CITY COUNCIL.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1715, 19 August 1879, Page 3

CITY COUNCIL.

Tho regular woolly meeting of the City Council waa held laßt evening, there being present—Hie Worship the Mayor (presiding), Ore. Q-apes, Ayers, Chub, Lezard, Binstead, Tremayne, Jenkins, and Wilson. The receipts for the week were stated as being—on general account, £644 2s 7d; drainage account, £1396 10s 4d. A oredit balance on account of drainage rate was stated as being £402 17s sd. Accounts to the amount of £925 7s lid were passed for payment. Or. (Tremayne, in reply to a. question asked by Or. Gapes, stated that signatures of nearly all the residents in Allan street had been obtained, promising a guarantee to have the street improved. The Mayor, in answer to Or. Gapes, stated that no communication had been received from the fire insurance companies re the Fire Brigade tower. Or. Oass complained that while High street bad been scraped and kept clean during the bad weather, Oashel street, upon whioh there was a great deal of traffic, had been quite neglected. Or. Wilson said the surveyor's attention had been drawn to the subjeot, and the matter was at once attended to. Or. Tremayne, in answer to a question emanating from Or. Lezard, said that shingle was being laid on the footpath on the North town belt. The Mayor asked the works committee where they intended placing the broken metal now lying in the different yards. He remarked that many of the main thoroughfares were in a deplorable condition, and the metal •hould be utilised whilst it was required. The Oity Surveyor informed tho Council that the metal now broken would be used for repairs. Mr W. Borrett wrote, expressing his intention to fence his land adjoining the city reserve, and calling upon the Council to pay half the expense. The matter was referred to the reserves committee. j The rates were remitted in the case of Mrs | Wyiiamsoni a widow, who, it was urged, had

not the means to pay them, and a request for a similar favor from David Easton was referred to the collector of rates to report upon. , ■, The inspector's report was read ana adopted, with the exception of a clause referred to the sanitary committee. ±ne ranger's report, intimating the pounding or some cattle, was also read. The surveyor intimated that he could not report progress, on account of the bad weather which had prevailed during the past week. _ The following letter concerning water supply was dealt with : rr * Manchester street we=t, August 13th, 1879. To hia Worship the Mayor. _ Sir,—As the " Lyttelton Times," in a leading article, on the 4th instant, has recommended that the water supply for Chriatchurch should be derived from the Heathcote river, I think it advisable to call attention to the fact that the Heathcote drains a large extent of swamp lands, and is, therefore, unfit for drinking. A large portion of the Heathcote river is supplied by the Cashmere river, which is almost exclusively the surface or subsoil water of the marsh which Sir Cracroft "Wilson has so successfully reclaimed. Some other tributaries of the Heathcote are equally objectionable. The usual results of drinking marsh water are, diarrhoea, dysentery, low fever, diseases both temporary and permanent of the liver and othejfCgrgans, and always a weak state of health. The prevalence ot this class of complaints about Intlltj church is probably due to the contamination ot the air by the low, flat, and undramed soil ot the district, and we suffer already so much from these that we cannot afford to increase their intensity by drinking swamp water, It is an important f act that the water of marshes ia much more unhealthy than the air of marshes, the poison produced by decomposing vegetable matter being more concentrated in the water, and more readily absorbed into the circulation. There is no doubt that pure artesian water will always be obtainable by those who take the trouble to get it, but a water supply carried by pressure to the tops of houses and factories, and universally distributed, will often be found more convenient than having recourse to pumps and wells; and a majority of the population will use the water which costs least trouble. I am. Sir, Tour obedient servant, "W. H. Symes, M.D. Or. Wilson said the Council had reason to be gratified at Dr. Symes endorsing the opinion they had formed, whioh was that the water from Heathcote was unfit for domestic purposes. Cr. Cass said the water supply committoe were perfectly fortified with arguments against any scheme with regard to the Heathcote, and neither Dr. Symes nor any other member of the community need think that the committee would be influenced in adopting a water scheme by the "Lyttelton Times," or any other paper in this city. Cr. Wilson remarked that it was not likely they would accept the dictatorial opinion of any newspaper, but on this occasion the least they could So would be to»thank Dr. Symes. They had long been "of opinion that the water should be obtained from the Avon or Waimakariri, and that was the reason they objected to Mr Herbert's scheme. The thought of taking water from the Heathcote was never seriously entertained ; but as the " Times" had expressed a contrary opinion the Council should thank Dr. Symes for refuting it. The Mayor was of opinion that Professor Bickerton had reported favorably relative to water from Heathcote. Cr. Wilson moved—" That the thanks of the City Council be tendered to Dr. Symes for his very instructive and valuable letter on the character of the water of the river Heathcote." The motion was seconded by Cr. Cass, and carried nem. eon. Cr. Cass stated that the water committee had transacted no business since last meeting. They had been unable to obtain a pump, but if they could not get the one they wanted they would probably have the use of the fire engine. Or. Ayers made a remark concerning the disgraceful condition of some of the private streets and right-of-ways near the city. Cr. Wilson pointed out that an obstruction existed in Colombo street, opposite the Garrick Hotel, caused by the Drainage Board works, but the Mayor satisfactorily replied that the obstruction had been removed. Cr. Wilson, who was about to move that another cabstand should be placed at the north side of the river, abandoned his intention, on the Mayor informing him that such a resolution would necessitate a fresh by-law being passed. A driver's license was applied for and granted. The Council rose shortly after ten o'clock.