THE MAYOR’S ANNUAL REPORT.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5236, 4 January 1878, Page 6

THE MAYOR’S ANNUAL REPORT.

The following annual statement of the condition and progress of municipal affairs, by the late Mayor, Mr. Hutchison, was laid before the Council a few days ago : streets. Sixty-six streets have been repaired and partly metalled, and 22 streets have been sewered or drained. About 200 additional street gratings have also been put down in various parts of the city. A considerable extent of footpaths has been laid with asphalts or concrete, and; a new mode of applying the latter in separate blocks; very much resembling tbe famous Caithness flagging, has been tried iu Grey and Hunterstreets, with every prospect of complete success. This mode is the invention of Mr. O. O’Neill, Acting City Surveyor. Nine asphalte crossings have been formed iu Lambtou-quay, Willis-street, Custom-house Quay, and Harbor-street ; and four crossings of timber blocks ou concrete or asphalte have been laid in Lambton-quay. An experiment in asphalte gutters will be noticed iu several streets, extending altogether to a length of over three miles; and the fact that some of these have already stood the tear and wear of nearly twelve months would seem to indicate their durability as well as usefulness. The narrow roadway at the Terrace Bridge has been widened by the building of a retaining wall and brick culvert ; and a handsome stair now replaces the dilapidated Plimmer’s steps which long did duty as an entrance from Lambton quay to Boulcott-street. In connection chiefly with street formation and improvement, 80 contracts have been entered into by the Council during the year, Amounting to an expenditure of about £IB,OOO. Sixty-one of these contracts are completed, and nineteen remain as yet unfinished. The above resume will give the ratepayers some idea, however inadequate, of the large amount of public work and improvement which has been carried on by the Council in the space of the past twelve months, and for ray own part I feel greatly gratified at the retrospect, It becomes me to state that tbe plans for the various works referred to were 'drawn and the execution of them superintended by Mr. C. O’Neill, who has devoted unremitting attention to tbe onerous duties devolving upon him as Acting City Surveyor. private streets. I am sorry that nothing definite has yet been resolved upon regarding private streets. Considering that there are about thirty of these in the city, involving the comfort of a large number of people and the interests of a considerable amount of property, it is very desirable that the Council should arrive, as soon as possible, at some sound and satisfactory decision regarding them —a decision based upon some uniform and liberal principle. The residents in Elizabeth took the necessary steps to have it declared a public street, and this one alone of all the private streets has been taken over by the Council in 1877, in terms of the Municipal Corporations Act, 1876. CORPORATION BUILDINGS. Corporation offices, long wanted, are now in process of building in brick. A new morgue has been erected and fitted up, and a bonded store is now added to the kerosene store, which last was removed some months ago from its original site and rebuilt, along with the above addition, on a piece of land reclaimed for the purpose near Clyde-quay. THE WHARF. The management of the wharf continues satisfactory, and the revenue is full? equal to that of the previous year, notwithstanding that the charges have been greatly reduced on grain, wool, and the transhipment of goods. The only remark necessary to be made regarding this department is that a tender for wharf extension, referred to in my last report, amounting to £22,267, was accepted by the Council in May last, and the work is now progressing rapidly. The Council was not this year troubled by any legislative proposals for the establishment of a Harbor Board, which, T venture to think, is neither necessary nor desirable in Wellington.

