BOROUGH COUNCILS.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1420, 3 September 1878, Page 3

BOROUGH COUNCILS.

SYDENHAM. A special mooting of tho Sydenham Borough Council was held last night. Present—His Worship tho Mayor (in tho chair), Councillors Charters, Brown, Whitelaw, Buxton, and Yonnal, at which tho resolution passed at a previous meeting to make tho roadway between Selwyn street and Windmill road public, was confirmed. r Tho usual ordinary meeting of tho Council was then held. Present Tho members Already named, and Councillors Langdown, Jones, and Scott. u The minutes of the last special and ordinary meetings were read and confirmed. /COURSE OP BUSINESS. The notices of motion were taken first, on tho motion of Crs. Charters and Brown. OMITTED MINUTES. Cr. Whitelaw moved— '* That tho resolution passed at a special meeting of the Council in July, on tho subject of loans, and the minutes of that meeting, ho inserted in the miruto-book.” He explained that tho minutes had been accidentally omitted. Tho motion was duly seconded and agreed faEAKAIA RAIJVWAT. Cr. Charters moved, “That it bean instruction to his W or phjp the Mayor to vote for tho priginal lino of railway from Eakuia to Malvern.” Cr. Buxton seconded tho mot ion. Cr. Whitelaw opposed it. Another lino for the same district had been projected, and to his mind was preferable to the first one. Though it was true that the first would go through tho borough property, and the second would not come nearer than a mile and a half to the said property, he believed that the value of tho borough land would be more enhanced by the second than by tho first. The speaker advanced oilier reasons for opposing the motion. " Cr. Langdown also opposed Cr. Ciiarlers’s proposal. The Mayor hud examined the plan, anil believed the distance of tho second line from the borough land would be at least twice (Be distance mentioned by Ct. Whitelaw,, A liuo

running through the middle of the district must bo preferable to one at such a distance. Ho would support the motion. Cr. Charters, in reply, said it was a question between the Union Bank and the Bank of New Zealand.

The motion was carried by 5 to 3. ATTENDANCE OF MEMBERS.

The Mayor said ho had drawn up a statement of the attendance of councillors, from this it appeared that the number of meetings had been 23, of which the Mayor had attended 23, Cr. Jones 23, Cr, Yenual 22, Cr. Whitelaw 21, Cr. Charters 21. Cr. Hall 20, Cr. Brown 19, Cr. Buxton 16, Cr. Scott 15, Cr. Langdown 13. MB TREADWELL’S LAND. The following letter was read ; To the Mayor and Councillors of Sydenham Borough Council. Sir and Gentlemen —In reply to your favor of the 24th inst., I have the pleasure to inform you that the road called Hyde Gardens was surveyed and laid off by mo, long prior to the year 1872, and the first house fronting on it was built for me by contract by Mr Wood (since dead), it is the threo-roomed cottage still there. I was often solicited to sell, but refused, as I always intended that the land should bo mine till it became part of the metropolis, I then built other four houses in 1873 still on the same roadway, per plan, and planted quick fences and fruit trees in 1875, defining all the boundaries as before laid down. The road has been used by butchers and carters all those years, as the countless tenants can prove. Whoa at last I wished to bring the land under the Transfer Act, I got Mr Flocktou to peg the sections as already fenced, and thus the deposit plan was made and deposited at the buildings. You will thus see that there is every proof requisite. I hold the plan made by me, and there were three important conditions inserted in the conditions of sale—l. That all rates and taxei were to be paid by the purchasers. 2. That no expense or liability was to bo on me in respect to the road. 3. That tho purchasers were to fence at once, and that I was not to ho called upon to contribute in any shape or form. Out of my large Christchurch estates I also sold a few sections, and tho City Council of Christchurch took over tho names of the purchasers, and collect the rates from them, and I hope your honorable Council will do tho same, as the properties were all transferred out of my name before your rate ivas even struck by you. Also, up to this time, I have received no notice of rates. It would bo merely a piece of redtape to send notices to me to cause me to collect them for you, leading also to “ words ’ ’ instead of “ deeds.” A Council that has so greatly distinguished itself ou the reform side will surely reform its burgess roll to make it accord with fact.

