CITY COUNCIL.

Globe, Volume IX, Issue 1279, 25 April 1878, Page 2

CITY COUNCIL.

Wedxesdat, April 2i. The ordinary fortnightly meeting, postponed from Monday last, was held in the Council Chamber. Present —Crs. Ick, Ruddenklau, Bird, Toomer, Jameson, Pratt, Raiclift’e, uni Briggs. In the absence of his Worship the Mayor, the chair was taken by Cr Ick. OBJECTIONS TO ASSESSMENT. Cr. Ruddenklau said he would like to ask by whose authority the Government had been asked to validate the objections sent in by the Council. It appeared to him that a great dtui was done outside the Council. In the first place, the objections had been lodged without the Council being consulted, and he thought that whether blame or praise was ta i'c frr *b»b was done iu tke interests

of the ratepayers, any action taken should only be by direction of the Council. The Chairman replied that he was quite as much in the dark ns to who had given instructions as Cr. Ruddonklau, and was very much surprised when he saw the notice in the newspapers. Perhaps the town clerk could give them some information. The Town Clerk said he had forwarded the telegram to Wellington by instructions from the Mayor. Cr. Jameson said that what had been done in the matter had evidently been by direction of the Mayor. FINANCIAL. The Town Clerk reported as follows : Received for week ending April 13th, £226 19s ; for week ending April 20th, £9112s Id ; total receipts for fortnight, £3lB 11s Id. Dr, at Bank on general account, £795 6s ; drainage account, Cr., £952 7s 3d ; Bills, &c., paid on general account for fortnight, £1568 13s 9d ; on drainage account, £47 8s 4d. survevor’B report. The City Surveyor reported as follows : 1. The trees in Cathe ! ral square are_ all felled, and will be sold by auction on Fri lay next. I can do nothing more now to riie square until it is decid'd what shape it shall be. ( 2. The forming and channelling of 1 nrah’s lane. Baker’s 1 me, Martin street, and Walker stree* is m w being proceeded with. 3. The fir.-t twenty miles of the asphalte pavement is now laid, and as the contractor’s time, for laying that portion expires today he will now commence laying the second twenty miles. C. Walkden. On No. 1 paragraph of the report being read, Cr. Pratt said he would like to propose that, a terrace should be left all round the etat ue. Cr. Jameson suggested that the surveyor should peg off a portion of the ground round the statue, and it was decided after remarks to postpone further consideration of this matter until the next meeting of the Council, the Works Committee to then bring up a definite recommendation. The other clauses of the report were approved, the Council expressing satisfaction at the first portion of Smart’s contract having been completed in such good time. tenders. Three tenders were opened for thirty-six lanterns for new lamp posts, and on the motion of Cr. Bird, seconded by Cr. Briggs, that of Mr Samuel Hardley was accepted at I7s 6d per lamp. Six tenders were received for sweeping the aide channels outlie ci*y for one year, ranging from £750 to £1895 10s, In reply to Cr. Bird, the surveyor said the annual cost to the Council for this work had been between £llOO and £I2OO. Cr. Briggs moved—“ That tbe tender of Mr G. Eb-rt for £750 be accepted.” Cr. Toomer seconded the motion, which was agreed to. BUILDING BY-LAW. Mr S. C. Farr waited upon the Council to explain why buildings, which were being erected in Manchester and Tuam streets, at the back of tbe Borough Hotel, had been carried on in contravention of the by-law. At tbe time the first tenders were called the buildings were to be of concrete, and when it was decided to alter, the materials to wood and brick, he was under the impression, and bad so advised, that the position was not within the fire block. The building was in course of erection for about five weeks before he was aware that the by-law was being contravened. Crs. Ruddenklau, Briggs, and Pratt, though regretting any mistake should have been made, thought the provisions of the by-law should be strictly enforced. Cr. Briggs added that he would not feel he was doing his duty to the ratepayers if he consented to the erection of a wooden building in the heart of the city. He would move—“ That the request of Air Farr be declined, and the provisions of the existing by-law be complied with.” Cr. Toomer seconded the resolution, which was agreed to. In compliance with a request from Cr. Ruddenkku, it was understood that the surveyor should submit a list of applications for the erection of buildings received by him since the previous meeting. The surveyor mentioned that his attention bad been directed to an office which was being erected by Mr J. Anderson as a temporary convenience to carry on office business, in place of the premises lately burnt down. He understood that the Cashel street frontage would shortly be closed to the foundry, and substantial shops erected thereon. After some discussion the surveyor was instructed to see that the provisions of the by-law were complied with. MEETINGS OF COUNCIL. Cr. Ick having vacated the chair moved the following motion, of which he had given notice —‘f That the resolution bearing date October Bth, 1877, making the hour of meeting of this Council seven o’clock be rescinded, and in lieu thereof the following be substituted —‘That during tbe winter months—say from the first of Alay till the first of November—the regular hour of meeting of this Council be five o’clock p.m.’ ” In his remarks the mover said that for the convenience of Councillors, and for the sake of getting through tbe business at a reasonable hour be trusted the motion would be carried. Cr. Pratt seconded the motion. After some discussioh, the resolu'ion was put and lost. Crs. Ick, Radcliffe, and Pratt voting for, and Crs. Briggs, Ruddenklau, Toomer, and Jameson against it. correspondence. A letter was read from the Colonial Secretary’s office, in reply, forwarding “ Gazette ” containing an order validating the objections made on behalf of the Council to certain valuations in the borough. A telegram was read from the Undersecretary saving the building by-law had been received. A letter was read from Mr N. Green, saying he had leased a shop in Gloucester street for four months, on which he desired to place a roof. The city surveyor had told him that it would be necessary for him to erect a new brick wall before doing so, and he asked pi rmission to be allowed to utilise the old brick wall at present standing. The city surveyor was instructed to carry out tbe provisions of the by-law. A letter was read from George Read, applying for permission to erect a pea-shooting gallery on the site of the old fire brigade station.

