CITY COUNCIL.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 9522, 15 September 1896, Page 6

CITY COUNCIL.

Monday, September 14. The Council met at the usual hour. Present—His Worship the Mayor, Crs. Gray, Samuels, Kincaid, Sandstein, Appleby, J. T. Smith, Cooper, Prudhoe, AndreA.s, Sorensen, Stapleton, Woods, Loughnan, SteAViivt and Payling. Crs. Cooper, Woods, Smith, Prudhoe and Stapleton made the us ual declaration. The -receipts sin.c last' meeting were stated as being as. under-:—General account £481 4s 7d, cemetery account £16 ss, suspense account £29 3s«2d, interest account £9115s 3d. The debit balance at the Bank Avas stated as being £3440 Os lid. Accounts were passed for payment as under:— General account £448 19s Bd, suspense account £6 5s 4d. The Mayor a. elcomed the new Councillor for Richmond and the old members reelected. The Milk Conference had sat since last meeting, and had decided to recommend the Governor to gazette the draft regulations which the Conference had agreed to. Correspondence a. as read as under :— From Mr H. _tf. Nalder, stating that Mr McCausland had stated that he Avas prevented by the other cabmen on the Cathedral square from using the telephone in the cabmen's box on the square. He thought that all cabmen should Be allowed, under proper rules, to use the telephone, and that there should be no monopoly as the telephone was erected on a public road. Cr. Appleby, as Chairman of the By-law Committee, to whom the matter had been referred, stated that the Committee* did not think it expedient to interfere between -these men or to recommend the Council to do so. Cr. Sandstein pointed out that the Council had no official knoAvledge that McCausland had been refused, after the report of the Committee, which was agreed to by the Councii at last meeting, had been sent to the cabmen. Cr. Appleby nioA-ed— '* That the letter lie on the table." Cr. Gray seconded the motion, which was agreed to. From Mr R. M. Macdonald, Chairman of the Christchurch Tramway Company, acknowledging receipt of the letter from the Council as to section 2 clause 29 of the Tramways Act, 1894, and stating that as the Company read the clause it preA-ented the Council from buying outside its oayti district. The Mayor stated that this was in answer to a letter from the Town Clerk, asking the price alf which the Company would be prepared to sell their line. On the motion of; Cr. Smith the letter was referred to the Special Tramway Committee. '* 0 From Mr Troup, Managing Director of the Crown Ironworks Company', complaining that the action of the Council in advertising that. legal proceedings would be taken against anyone using sanitary pans other than those supplietr by the Council was interfering with the busiuess of the Company. They were advised that, the by-law was bad in a number of respects, and asked the Council to place the matter on such a footing that their business would not be interfer_d with.

The letter was referred to the By-law and Sanitary Committees. From the Avon Road Board, objecting to the regulations passed by the Milk Conference being gazetted in the Avon Road Board district until the matter had been considered bj* the Board, and asking that copies of the pi*oposed regulations be furnished to each member of the Road Board.

His Worship the Mayor said that under these circumstances the Avon road district could not be included in the regulations. But he a. ould desire to point out that the milkmen residing in this district, not being licensed or registere»., Avould run the risk of losing their customers. However, the matter was one for the Road Board, but he desired to point out that the Board was represented at the conference, and one of its representatiA*es was on the Sub-Com-mittee which had drafted the regulations. The letter aa*as received. The report of the City Surveyor was read, recommending the Council to giA-e its consent to a right-of-way in ToAvn Reserve No. 144, on certain conditions. The Works Committee had visited the drain referred to by the Church Property Trustees", and recommended that pipes be laid in place of the open ditch, and that the Avon Road Board be informed that it would have to pay half the cost. The Lighting Committee had come to the decision that two more lam.3 Avere necessary on Cambridge terrace, and recommended the Council to consent to their erection. The Mayor having reported to the Lighting Committee that complaints had been made to him of the quality of the gas, the Committee decided to report the same to the Council.

On the clause referring to tho right-of-way,

Cr. Appleby moved—"That the matter be referred back to the Works Committee.' Cr. Amdrews seconded the motion. After a discussion the motion was lost and the clause adopted. On the clause referring to the quality of the gas. Cr. Prudhok moved—" That a letter be sent to the Gas Company calling attention to the complaints as to the impure quality of the gas." Cr. Cooper seconded the motion, whicn was carried. The report of the Works and Finance Com- ; mittee stated that tbe Committee had no report to make re drafting schemeof dutiesfor re-engagement of the Surveyor as a Consulting Engineer, and further consideration of clause 2 of its report of last meeting, in view of Mr Gray's notice of motion to rescind the resolution passed last meeting giving the City Surveyor £150 per year as Consulting Engineer to the Council. The report was adopted. The question of the central yard for the Council and the acquisition of a site in Worcester street was discussed, and ultimately the matter was referred to the Works and Finance Committee to bring up a detailed report. The question of the City Surveyor was discussed at some length. The resolutions on the books relative to compassionate alloA. ance, passed twenty years ago, and j also that passed at the last meeting as to [ retiring the Surveyor as Consulting Engineer, were rescinded, aud ultimately eighteen months' leave of absence was granted to the Surveyor on full pay, his engagement to cease at the end of that term. The Works Committee was instructed to repair the footpath outside the Empire Hotel. Cr. Stewart called attention to a letter appearing in the Press, as to the provision oi" seats on the river banks. After some discussion the matter dropped. The usual Standing Committees were appointed OAving to the annual retirement of members and the election of others. The Council then adjourned.