CITY COUNCIL.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1189, 14 December 1894, Page 36

CITY COUNCIL.

The fortnightly meeting of the Wellington City Council was held last night. Present—The Mayor (Mr A. de B. Brandon) and Councillors Willeston, Harris, Petherick, Penty, Barber, Anderson, Tatum, Harcourt, Myers, Fraser, Devine and Tanner. 1 THE TOWN CLERIC’S TRIP.

The Town Clerk (Mr J. E. Page) read a memorandum stating that during his recent visit to Australia he was exceedingly well received by all the public bodies. He attended a meeting of the City Council at Sydney, and was invited by the Mayor (Sir W. P. Manning) to his quarterly luncheon. The Chairman of the Metropolitan Board of Works (Mr E. G. FitzGribbon, formerly town clerk of Melbourne) in introducing him to his Board, alluded with much heartiness to the attention paid to him by the Whllingtcn City Council when he was in New Zealand a few years ago. An opportunity was made for him to accompany the Waterworks Engineer of the Board to the source of the Melbourne water supply, a very pleasant trip through the country about 60 miles north of Melbourne. He went thoroughly through all the corporation books, both at Sydney and Melbourne, and although their system of keeping their records and accounts is very similar to that observed in Wellington, he yet obtained a good deal of very useful information. servants’ registries.

The Council went into, committee to consider the case of G. Hewson, registry-office keeper, who was fined the other day in the S.M. Court for a breach of the Servants’ Registry Act for not keeping proper books. It was decided to administer a reprimand and to intimate that if the offence is reported the license will be cancelled. On the Council resuming, the Mayor, addressing Mr Hewson,. said in justice to the unfortunately numerous class of persons requiring employment, and. who were unable to throw away half-crowns, it must be understood that keepers of servants’ registry offices were to carry out to the letter the duties prescribed by the Act, and that any breach of these duties in future would meet with prompt punishment by the cancellation of the license or, at any rate, by proceedings in the Magistrate’s Court.

Mr W. H. Field (from Buckley, Stafford and Co.’s office) said that Mr Hewson would be careful in the conduct of his business in future. If the Inspector had given him a caution, it would have saved all this trouble.

rintoul street. An application from J. P. Dngdale and J. Rutter to have gravel placed upon the footpath in front of their premises in Rintoul street was referred to the Public Works Committee. TE ARO HOUSE: A. S, Paterson appeared on behalf of James Smith, Te Aro House, for leave to use during the holidays four - flagpoles projecting from the upper windows of Te Aro House. It was stated that notice had been given to remove the flagpoles. SALT-WATER BATHS. The Mayor said he was endeavouring to arrange for a deputation to the Premier on the subject of public salt-water baths. finance and sanitation committee. This committee recommended: That Mr James Ames be appointed /aluer to the Corporation under the provisions of the Rating Act, 1894 ; (2) that 1 the valuation of the city properties be made annually, as heretofore; (3) that the dog tax for next year be fixed at 10s per dog; (4) that the salary of Mr Luff, assistant engineer in the drainage department, be increased from .£2OO to £275 per annum ; (5) that drainage works under the deferred payment system be carried out for Mr Joshua Heard (two houses in Macdonald crescent) and Mrs Ellen Smith (five cottages in Nairn street). Councillor Petherick moved as an amendment that Mr Luff’s salary be increased to £2 50 per annum. The amendment was negatived by 9 to 4, and the recommendations of the committee were adopted. PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE. This committee recommended that Mr W. Boocock’s request to be allowed to put dividing walls of 9in in his new shops in Courtenay place instead of 14in be not granted. It was agreed, however, on the motion of Councillor Barber, seconded by Councillor Tatum, to grant the request. The second recommendation was that Messrs J. H. Bethune and Co. be informed that the Council is prepared to give <£Booo for the three acres of land in Hobson street, subject to a poll of the ratepayers being taken to authorise the necessary loan. Councillor Devine moved, and Councillor Harcourt seconded, that this recommendation be struck out. In the course of the discussion the Town Clerk stated that the cost of the last municipal poll was £l4: . The amendment was negatived by 8 to 5, and the recommendation was adopted. The other recommendations of the committee, as already printed, were agreed to. The Council adjourned at 10.55 p.m., consideration of several matters on the order paper being deferred owing to the lateness of the hour.