It was decided to decline the request. A letter was read from the secretary of the Eastern Football Club, applying for permission to use tbe north end of Latimer Square during the coming football season. Application declined. A letter was read from Dr. Foster, saying Mr Mellish bad appointed Friday, 261 h inst., at 11 a.m., for the next sitting of th§ Assessment Court, when the objections lodged by the Council would be heard. Mr J. Goss wrote for permission to erect a boarding in Gloucester street, adjoining Mr Hiorns’ Hotel. Permission granted. A letter was rend from John Foster, asking the Council to re-consider his contract for shingling, and grant him a return of the fines for being over his contract time. The Council resolved to decline the request. VATEB SUPPLY TO CHEIBTGHUECH.

By a resolution of the Council the following letter was reud : Christchurch, April 23rd, 1878. To his Worship the Mayor, and the members of the City Council. Gentlemen,—in Mr Clark’s report on the plans for the water supply of C hristchurch, he states that they have failed to comply with the conditions of the competition as regards quantity and pressure. Mr Clerk says , “The heigh', of the column of water which will furn'sh 111'4 cubic feet per minute, and a jet 100 ft. high, is 140 ft , or 4 ft. of pressure is required to overcome the friction of tr e water in passing the water through the small nozzles of the Fire Brigade, “ The w ter must be taken at a height in the river as at A in the diagram, which shall be suffide t to force the water through _ a pipe of sufficient size to furnish 11I'4 cubic feet per minute at the top of the column BC, 140 ft. high, at Cathedral square, and in calculating the size of the pipe, the inclination taken into calculation must be the line aC, and not AB, as appears to have been done in every case. A Vi* fnch pipe, as proposed in several of the schemes, would discharge somewhat more than the lU'4 •aUiMpr wwtett S i* to m »»

