UNIVERSITY COUNCIL.

Evening Star, Issue 10475, 19 November 1897, Page 1

UNIVERSITY COUNCIL.

An adjourned meeting of the University Council was held yesterday afternoon, and attended by Mr Justice Williams (Chancellor), Dr Hoeken, Dc Burns, Dr Shand, the Rev. Mr Cameron, Professor Sale, and Mr D. R. White.

The Registrar explained that the first business was to consider the proposed scheme for the formation of a wall at the Lsith. The Committee appointed to consider tho matter had seen Mr Petre, the architect, and the position was simply this : To sink the wall another one or two feet would costan additional £l2s per chainfor Ift, and £2 '2s per chain for 2ft, as per schedule. If it was decided to go on with the contract, No. 1 only, and if the tenderer was allowed to take the filling from the high ground, he would reduce his tender from £1,125 16s 3d to £1,028 Cs Cl. If it was decided to complete the whole work, and the tenderer was allowed to take as much of the filling from tho high ground as he could ger, he would reduce his tender for the whole from £1,887 7s C 1 to £1,725 14s 10J. Dr Hocken : What is the length of the wall ? The Registrar ; The whole length of the wall is five or six chains. Tee Registrar explained that he had re drived a letter from the Inspector of Prisons stating that ns all the prison labor available at Dunedin was required for fortification work the Minister of Justice regretted that ho was unable to comply with the Council’s request for prison labor in order to reclaim a block of land forming part of the University site. Sir, Robert Stout wrote to the Council in the following strain:—“l have been sorry that I Lave been unable to attend the meetings of the Council, I see that it is proposed to spend some money in confining the Water of Leith. Might I urge caution on the Council in spending much money on this work. 1 remember the money spent in tho days of the Provincial Government on such work, and then when a flood came it was found useless expenditure. There have no'b been many floods in recent years, but who knows when another flood may oome? There was a suggestion made in the Provincial Council about thirty years ago that might now be considered if money ia to be spent in .the bed of tho Leith. It was to form a weir below tho bridge which crosses Union street. That is, to eut down the bed of the Leith so as to let the water have a deep fall, and then after the fall it would flow slowly, and thus not erode the banks below, the banks below being gravel,” etc. The Council considered the matter in committee. It was ultimately decided that the registrar should see Mr Petre as to consulting with the colonial engineer with regard to other steps the Council desire to take.