BALCLUTHA BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Clutha Leader, Volume V, Issue 216, 30 August 1878, Page 5

BALCLUTHA BOROUGH COUNCIL.

The usual fortnightly meeting of the Council was held in the CouncU Chambers on Tuesday evening. Present : His Worship the Mayor, and Councillors Mason, Macdonald, Doull, and Dunne. MINUTES. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. ELECTION OF COUNCILLORS, The Mayor then explained that he had communicated with Mr J. W. Thomson relative to the division of the township into Wards. The Clerk read the foUowing telegrams : To J. W. Thomson, Esq., M.H.U., Wellington. On November 22nd, 1877, Balclutha was proclamed a Borough undor new Act. Acting on advice we considered Borough undivided, and I called a meeting of Burgesses to consider question of petitioning in favour of Wards. Meeting decided it was desirable to remain as we thought we were — an undivided Borough. On April 30, Council met re clause 4.6, Municipal Corporations Act, and signed Burgesses roll. It appears, however, from Colonial Secretary's letter to Milton, (July 25th last) law officers say Boroughs remain as they were if previously in Wards. Kindly ask Government to grant ns extension of time to prepare rolls for Wards. Elections advertised to take place September 3. Reply paid. , John M'Neil, Mayor, Balclutha, August 22, 1878. To John M'Neil, Esq., Balclutha. Have seen Under-Secretary to-day. Time for preparing rolls for Wards will be extended to 31st Augustj Proclamation in next Gazette. Jas. W. Thomson, Wellington, August 24, 1878. correspondence. The following letter from Mr P. S. Canning was read and after some considerable discussion was received : — To His Worship the Mayor and CouuoiUors of the Borough of Balclutha. Gentlemen, — Understanding his Worship the Mayor has telegraphed to the Government asking for the division of this Borough to be made legal in lieu of being nondivided as it is at present, ,1 beg to draw your attention to clause 12 of the Municipal Corporations Act whereby the Government may legalise our past actions as a Council and the subsequent action of the ratepayers at the public meeting held for the express purpose of deciding^ whether the Borough would be divided or non-divided, and further that the Council has committed itself by holding an election under the new roll non-divided, and further if any alteration is desired or requested it is to be by the express desire of a majority of ratepayers, not the Mayor or Council, — I am, etc., F. S. Canning, Councillor. Balclutha, August 27, 1878. It was moved by Councillor DouU, and seconded by Councillor Dunne, that the letter lay on the table tUI next meeting of the Council, His Worship remarking that the letter ought to have been addressed to him privately. A letter was also read from Messrs Potter and Doull, asking the Council to grant them temporary permission to allow a building to remain upon the footpath, Hasborough-street. The Works Committee were instructed to attend to the matter. THE MISSING REPORT. The Clerk then read the following report from Mr Robert Grigor re the works • at top of the town : — To the Mayor and Councillors of the Borough of Balclutha. Gentlemen, — At your request I have examined the water accumulations in the vicinity of block C. , on Main road as to the best means o f disposal of same. I have considered the question from its natural and artificial point of view. I estimate that the area outside of the Corporation boundary of drainage water that you have to make provision for, if you undertake the charge of the same, is about 1000 acres, most of which has been discharged into a swamp containing about 40 acres on the property of Wm, Tosh; In a state of nature, this swamp in ordinary weather was able to absorb most of the water discharged by a large creek, coming from the dividing range at Te Houka xoad. In extraordinary floods on this creek the water rose above the level of the swamp, and overflowed in the direction of the present railway line, below the present railway station. There is no indication whatever of there ever having been a water course of any kind defined from the natural flow or weight of water discharged by creek (Tosh's). This swamp has been treated artificially by several drains cut through it, more or less in the direction of the overflow that occurs at extraordinary times, and abuts on the Corporation boundary near block C. , where two culverts are constructed to lead it across the main road. The history of these culverts, which extends over 17 years, goes to prove that except in extraordinary times a very small culvert sufficed to carry what water perculated from the swamp and creek above the Corporation boundary. A clear channel having been now cut artificially through swamp a large culvert is now in existence which at extraordinary overflows will be scarcely capable of carrying all the water, but whicb for nine or ten months of the year is quite sufficient. I cannot advise the Corporation to take over this large quantity of water without giving the j question very serious consideration. Its low level wiU necessitate, if taken over, a very large expenditure of culver ting which will ultimately require to be covered in, and which if not of a very substantial nature wiU be liable Jto periodical burstings. looking at the question from the River as to a main drain, I find portions of swamp as near to the river as to the Corporation boundary, and fail to see why a considerable portion of this water should not be disposed of into the.Clutha (main river). By artificial means the water has been directed on to your property to your serious inconvenience, and as before stated an ultimate large expenditure of the ratepayers means. Therefore I consider that the proprietors above you, which you may both look upon in the light of your neighbours should use some artificial way of disposing of part of same, if not the larger portion. My opinion in all probability will be tested on this question by arbitration which is the only way I consider in which, it wiU be ultimately disposed ot. I have therefore given it my serions consideration and willbe prepared with data if at any time I should be requested to give evidence in this matter. The question simply as to the disposal of the water as it lies at present in the vicinity of block C, is a matter to which I could not give any attention purely of taking it away as it exists at j present. That , matter can be done simply by I cutting a large drain into the Koua river below the railway station sufficient to carry all. the water from the area which the creek drains,— l I have, etc, ( Robert Grigor, Surveyor. Balclutha, August 27, 1878. CouneUlor Mason moved that the report be received; , At the same time he was of opinion, that the question concerned only the parties haying property on either side the road ; he did not consider the CouncU had anything to do with it more than: making the road passable for the public. His Worship said he wa£ of a different opinion from Councillor Mason.' and that the work wa3 ond for the Cou'ncU's consideration. * . . L A, . 7 After some further discussion,' the matter was, aUowed to drop. .-'"-/---•:. '(' A ' FINANCE.; 7.A A'/" Accounts were passed, for payment as YfoUows :~T. ?ruoe, JL^7^;yDa>id;

