CITY COUNCIL.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 2094, 9 November 1880, Page 3

CITY COUNCIL.

The ordinary meeting of the City Council was held last evening. Present —His Worship the Mayor, Councillors Ayers, Lambert, England, Hulbert, Cuff, Oherrill, Taylor, Vincent, Bishop, King, and Gapes. The Mayor reported the credit balance at the Bank to bo £1716 7s 4d. The usual statement of accounts gave the following totals : —Receipts on general account, £252 Is 5d ; drainage rate, 1878-80, £9 19s 3d; Drainage Board rate, 1878 80, £32 7a 3d j bills to be paid, £586 17s. The accounts were duly passed for payment, Tho Mayor referred to matters that came specially under his notice since last meeting. He had received a telegram, dated from the BluS, from Or. Thomson, asking him to request the Council to grant him leave of absence. A deputation bad waited on him from the A. and P. Association in reference to the holiday on Wednesday, and another matter requiring attention was that relating to the tramway, which had been left over from the last meeting. That would be a matter for the Council to consider. Or. Gapes said it was usual for the offices to close sometime during tho week, and it was customary to make arrangements at the Council. Tho Mayor was informed that tho departmental committee had made the necessary arrangements. The motion was put that a month's leave of absence be allowed Cr. Thomson, and carried, A letter was received from the medical officer. The report was laid on the table, and referred to the sanitary committee. (The report is published in the report of the Board of Health meeting held yesterday.] Tho city surveyor’s report was as follows: November 8 th, 1880. The works committee have several times spoken to me about the roads not being sufficiently watered to stop the dust blowing, and some weeks ago the men got instructions to commence the work at six o’clock a.na. instead of 8 o’clock, but of course this alteration does not increase the quantity of water pat on in a day’s work. Under these circumstances I think it right to lay the facts of the case before the Council. There are six water carts devoted to watering the roads, and the port to he watered is divided into six heats, the average length of each beat to bo watered is forty-nine lineal chains. Each cart contains 200 gallons, which quantity I find from actual measurement will cover four lineal chains of road. Each load of water is pumped and spread over the road in fifteen minntes, and consequently it takes three hours to go once over each beat with the water cart, and therefore in hot weather long before a beat is finished, the part of it first watered becomes so dry that it appears not to have been watered at all. To accomplish the work in the above inefficient maimer, each horse must walk ten miles, and each driver must pump and spread on the road 6400 gallons of water daily. Under these circumstances I think the Council will readily see that in order to do the work in a manner that shall bo of greater utility and give more satisfaction it is necessary to put on a greater number of carts and also increase the number or capacity of the tanks. The tanks being so small are soon exhausted, and consequently before the middle of the day the water is so low in them that it takes the men more than double the time to pump the water, and entails on them unnecessarily hard work. When the tanks are nearly full it takes one minute and a half to fill a cart, but in tho after part of the day, when the water is low down, if takes from four to five minutes to accomplish the same work. I last week suggested to the works committee that if an arrangement could be made with the Tramway Company to water the centra of those streets where their rails are laid it would be of great service both t» themselves and the public, inasmuch as it would reduce the wear and tear of their rolling stotk, and our carts would then be enabled to water the remaining portions of the roads more often without increasing the number of carts. It would be very easy for tho Tramway Company to have water carts that would carry eight or ten times as much as one of onr carts, and from the fact of their being able to fill their carts in their shed from a high level the carta might he bnilt in such a manner as to spread the water over a much wider surface than the carts which we employ. If such an arrangement as this were adopted it would enable the roads to receive at least one coat of water by eight o’clock in the morning. No. 2. The pipes at Victoria street well are now driven 170 feet, and it is supposed that they now touch the water bearing shingle, hut the hard crust over it must be pierced before water can be obtained. 3. I have had the fountain in Cathedral square connected with tho supply pipe to the tank, so that there is now a good supply of water. A William street, Wilson street, and Chapel street have been formed and shingled.

The surveyor’s report was adopted, the tramway committee being requested to interview the directors of the company, with the view of ascertaining whether the tramway could be utilised for watering the streets. The works committee reported rc Mr Packer's application for permission to lay a line across the South belt, that he had accepted their suggestion that he should pay £SO on completion of the deed, the cost of which he will pay, and £25 rent per annum for seven years, when the value. of such concession shall be assessed by arbitration.

Or. Taylor reported that the sanitary committee had received a legal opinion touching the delegation of powers from the Board of Health, and this they wished to consider themselves before bringing the matter before the Council. Or. Lambert, as chairman of the works committee, reported what had been done in the conference with the works committee of the Sydenham Borough Council—namely, that the Sydenham committee should prepare plan for submission to this Council as to the formation of the South town belt. The Mayor expressed the hope that there was now a probability of this vexed question being brought to a satisfactory conclusion. The report of the committee was approved. Or. Ring asked if anything bad been done towards preparing a deed of concession to the Tramway Company. The Town Clerk replied in the negative. Or. Ring asked because he thought the tramway committee had instructions in the matter. Cr. Bishop remarked that Or. Ring was under a misapprehension. The committee had no data to go upon. Or. Hnlbert differed with the last speaker. He thought the committee had data to go upon, and ho should move that the question of the concession in regard to High street be referred to the tramway committee. The motion was seconded by Or. Ring and carried. At the suggestion of Or, Taylor the departmental committee were requested to consider the operation of the city inspection. At this stage Or. England asked whether committee work was supposed to bo made public, as ho observed Or. Gapes, at his meeting the other night, had taken the opportunity of giving the public soma little “ tid bits ” of committee- work. He objected to one remark made by Or. Gapes, that be was the only one who bad opposed the increase of salaries. Ho (Or. England) also expressed opposition to the motion. Or. Gapes said he should always maintain the privilege of saying what ho pleased touching the proceedings of the Council, especially where the expenditure of public money was concerned. After some further discussion, His Worship the Mayor pointed out that, as a matter of faot, the Council had no power to prevent all their proceedings being made public in the ordinary course.

The Council resolved to postpone ration of several matters in connection with the Tramway. ' On the motion of Or, King, the town clerk was instructed to prepare a return of the cost of gas used in each public lamp in the cities of Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunecin, and Invercargill. The Council considered and dealt with a number of applications for licensee. The Mayor woe authorised to invite the citizens to observe Wednesday as a general holiday. This concluded the business, and the Council adjourned for a fortnight.