CITY COUNCIL.

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 1072, 4 December 1877, Page 3

CITY COUNCIL.

Monday, Decehbeb 3

The ordinary fortnightly meeting was held in the Council Chambers. Present —His Worship the Mayor, Councillors Thomson (Mayor elect), Pratt, Euddenklau, Toomer, Bird, Briggs, Ick, and Bickerton. SYDENHAM BOEOUGH COUNCIL. The Council went into committee to consider a letter received from above Council on joint matters affecting the City and Borough. After some discussion the Council resumed. The Town as follows :—Eeceived for week ending November 24th— Account General Eate, 1877, £216 16s; Waimakariri do., £36 2s 8d ; rent of Market Place, 7s ; receipts from bath, £1 16s 3d ; local licenses, £1 15s; dog tax, 10s ; license fees, £2; total receipts, £259 6s lid. Eeceived for week ending December Ist: —Account General rate, 1877, £243 12s ; Waimakariri do., £4O 12s ; rent of Market Place, fa; receipts from bath, £1 16s 9d; account of Horatio street, £3 ; refund from Inspector of Machinery, £2; Foster's deposit, £45; Bourne's deposit, 8s; Bye-laws, 2s; dog tax, 10s; fines from B.M. Court, £5 5s ; total receipts for week, £342 12s 9d ; total for fortnight, £6Ol 19s Bd. Eeceived account Drainage Board for two weeks, £l9l 16s Si ; Dr. balance at Bank on general account, £253 9s 2d ; Drainage Loan account, Cr., £l9l 13s 8d; Drainage Eate account, Cr., £1960 1 Ls 8d ; bills, &c, paid and to be paid by works committee for fortnight, £404 Is 4d; payment to be made to Drainage Board, £149 12s Id. sukveyoe's bepobt. The City Surveyor reported—1. Tenders for the artesian to the new tank in Tuam street were sent in, and that from Mr Bourne was accepted. 2. Tenders for 5000 cubic yards of shingle were sent in, and the works committee accepted Mr J. Foster's tender. 3. The artesian well at the west end of Armagh street was driven 163 ft., and after that received 2000 blows with a heavy monkey without sinking any deeper, consequently the contractor has abandoned it, and commenced sinking a new well. 4. The Council's men are principally engaged forming the South belt, and constructing the new water tank in Tuam street.

C. Walkpen, City Surveyor. The report was approved as read. SWEEPING SIDE CHANNELS.

On Cr. Bird's motion being called on, of which he had given notice, for letting the sweeping of the side-channels by tender, Cr. Thomson apologised for Cr. Bird's absence, who had been compelled to leave for a little while. He would ask that the motion stand over.

The Mayor said that the sanitary committee had met that morning, and they found it impossible to take any action in sanitary matters under the present state of things. Cr. Bickerton spoke of the committee's position with reference to the new pans which they had endeavored to introduce. As this scheme -would have involved a large expenditure they had brought the difficulty of their position before the notice of the Council. Cr. Ick said that if the Drainage Board would undertake to assist the Council in obtaining the powers of the Local Board of Health for the city at next session of Parliament, he would be willing on his part that the Council should go on working until then as they had done hitherto. After further remarks it was decided to allow Cr. Bird's motion to be postponed until next meeting. COEKESPONDI^CE. A letter was read from Mr C. Elockton, C.E., saying that ho had promised Mrs Macfarlane (No. 532, N.E.T.R. block 3) to reduce her assessment to £lB, in lieu of £22, but had omitted to note it in the Court. Could the Council now make the reduction, as the matter was purely an oversight. The Council decided to allow the difference between the amounts named. A letter was read from Mr Q-. A. Buck, saying that as the Council had confirmed the resolution passed by the by-law committee relating to the numbering of the streets, he had now to ask the Council to grant him the necessary authority to carry out his method of numbering the streets in accordance with bylaw No. 2, clause 9. Cr. Bickerton moved—" That the request of Mr Buck to number be granted, and that he be left to make his own arrangements with the householders. That the city surveyor prepare a plan of the city, showing the numbers on each side of each block, placing the even numbers on the north and east sides of the streets respectively." Cr. Pratt seconded the resolution. Cr. Ick moved as an amendment —" That all the words after householders be struck out." The amendment was not seconded.

