CITY COUNCIL.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 93, 6 April 1876, Page 2

CITY COUNCIL.

A special meeting was held last night. Present — AU the members except the Mayor and Cr R. Levien Cr Hurley's drainage and reclamation resolution haviDg been read, Cr Pickerihg said that the whole question resolved ititlf into one .of ways anl means, and he did not at present ses where the money was to come from Cr Everett said that the scheme h"d been before the pabLs in a different shape some years »go, but it fell through then as it' was likely to do now, owing to the difficulty in raising the money. He ft.lt sure that they would rot bo justified in asking the owners of property on the mudflat to put tbeir hands in their pockett to'such an extent as that jropo«ed. Then again there was a very important omission in. the scheme as it was lail before them, the outlet of the sewer not being clearly defined, and upon ttie site selected for that dep-nded to a considerable extent the coit of tho work. With regard ' to the drai' age question, thatwas more comprehensively dealt with by the resolution pr >r*osed by Cr Webb BoinetipjeV since, the discussion oc which had been postponed for fix months merely on account of the difficulty of raising tbe money, lut there wai no doubt th«t it would have to be dealt with be r ore.very long. They must be very careful about imposing extra rates, as the loans nt present existing amounted to £35,003, on which -interest had to be paid at 6 per cent. These when Provincial institutions censed would fall on the Corporation, who f>r the next two >ears at least mint be prepared to meet a deficit on the gasworks, account. It .therefore would be manifestly wrong on their part to accept Mr Harley's scheme unless it could be clearly p'oved that.it would ba remunerative, which at present he altogether /ailed. to see. „ With reference to the peti'ion that had been presented, he did not think tb>t the signal u-cs of one-seventh df the ratepayers were sufficient to justify the Council in tixing the remaining fix-sevenths. Several of those signiog were s?ctiop-ho)ders, whose property would bo enhanced iii value by tho proposed reclamt.t'on, but if they were thoroughly in earnest about it tbey should have offered to pay a fair proportion of the coet. At present the rates col ected in thit part of the town d d not exceed £15, aiid this would require to be more largely increate i than they could pcslbly hope for befo-e it would pay the interest on the outlay. Something bad besn taid -boat the. works fact hating the extension ot the railway to tho Port, but that was a questioi for tbe General Government, add not for the City Council to deal with ! He wmld never support any Bystem of drainage that did hot clearly define, on the authority of an expert, the outlet of the sewc*. Cr Grat quite agreed with had fallen from Cr Everett. He did not see that the scheme would prove sufficiently remunerative to justify their entering upon it. Cr Waters ssii/Jbac he had merely . seconded the motion pro forma io order t > allow of iti being discussed. He was afraid tbe scheme was premature, and not likely to prove remunerative. He quite sgreed with Cr Everett that the outlet cf the sewer should be properly defined after levels had been .taken by some one or more professional men. Cr Hooper thought they, would, be making a nis'ake if they • conti-Je e 1 the drainage question in a pa' chwork wav. lie had voted against Cr Webb's resolution when it was brought forward, bat he believed it would eventually have to be fallen buck upon. Cr Webb was glad to see the drainage quett'on cropping up in any shape, for he felt sure that ere long it would force itself upon them in to peremptory a manner that they wou'd be compelled to deal with it, but ihe first thing to do was to get an accurate '"rurvey and carefully .designed plana. Be sh )ul'i B be glad to see the Council obtain power cither to purchase the mudflat aires nt a moderate cost, ror •to compel the owners to improve thtm. Cr Everett then pr ; pos3d the following amendment — " That tbis Council deems it in- ' expedient to recommed any further extension of -sewers until* proper levels are: taken, and pinns and *n ciflcations prepared and . submitted to ct r y out .'a comprehensive sy ste n of sewerage for the whole city." ; ,: Cr JUarlkt regretted tb flnd the Council treating so important a matter in such a|way, as the whole of the additional rates required wou'd be but a few shillings from each rate•payer, while the improvements i fleeted :wou d be very grea*. He thought the mobey ccu'd easily hs railed on debentures, -extending over a r eriod of fifteen or twenty years. He hoped tbe Conn il wonld not then dispose of the question finally, v. fi The amendment was then carried by 6 ta 1, and the original resolution negatived, -