MEETINGS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 779, 4 February 1887, Page 23

MEETINGS.

WELLINGTON CITY COUNCILThe usual fortnightly meeting of the City Council was held last night week in the Council Chambers. Present—The Mayor (in the chair), Councillors McKenzie, Pethenok, Edwards, Brandon, Young, Benzoin, Richardson, Quick, Danks, Coombe, and Smith. CITY VALUATION. The City Valuer’s valuation list (already published) of the various wards of the city was laid ou the table. « The Mayor thought the report was very satisfactory iboth to the Councillors and the •city as a whole, and he would supplement it by a curious fact he had ascertained from the Registrar-General—that Wellington was the • only city in New Zealand that had not gone back. Even in the year 1881, when very great depression was felt throughout the Colony, Wellington property had increased •considerably. He also considered that very satisfactory to the Council. TENDERS. Two tenders were received ior the con--stmetion of a culvert at Taranaki-street extension, and that of James Trevor accepted.

FORESHORE COMMITTEE. The Foreshore Committee reported as follows :—The Committee beg to report that they have had a plan prepared by the City Surveyor, showing the subdivisions of those parts of the Te Aro reclamation which are held by the Council, with a view to letting the same. The Committee beg to recommend that steps be taken to let such lands at an early date. The Committee beg also to report that in consequence of a deputation of foreshore owners which .recently waited upon the Mayor, they have had under consideration the question of framing some scheme for the settlement of the claims between Caba-street and Clyde-quay, but are not vet in. a position to make .» definite report on the Bubject. The Mayor formally moved the adoption of the report. Councillor Richardson seconded the motion. Councillor iPetherick moved, as an amendment, that the adoption of the report should -stand over till next meeting, and that a copy ■of the report-should be sent to-each Councillor. He had not received any notice of ■the nature of the report, and as it involved , a question of great importance, he thought ■ consideration of the report should be deSerred. Councillor Young seconded feoe amend.ment. remarking that Councillors ought to •have some insight into the matter. -On being put, the amendment wac carried. TOWN HALL .FINANCE COMMITTEE. The on the .question funds for the proposed erection of municipal buildings and town hall reported as follows :—The Com 3 ittee having ■taken the above matter into consideration, as ■directed by the Council on the 3rd December, .have to report that they do not see ■their way to make any recommendation to -the‘Council on the subject.” Councillor Coombe thought the Committee o®ght .to have brought .up some recotnmention on the matter, and he would like tho Council ‘to re-affirm their recommendation that it was desirable that a town hall should be ezec ted for the city. He would move that the (Council re-affirm its former decision. Not .being seconded, (the amendment lapsed, and the report of the. Committee was .adopted. DISPOSAL OF RUBBISH COMMITTEE.

The above ■Committee reported as follows : —The Committee beg to report that they have held two meetings. At the first meeting, held on the 19th instant, the member Edwards) who moved the appointment of the Committee stated that he •was not prepared (to submit a scheme for the consideration of the Committee, and at his request the Committee was adjourned for a week. Councillor Edwards being informed that he could iu the meantime obtain what assistance he required from the officers of the Corporation. At the necond meeting of the Committee, held on the 27th, Comncillcr Edwards was not present, and the Committee have, consequently, no recommendation to make. After some discussion, Councillor Bicharclson moved, as an amendment, that the matter foe referred back to the Committee for further consideration. . Councillor McKenzie seconded tne amendment. , ' 1 Several other Councillors having spoken in favor of the amendment, it was put and carried. PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE. Clause 2.—That a nine-inch drain be laid in Scarborongh-terrace, together with a letter from Messrs Campbell and Gray on the subject, was referred back to the Committee, Clause s.—That the Adelaido-road culvert be extended a further distance of 15 chains southward.