open ciul and no pressure was required. By my calculation, the nearest point on the river where the requisite elevation can bo obtained is eleven miles from Ch Istchurch ; the elevation is there 190 ft., and the inclination obtained there is sufficient to collect the water from the river an 1 discharge it through a pipe loin, in diameter at the elevation of 140 ft. /. ccording to this calculation, there is not one of the schemes which will comply with this condition as to quantity and pressure from the Waimakariri us a source of supply.” .Now, Mr Clark, from the above statement, would make it appear that the competitor* have been mistaken in their calculations As regards my own calculation I have, I maintain made no such mistake, but ! must admit that either Mr Clark or myself have made a mistake as to the reading of the conditions attached to the water supply competition by the City Council. And 1 think it is Mr ■ lark who has misread these conditions, for this reason : at the commencement of his report he quotes verbatim the c (editions of the City Council as advertised regarding the supply ami pressure, but a little lower down ho condenses them as follows :— ‘‘ Briefly stated the-ie are—that one million gallons per day, suitable for dome-tic purpose *,shall be supplied at a pres.-ure capable of giving a jet of 100 ft. high in the centre of the city.” Tnero can be no misapprehension as to Mr Clark’s meaning but his version of the conditions is, I wish to point out, a different one to that issued by tKe Council. As the Counci puts the conditions, I cannot re >.d them to m-au that if the whole of the water were drawn off as fist as it entered the pipes it should be capable ol throwing water 100 ft. high, but that under pressure it should bo capable of throwing a jet the required h> ight. So you will s e that Mr CLrk has altered the wording of the conditions, which enables him to say that we are deficient both in quantity and pressure. As a competitor, I do mt think it would bo good taste in me to criticise any of the competing scheme-, but wnh Mr t lark 1 feel no such restraint, and the more so b cause bis scheme seems to directly compete with mine so far as natural filtration, supply, and force are concerned When speaking of my scheme, he says : —“ In one scheme an ingenious propos 1 is made to obtain the water from cylinder.* sunk in an island in the river bed. ’ Mr CLrk then proceeds to say that the filtration is limited to the sectional area of the cylinders, which is an cx-pen-ive arrangement, as a great number of cylinders would oe required. N w before I decided on having nine (9) cylinders as proposed, I ascertained from arimi experiment the rate at which water would ri*e through an artesian well, bore, tapped lift below the greatest height at which it would flow. I found the discharge to be between ten and eleven gallons p,r minute, that is to *ay seventy pipes lsiu. bor > would supp y something mure than the million gallons required. Bat the sectional area of , no 36in. cylinder would i><equ J to the united sectional are is ■ f 578 artesian l£in. pipes and if the wat r entered the larger cylinders in the Waimakariri at the same rate as it enters the ordinary arte-ian pipes, one cylinder would bo far more than sufficient to deliver the required quantity. But it is quite certain taatthe rate of ingress per square inch of sectional area would be much less in the larger cylinder than in the smaller pipe. There is, so far as I know, no rule by which the difference cou’d be calculated. I believe that the number of cylinders (9) I have named is considerably more than need be used. Th s question might, however, be ea-ily solved if it should be thought worth while to solve it by sinki g one of them to the depth 1 have mentioned, and as f have already proposed and as Mr Clark al o proposes, wi h re.-pect to the trench to which reference will be made hereafter, pumping it out and so ascertain the rate at whi h the water comes into it. Mr Clark observes “ at various periods of time the Waimakariri river has occupied different pos tions over tbe entire i lain and has brought down the pebbles and sand with which its present b d is strewn, and which extend over the plain under the surface mould. 'J he stream as represented by what is visible, is but a small part of the entire quantity, a large portion passi g through the sningle and sand, not only in the bed of the river hut more or less in the plain through which it flows. If a trench be cut in the plain of a sufficient depth below the surface of the stream, and narall 1 to its c. urse, the water will collect therein and be naturally filtered ; and if the trench so dug be continued with the fall of the plain, 20 to 28ft. per mile. a_ stream of naturally filtered water will bo obtained, which can be carried by a 15in. pipe to Christchurch and bo delivered with the required pressure, if it commences eleven miles from the city. I am unable to say what would he the length of such a trench to collect 111.4 cubic feet per minute, but I have assumed that half a m le is amply sufficient, but, if not, it can be extended to any required length. An implement has lately been invented —Messrs Bruce and Bathos’s excavator—by which pebbles, gravel, sand, can be readily and cheaply excavated under water. If this be done to a depth of 3ft. or 4ft. below the water level, and stoneware pipes with open joints be laid in the trench, covered with fine shingle, the entrance of sand will be prevented, and the water collected will he free from all vegetable and suspended impurities. The excavation of such a trench 12ft. to 15ft. deep, with the requi-ite land, I estimate will cost about about .£3300, or much less than the filter of ordinary con-traction, for one million gallons per day, with spare area; while the necessity for any dams or reservoirs or interference with the river will be avoided.” Now it will be seen from the above quotation that Mr Clark has gone about one mile higher up the river than I have, to gain a greater pressure, and has adopted a catch water trench outside the river bank to collect his supply of water iu preference to uring cylinders as adopted iu my scheme. Mr Clark proposes to take his supply of water from a point on the hank or the Waimakariri eleven miles from Christ hurch and at ahe ght of 196 ft. above high water mark, or 18-ft. above the centre of the city. He is quite correct as to the river being 196 ft. above high water mark, eleven mil s from Christchurch, and also as to that spot being 182 ft. above the centre of the ci y; be is al o right when he s ys if the trench so dug be ro itinued with the fall of the plains, 20lt. to 28ft. per mile, a stream of naturally filtered wat j r will be obtained. He is riyht so long as his trench runs parallel with the river, hut not if the trench were cut at right angles with the river. I don’t think that Mr Clark would attempt to construct his works within a qu -rter of a mile from the river, if so, he must allow for the water falling as it runs, or filters, through the shingle at right angles from the river to the trench. It will be seen by my last quotation that Mr Clark considers that his trench will require to be dug about 15ft. deep, and so far I believe he is right, but he omi‘s to deduct this 15fe from 182 ft. that he requires for pressure. But this 1 consider is oily an oversight, and I will not dwell upon it, as it does not alter the principle of hi* scheme. He will only have to go a little higher up the stream to get the required height. But there is another difficulty that Mr Clark has overlooked, probably from the absence of lo al knowledge, and that is when the whole of the river runs under the north bank, as I have known it do several times in winter within the last twenty-five years particularly at the times when a great portion of the riycr pan down what i* known as the “north branch” of the Waimakariri, Mr Clark’s cat h-water trench would be at least one and a half miles from the stream, and before ihe water could filter through the gravel that distance at right angles from the stream it would be at the least 20ft. below the bottom of the trench. I venture to suggest that if Mr Clark had been aware of the difficulty now referred to with respect to the trench, he would not have recommended it in preference to my proposal on _ the score of cheapness. I have intentionally avoided proposing to construct any works near the bank of the river, the safety of which won d be dependent upon the stability of the bank. My last objection to Mr Clark’s scheme is its filtration. He depends for his supply of water upon the surface water of the river, at least upon ihe upper stratum not exceeding 3ft. or 4ft. in depth. That in time of freshes comes down loaded with mud, and I greatly question if it would be thoroughly filtered. I also very much question if fine sand would not find its way into the earthenware pipes that he proposes to lay longitudinally in the trench ; if so it would ho necessary to have a second trench to me while the other is being cleaned. Briefly stated, the difference between Mr Clark’s scheme and mine is—First, Mr Clark roads the conditions to nr an that a larger supply of water is require'! with a greater pressure, so he gives a 15in. main where I propose a!2in. man, and, to gain a great r pressure than I have given, he goes higher up the river. Mr Clark gets his supply from a trench cut outside the liver that can only draw its supply from the surface river water, while I prop"so to draw mine from a current running 25ft hriow the surface of the river. In winter, when t ie river is low and tbe stream might happen to shift under the north hank, I might lose 3ft. or 4ft. of water in my cylinders, and the only effect or this would be 3it. or 4ft. less pressuie, while it Mr Clark lost 3ft, or 4ft of water hi supply trench would run dry altogether; bat as my fujruly is derived from the centre of the river bed (proper) 2nd Mr Clara’s trench is outside the riwj wbe» tfce tiim vm

