CITY COUNCIL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 2930, 31 May 1870, Page 2

CITY COUNCIL.

Monday, May 30. The Council met for the transaction of their weekly business at the usual hour, his Worship, the Mayor, presiding, and all the Councillors, except Councillor Anderson, being present. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. The Town Clerk reported, per balance sheet, that during the week he had received from general rates 1868, £7 12s; do, 1860, £*l4 17s; scavengering, £27 14s 6d; carriers’ licenses, £1 10s; builders’ licenses, 10s; Market place rent, 7s; total, £52 10s 7d; and that the overdraft at the bank was £7lO 15s 4d. Accounts to the amounts of £69 8s 4d, were submitted and ordered to be paid. The Surveyor’s report was read and considered. Several gas lamps had wilfully been broken by persons throwing stones. The one in Latimer square had been thus dealt with twice in one week. Two kerosine lamps had also been broken in a similar manner. He had been to inspect the broken metal granted to the Council by the Provincial Government, and Mr White had promised to send in a tender for conveying it from the quarry to the city. The labour gang had been emplayed during the week in carting side drain rubbish and shingle to footpaths; repairing Oxford terrace, Armagh and Hereford streets with shingle; clearing out the south drain; putting down foot bridges in Cashel and Colombo streets; clearing out the side drains and shingling the footpaths in Cashel, Lichfield, and Armagh streets, and the Fapanui road ; making alterations to tbe Resident Magistrate’s Court stables; and repairing culvert in Papanui road. On the suggestion of Councillor Calvert, it was decided to call the attention of the police to the breakage of lamps. A memorandum was read from the Surveyor, stating that Mr White could not at present tender for conveyance of the broken metal, the tramway being engaged on other work. The matter was ordered to stand in abeyance until the Works Committee could see their way to making an advantageous arrangement for the work. The following correspondence was read and considered : Letter from Mr James Hen wood, calling attention to tbe very bad state of the footpath, west of Antigua street, ou the South town belt. The ditch alongside of it was in a very dangerous state, being very deep and full of water.

Referred to the Works Committee, with instruction to remove the cause of complaint by temporary measures, pending a comprehensive plan for permanently draining this part of the city. Letters from Messrs M. B. Hart, L. E. Nathan, and other residents in Lichfield street, requesting the Council to have the footpath on the north side kerbed with wood, the requisitionista undertaking, as in previous cases, to supply the necessary timber—granted. Letter from the secretary of the Widow and Orphans’ Fund of the A. 0. F., requesting the patronage of his Worship and members of the Council at a concert, to be given in aid of the fund on the 16th of June—granted. Letter from Mrs Betts, complaining of the very bad state, during the recent heavy rains, of the footpaths in Colombo street north and the adjoining portion of Peterborough street—referred to the Works Committee.

Letter from Mr Haskins, requesting the Council to re-consider their decision about the remuneration to be allowed him for copying the Christchurch roll for the Waimakariri rate, and desiring, if the Council thought he was asking more than due to him (£10), to submit the work done to a competent judge for valuation. The Town Clerk said the Board of Conservators were willing to pay whatever the Council—as most conversant with the matter —deemed fair remuneration for the work. The Clerk was instructed to reply that the amount already paid (£6) was fair payment for the work. Builders’ licenses were granted to Daniel Beese and E. W. Trent. The rate roll for the current year was signed and sealed with the Corporation seal. His Worship stated that the total amount of the assessed value of properties in the city was £86,765 10s, producing with als rate the sum of £4339 5s 6d. He also notified that not more than £2OO of the 1869 rate now remains uncollected. The Bate Collector was instructed to have the necessary notices for the new rate filled in, and to proceed with its collection without delay. Councillor Pratt gave notice that on Monday next he would move that the Council allow a discount of two and a-half per cent, on all rates paid within two months of the delivery of the first notice. The Council then adjourned.