I have, &c., J. Tkeadwell. Tho Clerk reported that a plan of Mr Treadwell's property had been deposited in in tho land office on the 25th January, 1878. Cr, Charters moved—“ That Mr Treadwell bo requested to produce tho sale plan referred to in his letter.” Cr. Whitelaw moved an amendment to tho effect that Mr Treadwell bo requested to refer tho Council to any conveyance of the land in question showing or referring to tho road alluded to. The amendment was carried. BY-LAW, NO. 1. A letter from the Colonial Secretary’s office, acknowledging receipt of by-law No. 1 was read. Tho Clerk said that this was the last step necessary for legalising the by-law. HON. J. T. EIBUEE. A letter from tho Hon, Mr Fisher was road. It acknowledged receipt of vote of thanks from tho Council for assistance rendered to Councillor Charters when in Wellington, and informed the Council that section 30,494 (345 acres), had been reserved for tho Borough. It also advised tho Council to select some more land, and forward tho particulars to tho Minister of Lands, who, if the selection was approved of, would send the necessary instructions to Mr Marshman. It was resolved to act upon the advice of Mr Fisher, and that a deputation of the Council should wait upon the Minister of Lands when visiting Christchurch this week. BOAD METAL DEPOT, The Council then considered the matter of the sale of the land used by the Christchurch City Council as a metal depot, without any reservation of the roadway between the Windmill road and Selwyn street. The Clerk read the correspondence which had taken place, and which had terminated in tho whole of the papers being sent to Mr Fisher, from whom tho following telegram had been received : Your letter with papers received yesterday. Have conferred with the Hon. the Minister for Land and Public Works, and can assure you the matter will have the attention its importance demands. Cr. Whitelaw had noticed a tone of defiance in the remarks made by tho chairman of the Grain and Produce Company on the matter under discussion. He (Cr. Whitelaw) would move—“ That tho Council take such steps as may be necessary against persons encroaching on tho road.” Tho case lay between the Council and the Company, and the latter would have their remedy against Government. Tho whole affair had been one of misapprehension, and it was high time that the rights of tho Council were tested. Cr. Charters asked if the Council could interfere unless the road was vested in them. Cr. Whitelaw said the road had been one of those given in compensation for a public road closed by the railway. Government money had been spent on it, and the public had been allowed tho free use of it for years. Tho Mayor said that an impression had gone abroad that he w r as acting in this matter from personal motives. He might remark that he believed his property would bo increased in value by tho Grain Company’s store being erected on the spot in question. Ho thought that no action should bo taken until a public meeting of tho ratepayers had expressed an opinion upon tho matter. Or. Brown thought that, as the proposed building would copie close to tho Windmill road and prevent this being widened,_ a protest should at once bo entered against it. Cr. Whitelaw ' believed tho Government would bo prepared to consider the question on its merits, but tho Council’s views would be strongly supported were such a motion as he had proposed carried. Cr. Langdown thought tho matter might bo settled in tho E.M. Court,

Cr. Jones would support the motion. The Government had as much right to take Colombo street as the street now sold to the Grain Store Company. Cr. Scott endorsed the last speaker’s views. The motion was put to the Council, and carried. Cr. Brown moved—“ That the Minister of Public Works and the Farmers’ Club be written to, that the Sydenham Borough Council are contemplating a scheme of improvements which will include the widening of narrow streets in the borough ; Wind'taill road being one of these, they would respectfully request the above to keep this in view in the erection of the contemplated building.” Or. Buxton seconded the motion. Cr. Scott pointed out that one of the conditions of the Farmers’ Club’s lease was that the whole of the area should be built upon. Cr. Whitelaw thought that the Minister of Crown Lands should bo interviewed. The motion was carried. GAS WORKS ROAD. Mr Lee waited upon the Council rc a. proposition to levy a special rate for the purpose of buying land for the widening of the Gasworks road. He wished to know whether or not action was going to bo taken. lie had been given to understand that tho Council would give £2SQ. Mr Lee was informed that the Council bad never intended to vote L 350. A committee had reported in favor of £l5O being raised by a special rate, the Cl!i0 balance being subscribed by those interested. RESIGNATIONS. Letters informing the Council of their intention to resign their seats were read from Crs. Whitelaw and Scott. Cr. Charters moved —“ That tho Council regrets the resignation of Crs, Whitelaw and Scott.” Tho motion was seconded and agreed to unanimously. It was resolved also that the Council regret that Crs. Vennal and Buxton did not intend to stand for re-election. Some other business of detail having been done, tho Council adjourned.