! Spence, Ll 2s 6d ; Allan Stewart, Ll 4s t 6d , Clutha Leader, Ll9 19s 6d. ' j RIVER ENCROACHMENTS. I CouncUlor Macdonald moved and Ooun- ! ciUor Mason seconded, that his Worship I the Mayor and CouncUlor Hogg be apI pointed a deputation to wait on the Minister for Works, and ascertain if anything could be done by the Government to stop the river encroachments. The mover thought the CouncU was not at aU able to cope with a matter of this magnitude, and it was a thing that interested every citizen in Balclutha. — Motion carried. privilege. CouncUlor Dunne then rose to a point of privilege. He said in the last report of . the CouncU's proceedings, as reported in the Clutha Leader, he was made to say that he denied having seen a telegram from the Postmaster-General to his Worship the Mayor, re the Post Office site ; and the report further stated that his Worship subsequently admitted having shewn him the telegram. He said that was not at all a true report of what actuaUy took place, and wished the Council as a body to express itself to that effect, as it would then go to the pubHc, and thus clear his character. Several of the CounciUors spoke as to their recoUection of what took place, and the Mayor suggested that some of the members might bring it forward as a mot'oa, but as no one seemed to care about this the matter was allowed to remain where it was — viz., that our report was quite correct that Councillor Dunne was shewn the telegram by the Mayor on the verandah of the Crown Hotel, and then denied to the CouncU having seen it. On the motion of CouncUlor Dunne, seconded by CouncUlor DouU, the Clerk was instructed to write to J. S. Fleming, the. editor, asking him why Mr Dunne's motion re the Post Ofiice site was omitted from the Clutha Leader's report of last meeting. He (CouncUlor Dunne) said that as his motion was in writing there could be no excuse for its not being reported, and he was led to believe it had been kept out purposely by that journal. The meeting then adjourned. Note. — We were not present at the meeting a fortnight ago, to the report of which CounciUors seem to have taken such serious objection. Our reporter, however, assures us that the report was a strictly corr rect one, and his statement is fuUy corroborated by others who were present. With reference to Mr Dunne's complaint of a motion of his having been intentionaUy omitted, and regarding which the Town Clerk was instructed to write us, we have to say that gentleman, no doubt for very good reasons, ha 3 not as yet carried out his instruction, but we may explain that the motion was published verbatim in our report. Of this Councillors can satisfy themselves by referring to our issue of the 16th instant, the first issue of the paper after the meeting. — Ed. C.L.