CITY BOARD MEETING.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XVIII, Issue 1632, 14 October 1862, Page 3

CITY BOARD MEETING.

Till usual weekly meeting of the Bond was held vcsteiday afternoon, in the othecs, Canada Buildings, t licit ljenii; pit sent, the Ghanm.in .mil Me^sis Dai by, i^inlay .mil Macicady. The minuter of the pienotis meeting weie lead and coiihnncd iriTrn i i:om Tin- si wniMTxrirNT A It ttci w is lccemd honi bib honoi the SupeiinteiulLiil, '■tiling, that the wills m 'Jut.en stieet had hi en lompli tul. Mi Dutm piopostd tli it the kttei be laid upon the tiblt, which was sctondid mil can ltd A Ictti'i was al-o itciived fioin Mi Ilnyli Reid, uspt otiiig the ]ii\iuuit ot lent dl the Boaid loom, tioni SHir./ul^ to <>th Octoliei On the motion of Mi Du!B\ the money was oidcied to bo p ud RLtIIPI>. iVC 01 IHL ISOVKD Mi. Dvitm in the ah-ince or ,Vi Cailmin, moved ' Tint in ibsti let of tin 1 iec< ipt--and expemlituie of the Boinl be published ijiiu toil) Ife thought it was ijiuti liL'ht tli it the public should have an oppoitumty albiiiled thim of =iung how the inonev of the Boaid was laid out tint tin I'oud liad expindcil the money <.uitiou-lv and ni itle it iro as f u is it would Mi. Fixi v\ secondi d the morion, and ltwascuiied. UO VI) HI PVTKs Tlie (. H Mini vx s ml tilt, next biiMiir ~s to come Ik foia (he Boutl was Mi Fiiiiiv'- plot ositumt, with le^ptct to inn! lep m-» ft oeeuned to him th it sometime ago the lioaid passed . i n solution, I>\ which Ml Sttwait w is lequestid to furnish the membeis with an cstini itc of woik to be done duuu"- the \eu , and he (tlie Ch vi mm) would then two j ut it to the Boaid, u h- ther It \. ould not lie* mole desii.ihle to a-C'l tun, 111 the fiisfc liistinit., whit Mi Stiwut's piopo-ihons ini»ht ho, befoie t ikmir up tho i solutions of Mi Einlav. and which lekiii dto stpaiutt p 1 iic- in the lit 1 Jlewa-s not --pi il. mi; it ill '"ini-t the dt -liability of having the -tuct- atkudi d id is mentioned m the motion Ini t hi dnl think tin \ should ittend m the hist p! ice to whit had In en ie-ol\ed upon at pnoi in> etinga ot the Board. Mi FIM V\ thought tht. Boaid hid a light to «. a y whit sin <ts should In. done, uid not Ml bttwait. Hi did not think the motion v Inch hid lict.il pieuoiwly pi— cd li\ (hi Coaid w's explicit oiuiulli iumUioi did it Milhiieiill) point out to Ml M'Hv u t his duties ,he hil thi it fine bioiii.ht the pie-tut motions m older th ■: tlie Bo ud mi< lit v-n it uu fiwn the Ei _ino< r what an\ paitieulu stieet mi jht lumiic, to put it in goiul upin , mil \ hat it woultl tost With this intention he hid hiouglu Imw ml tin if-olutions, and if the I o.ud did not co'i-nhi )tnoco--ai> to pa-— them, they could thiow them o\i)bo>jtl The CIIVIUMVN tin ' not wi-li to be considcied as sp ikniLT i ■ unst the lc-olutimis the Bo ud woio conMiutdot tin n liiipoi t uicu and did not ton-niei the> lould be .itUudeil to Urn soon, but !Mi Stev ait's atI 1I 1 nt ion hid tloubtltss bten tluectetl to the motion pre-Mou-ls pi- ed b\ the. liond, and weuo thtse to be ii_M>kt'd on, it could not betxpeetod he could attend to both Mi. I''i\lv\ said ho did not bche\e m sheets being h'llf (liu-hcd "When mice commented they must be hut-hid completih, without an\ of the old touches, lie w mted the Bond to know what eieh stieet would cost to be comploleh finished and not to thiow away .t 100 oi t\)00 on this stieet ami that, and winch wTsneithti one tiling nor inothci All tlie sheets must be finished completely .Mi Strwait, m answei to the Chanman said, if the Boaid p issed the le-olutions, ami