CITY COUNCIL.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2276, 19 July 1881, Page 3

CITY COUNCIL.

The Council met last evening, those present being—His Worship (J. Gapes, Esq., in the chair), Grs. Lambert, England, Thomson, Ouff, Hulbert, Treleaven, Bishop, Taylor, Vincent, King, and Ayers.

Before proceeding to the ordinary business a special meeting waa held, in accordance with notice duly given, for taking over Allen street, Eaton place, and Bichmond terrace. The business was purely formal. A rate of lid in the £ for the removal of nightsoil was struck, on the motion of Or. Hulbert, seconded by Or. Treleaven. The ordinary business was then proceeded with.

The Mayor announced that the credit at the Bank was £1368 7s Od.

The usual fortnightly account of receipts and expenditure was submitted and approved. The following letters were read : From residents of High street, calling attention to a nuisance caused by nightcarts. Discussion on the question was postponed till tho report of the committee was brought up. In reply to a letter from the Drainage Board, it was resolved to refer the question of collecting the rates to the finance committee.

A letter from Mr H. Baiter was referred to the Fire Brigade committee. From Mr W. P. Townend, calling attention to the state of the corner of Colombo street, opposite Crystal Palace buildings. The Counc'l decided to reply that the question had already been dealt with. A letter was read from the Tramway Company, expressing their willingness to accede to the Council's proposals re the proposed route of the tramway as far as possible. Approved. Other letters of a routine character were read and disposed of. The city surveyor's report was read as follows:

1. A petition has been receive* from the residents in Chapel strot, William Btreet, and Wilson Btreet, to have the footpaths of those streets ahingled, and the works committee have given instructions to reply to it, that as the streets are not taken over they cannot comply with the request.' Theee streets were some time back formed and shingled at the expense of the owners, and channelled at the expense of the Council.

2. The application which was made to the Council by the residents of Queen street, was referred to the works committee to report, and the committee thinks that at present it would only he necessary to channel and form that portion of it which is one chain wide. The cost to channel, form, and Bhingle that portion would bo £l2l 10s.

3. A letter has been received from the Insurance Association, statins? that they decline to pay anything towards a well to the lower stratum to increase the snpply to Matheson's tank. 4. The work in connection with lowering the footpath at the end of the Government Buildings is now completed. 5. The channel in Cambridge terrace, between Caahel street and Montreal street, is now laid, and the formation will shortly be commenced.

6. The following building licenses were granted during the month of June last:—Messrs Husband, Madras street; Smith, Cashel street; Nolan, Armagh street; Pickering, Conference street ; Boot, High street; Whitfield, Victoria street; Garland, Madras street; Mouldey, Colombo street; Nathan, Lichfield street ; Watkins, Manchester street; Morrow, Madras street; Thompson, Cambridge terrace ; Bees, Oxford terrace ; Harris, Avon street ; Beese, St. Asaph street; Aulsebrook, St. Asaph street; Medium, East Belt; Effey, High street; Dowdell, East Belt; D. Malet, Armagh street; Chapman, William Btreet ; H ulnae (2), Colombo street; Jones, Oxford terrace; Swanston, Conference street; Mclntoah, Barbadcea street.

The report was approved. An application was read from Mr W. F. Warner for permission to allow evangelistio services to be held in the Academy of Musio for five Sundays, commencing on Sunday, 24th inst. Granted.

The question of the removal of the Canterbury Bowing Club's boatsheds was, after a lengthy discussion, referred to the works committee.

The sanitary oommittee submitted a report re night soil removal, and embodying complaints of the present contractor. After some disoussion of a desultory character, the Council decided to deal with the matter in committee.

The manager of the Tramway Company stated in a letter, replying to the Council, that the company would be quite willing to straighten the proposed tram line as shown on the deposited plan of September 25th, 1880, from the east end of the loop line at the junction of Madras, St. Asaph, and High streets, No. 20, so as to make as far as practicable the main line run in the course of the road.

