CITY COUNCIL.

Evening Post, Volume XLIX, Issue 110, 10 May 1895, Page 4

CITY COUNCIL.

Tho fortnightly meeting of the City Council was held last evening, there being present— The Mayor (Mr. Luke), Councillors Harris, Harconrt, Barber, Tatum, Tanner, Anderson, Myers, Fraser, Devine, Penty and Willeston. Mr. Thomas Tnrnbull, architeot, waited : on the Council in support of an application ' to lay down trap doors leading to the cellar ! of the Eoyal Hotel, extensive additions to ' which are now being made. He said that ' stores could not be got into the cellar except * trap doors in the footway were laid down. ' 'J ho City Surveyor forwarded a memo, that ' thn matter wub one entirely for the Council ' to deal with. In reply to qnesHons, Mr. ' Turnbull said that there wonld bn no danger ' to pedestrians. Councillor Anderson moved, 1 and Councillor Myeis seconded, that the : requried permission be granted. Councillor : Devine suggested that the opinion of the City Solicitor should be taken. The Council i would bo liable if any pedestrian met with on accident. Com c'llor Haroonrt supported ] tno motion. Councillor FraEOr eaid that the ' Council had already rrfuged a f-imilnr appli- ' c tion by the D.I C , and ho oid not sco how it could therefore grant the pr; seat application. Connoillor Harris i-poke to the same effeot. Tho Council he said musi be ' consistent. Connoillor Tatum moved as nn ] amendment that the matter be referred to ' the City Solioitor. This was not seconded. I Councillor Barber opposed the laying of ' trap-doors on the ground that they were ' dangerous. Tbe motion was lost. 1 A letter was read from Messrs. J. E. ' Nathan and Co., on behalf of tbe Kow Zea- ' land Dairy Union, asking that if no arrange- I ment was made with tbe Staples Brewery 1 Company regarding tho Grant-road spring, < some of the water ehould be supplied to the I Union's factory in Davis-street. The letter ' was received. i Tho Mostyn-Dalziel Company wrote ask- ■ ing permission to give a concert in the ' Opera House on Sunday next Connoillor i Devine pointed tut that on the programme ' submitted there was a number of seoular } items. He proposed that permission be i withheld nntil an improved programme waß submitted. CouncUlor Myers seconded 1 Councillor Harcourt said he did not ccc any- < thing objeotionable in the programme. The ' motion was carried. It was decided that Councillors Devine, Tatnm, and Willeston should act with the Mayor in deoiding whether an amendod progiammo was suitable An application that the Council should tako over Broomhedge-street, near the Asylum, was referred to the City Surveyor for a report. i A letter from the Town Clerk of Auok- i hind, giving particulars regarding the publio , market in that oity, was referred to the Market Committee. ' Mr. J. Lachman wrote suggesting that the ' grasg and rnbbish in Webb-street should be • removed. It was decided to take steps in i the matter. : A letter was read from tbe Chief Librarian, i suggesting that a sum of money shonld be i set apart for tbe purchase of books for the ' reference library. Connoillor Fraser laid i that there was still an unexpended balance of £400 on aooount of the reference library. He moved that .£lO per month for the next : six months should be eet apart as suggested by the Chief Librarian. ThTs tt«s seconded by Councillor Willeston and agreed to. i It was deoided to take aotion to compel the laying down of a crossing in front of the Baa Company's slshJes »t Nowtown. Eleven tenders were received for the < supply of spawls, 'and' the following were < accepted :— No. 1, C. Lamberg ; No. 2, G. H. ] Baylis ; No. 3, J. J. K. Powell; No. 4, W. ' Price. | The committee appointed to consider the i request of Mr. A. Boardman for certain oon- i oeasions in the matter of tho completion of \ Karori-oreßoent reported as follows .—The t committee held two meetings to oonsider the c

