BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXX, Issue 2376, 4 August 1868, Page 2

BOROUGH COUNCIL.

The Council met at six o'clock p.m. Present : His Worship the Mayor, and Councillors Anderson, Tombs, Calvert, Jameson, Duncan, and liuddenklau. The minutes of last meeting were read and confirmed. The Clerk said the overdraft, after paying accounts pasncd at last meeting, was *SO 10s lid. The receipts since then had been £ll9 16s 2J. and the existing balance at the bunk whs £69 5s 3d to the credit o the Council. Accounts amounting to £347 18s 4d were passed and ordered to be paid. A short conversation ensued upon the over* draft thus caused, when Councillor said, works were almost entirely confined to '"councillor Calrert asked what amount bid

been collected of the £7OO of rates reported to be unpaid at last meeting but one. The Clerk said about £2OO [had been received. The Mayor called attention to the amount of rates collected during the past week—£s3 —being very small. It might be that the work was a difficult one, but still it appeared unsatisfactory. Councillor Duncan said instructions had been given to the Collector not to call again upon persons owing rates for the past year, 'but to summon them at once. The subject dropped without further comment. The Surveyor's report was read. It stated that during the past month the prison labourgang had sloped off and turfed a portion of the river bank in the Market-place, and are now engaged in clearing out the soil from the new channel. There had not been so many men employed during the past month 1.9 in the previous one, and the value of their work was estimated at between £lB and £2O. The formation of portions of Gloucester street and the East town belt had been completed during the week, and it was recommended that they should be shingled, with twenty cubic yards to the chain, at once. The total distance was given at chains, and the estimated cost £9B. The cartage of broken metal having been completed, the three extra hands engaged to assist in it bad been discharged. The contractor had re-commenced the shingling of Barbadoes street, between Armagh street and Mmorc street. The labour-gang had during the week been employed repairing various streets with broken metal, clearing out side drains and repairing footpaths in Tuam and Antigua streets and Oxford Terrace, taking up and relaying culvert on the East town belt, planting trees on the same belt, and removing fencing around the plantations on the North town belt.

The following correspondence was read :

Letter from the Gas Company, intimating their willingness to enter into a one year's contract for supplying gas to the city lamps, at a reduction of five per cent, on the present charge. The Mayor said the deputation appointed to wait upon the directors, had agreed to accept these terms, and it only remained for the Council to ratify the engagement, in order that a new contract might be entered into at the end of the vear.

A motion, approving of the terms contained in the letter, was put and carried. Letter from the Provincial Secretary intimating that his Honor, the Deputy-Superin-tendent had proclaimed Thursday, the 6th inst., a public holiday for government officials in honour of H.R.H. the Duke of Edinburgh's birthday, and requesting that the Council would consider the propriety of issuing a similar proclamation on behalf of the citizens of Christehurch.

The Mayor said Mr Montgomery had informed him that the Government had no intention of interfering with the functions of the Council, and that they bad not been influenced in proclaiming the holiday by the request of two persons as reported in the local journals. It had previously been decided to adopt such a course in honour of his Boyal Highness's birthday, and the Government were only waiting to obtain the co-operation of the Council, in order to make it general. Under these circumstances, he (the Mayor) hoped the Council would authorize him to issue the desired proclamation.

On the motion of Councillor Calvert the necessary authority was given. Letter from the Clerk to the Lyttekon Borough Council, asking for information on the rate of wages paid by the Council to workmen in their employ.

The Clerk said he had furnished the necessary particulars. A brief discussion on the advisability of adjournment in order to enable members to attend the meeting at the Town Hall took place, and it was decided thatfurther business should be deferred until 5 p.m. this day.