AVATEK SUPPLY. An addition to the waterworks, at a cost of upwards of £20,000,is about finished. I had Imped that I should be able to say fully finished ; but it is not so. I should think, however, by the beginning of the new year, unless some unforeseen contingency arise, that the works will be so near completion as to be capable of storing such a quantity of water as will afford for many years to come an abundant and unfailing supply to the city both night and day. Nothing can well be more tantalising, and in some respects, more unsafe, than having the supply of water withdrawn from time to time from public use, and I trust that such a state of things is about to be conclusively ended. It is satisfactory to know that the Wellington Waterworks, when finished, will be of a character to reflect credit upon Mr. Marchant, the engineer who designed them ; upon Mr. Saunders, who had the execution of the contract ; and upon the city to which they belong. * CITY DRAINAGE. The plan of drainage submitted to the Council by Mr. Climie (see Mayor’s report for 1876) has not met the approval of Mr. O. Napier Bell, the consulting engineer, and decisive action has consequently been suspended until an opinion can be obtained from Mr. Clark, an engineer of eminence, who is just now engaged professionally on similar work in A ustralia. TE ABO FORESHORE. It is with a keen feeling of disappointment that I refer to the proposed reclamation of the Te Aro Foreshore, seeing that this important public work has been delayed for another year through the action of the Legislative Council. The ratepayers approved of the work, which commends itself alike on sanitary and financial considerations. A loan for carrying it out had been obtained, and the Council were ready to call for tenders, when some one in an unfortunate moment started the idea that an Act of Parliament was necessary before commencing operations. The Act of Parliament was drawn accordingly, and did its spiriting with the result I have indicated The Te Aro Foreshore is not within the boundaries «f the city ; I have therefore to express my indebtedness to Mr. O’Neil), who, in this matter, kindly gave a great deal of time and care to the taking of soundings, preparing clans, models, &c. . RESERVES. The Market Reserve allotments, with the exception of the hall (which is now open to lease) were let at fair rents in March last. Since then the Town Belt, divided into 31 sections, has also been let by auction for a term of fourteen years. p She rental obtained for this reserve gives an approximate* idea of the increase in the value of property generally in the city. At the previous letting the rents amounted to £587 os. 9d. ; at this time they amount to £1636 165., and even this sum does not bring out the whole iuorease, for about 100 acres, more or less, which previously was leased, have on’this occasion been specially reserved for purposes of planting and ornamentation. While speaking of reserves, ! have pleasure in pointing to the improvement effected on the Basin Reserve. Nearly 1000 trees have been planted 'and' fenced off there, gravelled walks laid out, and the eastern and western divisions of the "round connected by two bridges, each Bft, wide. Extra gates on three'sides of the reserve now afford that free and easy access to the reserve which the citizens required. MUNICIPAL LAW. Some slight amendments, with the nature of which I am but imperfectly acquainted, were made in the Municipal Corporations Act last session ; but no step has yet been taken'in the direction of conferring such ’ larger powers upon borough couneils as I indicated in ray last report, although daily events, as it .seems to me, urge the adoption of a course of this kind. The'inefficient-control; of the public schools in the city, and the clumny and unpopular mode by which the College Act and new Education Act propose to constitute boards of management is one illustration of what I mean. The entire independence of the police force of any control by the Council is another. “The only notion T can form of a municipal government,” said Lord John Russell," in Introducing the English Municipal

Reform .Bill, “is that the keeping of the peace—or to use the words of olden time, 1 the quieting of the tonne’—should be immediately under the control of the persons who are deemed proper to have the government of , the town.” Again, the pitiful way in which applications for relief to the destitute are often treated is yet a third illustration of my remarks. I am not, however, without hope that next session some reform may he expected. The present Premier holds large and enlightened views on the subject of municipal government, and will no doubt endeavor to have some of them put upon the Statute Book. So early as July, 1851, Sir George Grey, in a memorandum addressed to Lieutenant-Governor Wynyard, shadows forth those views of municipal government which are gradually being adopted by thoughtful statesmen. In writing of Auckland Sir George says;—“ Various other public and charitable works have been undertaken and established within the limits of the borough, several of which have been for some time in full and most useful operation, such as a public hospital, a native hostelry, a market-house, a public washing, baking, and drying ground ; and valuable portions of the Orowu lands have, in some instances, been setapirtas endowments towards the support of these public institutions. As a temporary measure, and until some competent body should bo organised for their management, these reserved lauds thus set apart as endowments have been vested in official trustees, but so soon as the council of the borough shall have been duly constituted, it is intended to vest iu that body these institutions and the endowments for their support aud maintenance. Iu like manner a considerable endowment has been provided for the support of a college and free grammar school within the borough, and so soon as one of these schools in the town of Auckland can be put into an efficient state, it is intended to vest also these establishments aud the endowments for their maintenance in the corporation of tho borough.” '■ MISCELLANEOUS. The maintenance of the Fire Brigades of the city (whose efficiency under their respective superintendents is matter of unanimous remark) has been assumed by the Council. ; A large addition has been made to the lighting of the streets by the erection of over thirty lamps. A well-meant but mistaken effort to introduce the Contagious Diseases Act' into Wellington has been set aside by the refusal of the G-overnment. In now retiring from the Mayoralty, after holding the office for two years, I cannot sufficiently express my acknowledgement of- the courtesy and respectful consideration accorded to me by the burgesses of the city at ail times and without any exception during this term of office. William Hutchison. December 19.