CITY COUNCIL.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 74, 27 March 1880, Page 2

CITY COUNCIL.

The customary fortnightly meeting of the City Council waa held ou Thursday evening last, when there were present His Worship the Mayor in the chair and Crs. Everett, Levien, Trask, Crewdson, Hounsell, and Cross.

The minutes of the previous meeting and aleo those regarding the polling as to the Loan proposals having been read and confirmed payments were authorised. The following letters were read: — From Mr Blackett Resident Engineer regarding the prison labor pointed out that it was only given to the the Council on the condition that they were to have the same at their disposal except when required for Public Works. His Worship the Mayor stated that a letter had been received from the Under Secratary for Public Works expressing regret that the request made by the Council to the effect that they should have the constant control of the prisoners could not be acceeried to.

A letter from the Colonial Secretary in reference to dividing the city into wards, stkted that the petitioners for having the city divided into wards bad been informed that, as they did not number one-fourth of the burgesses, His Excellency the Governor could not be advised to grant their prayer. A letter from the Chairman of the Koyal Commission on Colonial Industries requested to be supplied with information as to Nelson local industries, and pointed out that the Commission would be pleased to receive suggestions on the subject. The letter was laid on the table.

A letter from Mr John Oldham in reference to the rifle range on the Mud Flat, was then read. It pointed out the danger to boating parties and others, and suggested that firing should not be allowed except at low water. The subject evoked considerable discussion ; the by-law relating to shooting within the city was referred to by Cr Cross. It was stated, however, by Cr Everett that the harbor was not within their jurisdiction, and he referred to the letter received last meeting from the Harbormaster. It was then agreed to refer Mr Oldham's letter to Captain Cross. A letter from Mr Moore of Toi Toi Valley supported the previous application of Mr Webster for an extension of the water service in the neighborhood in which he lived, referred to the Waterworks Committee. A letter from Mr Leech of the Coach and Horses Hotel asked permission to erect horse posts in front of the hotel. Request granted.

A letter from residents of South-street requested that footpaths and water-tables might be constructed in that street. — Agreed to.

The Works Committee reported having given Mr Eogden permission to erect horse posts outside the Tramway line and in front of his house.

Oil the motion of Cr Everett, the formal resolution to levy Water and General Rates as advertised for the year commencing Ist April next was carried unanimously. Cr Everett then stated that in consequence of the adverse vote respecting the proposals of the Council to borrow money to rebuild bridges, he would move that the Collingwoodstreet bridge be closed against all passengers other than pedestrians, Cr Trask seconded tho motion, which was carried unanimously several other Councillors speaking on the subject.

Cr Trask proposed that the Surveyor be authorised to engage two more laborers, in order that they, together witb two of the present staff, might be put upon the work that the prisoners were to be taken from. He believed that by leaving the work unfinished both inconvenience and loss would ensue. The Surveyor said he could Bpare

two from the present stafli _:or this purpose. He thought in wet weather the work aS at present would be impassable. It was thought by one Councillor that four ordinary good laborers would do as much as the whole of tbe prison gang. The proposal was then agreed to.

Cr Hounsell mentioned that one of the planks enabling persons to walk rouud the rocks had heen carried away. Cr tievien called attention to the state of the drains, both in Nile-street East and Nilestreet West. Jn the latter street there was sickness, which he understood was attributed to the had drains, and he thought the matter should be seen to at once.

Cr Everett thought all the sewers should be flushed ; he referred. particularly tb some particular localities, and urged that dll iv their power should be done at once.

The Surveyor stated uM '„c had had the water from the mill running through the sewers for three days. Tie had noticed some of the drains referred to, and he pirtialiy attributed the nuisance to persons emptying slops down the siuk holes.

A good deal of discussion ensiled; and it Was agreed to flush out the drains and seWfitS on Saturday.

Cr Trask called attention to the state of the piles of Nornianby Bridge.

Cr Crewdsou wished to know whether it was intended to do anything to the outlet of the Waimea-street sewer, and be stated thafc all the drainage , was at present, wasted on the mud-Hats opposite Mr Jones' store, and that the nuisance arising from same was scarcely bearable.

The Surveyor said the only way to prevent the drainage goin on to the flat was to carry it 15 Chains further into a branch of the Maitai River, where there would be fall enough to carry it away. To do this it would be necessary to construct either a brick or wooden cinverfc.

Several Councillors spoke on the subject, all agreeing as to the necessity for prompt action. It was then resolved to lay down wooden inverts at once. The Council then adjourned.

