CITY COUNCIL.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4523, 18 September 1875, Page 2

CITY COUNCIL.

Friday, September, 17.

The Council met at i p.m., Present—Hia Worship the Mayor, Councillors Moss, Cleland, Gillon and George. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. THE OFFICE OF VALUATOR. Councillor Gillon called the attention of the Council to the language in various parts of the Corporation Act, notably in clauses 159, 213, and sub-clause 50, and raised the question as to whether, in accepting a tender for the veluation of property, the Council was not acting in direct contravention of the terms of the Act. The Act said valuers should be appointed, and the accepting the tender of one person would not be complying with the provisions of the Act. He moved that the City Solicitor's advice be taken on the matter. This was agreed to after discussion, and the acceptance of Mr. Taylor's tender was postponed. PERSONAL EXPLANATION. Councillor Moss complained that he had been misreported in the New Zealand Times. He had not said that the tenderers for the work of valuing the city property were a " disgraceful lot," but that " it would be disgraceful if the Council accepted the lowest tender." The Mayor said he thought the reporter had made an error, but he certainly remembered that the word " disgraceful" was used. CORRESPONDENCE. Letters were read—From the AssistantProvincial Treasurer, applying for £7 75., pay of overseer hard labor gang, work done on reclaimed land ; from the Secretary to the , Treasury forwarding statement of reclaimed land account; from the trustees of wharf sinking fund, forwarding statement of accounts ; from Mr. W. W. Taylor, re box brain in Brougham-street, and side drain, &c , inEHicestreet; from M. Phelan, a discharged Corporation laborer, for wages watering streets ; from G. W. Schwartz, re hole in footpath on north side of "Vivian-street. FINANCIAL. The following report was read from the Town Clerk : " Gentlemen,—l would bog to draw the attention of the Couucil to the state of the general account, now £10,529 os. 7d. overdrawn ; and to section No. 9 of the Municipal Corporations Act Amendment Act, 186 S. I am aware that the bank agreed to advance £IO,OOO as an overdraft on general account, but this advance being exceeded, I am informed the future credit will ' be stopped unless some further arrangement is entered into. " By my report of the 31st March, 1874, it I will be seen that at the end of the Municipal Corporation year, viz., the 30th instant, in the opinion of the City Solicitor the credit balance on the wharf account, £2520 12s. Sd., must bo carried to the credit of the general account. This will for the time stop any proceedings on behalf of the bank ; but I should wish to remind the Council that up to the present time the amount paid to the trustees on account of wharf sinking fund has been just what was absolutely necessary to comply with the lieclaimed Laud Act, 1871—two per cent, on the amount of the debentures issued for the purchase ; £4OO per annum ; in all £I2OO. I would refer you to statement of the sinking fund account, as forwarded to me by the trustees, for further information as to its investment, &c. The debentures were issued on December 1, 1871, and arc payable seven years from that date." It having been resolved to transfer £2OOO of the wharf account credit balance to the general account, no action was taken on the letter. PUBLIC WOBKS COMMITTEE'S REPOHT. The following report was read :—■ " Ou reading the City Solicitor's opinion on Mr. Dunn's letter of the 2nd inst., re limekilns, the committee recommend the Council not to take any action in the matter, and that Mr. Dunn be furnished with extract from the opinion. " Application having been made for a drain to be put down in May-street, and the Surveyor having estimated the cost at £SB 10s., the committee advise that if the residents in the street pay (that is deposit with the Town Clerk) one-half the cost, the work be done. "On application from the warden of the gaol, the committee advise:— "Ist. That a lamp be erected near the steps leading to the gaol, at the top of Ingestrestreet, provided the warden light and put it out. " 2nd. That two turnstiles bo erected on footpath in Ingestre-street, and that haulage and gravel bo provided for repairs to the street if the warden will provide the necessary labor.

" On letter from Mr. J. C. Crawford, asking the Council to sanction a further sum of £3 6s. Bd. expended on road through town belt to Evans Bay, the committee suggest that as the Council have already voted two sums of £'2o each towards thi3 work, Mr. Crawford, who derives great benefit from the work, should be asked to pay the above sum." It was decided not to repair May-street, on the ground that it was a private street, and that if private speculators laid out streets to benefit their oivn properties, they should keep such streets in order. The clause referring to Maystreet was therefore struck out, and the repoVt as amended adopted. SANITARY COMMITTEE'S EEPOET. The following was read and adopted:— "On letter from Mr. Geo. Crawford, re drainage in Ingestre-street, the committee are of opinion that, cousidering the preseut state of the Corporation finauces, they cannot recommend an expenditure of a sum of from £7O to £IOO, being the Surveyor's estimate of the cost of the work required to be done to remedy the nuisance complained of. "On letter from Mr. McColl, re nuisance caused by the deposit of all kinds of rubbish in Harriett-street, the committee recommend that the Inspector put up a notice board warning people not to deposit rubbish in said street, and to proceed against the first person he may find offending. " On the report of the Inspector, of the 2nd inst., Ist, re nuisance complained of by Mr. R. E. Smith opposite his premises in Taranaldstreet, the committee are informed by the Surveyor that the footpath is about to be lowered and the water tables improved, which would fully meet present requirements. 2nd, re depositing rubbish, &c, on reclamation Lambton-quay, the committee have appointed that piece of laud adjoining and on the east side of acre No. 225, at the junction of Cour-tenay-place and Cambridge-terrace, as a depot for depositing rubbish; they have also instructed the Inspector to erect a notice board on Lambton-quay, warning persons not t» deposit rubbish, and that he take such measures as he may think necessary to obtain a conviction against any one caught offending." PUBLIC WORKS AND LIGHTING COMMITTEES. On the motion of Councillor GILLON, the Lighting Committee was discharged, and its duties relegated to the Public Works Committee. Councillor George, pursuant to notice, moved that the name of Councillor Moss be subst : tuted for that of Councillor Cle and on the Public Works Committee. Councillor Cleland submitted that, inasmuch as Councillor Moss's term of office had expired by effluxion of time since notice of motion was given, the motion must fall to the ground on a point of order. Councillor George withdrew the motion. As usual after the elections, the committees (with the exception of the Public Works Committee) were constituted and appointed. THE DEBENTURES. It was resolved to ask the bank authorities to defer for three months the transmission to England of the Council debentures. The Council then adjourned.