THE DRAINAGE SCHEME.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5187, 6 November 1877, Page 2

THE DRAINAGE SCHEME.

MEETING 01' THE CITY COUNCIL IN COMMITTEE. The Council met in committee at 4 p.m. yesterday. Present—His Worship the Mayor, and Councillors Moss, Macdonald, Dixon, Logan, Maginity, Allan, and Greenfield. The Mayor said he had taken the first opportunity of calling the Council together in. committee in reference to the report of the consulting engineer, Mr. Bell, on the drainage scheme submitted by Mr. Olimie. The first report did not contain an estimate of cost, but that was now appended to the report. Since coming into the room he had received a letter from Ms. Climie, asking for further time in order to prepare a report in reply to that of Mr. Bell. Had he received this letter sooner he would not have called this meeting, as bethought it only fair to give Mr. Climie the time he asked for, viz., a week, but it now rested with the Council to consider what should be done. The letter was as follows : “ Wellington, November 5. “ I have the honor to inform you that on Saturday last I received from his Worship the Mayor a copy of Mr. Bell’s report on my drainage scheme for the city. The report is chiefly composed of erroneous statements, based on suppositions. I have no hesitation in saying that I can arrive at no other opinion than that Mr. Bell’s principal objection to my scheme has evidently arisen from an imperfect knowledge of the subject he was writing about, of which I feel confident I shall be able to satisfy the committee by incontrovertible fads. In order to do this I should wish to be allowed to this day week (12th instant) to prepare my report, being desirous to fully analyse the different objections advanced. In a matter of such importance, I think it necessary it should have a full and fair consideration, so as to enable me to bring the whole subject clearly before the committee, to assist them in arriving at a just conclusion. —I have, &0., “ Daniel Climie. ‘‘To the Chairmen and Members of the Drainage Committee.” Councillor Greenfield considered it onlyjustice to Mr. Climie that his request should be agreed to. The Mayor said he understood it to be the desire of the Council that they should adjourn tor a week. Councillor Macdonald said there was one matter he should like to mention before the adjournment took place. He had taken an active part in trying to smooth over the differences existing between his Worship the Mayor and the Town Clerk; but he felt it his duty to protest against Mr. Hester or any other officer of the Council being treated with discourtesy ; and he mentioned this because on visiting the Town Clerk’s Office that morning on other business he found that the Town Clerk had not been supplied with a copy of the report. This he considered was hardly treating the Town Clerk fairly. The Mayor said the report was not ready until that afternoon, and the Councillors had been supplied with it as soon as possible. Councillor Macdonald had pointed it out because he considered it highly desirable that their officers should be treated with proper courtesy.

The Mayok said certainly, but he personally had not received the document until he came into the room; and further, he might mention that he had not received the auditors’ report, although he was given to understand that it had been received. Councillor J. A. Allan said he understood that a resolution of the Council had been passed that there should be a public record kept of everything that took place. The Mayor said they were not speaking of public records. They were referring to a sealed document. It was, he presumed, addressed to the Mayor, and he therefore was the proper person to open it. Councillor Greenfield moved that the meeting adjourn for a week. Councillor Magisity asked whether Mr. Climie had not been limited to a scheme of drainage by which the outfall was not to be carried into the harbor ? The Mayor said that such was the case. The drainage was not to be carried into the harbor. Councillor Greenfield’s motion was seconded, put, and carried, and the meeting adjourned lor a week.