on the north sido the tr-mch will be rnn dry before the water in my cylinders would be perceptibly affected. I have the honor to be, Gentlemen, Your obedient Servant, SIONA NEORA.

The Chairman and Cr. Pratt thought a committee should be appointed to report, from time to time on this question, and that the whole matter of raising the necessary funds should be remitted to the ratepayers. Cr. Jameson gave notice that lie would move at next meeting—“ That all documents and correspondence connected with the proposed water supply for Christchurch be referred to a sub committee of tbe Council for classification, and with a view to report from lime to time on the information gathered, such committee to consist of .” inspector’s report. The usual report of the city inspector was read and approved. Cr. Briggs brought under the notice of the Council a nuisance from a boiling-down establishment at the rear of Mr Seabright’s premises, the Zetland Arms. Not only was it an intolerable nuisance, from the smell and smoke, but there was also great danger from the sparks which issued from the establishment complained of. 'The Town Clerk said the inspector had visited the premises, and had served a notice on the owner. Some alterations had been made since then, but they w-re not considered sa'isfactorv, and would have to he altered. THLKGRAPII FROM FIRE BRIGADE STATIONS. In reply to Cr. Bird, the i’own Clerk said that the Mayor purposed bringing the matter of connecting the fire brigade stations with the Government buildings before the Government during his stay at Wellington. AN EASTERN PARK. Cr Jameson sud he merely wished to open a question which he hid seen ventilated in the papers, viz , acquiring land in the eastern portion of Christchurch for a park. The opportunity of obtaining such a reserve would soon be lost if action were not taken quickly. He merely male these remarks as a preliminary step. CORPORATION RESERVE, Rough conditions for leasing the Corporation reserve were approved, and the Town Clerk was instructed to advertise them.

After considering several applications for licenses, the Council adjourned.