CITY COUNCIL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 1779, 30 August 1866, Page 2

CITY COUNCIL.

The following is the report of the City Surveyor on the surface drainage of the city, and other matters, in accordance with a resolution of the Council. There is a voluminous appendix, consisting of a series of tables, the main results of which are stated in thebo.ly o the report.

In a report of this nature I consider it advisable to go rather more deeply into the subject than the spirit of the resolution of the 15th instiu't would lend me to bolicvo was the intention of the Council. I commence therefore with some statistical information as to the nature of the requirements of the city as at present, the matter having still referent e to the surface drainage. I find that previous to June, 1862, with the exception of the leading main thoroughfare through the city, with a short length of Cashel street, with parts also of Oxford and Cambridge terraces, the whole of the streets were in their primitive state, since which time there has been former a length of HS3

chains (exclusive of the main thoroughfare or fourteen miles, sixty-three c S 4? ■» shown in annexed appendix. Addimr to f™'™ le »Stli of streets in the citv 0 to be keptin repair ajWOclmiiw. Added to B 76ch«u. S of 8 idedrain S openedwlierethe S tre cmins Tie present condition of many f heses.de channels is very bad, I ma?™ hat as ,nost 0 them are without anj rot c on, they require constant attention tV em er thenielhcientlo carry oft the w.tc would estimate the cost of keepinghe nin repair at not less than £I3OO Though not included in the resolutio ho •object of this report, I ann?a ffl, J where I consider it advisable that t ,eso

Of these named 1 would recommend that, in addition to the south side of Hereford ajreet from Colombo street to the Tv „ that Colombo street from Lichfield street to Armagh street on both Hides, and Cartel street from Manchester street to Oxford Terrace also on both sides he at once commenced. With regard to the others, I would Strongly urge upon the Council the necessity which exists for their being done at as early a date as possible. I may here add that besides the expense entailed in clearing the side channels, each time this work is done a certain amount of injury i s 0 f necessity caused. J

With regard to the condition of the streets I regret having to report that throughout the city they are in such a condition as to rend r a heavy expenditure necessary to put them in a proper state of repair. I fear that some difficulty will be experienced in obtaining gravel for rosd purposes. lam not aware of any left within the city. There exists a large bed 111 llagley Park, which would, were a bridge thrown over the river in Armagh street, he available ; but as at. present its position renders it useless, I have therefore in my estimate assumed that broken stone will be used, and based the same in the appendix at an average on the streets there mentioned of £lO per chain, thirty yards cube at 7s per yard cube.' From this it will bo seen that to metal streets not already so treated, a sum of £720 is required, and to re-metal those which require it, £U%. The state these streets are in, for with the exception of a small portion of Manchester street, which had a second coat of metal, none of the others have since their formation averaging various times Trom June 1862 to 1864, they have become nearly flat, with little or no crown left, which renders the drainage of their surface impossible; and the streets, through being in so bad a state, suffer considerably more than a road with good cross section would do. In the appendix I have omitted the main thoroughfares, to put which into a proper state would cost a sum of, in round numbers, not less than £2OOO. I find the Perry Koad was remetalled from East Belt to Tuam street, July, 1864, and Tuam street to Salisbury street November, 1864. I have also not taken into consideration the repairs of any of th« roads or streets, the estimate for which would, were the streets once in a thorough state of repair, probably be 2s 6dper chain per month. With regard to those portions of the streets not mentioned in the last appendix, a certain amount of imnii-diate repairs is also required by patches of metal, &c, here and there-say then 863 chains at 2s 6d per chain, £IOB nearly.

I have said nothing about footways, nearly the whole of which require repairing (by being made up to their proper level). I now come to those new works, some of which are as indispensable as the repairs and other works already mentioned. The formal course of the streets, especially the three first named, I consider to be works that will not bear delay, also a bridge over the Avon river, at either Gloucester or Worcester street. For the hired labour, I have juit the) number of men down as the minimum who would be able to master all the various ybrks they are called upon to perform. ( In this last appendix I have brought the ' whole of the others together, making a grand total of £B*2l exclusive of the main thoroughfares, which on Page 5 I estimated at £2OOO.

Passing now to the last clause of the resolution, the south drain, I find on back refercncs to my report that it is a subject that has several times occupied the attention of the Council. First, then, its existence is indispensable to enable the swampy basin west of Montreal street, and other places which hare no other outlet for their drainage to be drafted and were it kept clear from offensive drainage, would not. I think be complained of. At present the discharge from the breweries is the cause that renders it so disagreeable, and I may add unhealthy. To convert this into a brick drain would not cost less than £7O per chain and it is therefore out of the question. It may appear as if I was borrowing an idea from the Council, but it was expressed prior to ray knowledge of its having been spoken of, viz., that of putting down Borne of the vitrified pipes now lying in the yard. But here again I find that they cannot be used for any but the purpose for which they were purchased. I also find that it is 'impossible to make any alteration in th» gradient of the bottom of the drain. It therefort only remains for the Council to take immediatesteps to preventany drainage that may be the least offensive or likely to become so from flowing into if, and to have it kept thoroughly clean, bringing the low part of the drain where the wattr at present lodges between Manchester street and Madras street up to its proper level, so as to ensure an absence of stagnant water. I would further recommend, with reference to the streets, that a certain length should be properly and permanently formed and macadamised each year. By this means the princii al streets in the city would rapidly become in a stale that a very slight annual expenditure would suffice to keep them in repair.