CITY COUNCIL.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 219, 6 November 1880, Page 2

CITY COUNCIL.

The ordinary fortnightly meeting was held last night. Present : The Mayor, Crs Levien, Greig, Hounaell, Little, Johns, und Everett. ■ ; Extended leave of absence was granted to Cr flarley, who was unexpectedly detained. A letter was rectiived. from, Peter Harris, asking permission to erect a booth for the •«ale of refreshments at The Rocks on Tubsda'y next arid other holidays. . Granted -.for Tuesday. .: . ; , A telegram was read from the Mayor to the Colonial Treasurer, stating that Corporation works had been commenced which would not have been undertaken but for the fact of the prison labor being available, anJ asking that the prisoners might be still employed on the same terms as hitherto for ten days more. The leave asked for was granted. A letter was read from the Secretary of the Town Scnobls. Committee, compaining of t ditch which conveyed the drainage f rom (he Lunatic Asylum and private houses in Ngatiama-street past the Hampden-street ichool, creating a most offensive pmell which was dangerous to the health of the teachers and scholars. •; The matter was referred to the City Surveyor, who said that at present be was not prepared to say how the nuisance was to be remedied. . A letter was read frotn the Chairman of the Waimea County Council, complaining that dog tickets (two at least) had been sold to owners of dogs resident ia the County, thus depriving the Council of a portion of its revenue. The Town Clerk said he was aware of having sold two tickets to residents in th« County of Waimea, tho owners having come to him and said that they could not find the person authorised to sell tickets and wers threatened with summonses for cot having them. - ! The Town Clerk was instructed to hand over to the County Council tke fees so received, j The Auditors' report was read, stating that j they bad examined the accounts and found thf m correct. . Mr Levien moved that, in consequence of the adverse judgment re concreting tht footpaths, the amounts already paid by some of the citizens should bo refunded. j. •'.. Cr Hounsell said that all were not on tke tamo footing, Messrs Fletcher arid J. Hounlell, for instance, having agreed to pay, whereas Mr Webster had not. The Town Clerk said that be believed that the result of that judgment was that the amount could not be recovered from any of tha residents. "- Cr Little said that tbe petition bad asked that tbe footpaths might be asphalted', whereas they had boen concreted, and for that reason some of them had got out. of it.| Cr Everett was very glad the judgment had gone against them, for thare was no doubt they had otily been experimenting. Cr Little would like to know what course would be pursued in future if any of the citizsns wanted the paths concreted. The Mayor said it was .clear that. far the I future they would have to be verj careful I how they went to work. . Cr Levion's- motion was then agreed to. , Cr Everett said that he saw the water tables were being cleaned out and suggested i that tenders should be called for the work. \ The matter, however, dropped, the Bank I book being sent round the- Council table which appeared to answer the; purpose of a complete reply. j" \ i Cr Everett moved the following resolution re tb* Cdllingwood-street '.bridge :— "That this Council declines to sanction any expenditure in repairing the old Collingwqod street bridge., That. the construction of a ntyr bridge is necessary, and. that it be< placed on, the; site of the present one. That the plan and specifications drawn by : .the Surveyor, and submitted to this Council be accepted. That it bo an., instruction to the Surveyor to order, in the proper season, the necessary timber and material, and as booh as convenient after the delivery of the same, tenders be called for the erection of the ! bridge. That the required -amount to- carry 1 out tbe work be taken from the general ac- ' count." He said that thi reports of the Surveyor and the Works Committee showed that the bridge was in a thoroughly rotten state, and it seemed to be generally admitted ■ that there should be a bridge over the river ■ at what was really the highway to Wakai;puake. . To build a new one would be far ', more economical than to attempt to repair the present structure. (He thought that tbe i course he proposed to adopt was the proper lone, as by the exercise of strict economy ! they could pay for the bridge, or pearly so, out of the ordinary, revenue, and even should iit lead to an overdraft of JE7OO or £800, that | j would be preferable to saddling the town i with the interest on a loan. Most of the itimbar would be obtainable here, and tenders jjfor the supply of it should be advertised for. I'Puririfor the piles would be obtained from the North Island, and stringy bark for the istringers from ' Australia.' ! ■-„<". I Cr Levien quite agreed that tbo work loould be paid for out of the ordinar^re'venue |;if they were content to practice rtrict ' economy^ but the question was would they Jdo so f He was afraid that there would still be a demand for a special. work here and a 'special work there, before' which the. economical resolution UrouYd disappear. '"' Cr Little said that the work which above all others he wished to sec undertaken was the building of tbe bridge, and to get -that; be was. quite, willing to keep every other expe'nditnre down. ■ '" ' ." > ■' ~ *"" | The .resolutions were then pat and carried I unanimously. • „ " I Tke Mayor said that the time was now approaching for the election of a Mayor, and he Must ask to be allowed to retire from the position which he hai occupied fer four years. He- wished to withdraw from 4t, and : thought that it was quite time that some one elee sbosld relieve him. . \ „, .. i i Cr /Everett; felt quite sure; that all the ! Coancillors would regret the Mayor's determination. Most of them had been associated With him for two or three years, and some for more, and they could all tear testimony to the impartial and courteous manner in which he had conducted the. business of the Council. He was very sorry indeed that they were to lose bis services as Mayor, and trusted that they would. be. fortunate enough to secure a successor who would take the same pains, and use equally active endeavors to promote the interests of the Council and of the people of Nelson; Mr- Dodson had never appeared to think that any trouble was too great if only it would lead to some advantage for the citizens, and in more than one instance. his cffortß had been crowned with success. He must irepeaM the expression of his sincere regret that Mr Dodson ; had arrived, at the determination which he had just announced. (Hear, hear.) The Courieil then adjourned.

j IPour millions of cubic feet of earth have been removed from the new London dook, and eighty thousand 'tons of Portland / cement : were used in building a walj three, and ajbalfmile« long, forty feet high, aqd from five. tq ; nineteen feet thick. The'cost of the work ia estimated it about oqo wlllioo eterliog.

The ¥ost of Wednesday, says i-~M a^meeting; of the .Cabinet held yesterday; afternoon, after a lengthened discussion a very important decision, waa Arrived. -at ia regard to native affairs, involving no s change of policy but the taking.of a newdepjarfm-e'itvliichmay lead to very proriouncedresultsM Trie decision was to proceed immediately -with the ' survey of the whole Parihaka block of land, with the exception of the portion reserved for the natives under the recommendation of the West Ceaat Royal Commission. That is to gay, the entire atrip of land- along 1 , the sea-" board opposite Parihaka will be surveyed, immediately, and then placed in the market with all convenient despatch. The reasons which induce the Government to take this step are very powerful ones. The survey of the Waimate land ha 3 been completed, one block successfully sold, and a second is on the point of being sold. The present time is eminently favorable for survey operations, both as regards the season of the year and the position of the Armed Constabulary. Above all, the natives require to be taught plainly and unmistakably that the Government are in earnest in their determination to have the West Const native difficulty thoroughly settled once and for ever. If tke natives attempt any interference with the survey and sale of the laud, they will receive a prompt and sharp lesson, which will effectually pre- " elude any chance of such interference being repeated. If on the other hand they make no such attempt, then the riidna of Te Whiti arid Tohu will be fatally shattered, and the native difficulty on the West Coast completely and filially crushed out. It is only when a man, pawns his watch that be realizes how little mouey time is worth. ,'