matter, and aho vi»ited and inspected tbo s-t'ept Mr. Jtoardman afks — 1. 'lliat the Council will allow him to use the road metal to be obtained in Grant-road, inetoad of first-class bine stone spawls, and — 2. That he may bo relieved of Ma liability to lay down kerbiog, channelling, and asphalt to the footpath. After fully considering the matter the committee recommend :—l.: — 1. That the request with respect to the road meta) be acceded to. 2. As to the footpath— (l) That it be formed of the width agreed upon, viz , 6ft; (2) that the asphalting be dispensed with, provided Mr. Boardman obtains the consent of the residents; (3) that the kerbing and channelling be carried out in accordance with the agreement. It will be necessary for the footpath at the top end of the road to be formed well away from the fence, and protected on the inner Bide as the earth ia now falling away towards the fence. Also, proper steps must be taken to cnuße the storm water from the hills to run into the channels when formed. At present, the greater portion of it runs down the roadway, making deep rnts along a considerable portion of eamo. On the motion of Councillor Devine, seconded by Councillor Willeston, the report was adopted. Councillor Myers moved that a retaining wall to proteot Mr. Yon Shoen's property in Hill-etreet be erected at a cost not to exceed £10. This was seconded by Councillor Anderson and carried. The City Rtsorvrs Committee recommended as follows :— That Mr. Geo. Woodward be allowed to send manure to the Thorndon Esplanade, on condition that it be put over the fence and kept well off the footpath ; that a by-law be passed to give tho Council power to prosecute any persons allowing their cattle to trespass on the City Reserves ; that tbis committee be empowered to confer with a committee to be appointed by the Wellington Scenery Preservation Society on the question of improvements to to the Town Belts and City Reserves generally ; that notice to qmt sections 17 and 18, Town Belt, be served upon Mr. J J. Moore, the lessee, for not complying with the conditions of the lease with respect to keeping down the gorse. Councillor Willeston moved that the report be adopted. Councillor Anderson seconded the motion, which was agreed to." The Finance and Sanitation Committed submitted the following report: —1. The Committee recommend that the following applications for drainage works under deferred payment be acceded to, viz : George Brown, two houses in Oliver-street ; Walter S. Cobham, one house in Newtown-avenue ; Sarah Ann Smith, one honse in Hall-street ; John Lepper, oiio house in Hall-street; Itosetta Lake, one house in Newtownavenue; Alice Teversbnm, one house in Newtown • avenue ; George Newman, one house in Newtown avenue ; W. F. James, two houses in Hawker - street ; P. P. Webb, one house in Hawker - street — the two last-mentionod to bo paid in six months. 2. The Committee report that they : have had under further consideration the I question of purchasing the land necessary for widening Quin-atreet, one of the pro- , petty holders there having recently ap- I proached them in the matter. The Committee are of opinion that it is a very desirable work, and would, if carried out, be a great improvement to the locality ; but they regret that they do not see any way of acquiring the large amount which would be required for the purpose, and they are therefore unable to recommend the Council to take any further steps in the matter at present. The Mayor moved the adoption- of the report. Councillor Fraser urged the purchase of land so that the slums of tho city might bo wiped out. Councillor Harris said that there was power to take steps in that direction. Councillors Devine and ' Anderson also thought ihat it would be desirable to improve tho city by doing away with the slaws. Tlie Mayor said that the Committee was fully alive to the necessity for dealing with the question of the thickly parts of the oity, and as soon as possible steps would bo taken. The motion was seconded by Councillor Fraser and agreed to. The report of the Public Works Committee was considered. Clanee 6—" That tho City Surveyor be instructed to report apon the practicability of pioviding for the more effective drainage of Nelson-street and its vicinity." The words " Alpha-street " were added, and the clause as amended was agreed to. Clause 13— " That the request ot Mr. C. H. Jones, coal dealer, for relaxation of the Bnilding By-laws in respect of a shod proposed to bo erected on tho Thorndon itec'nmation.i be not granted." On the motion of Councillor Myers the clause was referred back for further consideration. The oth' r olauses were poFßed Mr. J. Charlesworlh, architect for tho Warehontemen's • lub's new premises in Lower HDnter-Btreet, asked for a relaxation of the Building By-laws in regard t o those premise*. 'J ho City Surveyor reported against the application. Councillor Tatnm proposed that the application shonld 1 c granted. Councillor Myers seconded the motion, which was carried. Permission was given to form a right-of-way to two properties in Hill- street. It was decided that tie next meeting of the Connoil should be hold on Wcdnesdiy, 22nd May. Councillor Fra"=er suggested that the practice of placing pens of fowls onts do George i homos and Co 'a auction premises should bo stopped. The Mayor said the mutter wonld bo attended to.