CITY COUNCIL.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 4832, 16 September 1876, Page 2

CITY COUNCIL.

Tbe City Council met yesterday afternoon at 4o' clock. Present—His Worship the Mayor, and Councillors Dransfield, Rainie, Mills, Moss, Moeller, Allen, Cleland, Greenfield, and George. The minutes of last meeting were read and confirmed. DEPUTATION RE HAINING-STBEET. Two residents of Haining-street, Messrs. Adams and Brightwell, waited upon the Council with reference to the formation of Haining-street. Mr. Adams explained that the ratepayers in the said street were dissatisfied with the manner in which the street had been formed, not being in accordance with the original specifications prepared by the City Surveyor. They therefore asked that the street be reformed properly, and that the Council pay onehalf the cost, the residents being willing to pay the other half. He further stated that he had understood Mr. George to say that .the Council would pay one-third the cost of the original formation; hence it was that in certain cases there had been a refusal to contribute towards the cost; and that the other two-thirds should be raised by levying a rate on the residents. He also stated that he had made frequent attempts to see the plans of the street, which should have been on view at the office of the Surveyor, but could not do so ; and that Mr. Marchant had told him in explanation of the way in which the street had been formed, that he (Mr. Marchant) had desired to make the road after the original plan and properly, but that he had been induced to alter the plans by Major Paul and Councillor George. The petition of the residents was then read by the Clerk! Councillor Cleland said as one of the Public Works Committee he might state there had been an alteration in the plan, but it was generally understood that the residents were in favor of the alteration. Councillor George said that Mr. Adams was under a misapprehension in supposing that he had ever given him to understand that the Council would pay one-third the cost; but he did suggest that a rate should be levied on the ratepayers by way of securing payment for the work of constructing the street. For himself, he had always opposed the principle of devoting any of the Corporation funds to the formation of private streets ; and although he was interested in this particular street, and believed that it was entitled to more than ordinary consideration on the ground that it was one of the original private streets, yet he should vote against the Council spending money on it. In answer to Councillor Cleland, Councillor George said the street was not 40ft. wide, as required by the Act. The Mayor said the street certainly deserved consideration; but there were very grave difficulties about this matter, arising not out of the Municipal Corporations Act alone, but in respect to other private streets. Councillor Greenfield asked the Mayor to request Mr. Marchant to explain why the plan was not at his office, as Mr. Adams had stated.

Mr. Makchant replied that he had never spoken to Mr. Adams on the subject of the plan. Councillor Mobleer : Mr. Adams has stated that the plans were altered by you at the instance of Major Paul and Councillor George; Is that so ?

Mr. Marchant : Neither Major Paul nor Councillor George ever spoke to me on the subject of Haining-street. At the request of Councillor Dbansfiei/d, Mr. Adams related his experience with regard to the search after the plan. He stated that he had been two or three times to the office of the Surveyor and could not see it ; and on one occasion he was told that it was at Mr. Marchant'B house.

Mr. Marchant said he had Dever been spoken to about the plan by Mr. Adams, and pointed out that when alterations were decided on by the committee, it was necessarily some time afterwards before the plans could be open for inspection, since the alteration had to be made by him, and then be endorsed at the next meeting of the committee. Councillor Moss said no doubt Major Paul had some influence in the matter, and suggested that it should be referred to the Public Works Committee, when a searching enquiry could be instituted.

The suggestion of the last speaker was adopted. DIVISION OP WAKDS—A QUESTION. Councillor Deansfield, by the permission of the Council, without giving notice, asked the Mayor if the Municipal Corporations Bill now before the House gave power to increase the number of members for each ward? ■ The Matob replied to the .effect that the Act as originally drafted did give a sort of power in that direction, and he had, with a considerable deal of trouble, succeeded in getting such amendments made as would, he thought, meet the requirements of the case. (He then read the clause making provision for the division of wards on the petition of a certain proportion of the ratepayers.) He further stated that he bad succeeded in getting

a clause introduced to have the boundaries of the city defined, pointing out that such a power was rendered* necessary by the progress of reclamation, owing to which there was no defined boundary.