he must attend to them, it woultl be norts-uy foi them to lescind the pievious motions which they had passed, defining =ei vices to In. peifoimcd b\ him. Uo hid attended to then u solution lcspt'ctmg gutteis and keihs, and was n.id> to lepoit on tbo^e ]>rii tienlais The next which he was thiectt'd to ippK luinselt to, w is the woiks to be gone on with He could not state how fai he might have lepoitcd ab piohable to be done dining the j ear ; luit'ieiy likely the fn-t sheet he woultl have taken would have been Queen-stuet, with Yictona stieet nirlit to the Ba>, but Elliot stieet andotheis he might not have pioim-ed Mi Fixlv\ said he shouhl piess the motions on. and he should be peifi't'l\ satisfied weie they thrown ovei Tint Mi Stewaithad not leceived instuictions fioni that Boaul, which would enable him a itisfaetonly to piocced with the woik tlcsUcd It was not doing Mi Stcwiit justice • but h\ inssmg the motions to be biouidit foiw.ntl, he would be plictd in a position to know wli it he was doing I few ould defy am engineer " what-omt vti," unites he had some piepaied mstiuctions to _o bv , to do his woik satisfactonly to the Boaid and ho had biought the motions foiwaid in oide. to do Mi Stew nt justice, tint he might ha\c something to no 1^ that he mis: lit know what he w»-> doing and that the public might know whit to expect lit eileulite'd the whole of the bhei'ts lnintiontd in his it solutions woultl be done, the whole lot of them, bi fou i veiv long tune had dipsetl It the Bond weie to gt t no nione\ at all to cuiv on the woik-, it would be a \ei> pool job '1 he fir-t motion he intituled to bung foiwaid was, "That the ongmeei be instituted to examine and lepoit to the Boaid the cost of the thoiouuh foimation of Albeit stieet fioin its junction with Victon i-stieet till its junction with Cook stieet . likewise the cost of keib- and gutteis foi thesinii. The stieet to bo fount d kcib to ki'ib ' Tlie stieet wis mi lenfi'i condition, so ninth so, tint tin inhibit mts weie mi iblu to get even i big of floin, oi an> thing into then houses, without going ovei the tops ot then boots. It was in i state of nitiuo and he conMilcud it quite riuht that the Bond should put it m a good stato of icpur The same might be said likewise of Cookstiiet, as it came in conjunction with a poitiou of Albt it stieet and bv passing this motion, Ah. Steivait would know wlnt he had to do He (Ml F ) saw no icisoii wliv. if the Boaul h id money, that the sheets should not be put in »ood it-pan and he would like the people to know exictly what slieet was going to he lepairetl. Mi M\cnFAl)y said he would second the motion. Theie was no doubt between Vutoua stuet am! Cooksheet the load was disgiact fully bad in fact in some places it was impossible to piss It w.vs a vciy shoit i)it of a sheet, and ought to be done Tho Chairman said he was of opinion that the motion ought to be allowed to stand ovei not that he was opposed to it, but in the meantime he thought they should have had Ah Stew ait's repoit of the woik to be finished timing the yoai. If they were not satisfied w ith that woi k . then they could have called his attention to any sheets which appealed likely to be omitted Tho motion was then put and earned. Mi Fim^ pioposetl the next lesolution —"Also, tin 1 tost of the complete foimation of Cook shret, fiom keib to keib fiom its junction with Gieyst.iet till its junction with Ilobson stieet '' lie thought the peopk in tliw stieet had a good claim upon the Boaid : they weio in a very bad position, and some could not get up oi 1 down the sheet at all.

