CITY COUNCIL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCIX, Issue 11540, 29 March 1898, Page 3

CITY COUNCIL.

ORDINARY ’ MEETING,

An ordinary meeting of the Christchurch City Council was held yesterday evening ; present —the Mayor, and Councillors Gray, Samuels, Woods, Andrews, Sandstein, Hamilton, Morris, Stapleton, Kincaid Prudhoe, Payling, Smith, Sorensen and Loughnan. finance. Items of finance were reported as follows : —Debit balance at bank, £8359 8s 2d. Receipts since last meeting General account, £232 15s 7d; cemetery account, £l3 12s 6d ; suspense account, £49 15s 4d ; interest account, £2O ’3s 9d. Expenditure —General account, £1794 17s lid; loan account, £SB 2s Id; suspense account, £480; cemetery account, £2B Us 2d; interest account, £462 3s 9d. CORRESPONDENCE. A letter was received from Mr J. TV. Pye, Chairman of the Geraldine Domain Board, thanking the Council for its gift of a pair of swans. city subveyoe’s eepoet. The City Surveyor reported that the Works Committee, having called for fresh tenders for cement, now recommended that Messrs Mason, Struthers and Co.’s should be accepted for the imported article, and Mr H. B. Kirk’s for the colonial. The ■ordinary work of the city, the erection of tbe clock tower and the Richmond drainage, had made satisfactory progress during the last fortnight. The report was adopted. A PUBLIC MORGUE.

The Reserves Committee reported that the committee, after very carefully considering the question of a site for a public morgue, again strongly recommended the site originally selected, at Colombo and Chester Streets. The question of using the Council's section on the South Belt had been gone into, but the committee thought that it was not sufficiently central. Councillor Kincaid moved, and Councillor Morris seconded, the adoption of the report. Councillor Gray strongly opposed the adoption of the report, and said that if the Council rejected it, he would move for the erection of a morgue on the South Belt site. 4

The report was opposed by Councillors Pay ling. Smith, Samuels, Woods and Prudhoo, and supported by Councillors Loughnan, Andrews, Sorensen, Stapleton and Hamilton.

The motion was carried by eight to six. Ayes—Councillors Kincaid, Andrews, Sandstein, Hamilton, Morris, Stapleton, Longhnan and . Sorensen. Noes Councillors Gray, Samuels, Woods, Prudhoe, Payling and Smith. Councillor Gray subsequently gave notice of a motion for rescinding the resolution. SANITARY COMMITTEE. The report of the Sanitary Committee stated that sidered that the Council should have its own abattoirs, and no time should be lost in bringing the matter to a head. (2) The committee drew the attention of the Council to the present practice of shopkeepers sweeping their frontages after nine o’clock a.m., and recommended that the hour should be altered to -eight o’clock, as the present practice interfered with the public traffic and convenience, (3) The committee noticed, with pleasure, that members of the medical profession had again commenced to send in their reports of the infectious diseases they were attending, as it would give the Council the opportunity of specially the places in the interests of the citizens* and public safety. Councillor Smith moved—“ That Clause 1 he referred to the Special Committee appointed to consider the question of establishing abattoirs.” Councillor Sorensen moved the adoption of the clause, Ahicb was seconded by Councillor Stapleton, who remarked that the butchers strongly objected to the work of public abattoirs being carried on by either of the freezing companies. He thought it would be very unadvisable for the Council to allow any private company to do the work which should be done in public abattoirs, Councillor Smith’s motion was supported by Councillors Payling and Sandstein, and Councillor Sorensen, as chairman of the Sanitary Committee, withdrew Clause 1 of the report. Councillor Sorensen moved the adoption of Clause 2.

Councillor Sandstein moved an amendment providing that shopkeepers should be permitted to sweep their frontages until 9 a.m.

The Mayor considered that the clause as drawn was inoperative. The best thing for the Council to do was to pass a resolution recommending citizens not to sweep out their premises after a certain hour. There was no by-law fixing the time for sweeping out shops, hut there was a bylaw forbidding the sweepings of shops being swept into the street. * After further discussion Councillor Sorensen altered his motion so as to recommend shopkeepers not to sweep out their shops after 9 a.m., and in that form it was carried unanimously. THE CLOCK TOWER. In reply to Councillor Gray, Councillor Prudhoo (chairman of the Works Committee) said that the advertisement calling for tenders for advertising on the hoarding around the Diamond Jubilee clock tower had been inserted by authority of the Works Committee, because they understood that the tower would not be finished for three months. Councillor Kincaid said that several business firms in the neighbourhood wished the hoarding, or part of it, removed. If room were wanted for storing material for the tower, he had authority for saying that it could he put in Messrs Edwards, Bennetts’ yard. He moved—“ That as much of the hoarding as is not necessary for the public safety be removed at once.” Councillor Gray seconded the motion.

Councillor Samuels said that the Works Committee would remove the hoarding as soon as they could in the interest of the public safety, and not a moment before. ; After further discussion the Mayor said that if the Council’s expert, the City Surveyor, thought it unsafe to remove the hoarding it would be very unwise to remove it.

In reply to the Mayor, the City Surveyor said that he thought it would not be safe

to remove any of the hoarding at present.

The motion was negatived. Councillor Sorensen, chairman of the Sanitary Committee, was a member of the Special Abattoirs Committee. After granting licenses the Council rose.