The Auckland Herald says I— A lad, nine years of age, named John Thomas, experienced one of the most marvellous escapes from death on Monday evening, which was recorded for some time. It appears that about six o'clock on Monday evening the lad was sent to a Well, in the back yard of the large wooden premises owned by Mrs Outh waite) at the corner of .Princes-street and Waterloo Quadi-ant. Aftet hatibg wohnd tbe bucket full of water to the top be essayed to lift it to the landing. He overbalanced and tumbled he&dkmg inib thfe well, falling a depth of fully 80 feet, and singular to say, he reached the bottom without injury. A brother of the lad's was in the vicinity, and he called Mrs Frith, wife pf Mr Frith, photographer, who resides in the vicinity; She promptly answered'to the call. The bucket was lowered, and the poor lad, who managed to maintain his position on the surface of the water by scrambling against the clay sides of the well, caught hold of the rope and got on to the bucket. Mrs Frith and the lad wound the rope up carefu 'ly, but after reaching half way up he lost his hold and tumbled back into the water. The bucket ffa. again carefully lowered, and again tbe lad got into ifc. This time his rescuers and himself were more fortunate, for he was brought to the surface. He was, of course, greatly frighted at his terrible experience, and his hands were cut and chafed by the rope, but otherwise he waa uninjured. •

A Wellington paper writes as follows: — About fifty tons of rough timber were brought down by the steamer Manawatu, and lauded on the wharf, the other day, being the first instalment of a quantity which Mr. A. F Halcombe intends to take with him to Europe. It is Mr. Halcombe's iutention to bring it under notice at Home, and to ascertain whether there is a possibility of creating a demand for it. The timbers chosen are totara (the knotty parts of which have been selected), rewarewa, ahd black and white maire. These, if properly worked, should create a favorable impression, as they possess many excellent qualities. Maire is in many respects equal to waluut, the wide difference in the color of its heart and sap being a special quality. We are informed that an experimental shipment of this timber wbich was made in 1849 or '50, created a very favorable impression, but that the market was spoilt by sending many useless pieces in the lots which were subsequently forwarded. ._

" Asmd&deus " in the NZ. Times has the following^ — " Carriage exercise in a threepenny cab is the luxury of the hour, and our city matrons and maidens luxuriate. But 'why, oh, why, they plaintively plead, 'do Dot the City Fathers compel the cabmen to wear their horrible threepenny tickets on the hearts of their waistcoats, and to button up their coats the moment a lady is seated ? It is quite too awful, you know, to pass one's friends with that dreadful threepence on one's carriage. It is as bad as wearing a shop ticket — this style 7s 6^d— on one's bonnet. And why can't we bave a cab, ahem, a carriage, all to ourßelveß, without the coachman stopping to pick up more fares ? Fancy one's laundress stopping our carriage, and riding along Lambton quay at 4 p.m., and the creature witb her quarter's washing bill most likely in her pocket, compelling one to be civil ! It is really dread ful.' And so the darlings, in their innocency and unselfishness, prattle, and, as they say, his Worship the Mayor, good complaissant soul, is to be memoralised on pink perfumed paper." — Relative to the hardness of the times, I might mention a little incident that came under my notice at a certain barber's shop. The tax collector called, and poor Strap was in a terrible state, being exactly eighteenpence short. The collector bad called so ofteu that he felt ashamed to put him off again. At that moment a couple of customers entered, and Strap asked the collector if he would kindly be seated, and cast his eye over an exciting leader in the Times, while he (Strap) sent his boy to the bank "to cash a cheque." And he winked at the boy. who left the shop. And during the next ten minutes Strap worked as he had never worked before ; went through both his customers' heads, and turned tbem out in first-class style, receiving two shillings for his trouble. The collector was getting impatient, but Strap was jubilant ; aud, loudly anathematising the boy for being gone so long, said, " perhaps he could make up the money in the house," which he accordingly did, and so paid out his unwelcome visitor, leaving himself with a balance of sixpence. Strap ought to get on in the "W >rld.

Captain Leßoy, of the Auckland Naval Brigade, retired from the presidency of the Volunteer banquet on Monday evening, because his teetotal principles would not permit of his giving a toast. The gallant captain errß in good company — that is to say, if he errs at all. A grand banquet was given the other day to Lord Chelmsford, by the Merchant Tailor's Company, and to their honour he drank nothing but water. The fact got publicity in a rather curious fashion. The master of the company, in presenting his accounts had an item respecting a flltar. The court were surprised and wished an explanation. The master explained that at their last banquet, so many of the guests, among them Lord Chelmsford, Lord Thesiger, and the Bishop of Bedford, drank water, that he felt justified in ordering the filter in question. Truly this is a sign of the times.

A woman was sold in a bar-room in Bullier, N.S.W., recently for 20s and four drinks.