Mr. Macukady seconded the motion. Mr. Darby could not see why the street should not be repaired down to the Bay for it was in a much worse state beyond Hobson street tbnn on the QueonBtreet side. He should consider it a very unf.ah thing if Mr. Finlay did not alter his motion, that the stieet should be repaiied to its junction with Uniou-btveet. Mr. Finlay expressed his willingness to amend his resolution, and this being done, it was eauied. The ue\t motion was then proposed by Mi. Fixlw as follows — "Also, the cost of the full formation of Elliot street, from keib to kerb ■ with the cost of keubs and "utter? for the suno street. This sheet may bo done with mountain giav el laid on ten niches 1 thick.' Seconded bv Mr. Darby, and cariied. Mr. FIHtAY then proposed the following u'solutions which were Mconded by Mi D uiß\, and earned They were worded as follows. — " Ako, the cost of the full foimation of Hobson street, fiom keib to keib This stieet to ha\e a coat of bioken metal, at least ten inches deep. Also the sqvuate cost of "uttering and kerbing both sides of the street, from its junction with West Queen street, till it s junction with KaiangahapiEoad. "Also, the cost of the complete formation of Bairack street, till its junction with Symonds btieet This stieet may be coated with mountain guuel, laid on t>.ii inches thick: the tiaffic not being great " Also, the cost of the complete foimatiou of Diake street, to the bottom of Fiankl}ii load, including all the retaining wall-, that may bo icqumd Also, the removal of the wood bridge, and put on a buck cul vert wheie the budge is at piesent. and lcpoit as to the necessity ot raising the load at the budge about ten feet This, load to be coatul with ten inches of broken metal The ne\t n-olution standing in Mi Fi\l vVsnamo. and moved by him, was as follows — "Also, the e\ pense of a coirugated non -bed, about '200 feet long, and 12 fe t wide, to be elected at Mount Eden, as a covering for men to bleak stones, so that a constant supply will always be on hand for the stieets a-- ie> quned " It was well known that in suminci the men could not work thioutrh the heat of the da}, uul in winter could not work thiough the lain, unless pio tected bv some coveimg ; and t'.ie Boaul weie dosiions at all tunes uul seasons of seeming metil for the road*. Theie were it the picsent moment. in the eit}. dozens and ilozuisof meu without a shilling in then pockets, or a loif of Ineul in then houses, and wlio would be only too gl»d to woik foi a dollu a da\, if the Boaul would offer it to them, and it would be to the mteiest of the Boaid to secure the services of these peisous to obtain metil for the ioad« Mr M\CREU>Y seconded the motion, and it was caineii. Mi Finiai '-aid the othci motions which stood in his naiuj, he would, with the pciuns-ion of the IWid, withdiaw lie touud thes had been attended to CIT\ Ll \1 Ls The Engiueei biought up and lead the following report — City Board of Woiks Office, Hth iKtol.u, 1<62 G ntleinen, — I ben to submit the tollowmsr lepoit m terms of \om resolution of date ISth August 1 i-t, to the efl\ct ' lint in-tiiiction be given to the Engineei to evinnne the oit) lev t ls thoiougldv, and to upwt to the Bmiil hi- opinion ab to their u'eiiei il coueetne— — Also to lepoit to the Board an} alt< latum oi inoilihci tion he nm thnik neoessaiv foi the public convcnienct, tint the le\els uiiy be as perfect and complete a-pOs-llllv, \C ' I have e\ unmed the book of city section* m cu-tod> of the^urvt} de|> ittuieilt of the Pio\ mnal Irovcin mentwitli greitcue, mdwitliMcw to aus-weiing t!i~ sep irate he ids of join lc-olution .is to Liuicctuo— Smtabihtv, &o I \er\ much regiet that in no poms of an\ nnpoi tame connected with thc-e level* cm I icconl in\ ap proval, and in nnnv ca-cs lam eonstiaiued to gi\e my direct di-ippio\ il The points to which I ha\e diieetel m\ attention are a- follows — The coucctiic-s of the levels giwii ot | the vinous point- oc the eitv The peim inent lew lof the btie t- as showu m lelation to etch otliei, and to their natui il sui races The cmei tiie-s of tlu 1 June tions of the stilts with o hei- , and lasth. the suitabihtv of thj whole. ti> answei the pmpo-esot the legilued levels of the cit\. Regarding the coueetne— of the levels, I Kjiet that moie data does not exist foi testing it a- well is woiking from the sei tion« The datum l- high waUi, and nuuiaik exists to «hev\ what level tins was U'an to be. A tew bench m uks of a Listing but nothing like |>ci mauent uituics ire horned on the sections I'lie most of tliese, including the piuiupal one, have been olili terated by fiie- Other-, aie not now to be found, ami seveial that ate m e\ -tenee, vai} 111 then hguied