CITY COUNCIL.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 2016, 10 August 1880, Page 3

CITY COUNCIL.

Monday, August 9. The usual weekly meeting of the City Council was held at 7 p.m.. Present—His Worship the Mayor, Crs. England, Vincent, Cuff, Ayers, Taylor, King, Thomson, Lambert, England, Bishop, Oherrill. The receipts for the week were announced as being £825 7a 2d, and the credit balance at the bank was stated as being £7O 19s fid. The Mayor said he had pleasure in presenting the Council with his link to the Mayoral chain. [Cheers.l Cr. Gapes moved—“ That the link presented by his Worship the Mayor be accepted with thanks.” Cr. Taylor seconded the motion, which was carried unanimously. Or. Ayers asked whose duty it was to repair the footpaths where they had been broken up for drainage. The City Surveyor said that he apprehended that Or, Ayers meant places where the asphalte had been removed under permit from the city surveyor. These were notified to the asphalt contractor, who went round and restored them. Or. Ayers desired to call the surveyor’s attention to two very dangerous holes in the footpath in Hereford street. Or. Cuff called attention to the fact that the urinal in front of Mr Inglis’ had been broken. The Surveyor said he knew this, but they had no spare iron plates yet to repair it. Cr. Ayers asked whether the surveyor was aware that turf was being removed from the South belt, near the Lincoln road. The Surveyor replied in the affirmative. The Council men wore removing it for use in Latimer square. It was not dangerous, as the cutting was only about 2in deep. Cr. King apologised for the absence of Or. Hulbert. A letter was read from Mr J. Macdonald, New street, asking for time to pay his asphalt rate.

It was resolved that the matter stand over for a week, the rate collector to report. A letter was read from Mr Tait, asking for leave to occupy one third of Hereford street, including the side walk, wbilst erecting a building at the junction of that street and High street, he undertaking to fence it in and keep it lighted. Or. Taylor said that from what ha understood, Mr Tait would require the space for about six months.

Cr. Thomson pointed out that the same privilege was refused to the builder of the Colonial Bank, and that building had been erected without.

The Surveyor said that Mr Tait had now got the usual space—four feet—of both footways on High street and Hereford street. Mr Tait now wanted a portion of the roadway to put his material on, leaving the footway clear for pedestrians. Or. Ayers thought that the Council should deal as liberally with the contractor as possible, consistent with the public interests, as it was desirable to encourage the erection of such buildings as the one proposed. Or. Gapes moved —“ That Mr Tait be allowed to use the whole of the footpath, provided ho makes a footpath outside under the supervision of the surveyor.” Or. Bishop pointed out that under the now bye-law the contractor was empowered to have the use of the footpath on the condition that the contractor provided a fourfoot pathway with a six-foot hoarding. He would second Or. Gapes’ motion, as this was a peculiar case. After some discussion, Or. Gapes amended his resolution, to read as follows :—“That Mr Tait have permission for ono month to use the footpath in Hereford street, subject to the usual conditions, and to renewal from month to month.”

Cr. Ayers suggested that the contractor should give more room in High street by putting the pathway over the channel. The motion was then put and carried, the city surveyor being requested to arrange with the contractor for more room in High street. Or. Ayers—Tour Worship, I find that there is a question that I omitted to ask at the time fixed on tho order paper. I would, as it affects tho Council itself, ask your permission to put the question. The Mayor—l think, Or. Ayers, you would

be in order in asking the question, as you say it is one affecting the Council. Or. Ayers—Then, sir, I would state that the question that I have to ask arises out of a report which is current in the city, and which has also been spoken of to me by gentlemen attending the meeting, that your Worship, as the chief Magistrate of tho city, received on insult from the Justices of the Peace or one of them at the meeting held recently to consider the matter of the assistance to be given to the Resident Magistrate. The question I wish now to ask your Worship is, whether this is a fact or not. [Hear, bear.] The Mayor—ln rising to answer this question I may say that I don’t think that this matter is of that importance really that it should occupy the attention of the Council. I may say that the person—l won’t call him a gentleman—who insulted the citizens of Christchurch through me, does not occupy such a position in the estimation of the oitizans or in Christchurch as would justify me in taking notice of him. [Hear, hear.] Personally 1 may say I don’t care a fig for what that person might say, as he is far too insignificant for me to take notice of. [Hear, hear.] But lam very jealous of the honor of the citizens, though I don’t care, as I have said, personally what that person might say about me—and there was no reason whatever why the citizens of Christchurch should bo insulted through me by the asking of a question which was uncalled for and offensive to the last degree. [Hear, boar.] I stated at the meeting—though it did not appear in the reports—that I had twios received my commission as a Justice of the Peace from the Government on tho ground of my having twice been selected by the citizens to fill the highest office in the city [Hear, hear] —a position which will never be reached by the person who so unwarrantably insulted the citizens. [Hear, hear.] I think, gentlemen, that insult came with a very bad grace from a person who is the paid servant of a public body, and who really had no right at that meeting, as ho was wasting tho time of the public body whose paid servant he is. [Hear, hear.] The insult to the citizens, I say, gentlemen, was gratuitous and uncalled for, and 1 must say that I have been very pleased and gratified to find that so many gentlemen of position in the city have called upon me to express their sympathy with mo and their condemnation and contempt of the way in which it was done. [Hear, hear.] My position, gentlemen, haa not been gained by buttonholing a Minister of tho Crown or a member of Parliament. Except from the fact that the citizens have been insulted through me, I may say it is a matter of utter indifference to me what the person may say, as I have never valued the opinion of that poison in the smallest degree— ("hear, hear] —and I think that I shall bo backed up in this by tho general opinion of the majority of this community. [Applause.]

