THE GLOBE. MONDAY, JUNE 7, 1880.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 1961, 7 June 1880, Page 2

THE GLOBE. MONDAY, JUNE 7, 1880.

The Sydenham Borough Council appear to be endeavoring to frustrate the good results of the conclusions arrived at by the Conference re the Town Belt. After several ineffectual attempts to agree upon terms, a basis for agreement was decided upon by the representatives of both Councils. It was decidedly understood that the Conference was to settle this vexed question, subject, of course, to confirmation by the Councils, but it was never supposed that after everything had been amicably arranged by the Conference its labors should ha rendered useless by the action of tho Councils. But this is actually what has occurred. As our readers will remember a draft Bill was decided on by the Conference, in which the Sydenham people wore met by the City Council in a fair, indeed exceedingly liberal, spirit. Not only were all the concessions with regard to the formation of tho Belt asked for by Sydenham granted, but it was also agreed that Christchurch should pay a portion of the cost of lowering the streets of Sydenham to the level established by the City on the Belt. It would have been thought that this was sufficient, and the Conference itself seemed to think so, as tho draft Bill was passed without dissent. But the Sydenham Council thought otherwise, and by adding words to the draft of the Bill, have more than probably upset the entire negotiation. The words so inserted occur in the part of the Bill where provision is made for the city contributing a portion of tho cost of levelling the streets, and are as follows:—“ And for other pui'poses.” The italics are qjirs. It will at once be evident, even to those unused to legal matters, how very ambiguous and elastic the words, “ other purposes,” are. They may mean anything. Should at any time a dispute arise between the Councils, the city might find itself burdened under this provision with a contribution towards asphalting and channelling the borough streets, or carrying on its scavenging operations. There is no limit to the responsibility which would be incurred by tho Bill passing in this form. “ Other purposes ” simply mean anything, and can be so liberally construed that it is utterly impossible for the City Council to consent to such a condition, because there is no knowing to what extent it might pledge them. Having got all they required, and indeed—if the words of a prominent member of the Sydenham Council are to be taken as representing the feeling of the ratepayers—far more than they expected, it really does scorn like factiousness to insert a provision which, on the face of it, cannot be accepted by the other side. Months of valuable time have already been spent, and wo are again landed in the winter season with the belt untouched, and yet the Sydenham Council now destroy the only chance of the evils so bitterly complained of last season being removed. The Sydenham ratepayers have complained, and justly so, of the disgraceful state of the belt; hut if it continues for yet another winter—as there appears to bo every probability of its doing—they will only have to blame their representatives, who, like the boy with tho nuts in the old fable, grasped at far too much. The City Council have, of course, declined to accede to this alteration. They say, and rightly too, that they are quite prepared to abide by tho result of the labors of the Conference, to whom was remitted the settlement of this question. It now, therefore, becomes necessary for the Sydenham Council to review the position, because they, and they only, are responsible for the deadlock which must ensue in tho nogociations unless they withdraw tho words wo have alluded to. More than this, we would point out that it is far from loyal ou tho part of one of the members of the Conference to move tho insertion of these words in his place in tho Council, instead of at the Conference, where the City Council representatives could have discussed them. Wo would fain hope that the Sydenham Council have put these words into the Bill without a clear idea of the full scope of them, and that now they discover that tho whole work done will be rendered useless if they are retained, they will consent to withdraw them. If this is not done the belt question will remain in statu quo for another season.