CITY COUNCIL.

Evening Post, Volume XXII, Issue 130, 2 December 1881, Page 2

CITY COUNCIL.

* . An ordinary meeting of the Wellington City Council waß held last night. Present — His Worship the Mayor (Mr. W. Hutohißon), Councillors Dauks, Diver, Allen, Logan, Maginnity, S Brown, A. W. Brown, Thompson, and M'Konzio. The tender of Mr. D. Pringlo.of tho Hutt, for dog collars, was accepted. Tenders for leasing seotioDS 21 and 22, Town Belt reserves, were roferred to tho Public Works Committee, an opinion being expressod that those received wore too low. An interim report from the City Solicitor's Committee was read. It was to tho offoot that they thought it advisable to postpone their final report until they had taken the evidence of Mr. A. S. Allan, Registrar of the Supreme Court. A letter was read from Mr. Allan, however, declining to give evidence before the committee. Councillor Diver said he was informed that application must be made to the Minister of Justice if it was desired that the Registrar should give evidence. The report was adopted. The report of tho To Aro Reclamation Committee (which has already been pubished) was read. Councillor Maginnity considered tho report very incomplete, inasmuch as it contained no clause to the effecj that the oommittee had made, any endeavour to settle with the foreshore owners. He wanted to be satisfied on this point : Were the Corporation going to reclaim it for the benefit of the city, or for the benefit of the foreshore holders f Until the Council had settled these claims he would not give his consent to one Bhovelful of earth going into the reclamation. Councillor Danks spoke to a similar effect. Councillor A. W. Brown objeotod to the, time of the Council being waited .by this discussion, as there was nothing in the report about proceeding with the work. Councillor Danks, to put himself in order, the* moved the adjournment of the Council. Councillor A. W. Brown, remarking that Councillor Danks was a member of the oommittee, said that if that gentleman had a grain ef sense, and had attended to his dunes, he would know perfeotly well how it wai the foreshore owners were nek called together. Councillor S. Brown, as a member of the committee, said there had not been positively a moment lost by tke latter. He was as anxious as anyone t» have the compensation claims ssttlea, but he could not see that there was anything in the report of the committee to call forth this discussion. Councillor Diver expressed himself against the reclamation being cemmenced before the foreshore owners were Bottled with. One person told the Parliamentary Commit* tee that he claimed £1200 a year for compensation for additional cartage alono, and ha refused to say what his trade claims would be if the reclamation were carried out. Councillor Allen remarked that he had never heard the committee express any intention of proceeding with the work until the foreshore owners had been arranged with. Councillor Thompson spoke to a similar effect, and moved that the report be referred back to the cemmittee, remarking that he thought it was somewhat premature. The Mayor pointed out that in the first paragraph of their report, the committee recommended that no time be lost in coming to some mutual arrangement in respeot of the foreshore claims. He thought, however, that if they waited until all the foreshore holders had been settled with, the reclamation would never be begun. After some further discussion, Councillor Thompson's amendment was agreed to, and the report was referred back to the Committee. The report of the Public Works Committee (the main recommendations in which have already been published) was read and adopted. Accounts amounting to £1076 9s Id on tho General Account, and .£367 12s Id on the Publio Work* Account, were passed for payment. The Council adjourned shortly before 9 p.m.