CITY COUNCIL

Press, Volume XLVI, Issue 7419, 10 December 1889, Page 3

CITY COUNCIL

An ordinary meeting of the City Council was held last' night. Present—His Worship the Mayor, Crs. Manning, Goes, Prudhoe, Gray, Wood, Cooper, Crooks, Bonnington, Patrick, Scott, Rowe, Reese. The statement of receipts and expenditure for the past fortnight showed the receipts to have been—General account, £444 2s Id; suspense. £47 os 6d; cemetery, £5 7s 6d; interest, £30 0s 6d. Expenditure —General account, J61559 9s Id; cemetery, £8 6s 6d; suspense. £1. The Bank overdraft was £445915s 7d. A letter was read from the Sydenham! Borough Council enclosing, a resolution j opposing the City Council having sole control of the Domain, but agreeing to a representative body being placed in chatge. . The letter was received. Under the head of new business, Cγ. Grat moved—" That the Council give its consent to the use of the Fire Brigade plant and the necessary Council horses for the procession on Monday, December 16th. ■ .. _ _ . ' The motion was seconded by Cγ. Coopeb and carried. This being all the business, His Worship said —Gentlemen, as this, is the last time that I shall have the honor and pleasure of presiding over you, it is only right that I should return you my sincere thanks for the- uniform support I have received from you while I have occupied this chair. During my two years' occupancy I certainly have, not had many occasions to exert any special authority, or to give any decisive ruling, but whenever I have been appealed to my ruling has always been accepted with the greatest respect, and there never have Been any dissentients to it.' It has not been questioned in any way. I attribute this to the great moderation in which the Councillors had discussed every subject which has been brought before them. In that respect I have much pleasure in saying that we compare very favorably with some other bodies of perhaps a more exalted character than our own. During my term of office Ido not think that there has ever been anything which by the greatest exaggeration could be called the approach 3 to a scene of any description. Diffl- \ culties and differences of opinion there 1 have been, and it is quite right that there \ should be differences of opinion; but lam I prepared to say that Councillors have given their opinions without descending to personalities. This moderation on the part of the Council has made my duties comparatively light, and 1 take to myself:: no credit for the orderly manner in which! the business has been conducted. During k my two years of office I may have said some 1 things which might be considered harsh or unpleasant, but I may here say that my | opinion is this : A man who has no temper or who does not show a little occasionally, is not good for very much. I do not care for a man who has no temper at i all (Laughter.) Therefore, if I have said ] anything which might be considered harsh ! or unpleasant, I have not said it from any personal feeling towards any of the Councillors; it has been said in the interests of the citizens. (Applause.) With regard to the work of the last two years, I cannot point to any gigantic monuments to mark my reign. The reason is obvious. My predecessors, being energetic gentlemen, took good care to spend all the money available— upon > which they could lay their hands. They »thus left mc a Terr empty exchequer when I took the keys. (Renewed laughter.) Further than that, we have not been in a (position to make big improvements, and fit has not been the time to go to the rate-' ipayers and call upon them to sanction uoans which would make their burdens tiny heavier than at present. Business has not been in such a state as to Wrrant us going to the ratepayers for iuca things. But for all that I think that the two years have toeen marked by steady progress. Many things have been done in the interests of the citizens, and their burden of rates has been considerably reduced. Tue water rate and the sbaveagering rate have been abolished, Sad we have now only the general rate of IP In the £ where formerly we had several rates. Then there is another thing which has been done, and it is an important one. I refer to the settlement of the gas question at to-night's meetings As you are aware, the Council for the past twelve months has been waging war with