heights fio'ii then tuie level- fiom six: niche- to two feet Iv two 01 thiee ca=e- onlj that [hue tested do the benthmaiks indicate the cone-ct level* Sejing the' elilioiate detul with which the -ectirm-, hive been got up, it is a pit\ th it some pumaiKiit beuclunuks weie note&tabh-hedm vaiious pait- of the city Regal ding the permanent levels of thesticei-and then lelative po-mons neai jim< tion- Ihue to -tate m\ tn tire ili«appio\al of almo-t e\ei \ one of them One of the woi-t featuie- is the co nmon ocetuieiico ot .1 -ule stieet, being de-igned to come down with a de.p gradient, right into the ccntie of a main stieet Such as Aheiciouiuitt -tteet, wlinli hue?h uc? ccntie of 15airack stiee't with a giadieiit. cio^^e- \\ akeheld --tieet with two stecpei tjiadieuts and shoots into tin middle ot Edwaid -treet, -o a> to le,T\e .111 obsti notion on tin northeast frido of thelittei of tlnce fett in he'^lit ]i)d ward c tree t is shewn blocked, up 111 sime mauuci *nd to a gieatci drgiet, 113 stitet, and 111 turn 1-1 ltsi If c irned right into the centie of U)>|i' 1 Quteu Street blocking up its ea^t sale to a h< iglit of 4 feet 6 inches The mo-t objtotionableni'-tincehowevcl, is that of Mount and Wakchfld -tieet-, wheie the loi mci cio~sins the 1 ittei break-, oil fiom it- ci ntie with a gradient of one 111 3.75 downwaids, -o as to be at the edge of Wakefield stieet. aiiuut S fei t below the lc\cl of it 3 keib, thus leumg 1 piisinnidal \]>ctl iha<-m of the above depth 111 the Westrin lialt ot a stieet, of such impoitaiice. andiiicutnbued with such a gi übi nt as at best it mu-t always ha\e J nted not mout on moie instances as the s hub complaint in 1} be made 111 many cisei ot like nituie While tiouble his been taken to plot sepaiafe sections for lioth side- of the stiei ts, and in smut instances on -epaiate stunts, ( ue has not alw i\-< been taken to but in the I atci c i-e the -arne giadiait on c ich Jn the m-t nice ot Slioiilind stieet, the two l>-lnci]> d jri idienU aX quite illffeient Oil the tf. () section 1 -, duiignig to the e\U nt of one foot, and showing at then junction the -outh sid' tb it (Lpth lowei than the 1101 th. Oi tai moie seiiiin nnpoit an my objections to the section-,, as nieuis of e-t ibh-lnng 'egib/ed ami penninent le\els of tne cits The-c amount to "-udi th it it is 111 til}' Condi nud opinion impo-sibli to fix m\ le\ils fiom thes sections, 111 a 111 iniici that will bt legal and lunding Tne -cotioiis -bow in stieet ami la ie a length of neiilj 13 miles, uid of this besides } of a ui'le with no peim.uicnt !■ \cl shown, 111010 thin 5 1 miles aic dcMuiif d with cuncd giadieiits w lnch I nevei iiefoie hm on any section 01 woik vbitcvci Cunes aie onl} \l-ell it jnuetionscif -ti 1 '_ r bt gi.ubcnts, foi ach 1111 01 >-o on 1 ,ioh sidi , and aie m\n shown on dectioiis It w )>i le'iealby lmpn— >iblc to d\ th \> \els of tbosu stre to -o cur\e>l m gi.idient-. without embodying mi the lull the "-pecilie 1 lewis of eu h individual pioput} The u-e. ot piopc lv dehm il gridients is t" pieinit the ncce-sit> of tins Thu legal defin tion of giaibe'iits is \ei\ ckail> laid down 111 the stuidm.,' orders of the imp nil puhammt in ie gard to pn\ate bill-, and J appiehend the -^ctions 111 coiisidoiation would m.t stand tb it test The cuives b.mg thus linpiactic ible, lamsoiiyto siy tlie -tralglits aie scaicily better Unless 011 the supposition th it tile sections aie uufinishcd I cmiiot accouut foi their unw 01 kablc c<uiditi<iu In only one instance is the 1 ite of inclination m uked, this is in the Albeit street cutting Ko height 01 dist nice of june tionh of giadients aie given, and without these th< y cannot be defined It may be obseived that the scile ought to suffice for this, and so they ought in theoiv, but I will just note the practical 1 fleet of it In Lowi 1 Queen stieufc two b'laigbt giadients are shewn above and below Wyndli.im stieet The lowei one in thira places calcul ites bv scales foi hoi i/ontal lengths, and the figured heights of junctions of stieets for the vei tioal heights 1 111 3GI, lin 370, and 1 in 220 This is di.awn on the section j= one gradient Tlie otliet one in thn epi ices calculates in same way, I 111 35 C ; 1 in 32, and tin 34 7. The effect of this on a legalized giadient will be sufficiently appaient to need no finthoi comment. Eveiy giadieiit 111 the seiies is put down in the same loo^e manner, and chiefly foi want of hoi izoutal distances is, Or may be anything within ceitain limits 1 have lem.trked on the great detail with which the bections have been got up, but the bame amount of accuracy has not been observed, 01 useful data given. Most of these stieets have been pegged on both hides, and some have had thiee lines of levels plotted, but in not one single instance is the position of a peg on pi m or section noted. That is its distance from the ends of a. btieet, and the adjacent pegs are undefined As the few of them lemainmg aie worn or defa •«-<!, nothing can be gained by seaich for their positions. With one or two exceptions the junctions of the street* are figured, and this is the only attempt at fixing the levels that appeal*. It h manifest that however well defined the levels of the ends of a street may be, that of itself w ill not define onu foot of its length. In a few cases thesc> figured junctions do nut conespond on the different sections, the vaiia- |

