NELSON BOARD OF WORKS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VI, Issue 189, 11 August 1871, Page 2

NELSON BOARD OF WORKS.

Present: All the members but Mr. Fell, from whom a letter was received, stating that, owing to his being engaged in the Supreme Court, he was unable to attend. On the motion of Mr. Webb, Mr. Percy was re-elected chairman. Messrs. Webb, Dodson, Fell, aud D. Burns were appointed members of tbe Public Works Committee, and Messrs. Percy, Hounsell, and Burn, of the Finance Committee. The Chairman read the following letter from tbe Provincial Secretary : — Sir,—l have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of 25th July, and to state in reply that an opinion as to whether a Municipal Corporations Act could be specially obtained for Nelson City is one which the Superintendent would scarcely feel justified in asking tbe Colonial Government to procure from the Attorney-General, as the question does not relate to one of law, but of the probable action of the General Assembly. In answer to the second question whether "certain, clauses in the preseni Municipal Corporations Act could be acted upon without acting upon the whole of them," I am directed to refer you to Section 390 of the Act by which it is enacted that the -Superintendent may proclaim any one or more complete parts of the Act, numbered from 2 to 22 inclusive, to extend, and be applied to any City or Town incorporated by Act of the Provincial Legislature previously to the passing of the Municipal Corporations Act, but that no such proclamation should be valid which related to a portion of the provisions of such part, and not to the 'whole. By the third Section of tbe Act, and on reference to the first-schedule, it appears to the Superintendent that the City of Nelson is a place' to which the above quoted Section applies, and if the Board of Works is desirous that either one or more parts of the Act should be proclaimed as applicable: to • it, ;their recommendation to that effect would receive; the careful j consideration of the Provincial Govern-

ment with the desire to carry it into effect if supported by the wishes of the inhabitants of the City generally. I am, &c, Alfred Greenfield, Proviucial Secretary. A letter was read from Mr. Healy complainiug of the high rate of assessment of tbe house and property leased by him in Bridge-street, as it had been assessed at a rental of £100 a year, whereas he was only paying £50, and requesting that the Board would take the matter into consideration, as he. was not in possession of the property at the date the assesssment was made, and therefore had not been called upon to appeal at the timo. It was resolved that the Board could not now reconsider the rating of last year. The chairman stated that he had called the meeting of the Board a day earlier than usual in order that they might take into consideration the " Gas Bill," which had been forwarded to him by the Superintendent for that purpose, prior to its being introduced into the General Assembly. Mr. Webb objected to the Bill on the grounds, first, that it contained np provisions for giving to the Board any control over tbe breaking up of the streets, and secoudly, that no mention was made in it of the gasworks being eventually handed over to the Town. After some little discussiou it was determined to postpone the further consideration of tbe Bill until tbe next meeting of the Board. Sundry accounts were then passed, and the Board adjourned until Friday, tbe 25th inst.