CORRESPONDENCB. The outward and inward correspondence was duly read. THE EDUCATION BOARD. The Clerk read a letter from the Secretary of' the Education Board,- * enclosing a series of resolutions (which have- already appeared in these columns) in answer to a minute of the Councildeclining to entertain a request of the Board for a school reserve. The Mator said he' did not suppose the Council would open up this subject again,, but there were one or two points which ought to be set right at once. The Education Board came to the Council asking for an endowment from the city reserves. : " The Council hadnot gone to the- Board, and when the Council failed to see their way to grant the Board's request it was only justice to themselves and their constituents to state the reasons which had guided their decision. A curt negative would have been discourteous to the Board. Besides, he had no idea that the Council should not give their opinion upon any public question affecting the interests of the citizens,, and he must say frankly for himself that he should. never hesitate to speak out in their interests; when he had the opportunity. Here were a series of resolutions, dealing for the most part in generalities, but No. 2 impugned the accuracy of a statement made by the Council, that the ratepayers of Wellington contributed more to the Education Board than they received for school purposes in return. He held in hishand a statement of the Secretary, and if it were correct, it was the Board and not theCouncil that had made the mistake. . Hequoted the figures:—Education rate, 1875-6. Paid by the ratepayers of the city, £2593 13s. 6d.; school fees, £689 135.; total £3283 6s. Gd. Against this sum the Board had paid for salaries, &c, £3033, leaving an annual endowment by the ratepayers of £250 6s. 6d. And the expenditure was not very clear. He found in the last-printed report of the Board that the amount for schools in the city for the previous year had been £1895. How it had risen by upwards of £IOOO in one year did not appear. ■ He was glad to find thatthe teachers were being better paid than they used to be, and he hoped the increase was proportional throughout the country, districts. The Board- also sought to strengthen their case by mentioning a sum of £2571, which had been spent on school sites and buildings, omitting to state that this money came from the Provincial Council grant, to which the City of Wellington contributed its fair share ;~so that this : expenditure, no more than the other, affected the accuracy of the Council's minute; Eesolution 5, again, proceeded upon a grave misapprehension. It stated that by means of local committees the ratepayers of Wellington had as much practical control over the schools as those iu the country. That meant no control. He wondered at the Education Board making such a statement. The two largest schools in the city had no local committees. The parents had no more control over them than they had over the schools in the Wairarapa. The remaining two schools hadlocal committees;but singularly enough they were not formed until the Board had appointed the teachers—the point-about which those sending children to school were naturally most anxious. These committees were a mere name. He might mention that the local committee of Buckle-iitreet school some time ago proposed, a change there with the view of giving more accommodation to the children. It was no great matter, bat the Board would not have it; and it was only after a public meeting of the ratepayers had been held and the matter gone into that the Board gave way.. He believed that the expression of opinion by the Council in matters of this kind, as representing the ratepayers, would be beneficial. Councillor Dransfield was glad to find his Worship taking so much interest in this matter. He had not heard the question stated before, but if the figures submitted to the Council were correct, he approved of the position they had: taken up. THE GAS QUESTION. A letter was received from Mr. Hunt, forwarding resolutions passed at a meeting called, to consider the proposed purchase by the City. Council of the Wellington. Gas Company's plant. Discussion did not follow the reading of the document. TENDERS. Tenders were received for providing the Corporation with paving stones »nd for painting the Martin fountain. Mr. Blackstone's tender was accepted for the first work; Mr. Martin's for the second. FINANCE COMMITTEE. The above committee reported as follows : ■ 1. The committee recommend that accounts amounting lo £l9B 2s. fid. be paid. 2. That the rates as per annexed list, (the list was lengthy), be written off as not recoverable for lh« reasons stated in each particular case by the collector. 3. That the City Surveyor prepare a specification in order that the timber, ironmongery, tools, repairs to tools, etc., required by the Corporation for the ensuing year may be supplied by contract. The report was adopted without discussion. PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE. The report of the Public Works Committee, to the following effect, was adopted.:—

1. A sample of bluestone sent in to the committee by Mr. J. C. Crawford from the Peninsula, as alsopetitions re footpath, Austin-street, formation of Wallace and Wright-streets, have been referred to the Surveyor for report. 2. On the application of six residents of Nelsonstreet, the committee have instructed the Surveyor tolay a small water main in said street; at the same time, they haye been obliged to refuse for a time the application from residents-in Wallace-street, on account of want of suitable material. 3. The committee recommend that the Harbormaster be requested to advertise, cautioning persons not to remove gravel, &c, from the" beach around Oriental Bay and the road to the Patent Slip, as they thereby incur legal penalties. i. On the application of a deputation from the members of the Wellington Clnb, with reference to an improvement on the Terrace, top of Woodwardstreet, the committee recommend that a concrete wallbe raised on the west side close against the bridge on the Terrace, provision being made for a sewer through the new wall, and acre No. 467 to be filled in up to the Terrace level, and the west parapet of the bridge removed, forming the footway and portion of the roadway from the centre complete on that side; the wholework to be executed to the satisfaction of the Surveyor, and the expense to the Corporation not to oxoeed £BO, the balance of the cost being found by the members ot the Club.

5. On the application of Mr: Robert Lyon, the committee recommend that a box drain be Laid down at the junction of Wordsworth and Aro streets, In communication with the Te Aro stream, at a cost not exceeding £3. 6. The Surveyor has been instructed as follows: To prepare a sketch map. showingthe reticulation of the water pipes through the city, so that further extension may be readily determined on. To send in to the Council a requisition for what supply of main pipes he considers will be necessary for a twelve months extension. The Council then adjourned.