CITY COUNCIL.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 1968, 15 June 1880, Page 4

CITY COUNCIL.

Moiwat, Jtrwa 14. The usual weekly meeting of the Council wss held yesterday at 7 p.tn. Present—Hi* Worship the Mayor, Or*. Gapes, .Lambert, England, Taylor, King, Oherrill, Ayers, Thomson, Hulbert, Cuff, and Bishop. The Mayor stated that Mr Henry Thomson had been elected as a councillor for the north-east ward, and had signed the usual declaration. The receipts for the week were announced as Bank was stated as being £4902 19* 6d, Bills to the amount of £277 4s 3d were passed for l*ayment. A letter was read from the town clerk, Sydenham, stating that the Council approved of the Bill re Town belt as settled ,by the Conference. The Mayor said that the Bill had been sent up to Mr Stcvms at Wellington, The following telegram was read from Mr B. 0. J. B‘evenc —“ Bill received. Has it approval of Sydenham ? Petition of seventyeight landowners for annexation received.” The Mayor said that he did not know whether the annexation spoken of meant the whole of Sydenham or only that portion this aide of the railway line. He was inclined to believe that it was the latter. Or. Taylor suggested that the Council should communicate with Mr Stevens, stating that the movement for annexation would meet with the approval of the Council. Or. Gapes thought it was premature to do this when they did not really know what was the true state of the case. Or. King would be happy to second a resolution carrying out Or. Taylor’s idea, if he would put it. Or. Taylor declined to put any resolution. The matter then dropped. A letter was read from Mr Williamson, complaining sf the Tramway Company being allowed to stand their cars on Cathedral square, as, owing to the obstruction thus caused, the wing of his landau had been broken off. The letter was directed to be acknowledged. A letter was read from Mr J. A. Berg, asking leave to have a merry go-round on the Market site. Or. Cuff moved—" That the matter ho referred to the reserves committee.” After some discussion, it was agreed to nettle the matter at once, and it was resolved to decline the request. _ Or. Bngland called the attention of the Council to the intolerable smell arising from the market. Or. Gapes suggested that the inspector of nuisances should visit the locality and report thereon. It was resolved that the inspector be requested to visit the locality. A letter was read from the Local Board of Health inviting the Council to a conference on matters referring to the sanitary condition of the city, &o. On the motion of Or. Bishop, seconded by Or. Oherrill, it was resolved—“ That the conference asked for be granted, and that the sanitary committee represent the Council thereat.”

Or. Lambert, as chairman of the sanitary committee, would like to ask for instructions on the matter. _ The Mayor said that the resolution which had been arrived at unanimously by the City Council would of course form the basis of any action on the part of the sanitary committee of the Council. [Hear, hear.j The city surveyor’s report was read, as follows: , 1. On Friday last dynamite was exploded at tko bo'.tom of the well in Victoria street, but it kas not disturbed the bottom nor deepened the well. 2. The Tramway Company have applied to the tramway committee to be allowed to sink an iron box between the rails in Cathedral square, but as there ia a misconception on the part of the committee as to its exact locality, they desire to refer the matter to the Council. The box will contain a hose, and have water laid on to it, so that the company can water their engines without leaving the track. 3. The private streets already formed and channelled, and those sanctioned to be formed and channelled. will cost to asphalt the footpaths £BIO, •f which the Council will have to pay £4BO, and the remaining £330 will be charged to those having frontages on the streets. 4. York street has been channelled, formed, and shingled. On clause 2 Or. Taylor thought that it was very unadvieable to allow the centre of their principal street to be made a depot for the tramway oars. He thought it was asking for too much. Or. King thought that there were a numbs? of objections. to this course being allowed, unless very carefully guarded. Or. Halbert said that it meant simply this —that there would be a permanent obstruction to one of the principal thoroughfares of the city. Unless there was a waste pipe there would be a considerable amount of water thrown over the thoroughfare. He strongly objected to the public thoroughfares being made use of for the private business of the company. The Mayor thought that there would be less obstruction than now if the request were granted. Cr. Oherrill thought that the request might bo granted, subject to the removal of the box if found to be a nuisance. He would move—- “ That the application be left in the hands of the works committee, with instructions that the box must be removed if it is found to be a public nuisance.” Or. Taylor seconded the motion. Or. Bishop wished to enquire by what right the tramway cars stood in the public thoroughfare ? There had been no steps taken under the Tramway Act for appointing standing places, licensing conductors, and tram oars under the Act. Hence he thought that they should take no steps to give permission to put down this box until the standing places were appointed. So far as he saw, the Tramway Company had no more right to stand in the square than any private trap. Or. Ayers said he concurred with Or. Bishop, and thought that they should defer any action until the question of stands was derided, which shonld be done at once. [Hear.] Or. Bishop moved as an amendment—- “ That the question of granting permission to the Tramway Company to put down the box be deferred until the matter of appointing permanent stands for the tramway carriages is settled by the Council.” Or. Ayers seconded the amendment. Or. Hulbert supported the amendment. The amendment was then put and lost, only Ora. Halbert, Bishop, and Ayers voting for it.

The resolution was then put and carried. Or. England moved—“ That the footpaths and sidewalks of private streets already formed and channelled be covered with a coating of gravel, at a cost not exceeding £75.” Or. King seconded the motion, which was agreed to. The by-law os drafted by the committee was ordered to be forwarded to the city solicitor.

Or. Hulbert asked the works committee whether they were aware that some fifty or a handled loads of metal had been taken off the public streets by the tramway contractor, and had been placed on a private section and offered back for sale to the Oity Oounoil. Now ho took it that this metal was the property of the ratepayers. He would like to ask the works committee whether the metal was the property of the Council or the Tramway Company. Or. Gapes, in reply, said that the question had been asked of the engineer of the company who had stated that they intended to keep the metal as a reserve stock to fill in the road as required. Cr. Hulbert said that he would now ask the works committee whether an offer had not been made to the works committee to purchase the metal taken off the streets. Or. Gapes said not as a body. An offer had made by the contractor to sell the metal to the works committee or to take shingle in oxchange for it. Or. Hulbert said that the contractor had told him that the metal was his own private property, and that he was entitled to sell it to anv ono at 5s per load. Cr. Taylor thought that the Tramway Company had better take possession of the building they were in. He thought it was monstrous that tho contractor should claim to have a property in the metal put on tho streets and sell it. Cr. Bishop thought that as the Tramway Company had to keep tho track in repair, they could do what they liked with the metal they took off the streets. So long as the company kept the way in order to the satisfaction of the surveyor, he thought they might do as thev liked with it. Further discussion was proceeding, when His Worship ruled that it was out of order, as there was nothing before the °°The matter then dropped, and tho Council adjourned.