CITY COUNCIL.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 9182, 13 August 1895, Page 6

CITY COUNCIL.

m — -+- — m W Monday, August 12. w The Council meb at the usual hour. Present—The Mayor, aad Crs. Wood, Swarm, Widdowson, Gray, : -vvart, Samuels, Cuff, Woods, J. T. Smith, ;\«.ylirig, Beawick, and Connal. Apologic3 were received from Crs. Bonningtou and Bunting. The receipts since lasfc meeting were stated as being—General account, £499 19s 4d ; cemetery account, £30 4a 61 ; suspense account, £3133 lid ; interest account, £83 4s 9d. Accounts were passed as under— General account, £854 12* 10d ; suspense account, £5 IQ3 ; cemetery account, £1 13s 9<J. The debit balance was stated as being £5519 14e 7d. The Mayor called attention to the withdrawal by the Insurance Companies' Association of their subsidy of £250. This with the annual increased cost of their new system to the ratepayers of £290, made nearly £500 loas to the city. He thought that seeing the enormous amount of insurauces received by the Companies, and that the extra expense had been caussd for the protection of the Insurance Companies, the city now saved some £1350 per annum for the benefit of rich Companies. If some Councillor did not move in the matter he would do so. Then again there waa the matter of the widening of Oxford Terrace which had left the telephone post in a dangerous place. Mr Meddinga had told him that to remove the telephone posts to the other side would coat £150. The Committee were then asked to cut down some of the trees on the river bank, aud with considerable regret they had agreed to do bo. A considerable amount of information had been received regarding public abattoirs, and when this was complete it would be laid before the Council. He had received a letter from Messrs Wilding and Lewis, respecting the keeping in order of certain righta-of-way. As this was a very important matter he had consnlted the Corporation x solicitors, and their letter would be brought up that evening. A deputation from the Committee of the Industrial Exhibition, comprising Meesre H. B. Kirk and E. C. Brown, waited on the Council to ask that the road in Cashel street, from the bridge to the Drill shed, be put in order, aad that a crossing be put across from the corner of Oashel street to the bridge. The deputation also aaked , that two lamps be place! on each side of ] the bridge. Mr Bishop, of the Gas Company, bad offered, if the Council erected the posts and provided the lamp 3, that they would connect the gas with it. The cover of the sump on the other side was also loose and required fixing. Cr. Wood moved—"That the matters referred to by the deputation be relegated to the Works Committee to carry out." > Cr. Cvff seconded the motion, which ; was carried. Correspondence waa read as under:— . From the Works Committee of the Sydenham Borough Couucil, asking that the ■ planting of the trees on the South belt be > deferred for a fortnight, so that the Coun- ■ cil might consider the matter. It was re--1 solved that the request be granted. From Messrs Wilding and Lewis with regard to the righta-of-way from Cashel to Hereford streets and from Hereford street to Worcester street, pointing out that these were public highways, and the Council wa.3 bound to maintain them and keep them in order. The roads were now in need of repair, and the writers hoped that the Council would at once give orders for the repairs. The opinion of the City solicitors was read to , the following effect:—" We are of opinion that although it is quite possible, and indeed probable, that as regards the public right of passing over and along the way a referred to in Messrs Wilding and Lewis , letter, they are public ways, yet they are not public streets or roads repairable by. the inhabitants at large, or such as there is any statutory or other obligations upon your Council to construct or maintain. Even if the point were more doubtful than we take it to be, we should consider it our duty to advise the Council to resist any .attempt to make the construction of these ways a charge lon its funds. There are many auch waya within the city, and if the Council accept a responsibility as to one it will ex- , perience a great difficulty in avoiding liability ac to all." On the motion of Cr. GR4.Y the letters were received and the opinion of the solicitors ordered to be forwarded to Messrs J Wilding and Lewis. Cr. Gray said with reference to the state- , ment of the Mayor in regard to the Insurance Association he wished to point out that the causes which had led to the withdrawal of the subsidy, which really meant a farthing in the pound to the ratepayers, had , resulted in a gain of thousands of pounds to the citizens by the reduction of rates owing ] to the tariff having broken down. So far ashe(Cr. Gray) saw the citizens would be rather glad than otherwise that the subsidy had been withdrawu. A # After some further discussion the matty Hropped. M m The Council then adjourned. m