The water supply committee reported as follows:—

July 14th, 1881. Tour committee have the honor to report that acting under the instructions of the Council, they have had under their consideration the question of a modified scheme for the supply of the city of Chris tchurch with water, in respect of which they beg to report as follows : 1. Your committee consider that apart from the commercial depression existing at the time when the last water Bupply schemes were rejected by the ratepayers, the chief reason for their uot meeting with favorable reception by the citizens was that they embraced too large an area, and were therefore considered to be premature. It was argued tUut dwelling house property was not worth protecting from fire at such a cost as was then proposed; that there was an ample supply of artesian water for all present domestic use.and that any attempt toutilise power by these schemes would prove a failure from a financial point of view, because there was not, and would not be for many years to come, any sufficient demand for the water for this purpose. 2. Tour committee, however, gathered from what took place at the time of the rejection of these extensive schemes, that the citizens would probably look with favor upon a much smaller scheme, especially if the same could be so arranged aB to give, at a small cost, an effectual fire prevention service in the centre or most thickly built parts of the city._ 3. In considering the question ot a modified system of water supply, such as that alluded to above, your committee have kept steadily in view, aB a first principle, that whatever may be done now in the matter of water supply, must be so done as to form part of a larger and more extended Bcheme in the future, and they are therefore distinctly at issue with those who would recommend the adoption of purely temporary measures, such as merely sinking tanks, wells, Ac, in various parts of the city. 4. Keeping this point in view, your committee beg to recommend the following scheme for the adoption of the Council:—Pipes—To lay pipes in the following directions : From a point in Victoria street, near the North belt, aloDg Victoria street to Armagh street ; thence along Colombo street to St. ABaph street; from Colombo street eight chains eaßt along Gloucester street; from Colombo street west to Oxford terrace, and east to Manchester street, in the following streets, viz :—Hereford, Cashel, Lichfield, and Tuam streets, and from Manchester street, along H igh street to Madras street, and along Manchester street and the terrace, to connect the terminals where neceßßary. Hy-drants-To put in suitable hydrants at proper distances throughout the system for the purpose of obtaining watfir for channel flushing, street watering, and fire extinction purposes. Pumping Power —To obtain and übo the water power at Lane's mi'.l, and to utilise the same by means of tnrbineß, as recommended by Mr Blackwell; pumping direct into the main against an air cushion, and using a self-acting pressure regulator, as recommended|by that gentleman, liiver water to be used.

ESTIMATE!) COST OF THE SCHEME. Pipeß and laying same (C. Walkden) _... .£7OOO Turbines completed with erection (Blackwell) 4000 Hydrantß, hose, and sundries 1000 Engineering and contingencies, 12 per cent 1440

.£13,4 JO It wou'd be proposed to lay pipes of such size as would provide for indefinite extension at a future time. 5. If this scheme were adopted and carried out, it would fulfil the follwing requirements or couditions:—(l.) Fire extinction —rbexe would bo an ample and effective pressure at all times at instant command for fire extinction purposes along the lines where the pipes are laid, and for a considerable distance from them laterally. (2.) Watering streetsand channel flushing—The street watering along the lines of pipes could be dono far more effectively, and at a much less cost than is the case at present, while for channel flashing the desired result would be obtained in a far readier manner than by the clnmsy expedient of putting a water-cart to the work as is dono at present. (3.) Baths —The water would be suitable for baths and for any household purposes, except for drinking (4.) Water power could be let out from the mains, as in the former schemes, if needed. (5 ) If, at any time, artesian water were added, the system could bo used for all household purposes. (6.) When the drainage system is complete, and the closet system is nEed, the water will bn needed for the necessary flushing purposes. (7 ) The system of pipes would be capable of extension at any time so as to include a large area.