The first instance known in Wellington of a female bankrupt Coming forward to be examined by her creditors (says the N.Z. !Ti». a?) occurred yesterday in the case of Mrs Mason, who was very severely catechised. Just as the meeting had closed a female creditor arrived, but she wan too late to examine the bankrupt had she desired to do no. The meeting was adjourned. Another itiatance of the way the insatiable blood-sucking or Native department managed to bleed the unfortunate taxpayer has come t0 I'ght says the Auckland Free L<nmc. A Mr. Young was employed to conduct negotiations under the Land Purchase Department at Tauranga \ during his employment in such office, his brother a Native Lands Court Judge died. It was considered necessary by his relatives tha£ a tangi should be held by the Maoris for the purpose of showing the great esteem the nativqs had for the deceased old gentleman. This, according to Irish and Maori notions, no doubt was right and proper, and if the family had borne the expense of the wake no one would have any cause to grumble. But when every New Zealand Colonist is made to share the great grief of the borrowing relativ.s by paying the flour, sugar, and grog Score" of the Maori mourners, it is a down right imposture on the country. The expense of this tangi in grog alone, was tetween .£BO and £90, and a voucher by the publican who supplied it, was handed in for this amount. Our readers will s6ar-ely credit it,- but it is a fact. — Exchange. The N.Z. Times of Tuesday sa^s :--The Wellington Temperance Debating Society held its usual weekly meeting on Saturday evening, at the Athenaeum, and discussed the question " Does the introduction of women into the Good Templar Lodges conduce to the strength and efficiency of the Order/.' The ladies found many stalwart champions, and the questi6_..wa? unanimously answered in the affirmative. The president called upon the members tti ti_e their ut_6ost endeavors to induce their friends to join the society. It was pointed out that nonabstainers,, as well as ' teetotallers, were eligible" for membership.' The society is making, good progress, and bids fair to become an influential organisation. The toughest spiritualist yarn we (.Thames __"_.) have heard for some time was telated to us lately of a well-known believer in Spiritualism residing in this district. He is a hard-headed Scotchman, and from his statement it appears he has been turning his knowledge of the mysterious to good account. His wife has been ailing for some time past, and a sceptical neighbor asked tbe husband " What medical man was attending her? Was ft Payne, Kilgour, or Huxtable? " " No," replied the spiritualist, "we fade got otii. family docther, Dr (naming an eminent physician *ho died at least a century ago) , an' my word." continued the spiritualist, " she's comin' roon fine." This story is related by a person of unquestionable veracity, and vre believe it to be true.

A Wellington paper says : — According to information we received f ronl private sources concerning the aspect of Native affairs on the West Coast, probabilities are in favor of a pacific solution of the difficulty. Two high authorities upon native matters are of opinion that Te Whiti will not depart from the line of policy he has hitherto followed, and that his utterances at the Parihaka meeting are to be construed as dealing only with supernatural, and not with physical means of offence and defence. Another authority of weight takes an opposite view, and thinks that if absolute hostilities are not meditated by the Maoris, yet Te Whiti is very much disturbed, and may be induced to admit force as a factor of hig argument. For ourselves, we think the position is slightly critical, but not more so than might have been expected from the near solution of the native problem, for there can be no doubt about the position. In a short time the supremacy of the wliites will be established for ever, either by force of arms or the force of mutual concessions. The Government ia already prepared to do ample justice in the matter of reserves, aud it rests with the natives to meet the Government half way, and give and take in accordance with just and friendly arbitration. They cannot possibly win by armed resistance — that is beyond question— and should they fight, the struggle will be sharp and short, and must result io outlawry to them. They would loose all, and afterwards be placed in the position of pensioners upon the Government, whilst a little conciliation now will enable them to obtain, as their right, that which will place them far above dependence. Hostilities have broken out between the run boys of the Evening Post and those of the Chronicle. The first intimation of the state of feeling was shown on Wednesday, when the Post boys, to the number of about 20, marched up to the Chronicle office, and made a desperate assault on a somewhat smaller number of the enemy standing in and around the door. The attack was so sudden and unexpected that the attacking party retired discomfited to the back precincts of the shop, when the attacking column, crowding round the camp of the enemy, gave three hearty cheers. At this time there was a considerable crowd of the public outside watching the engagement. The Chronicle boys sadly wanted a leader, but being without one, they ultimately charged pell-mell into the Post boys, and a battle royal took place on the pavement, lasting for several minutes. Victory remained with the boya of tbe Post, their enemy again retiring discomfited. The victors then gave tbree more cheers, and returned triumphantly to the vicinity of their own camp. The little incident occurred just before tbe publication of our contemporaries, and when the boys were evidently burning for some passing excitement. So true is it that "Satan still some mischief finds for idle hands to do." — N. Z. Times.