the Gas Company, and hat succeeded In 1 wresting very* great concessions from that { Company. .Whether it has been through a different policy, or on account of toe management, we have found them more ! reasonable to deal with than in former i years. Ido not think we can complain of the Gas Company. Of course we all like i to get what we can as cheaply as possible, and we have got great conce?aions from the Company, which will result in something like an equivalent to £S00O; that is, the consumers wili be paying ' £8000 a year less than they were paying two years ago. When you come to consider that the whole of the rates which are returnable amount to £12,000 a year, I thlik yon will perceive that this is -a pretty substantial relief. And, as I havel already said, while the improvements have been steady, they have been of such a nature that strangers tell us our streets and roads will compare favorably with those of any other slty in New Zealand. I am bound , ,o say, without being accused of egotism, i _at I feel I must agree with them. I j lave travelled through New Zealand and ' ho Australian colonies, and I say it with- ■ mt fear of contradiction, that our sanitary sondltion, our streets, and our roads will rompare very favorably with those of any >ther city in the Australasian colonies. I would not like to leave the chair without )aylng a high tribute to the staff of this : Council. Gentlemen, 1 am sorry to say that It has been the habit In some quarters to constantly belittle our officers, and to be constantly nagging at them, and making | •Jheir lives a misery to them. This Is periaps strong language, and I would not use t only that I may not havo another oppor■unity of expressing what I feel. I nave ad intimate experience of the staff, than rhich, from the clerk to the cadet, there is o better lv any office in New Zealand. I aye had experience, and what I have said i said in spite of several things that have een uttered against them. If you want nything done you have it attended to exeditionsly. If it is anything which refers ack six months, or six years, you have it i a few minutes. The system under rhich the work is carried on is such that ou can refer back to almost any period of he Council's history and And what you Jtvant. Iv comparison with the work of ■the city the staff is a small one. I have ■heard Councillors ask for reductions in the IstalT. If those Councillors would ask I for a little information as to the cost of I working this city as compared with others in the colony, they would find the balance is considerably in favor of this city; the cost Is from 25 to 50 per cent, cheaper • than other cities in New Zealand. Therefore I don't think It would be right for mc to vacate my office without giving my opinion of the work done by the officers of the Council. If there are any Councillors who think different it is from want of experience. I know occasionally that the manner of the officers is not all that it should be; they may not be quite so obsequious, perhaps, as they should be to i some members of the Council, but I think; none the less of them for that; and they• may fail in the estimation of some Coun-' cillors. But I think every one on the staff thoroughly earns his money, and should be treated with proper respect b> the Council. I hope Councillors won't think I : am speaking too strongly oh this subjectfa , But I feel strongly because I think chatg ; sometimes the Councillors are a little! _ too hard on their officers. I will not! . detain you any. longer, gentlemen, exceptfl to thank you once more for the great con-' • sideratiou you have always given mc while iv office. If my duties nave not been very light, they have been a pleasure to mc, and only that I think the rate- • payers might be getting tired of mc, and < that I require a little more time for my ' own business, I should be tempted to ' .fight Cr. Manning for another year's : term of office. In resigning the reins of office to Mr Manning, it is satisfactory to mc to know that I shall be succeeded by a gentleman having • great municipal experience, and a gentle- ' man also who, I think, will fill the - office well and to your entire satlsfac- , tion as well as to the satisfaction of the ' ratepayers. My friend Mr Manning has ;■ the ability and experience to do so. I ' have been long associated with Mr Manning and this is the conclusion I have come to. With these few remarks, gen-; tlemen, I have again to thank you. (Applause.) i Cr. Reese, as an old Councillor, expressed his satisfaction at the manner in Which his Worship had fulfilled his duties of office, and added that while he had not 1 his name inscribed on a monument, he had the privilege, by resolution of the Council, of hanging his picture in tbe Council Chamber. The manner in which ! his Worship had conducted the business ; of the Council at home and abroad had: been a very great credit to Canterbury. 1 He moved that the Council should accord ' his Worship a hearty vote of thanks. Cr. Bonnington seconded the motion, which was supported by Cr. Manning, and - -carried unanimously. ThftfioiinciUhif?a l ft*l^*TOe4>, l i_,i. l ,,,,