6. The area enclosed and reached by the pipes will include property to the value of ajoct £86,0C0 (rateable valuf). 7. In attempting to estimate the nrobabla profit and loss that would arise from tho working of such a scheme, many very rough guesses have of nc tiossity to be made, but your committee tMnk that the following may be set down as a fair estimate. One house in every seven for sanitary purposes only, at JCI a year (this amount charged in Auckland) .£IOO One hundred houses in all taking the water for baths, cleansing, stables, yards, &c, at £1 each 400 Sub-letting of Lane's mill, with sufficient power attached to drive tho stones, the same as at present ... ... ... 400 Special charges for having private hydrants in large warehouses, &c, say— 50 £950 Besides these itr-nis of income there are two important Fources of saving to the ratepayers to be referred to further on, \ z , reduction in the price cf street wateiing and reduction in fire insurance premiums. 8. Taking the above items of recoipts, together with the a'samed cost of work, as a basis for calculation, the result should be as follows : To interest and sinking fund, £13,410 (say, £13,500) £945 To rent of Line's mill 500 To contingencies 100 £1545 By closet service £IOO By baths, &c. 400 By powers let cut 100 By sub-letting mill 400 By private hydrants 50 By deficiency 495 £1545 To meet this deficiency a rate ef lid in the £ would have to be struck over the protected area. But power must be obtained ta rate np to full amount required for interest and sinking fund. This power will not necessarily bnve to be used, as shown by the above statement. 9. The two items of saving referred to in section 7 of this report, namely, saving on street watering and fire insurance, are well worthy of consideration in connection with the rate which it would be necessary to levy in order to meet tho expenses of tho scheme. The street watering rate is now lid in the £ ; under the new system, horses and carts not being required, it is considered that the same amount of work could be done for half the amount of money, cr even less. The Baving in fire insurance premiums which would be effected would produce a still more marked difference in favor of the majority of the ratepayers in the area covered by the pipes. The saving in fire premiums, as estimated by Mr Blackwell, would range from 12\ per cent, to 25 per cent. It was 12J- per cent, in Lyttelton as soon as the water scheme thero had been carried ont (vide Blackwell's report). It will he sufficient for the purposes of this report to assume that the fire insurance premiums in the protected area are reduced by a less amount than this.

10. Taking into consideration the saving abovementioned, your committee is of opinion that the amount of rate would in moat instances be eo small as to bo hardly felt, while in a large number of cases there would be actual saving to the pockets of the ratepayers. There is at present time within the belts £2,195,335 of property insured ; taking two-thirds of this amount to be in the area protected by the proposed scheme, and taking also the average premium at 25s per .£IOO, would make the amonnt.'of premiums paid for the city .£27,500. Suppose we reduce this amount by 10 per cent., that would show a saving of .£2750, two-thirds of which would be .£IBSO, and which would in itself more than cover the full amount of sinking fund, interest, and working expenses of the scheme, even if no return were obtained from it in other ways. 11. The question cf the proper means of raising the funds necessary to meet the repayment of principal and interest, is one which will require some careful consideration at the hands of the Council, as the rate will have to be struck in a portion only of the city. On this subject your committee would like to receive the assistance of the finance committee.

12. Tour committee has been given to understand that there would be no difficulty in obtaining the remainder of the lease of Lane's Mill on the same terms as those under which the mill is at present held. The lease has at tho present time about seven years to run. 13. There is a point of some considerable importance in connection with the fire prevention souroe in which the water snpply scheme as at present proposed could aid by the snpply of water, during the continuance of a fire, to almost any part of the city. If from the terminal hydrant in any direction a large hose were carried to the scene of the fire, the water wonld be supplied by it, at a rate sufficient to keep the fire engine going ; so that, although the scheme would only provide for a fire supply under full pressure to be used direct from the mains in what is called the protected area, it would supply water to be used by the fire engine at any part of the city, and would thus obviate the necessity of s'nking tanks in localities at present badly supplied with water. 14. A very important addition to the utility at the present suggested scheme will be found in the surplus power available at night, which can without doubt be turned into electricity and utilised in lighting a portion of the city, thus relieving the general rates by lessening the consumption of gas. IVELSON K. Chebrill, Chairman.

After some discussion the report was referred to the finance committee and water supply committee to take legal advice re the financial aspect of the scheme. In reply to Or. Taylor, The Mayor said that the telephone posts were being erected in the city at the instigation of the Government, and the Council had no power in the matter.

Cr. King thought these posts a disfigurement to the city. The Mayor suggested that Cr. Sing or other Councillors might make some proposals in regard to the matter to those in authority. Cr. Cuff's motion aj to the erection of market buildings in market iquare referred to the reserves committee to report upon to the Council. Cr. England moved the following motion, which was carried, as to the strip of land, formerly the site of a drain now filled in, and running from Montreal street to the Ferry road, parallel to and near the south town belt—" That the reserves committee be instructed to obtain legal advice, in order that the necessary steps may be taken by this Council to secure the above-named land to the city, and ulso to recommend to the Council the beßt way to deal with the land for the purposes of revenue." The Council then dealt with some applications for licences, afterwards went into committee, and on resuming adjourned.