CITY COUNCIL.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IX, Issue 307, 29 December 1874, Page 2

CITY COUNCIL.

_ A meeting of the Council was held last night. Present, all the members but Mr Tell. A letter wa3 read from Mr T. Watts, declining to give any assistance towards collecting the water rates, as he did cot consider it to be a part of his duties to do bo. A report was read from Mr Mir fin of the amount of coal consumed and gag made between November '24 and December 22, which showed that 19 tons 14 cwt. of coal had produced 165,800 feet of gas, being an average of 8420 feet to the ton, and five tons of coke. A letter was read from Mr CrewdsoD, calling attention to the " fever pit " between his house and the Post Office. Keferred to the Inspector of Nuisances. Permission was granted, under certain conditions, to Mess'B jn. Edwards & Co. to layup the steamer Kennedy on spot where the Murray was repaired. An application having been received from Mr J. Hounsell for the gas to be laid on to his private residence in Nile-street east, it was resolved, on the motion of Cr Haddow, " That the Manager of the Gasworks give an estimate of ths cost, of laying a main p : pe along Mle street from Brook-street to the Maitai river, including the probable cost of each service." After some discussion it was resolved that the Town Cierk should be allowed £2 103 per week for three months to obtain tJ)3 services of an assistant in tho work of collecting the arrcirs of rates. , A vole of thanks was accorded to Messrs GouUtone ani Srcilfe for the satisfactory manner in which they had performed the work of examining and reporting upon the waterworks accounts. On the report of tto Public Works Committee on the gasworks, which ha3 already been published, being brought on for discussion, the Mayor sail he could not agree with it. The Manager had said that he had been instructed by the Provincial Engineer not to nee the sta'ion meter, in reply t» which Mr Dobson had written to him (the Mayor) as follows :— •• With respect to the statement in the Colonist, it is without ioundatioo as far as any instructions of mine are concerned. The itation-<

meter ia calculated »o pass one thousand five hunired feet per hour without any undue pressure; ani I had it placed between the purifiers and the bolders in order to measure tl.e exact quantity of g*s made and passed into the holder. When the demand for gas becomes much larger, a meter with larger connections can b 5 used. The existing 3in connections are amply sufficient for the present and prjbable luture consumption for s mie ytars. A 3 in. pipe, with a pressure of 0-5 in., will pass 1,054 feet per hour, the qumtity passed of course increasing rapidly with increasing pressure. See Bariow'a tables The meter should always be used, the by-pass being only as a stand-by should the meter get out of order," Mr Mibfict, who was present, repeated what be had said before. On being asked in whoso handwriting was the paper from which he was reading, the Mayor rep'ied that it was in his own, whereupon Mr Mirfis accused him of trying to mislead the Council and making them believe that it was a letter from Mr Dobson. He further expressed his opinion in an excited manner that the Mayor was a falsifier, and a counterfeit of a gentleman, and having done so, left the loom. The Mayor explained that he h«sd the original letter, and what he had read was an extract copied by him from if. He considered there must have been some gross mismanagement at the gasworks wlu n nine retorts had been burned out in a few months. I'p Hooper believed that the retort* were very defective. After some further discussion the report was adopted. Instructions were issued for the extension of the water pipes to the end of the Albion wharf. The Inspector of Nuisances was ordered to take steps for the removal of the gorse at the junction of Waimea-street and Waimea Road. It was resolved, That the Inspector of Hackney Carriages be empowered to alter the space allowed for passengers from 18 \o 16 inches. On the motion of Cr Haddow, *t was revived, "That the Manager of the Waterworks bring up to this Council a complete re ort of all ratepayers using special water service pipes, from one inch upwards, with the name of the ratepayer, the size of the pipe and the date when laid on, what purposes use \ for, and the rate ch.rged in each case. Also all other water services, giving the date when iaid on, and the name of each ratepayer or owner of property, and where situated." The Council then adjourned. ■- ■ t