After a number of remarks fro. and con., the resolution was divided, and the first portion agreed to. The second portion, instructing the surveyor to prepare a plan, was then moved. Cr. Huddenklau would like this matter to remain in abeyance, as he understood that Mr Buck intended to draw out a plan himself of the city iu connection with a directory. Cr. Ick was astonished that any one should ask for the assistance of the surveyor in a case of this kind, whoso time was taken up with much more important matters. Cr. Briggs moved as an amendmont —"That in preparing bis plan Mr Buck bo requested to place the even numbers on tho north and east sides of tho streets, and, when prepared, to submit the plan to tho Council for thoirapproval." Cr. Ruddenklau seconded tho amendment. Cr. Bickerton obtained leave to withdraw his resolution, and the amendment having become the substantive motion was put and carried.

A letter was read from the Drainage Board acknowledging letter of 2Sth ult., enclosing account for miking the assessment of the <»ty, mi eayinj tixey gave no outborit.? to

their secretary to enter into any arrangements in regard thereto. The Board would submit that the fairest arrangement would be that when tho charges shall have been accurately ascertained, they be apportioned to the amount of rates levied.

The Mayor said that this amount had been estimated by the late finance committee, of which Mr Hobbs was chairman at tho time, and had approved of that sum. When the account was sent in to the Drainage Board it was returned for particulars, and when sent in again with items particularised Mr Hobbs then took it upon himself to say the accounts were cooked.

Cr. Briggs rose to a point of order. The Council as a body were not officially aware that this expression had been used with reference to (he accounts.

The Mayor said he should have stated that this expression of Mr Hobbs's had appeared in print. Cr. Ruddenklau asked if this estimate was shown on the minutes of the finance committee's meetings. If this were so, and Mr Hobbs was then chairman of that committee, he must have forgotten himself when making the remarks that had appeared in the papers. The Mayor said that Mr Turner and MiNathan—members of the finance committee at the time —had since been seen by the town clerk, and they considered that the estimate arranged at the time was a fair one. Crs. Thomson and Briggs would like to hear the correspondence from the beginning first read.

The Town Clerk read the correspondence. The first letter from the Board, in reply, consented to join the Council in the expense of assessing the city. Before he (MrHaskins) sent in the account for £IOO he saw Mr Hobbs, told him about the account, and, as he was a member of the Drainage Board, had requested him to come over to the office and see how he had arrived at the sum of £IOO. When the account was sent in for that sum it was returned, asking for the items, and as these were desired he made out the particulars of the cost, which he submitted to some of the members of the late finance committee, and they approved of the amount of each item charged. The amended account was then forwarded, showing the half of the cost to be greater than the original one sent in. Cr. Thomson thought this was a matter which could not be settled that evening, and he would move —■" That it be referred to a committee consisting of Crs. Ick, Pratt, Briggs, and the mover, to go into the whole question, and report." He (Cr. Thomson) remembered well that this sum of £IOO was merely an estimate. This estimate had been made in November of last year, and yet the account had not been sent in until October of the present year. The town clerk had committed an error of judgment in not submitting the account to the present Finance Committee before sending it in. They should not be rabid whenever the Drainage Board was mentioned, simply because there was some little feeling of difference between them, and he thought if the whole question were gone into by the committee named the matter of the assessment and the expense incurred thereby would be thoroughly sifted. The Mayor explained that as the late Finance Committee had estimated the expense to be shared by the Board, the Town Clerk did not think there was any necessity to lay the account before the present Finance Committee. Cr. Pratt seconded the motion.

