in High street. Request declined. Reports from the rate collector and city inspector were read and approved. A number of licenses were granted, and others held over, after which the Council adjourned.