Councillor Richardson, while favoring m every way the progression of drainage thought in the present case it would entail an overdraft, and he thought the matter ought to be deferred. He would move ns an amendment that the matter stand over until fund* permit of the outlay. . , ~ . Councillor Young rather warmly said that Councillor Richardson, as a rule, went against anything for Cook Ward (cries of order). He was there to fight for Cook Ward, and he would do so tooth and nail, and he would say what he thought Councillor Brandon saidjthat no Councillor had any right to make personal remarks. Several other Councillors having spoken, the amendment was put and lost. The clause was therefore agreed to. .... Clause 12.—That a reply be sent to the Harbor Board that consideration of tho subject of the Te Aro reclamation face-line cannot be re-opened. Councillor Petherick moved as an amendment, That the word “cannot” be struck Quick thought if the amendment was uassed, they would simply be actin« as people without any minds. Ha hoped the Council would stand to their rights, and that Councillors would take the matter into consideration and stand by their original agreement. Councillor Petherick urged that the word “cannot” be struck out, saying that if the motion was carried it would allow the Council to approach the Harbor Board, and that, he thought, would be better in the end. The Mayor seconded the amendment. He maintained that the Harbor Board should be the custodians of the harbor. Being put, the amendment was lost. Councillor Brandon moved that the following words be inserted after “ Harbor Board :” —That the Council accede to the request of the Harbor Board to limit compensation to the case of the Star Boat Club, but that believing the providing of means of recreation for citizens to be under its care, it cannot consent to abandoning the right it undoubtedly has at present of providing sites for boat sheds. The Council, however, recognising that the exigencies of the port may at some future date necessitate an alteration of the present proposed arrangement has limited the term of any lease of a boatshed site to 21 years, and hopes that the Harbor Board will trust the Council to act in a liberal spirit should circumstances require the Board to ask the aid of the Council in furthering the interests of the port.” Councillor Edwards seconded the amendment. On being put the voices were equal, and the Mayor gave his casting vote in favor of the amendment. Clause 14, relating to the question of the draiuage of the Girls’ Friendly Society Lodge, Vivian-Btreet, was referred back to the Committee. ACCOUNTS.

Accounts amounting to L 2077 12s were passed for payment. jgfi THE WATER SUPPLY. The City Surveyor submitted a report on the city water supply as follows:—“On Saturday morning, the 22nd inst., the water from Wainui-o-mata was shut off from the town owing to one of the joints in 24in main on the Petone Beach having blown out, and previous notice of the shutting off could not be supplied to the papers, for the simple reason that the first intimation received in town of the burst was by the water having cut itself off. Of course, if the shutting otf could have been foreseen, due notice would have been given as heretofore. I have also to report that on the 21st inst. I gauged the present flow of the Wainui-o-mata River, and found the daily flow to be 4,320,000 gallons ; practically speaking the whole of this quantity passes through "the concrete race, as the level of the water in the reservoir was then Ift below the notch at bywash ; this morning, at 11.30 a.m., the level of the water in the reservoir was Ift 9in below the notch, and it is daily becoming lower. There are leaks making their appearance in the concrete race between the reservoir and the well, and I estimate that at least one-fourth of the above-mentioned quautity leaks away through the race, and again flows into the river belew the dam ; the balance comes to the city, and is consumed for various purposes, and after deducting what is used for water-engines, &c., it leaves at the rate of 113 gallons per head per day, to be consumed by a population of 26,500. From these figures it will readily be seen that there is a wanton waste of water going on in the city. Temporary repairs might be effected to the concrete race, but it will be necessary to shut off the water from Wainui before the necessary repairs can be thoroughly effected. I have had readings taken every half-hour for 24 hours, from 6 p.m. yesterday (26th) until 6 p.m. to-day. The readings were taken on the Hutt-road near the foot of FeatherBton Hill, at the store yard, and ■also in Bolton-street. At the store yard between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m, the highest reading, 1651 b per square inch, was recorded between the hours of 2.30 a.m. and .5 a.m. this morning (27th), and the lowest (115ib) at 7.30 p.m. last night (26th). At the Hutt-road the highest reading (1501 b) was recorded at 6 a.m. this morning, and the lowest (951 b) between 10.30 a.m. and 3 p.m. (taken between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.) At Bolton-street the highest reading (431 b) was recorded at 6 a.m , and nothing at all recorded between 9 a.m. and 4.30p.m., with the exception of 101 b at 12 noon (these read ings were.taken between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. to-day.) The Council rose at 11.10 p.m.