CITY COUNCIL.

Monday, Mat .12.

Ihe weekly meeting of the Council waa held lat the usual hour. Present : TTi« Worship the Mayor, Councillors Calvert, Ick, Crooks Gapes, Williams, Hart, and Hobbs. The minutes of previous meeting were read and confirmed. The Town Clerk reported.per balance sheet, that during the week he had received — From General City Rates, 1872, £29 16s; Waimakariri ra|es, £5 19s ; Provincial Government contribution towards Cashel. street bridge, £20 ; fines from Resident Magistrate's Court, £2 10s ; rent of weighbridge, for May, £4 10s j scavengering, £32 10s lid ; drivers' licenses, £1 ; builder's lioense, 5s ; rent of shop, Market Place, 7s ; total,' £96 16s lid; and that the credit balance to the ordinary account was £7 8s Id. The credit balance to No. 1 drainage account was slated to be £618 17s 9d, and to No. 2 drainage rate account, £319 lis 3d. Accounts to the amount of £927 13s 2d, including £509 to Mr E. G. Wright for the Cashel street bridge, and £370 lie to Mr Neighbours on account of bricks for the oity drain were passed and ordered to be paid. The City Surveyor's report were read as follows : — " Freeh tenders will be laid before the Council this evening for No. 3 section of the new drainage works. Tenders 'Will be laid before the Council for additional earthwork at the' estuary end of the new drain as per specification. Tenders for the formation of Cashel street from Madras Btreet to the new bridge ; also the approaches from Cambridge Terrace will be placed before you this evening. Mr 3E. G. Wright has completed his contract for the new bridge across the Avon in a most satisfactory manner. The workmen for the bast week have been employed carting broken metal for repairs, earth and shingle for footpath, stone-kerbing, &c. : wood-kerbing Manchester and Tuam streets j repairing streets'

with shingle' (new contract) ; clearing but side drains and other works." Tenders were accepted for the works referred to in the first two clauses of the report. Councillor Hart said he might remark that the Council had now accepted the last tenders in connection with the new drain, so that a calculation could now be made by anyone of the total cost of the work. A tender was accepted for the approaches to the Cashel street bridge. The remainder of the report was approved. A letter was read from the Provincial Secretary, asking the exact spot on the Rakaia where the Council would like to have the road metal reserve applied for by them mado. The Town Clerk said, acting on instructions from the Works Committee, he had informed the Provincial Secretary that the desired extent of the reserve was 100 acres. Councillor Hart, as chairman of the Works Committee, and the City Surveyor, were appointed to visit the Rakaia and mark out the most suitable locality for the reserve. .A. letter was read from the Immigration Officer, Wellington j -enclosing a copy of the regulations for nominated immigration and requesting the- Council to circulate the particulars thereof. '■>■.■■; The Town Clerk was directed to acknowledge receipt of the letter with thanks. A proposal, the gist of which has already been published, from O'Neill, Thomas, and Co., Auckland, to construct street tramways, was read. Councillor Calvert referred to the objections against street tramways in such busy thoroughfares as High street, where he often j ; .saw five 'busses going along together, and ; out that not only the Council but the citizens, at a publio meeting specially called to consider the subject, had decided against the introduction of tramways,* therefore he would move that the letter be acknowledged with ;thanka, and that the offer to lay down tramWays be declined. ■-■■'■ ' Councillor Gapes seconded the motion. Councillor Hobbs eaid he was in favour of tramways when the subject first came before the Council, and his views were unchanged. The public of Christchurch were not yet 'sufficiently educated — -(Oh, oh) — to appreciate the advantages of tramways, but he ventured to predict that they would be running in Christchurch before ten years had passed over. The resolution was put and agreed to. A .letter, was read from the Avon Road Board, requesting the Council to proceed with the formation and shingling of the North town bolt, from Caledonian road to the Papanui road, the Board undertaking to guarantee one-half the cost, . ' Councillor Calvert moved that tenders be invited for the work j but After soma discussion it was resolved, on the motion of Councillor Ick, that the Town Clerk be instructed to write a letter to the Avon Road Board, stating that when the City Council offered last August to halve the cost, they "were in good funds, but at the present time they are not so situated. They will, however, be prepared to proceed with the work at the earliest favourable opportunity. A letter was read from the Spreydon Road Board, stating that as the Board had placed £30 on. their estimates for the footpath on the South town belt, they could not undertake to contribute towards the cost of the road at present, and suggesting that, posts should be placed at intervals along the footpath, so as to prevent cart traffic thereon. Councillor Hobbs moved that the Town Clerk be instructed to reply to the Spreydon; Road Board that tbis Council is not prepared to carry out the work on the South town belt except the whole of it, including the roadway, is taken in hand ; but the Council is quite willing to spend tho £30 for the Board in putting the footpath in order. The motion was seconded and agreed to. A letter was read from Mr B. J. H. Carew, asking the Council fc» put down kerbing in front of his stables, Oxford terrace, on the usual condition. The application was granted. A letter was read from 16 labourers in the employ of the Council calling attention to the present rate of wages in Christchurch, and asking for an increase of sixpence per day. Councillor Hart said the matter was discussed by the Works Committee that morning, and they could not see their way to recommend the application in its present form to be granted, but would suggest that the matter should be deferred until the end of the present month, when soma other arrangement would be made. The recommendation, of the committee was adopted. j A letter was read from; five residents on the north side of St. Asaph street, between Durham and Montreal streets, pointing out the necessity for the footpath in front of their premises being formed and shingled before winter. On the motion of Councillor Calvert the Town Clerk was instructed to inform the writers of the letter that if they contributed the usual proportion ef the cost of wood kerbing, the Council will at once take the work in hand. • A petition was read from a number of residents in tho city, praying that his Worship the Mayor would at bis earliest convenience convene a public meeting for tho purpose of considering the letter, on the subject of the new city drain, as published in the Lyttelton Times, and signed J. S. M. Jacobsen, together with a sub-leader which appeared in the Lyttelton Times on the same subject, and to consider whether it is advisable that any money should be expended upon the brickwork portion of the drain for which the Counoil had invited tenders. His Worship asked what evening would be the most: convenient for the members of the Council to attend such a meeting. Councillor Hart said of course it rested entirely with his Worship to say whether or not the meeting should be convened, but if he decided upoh granting, the prayer of the petitioners, he (Councillor Hart) would.suggest that previous to the meeting being held