Or. Thomson moved “ That all letters from the Council’s employes on the conduct of public business intended for action by the Council must come through the head of the departments.” All the officers, except of course the surveyor, were subordinate to the town clerk, who should bo the only officer through whom the instructions of the Council should be conveyed. Or. Cuff seconded the motion, which was carried. A memorandum was read from the finance committee recommending that the charge—£l9 7s 3d—for asphalting the footpath in Antigua street, adjacent to the domain, should be remitted, on the grounds that it was a work for the public convenience, and that the Domain Board had no funds wherewith to meet the charge. Or, Taylor moves the adoption of the recommendation, which was agreed to. The return of the number of owners and drivers licensed to date was laid before the Council. It showed that there were 90 owners and 126 drivers.

The Mayor remarked on the disparity between the numbers.

The surveyor’s report was read as follows :

1. A plan will be laid before the Council of the South belt, showing by blue lines the levels of the channels on the north side, and by black lines the levels of the road on the south side 2. The tramway committee passed the following resolution this morning ;—“ The acting tramway committee having written to the Tramway Company, requesting them to remove the standing place opposite Fisher’s corner, and they having failed to comply with the request, the committee decided to recommend the Council that the city surveyor be instructed to remove it forthwith. 3. Last week an accident occurred on Hereford street mill bridge, in consequence of which I examined the state of the bridge, and I find that it is in such a decayed condition that a new one must be erected, and I have sent Mr Turner an estimate of the cost. Awaiting his reply, I have closed the bridge against public traffic. 4. The quantity of boulders that are now delivered will make up the 1500 yards sanctioned by the Council. 5. A plan will be laid before the Council showing the levels of the Lincoln road, and also the channel already laid and that intended to be laid. A letter from the Selwyn County Council, dated 27th Juno, 1879, in possession of the town clerk, shows in whose control the road now is. 6. I find the letter from Mr Treadwell and others, last week requesting the name of a street to be altered, cannot bo complied with, as the street is a private one, but when it is taken over by the Council the question can be considered. 7. The petition from Mr Scarlett and others last week, requesting the Council to take over Bath street, I find can be granted, as the provisions of the Municipal Corporations Act have been complied with. The plan referred to in the first paragraph of the surveyor’s report was laid before the Council and approved, and it was resolved that the matter be left in the hands of the surveyor and works committee to carry out. On the second clause.

Or. Taylor said he believed that the works committee had no power to order this to be done. He should move—“ That a committee be appointed to enquire into and report upon the position of the Council and the Tramway Company.” The Chairman of the Tramway Company was of opinion that they had the right to put down sidings wherever it might be convenient for them to do so. Therefore it was very necessary that the position of the Council and the Tramway Company should be so ascertained that they might know their exact position. He himself was one of the most jeolous conservators of the public interests, and he thought that the best way for them to do would be to take steps that the exact relations between the Council and the Tramway Company should be accurately ascertained. [Hear, hear.] Or. Lambert seconded the motion. Or. Oherrill spoke in favor of the resolution. Cr. England thought the tramway committee were perfectly right in the course they had taken. Or. King said that the Tramway Company had treated the Council with contempt, and therefore ho felt that, having the power to remove what was a public obstruction, ho should like to see it done. Or. Gapes thought that they should bo sure of the ground upon which they stood, and therefore he should support the resolution proposed by Councillor King. He was sorry to be at variance with his colleagues, but ho felt that they had not the power to do what was proposed in the report. Cra. Thomson and Ayers spoke in favor of the motion of Or. Taylor. The motion was then put and agreed to. Or. England then moved—“ That the present acting tramway committee be requested to got legal advice as to the position of the Tramway Company and the Council in the city, to report at next meeting.” Or. Bishop seconded the motion, which was agreed to. The question of the status of the Council with regard to the Lincoln road was referred to the works committee to take legal advice upon. Or. Gapes reported on the petition of Mr Ulrich as to the tramway going up Oxford terrace, that the works committee had found that the concession over this had already been granted similarly to other streets. The works committee recommended the payment of £1 19s for damages done to the cab of a man named Hazard on the South Town belt. The Council sanctioned the amount of £1 19s being paid. Or. Taylor said that the town clerk bad been instructed to sue for all rates not paid before the 20th, ns if the overdue rates were not collected by the 27th they could not recover.

Cr. Thomson pointed out that there was a resolution on the books of the Council contrary to the resolution passed granting the use of tho footpath to the contractor. The resolution was rescinded by unanimous vote, and the one passed at an earlier stage again put and agreed to. On the motion of Or. Thomson it was resolved that all committees should report in writing. It was resolved that the attention of the police should be drawn to the destruction of the urinals.