tiou being fiom 2 feet 6 inches to 30 fept. In ont case the junction of Quucu stieet and Karangahape road is stated 7 feet moie on one section than on the other, and in the junction of Mills Lunu with Albeitstreetthe actions aie at vaiienoo no lef.s than 30 fr< t The other cases occm m tho 3iinctioiH of Chapel stieet with Moie street, Tlobson btieet with Moie street, and Hubson stieet with West Queen street. As bofoie noticed theie are tlnee-quaitoi? of a mile in which no permanent level has been maiked, the piincip.il poitions of this length .ue Elliot street Gialiam-stieet, Hai ding's stieet, \e. Custom Houspstreet ib also without pel mam nt level, but as the only 1 oition of this sheet shewn is the cliff, between Foit s-tieet and Enulv place, some excuse might exist foi not putting .inj gradient heie. The figured junction of Foit sheet and Emily place shows an inclination of 1 in 3} This would no doubt answer well fin a flight of st ins, but the iseeiithng ti.iflic on a load Would not be orio.it Regaiding the permanent lev els show n in relation to the ougmal suifaeo, I would lcmaik that I have not been able to go into the m itter so full v as I could have wished, or would be neeessai> to foim a confi dont opinion as to the changes necessary In mniij instinees they would appeal to call foi iovisiom. The levels have in some nist.'ucos, such as thit of Up| ci Queen-sheet, been depaitcd fiom, ami others in my opinion ought to bo so likewise Owing to the now Savings' Binlc having been |ilaced 2 feet 0 inches Inghei than the level as moasmod I>j scale on the section, it would seem to have boon intended to altei that portion also ,—, — the piopuety of tins I must howover question I would again, foi instance, question the piopnety of cuttmc down Chapel-sti cot to the sea, like Albeit stieet .it piesent IFohson stieet, on the othoi hand, seems to lie left in an nitei mediate position, and terminates '28 or 33 feet alvive high w.itei ni.uk - foi, ashefoic-btated, the sections aie at v.uianee on this point I do not see vvhv Custom House stioct should not h ive fonncd \wth a giadient rising from the Whait to A ll)ei t street, thus lessening the cutting thoie, and facilitating the access to the uppci paits of the city w est In conclusion, [ would shoitly let apitulate that 1 consider the city section ina])pheable to the ])uij>oses intended, not so much fiom the injudicious position of peiinanont levels to niigin.il smtaces, as funn the unwoikible mannei m whioh the gi.ulients .no shown in eiuves, and no data given foi calculations Also, tioni the vei\ injudicious manner in which the steep side stieeti, aie inn down into, oi bioak off fiom the centie of ni.un stieets In fact the sheets have been tieated us moie centie lines instead of bioad surfiees; and lastly, the mcoirectness of the lignied juiu'tions in the jtlaces I have mentioned. The tisk of thus ciiticismg these sections is to me a painful one I have been guided by conviction ot duty to the Do.ud. and the uioirnised lilies of the ]»iotession loijaidiiig such designs I had onteitainod the hope of tiiidins; i set of levels and sections such as would hive saved mucli of the losponsibihty and oncious w oik of fiMim tht, levels of new woiks, but is the case is othci \v lse. T he-itate not to Ity the lesult of my mvestigition befoie you - lam gentle men joui obedient sei vant, Jvmvs Snw vm, Ilnirineei to City Boaid of AVoiks The City Boanl of Woiks, Auckland. Mi D utii\ moy ed that the lepoi tbe laid upon the table — Agieed to H\I\CIU. CONDITION OF r J HI IJOUtX The Seciet uv toad an abstiaot winch ho had pic]>aiid ot the iccei]its and evpenditme ot the Boaid Upon the motion ot Mi Dvrdv Me^sis (Jadnnn and Pinlay uuu appoititod to audit the accounts, and tepoit tliciton to the Bo.iul The CiIVKMrvN stated that himself and Mi Fmlav had oi dei ed Mi Clnie the assist \nt to the ass^ssois, to complete the index of piopoities. foi the Use of the Bo ul Cheques vuie then signed foi tiadtsmen's and senanU lecounts, and the meeting aftui vv.uds dis peised.