Cr. Ick suggested that the question should be considered by the -whole Council at a special meeting. He did not think that the town clerk had'iutended to act discourteously in sending in the accounts. After further remarks, Cr. Thomson obtained permission to withdraw his resolution, on the understanding that it should come on for discussion at a special meeting of the Council to be held on Monday next. A lester was read from Inspector Broham, in reply, saying the police would be instructed to prevent persons from riding or driving over the footpaths lately asphalted. The letter was received with thanks, and the town clerk was instructed to bring under Mr Brohara's notice for submission to the Resident Magistrate, the email amount of the fines for those who have been convicted more than once for riding or driving over footpaths. The following telegrams and letters had received since last meeting, and attended to— W. S. Moorhouse (2), Hon. J. T. Peacock (3), Mayor of "Wellington, John Lears, Templeton Road Board, Craig and Alport, Hon. J. Hall, Collector of Customs, Avon Road Board, 0. Cooper, Halswell Road Board, J. B. Way, Town Clerk, Invercargill, A. Jardine. EAST BKLT BRIDGE. The Chairmen of the Sanitary, Finance, and Works Committees were appointed a committee to confer with representatives from the Avon and Heathcote Road Boards, with reference to the proposed bridge over the Avon. ASPHALTING. Cr. Briggs said it had been brought under his notice by the head-master of the Q-loucester street School that as the children would break up in about three weeks for their six weeks' vacation, it would be an excellent opportunity to have the footpath in front of the school asphalted, and thus prevent the children interfering with the work by going backwards and forwards as they would while the school was working. Mr Loughrey had also spoken of having the path asphalted the full width in front of the school. He (Cr. Briggs) had told him that the latter matter could easily be arranged if the school committee would pay the extra cost. Cr. Ick said they would be up to the school in about the time mentioned, and he would take a note of the suggestion, and if possible the committee would endeavor to have the work completed as 60on as possible. BABBADOES STBEET NOBTH. A petition was read signed by a number of residents in Barbadoes street north, asking that that street might be formed at once if only for sanitary reasons. Cr. Ruddenklau would move—" That the prayer of the petitioners be complied with." This was the only street in Christchurch which, he believed, was unformed, and he considered it was a slur on the Council to allow it to remain in its present state longer. He had intended when he entered the Council this time to tako some action about this street. Cr. Briggß had great pleasure in seconding the report and endorsed the remarks made by tho previous speaker as to its being n, disgrace to the Council to allow that street to rciuuin longer in its present state. The City Surveyor explained tho nature ol the work that would be required to make this job a permanent benefit. Cr. Pratt said that after the explanation of the surveyor, it would certainly entail a cost of from £7OO to £BOO to carry out this work successfully. Under these circumstances it Would be useless to patcU tao street up &t

present, and he thought it would be well tc let it stand over for next season, though b should like to see the work carried out as soo; as possible. The Mayor said that the surveyor was unde the impression that there was a basin in tha: street, which would increase the cost; but h (the Mayor) did not think there was any sucl basin. Cr. Ick said the question was really one o' want of funds, and he would move as av amendment—" That this work be included ii > the estimates of next year's works, and tha* the surveyor prepare a statement of the cosi of carrying it out in a permanent manner." Cr. Thomson seconded the amendment. In reply to Cr. Bickerton, the Surveyor said he thought he could perform some work there which would form part of the permanent improvement, and which would afford temporary relief. At the suggestion of Cr. Bickerton, Cr. Ick withdrew his amendment, and accepted one of Cr Bickorton's, requesting the surveyor to prepare plans which would afford temporary relief and form portion of the (permanent work to be carried out at a future date. The amendment was seconded, and on being put was declared to be carried. BATH COMMITTEE'S EEPOBT. The following report was brought up by the baths committee: Your committee beg to report that they have had the letting: of the Public Bath under consideration, but are unable at present to recommend any decided course to be adopted by the Council until they have seen a person who has written for information as to hiring it. Tho average takings per week from the bath have licen <£l Bs. Your committee have directed a letter to he sent to the Drainage Board to ascertain if it is their intention to divert the Antigua street drain to enable the Hospital to avoid draining into the river. Your committee have also directed a letter to be written to the Domain Board, pointing out that it would he desirable to restrain bathing in the river within restricted hours, as a Public Bath had been provided, and the river being a highway was used by boats carrying ladies and young children. James Gai>es, Chairman. The report was received and approved, and after some remarks, it was suggested to the committee that they should advertise the hours at which the baths were opened and the charge. PUBLIC FOUNTAINS. Cr. Pratt moved —" That the Council take the question of public fountains into consideration, more particularly the improvement of the one in front of the Bank of New Zealand, and Messrs Cobb and Co." Cr. Briggs seconded the resolution, and referred to the spread of temperance principles throughout the city, as showing the desirableness of increasing tho number of drinking fountains throughout Christchurch, and improving those at present in existence. Eventually it was resolved to refer the matter to the works committee to take a,ction if deemed advisable, the mover altering the word " Council " to "works committee" in tho resolution. REPORTS. The Council remitted the rates of two widows, recommended by the rate collector. The usual report of the inspector was read and approved. LICENSES. After considering a number of licenses the Council adjourned. NOTICE OP MOTION. Cr. Ruddenklau, to move at next sitting—- " That this Council are of opinion that their present offices are becoming unsuitable for carrying on the business of the city, and that it is desirable to take steps to erect municipal buildings. " That the recommendation of the City Surveyor, in his report of November sth, be acted upon, viz., advising the Council to procure a piece of land adjoining the railway for the purpose of a depot for street metal. " That a committee consisting of Crs. Thomson, Ick, Pratt, and the mover be appointed to report upon the above resolutions."