the Surveyor should be instructed to give to the Council a written report upon fc' drain, giving every particular conneoted wi it, including the original estimated cost a the expenditure actually incurred up to t present time. His Worship said he had no hesitation complying with a petition so influential signed as the one now before him, and the: fore he intended to convene fche meeting desired. He thought fche suggestion made Councillor Harfc, was a very good one a should certainly be carried into effect. Councillor Harfc said his Worship havi decided to convene the meeting, he wov move that the surveyor be called upon to ft nish the Council wifch a report givi the cost as originally estimated. 1 actual cost according to tenders let, the lev< and everything else bearing upon the subj of the new drain. Couscillor Ick seconded the motion. - said it was to be regretted that tho ratepay had not petitioned the Council earlier inste of permitting them firsfc to enter into m contracts connected- with the drain. Pers ally The was glad that a meeting was to be c yened, because he hoped the Council would abl^to fully refute what; had been ur( against the work they had carried out. His Worship said he should state that subject of the drain was considered by Works Committee immediately after appearance of Mr Jacobsen's l«{*j; an( J stated the result at the next meeting of Councd, but the reporters did nofc take 'hoi of it, and the public had consequently thou fche Council had treated fche matter with < tempt. The motion was agreed to, and his Wors postponed fixing the day for fche meeting v the Surveyor's report had been received. The -Inspector of Nuisances reported t he had inspected Mr D. B. Bowie's prem on the South town belt, and found float water complained of comes from spring* land occupied by Mr Henwood, which iho be drained by an open ditch on section - and on a private road off Antigua street, wl drain requires to be cleaned and probt deepened. Mr Henwood and others offered to clean a portion of the drain, desired fche assistance of the Council, to o that part on the private road. The matter was referred to the Works C mittee. On the motion of Councillor Harb, motion respecting site of Government bu ings, to be found in report of Proyin Council proceedings, was passed; and a de fcafcion appointed to present it to the Gov ment. The Council then adjourned.