CITY COUNCIL.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 4891, 24 November 1876, Page 2

CITY COUNCIL.

The ordinary fortnightly meeting of the City Council was held yesterday afternoon at the usual hour. Present —His Worship the Mayor, Councillors Moeller, Rainie, Allen, Moss, Dranafield, Mills, Greenfield, and George. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. CORRESPONDENCE. The Clerk read copies of letters despatched by order of the Council since last meeting. Letters received were then read. One from the Premier in answer to a letter was as follows; General Government Offices, Wellington, Nov. 21,1876. Sir, —I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of November 17th, in which you aalc that, anticipating the operation of the Financial Arrangement Act, fees received on any public-house licenses granted at a Licens ng Court for this city, to be held on the sth December, may be paid over to the City Corporation, In reply, I have to express my regret that your application cannot be complied with, as the estimated revenue of the Wellington provincial district for the quarter ending 31st December, will not nearly cover the intended expenditure during the. quarter. —I have, &c., H. A. Atkinson. William Hutchison, Ksq., Mayor of Wellington. A letter was read from the Chairman of the Karori-Makara Highway Board as follows : ■Wellington, November 23, 1876. Sir, —I have the honor, as Chairman of the EaroriMakara Highway Board, to bring under your notice the desirability of completing a.work which has been talked of for many years, bat never advanced beyond that stage, viz., the formation of a road from the Te Aro end of Wellington to Karori, via PoUliiU Gully and the reservoir. As you are doubtless aware, & very large amount of ■ firewood and dairy produce, particularly the daily milk supply, is brought from Karori and Makara, and to reach Te Aro there is the long detour by Hill-street, involving an extra daily journey of at least four miles, to say nothing of tho difficult nature of the road from the steepness of the hills. A complete survey of the proposed road was made some two years ago by Mr. Briscoe, under the directions of Mr. Merchant, and the plans and sections are now in possession of the latter gentleman. That such a road would bo of very considerable benefit to the inhabitants of Wellington generally, as well as to tfip settlers in Karori and Makara, there can bo little doubt, the more particularly if your Worship's plan for planting round the reservoir, and forming a reserve there bo carried into effect, a ' scheme which will not be amongst the least of tho benefits conferred on the citizens of Wellington during your term of office. ... Should the Corporation see their way to take the matter up with a view to its accomplishment. I think I can safely procure you the cordial co-operation and assistance from this Board as well as from the settlers generally.—l have, &0., Hnia r flu *TTA AT

Cbas. C, Graham, Chairman Karorl-Makara Highway Board. William Hutchison, Esq, Mayor of Wellington. The letter was referred to the Public Works Committee.

The following letter re the visit of the . All England. Eleven was referred to the Public Works Committee ; Wellington, November 23,1876.

Sir.— At a public meeting held some time ago, at the Post Office Hotel, convened by the Cricketing Association of this city. It was resolved that I, as . secretary of the association, should make application to the Corporation for some- assistance towards the ' fund now being raised to defray the expense to be incurred by the association in making arrangements for the approaching visit of the English Eleven. I trust you will allow me to state, for the informa- - tlon of your Council, our reasons for asking for aid from the Corporation funds. Au agreement has been signed with Mr. Bennett, the agent for the English Eleven, by which the association has bound itself to pay to the eleven the sum of £6O, and to allow Mr.Bonnett to receive all moneys taken at the gates and on the stand, and from the sale of booths, etc., during the match. The association will therefore have,no funds of their own with which to defray the expense of preparing the ground, paying the passages of cricketers from other parts of the province, etc. In order to have the Basin Reserve in anything Ukfr a fit state for a first-rate match, it will be necessary to emplov at least three men daily in turfing, mowing, and rolling, until the arrival of the eleven. This alone will involve an expense of more than £IOO, * every penny of which, as I beg respectfully to point out. will be laid out in Improving a public reserve, not only for the purposes of the English match, but permanently, by making a really good cricket ground for the citizens of Wellington out of what is at present a rough meadow, varied by gullies and crab* holes.

The public subscriptions cannot be' expected to cover more than the £6O to be paid to Mr. Bennett

and the expenses of getting to "Wellington from all parts' of the province the best twenty-two men available. We could not suggest that the Corporashould allow its funds to be used for either of-the two last-named purposes: but we are not without hope that your "Worship and the City Council will favorably consider our respectful request, that out ol the. public moneys of the city, a sum may be subscribed towards the permanent improvement or a public reserve.—l have, &c.. . \ ■ T Boueke Akmitage, Hon. Secretary. His "Worship the Mayor, "Wellington. PUBLIC WORKS. The report of the Pubic Works Committee was as follows ; ...... 1. The committee have opened and considered the tender for storage of kerosene, but ate unable to recommend its acceptance. _. - w __ 2. On a letter from Mr. E. V. Dixon, asking if the Council are willing to enter into a contract with him for the supply of road metal, Ac., the committee are of opinion fliat when a supply is needed tenders 'kg' 1 "WUh C respoct to nuisances caused by a stagnant pool of water on land off May street the property of Mr Skev the commit! ee advise that as the nuisance was caused by the formation of Molesworth-street, the pond be d-ained as suggested by the Surveyor In hllireport of 14th instant, at a cost not exceeding £SO 4. Ellzabeth-streot Formation. The committee reoommen ■ that tenders he called for the formation of the street conditionally—the lowest tender to be accepted and ’he work ca tied out, provided that the residents in the street pay the amount of the tender to the Town Clerk, within fourteen days from date of its acceptance. . , 0. "With respect to accounts owing by different persons 'or their proportion of -the formation 'of private streets—the committee recommend that the Town Clerk bo instructed to take what proceedings ho may think necessary for the recovery of the same. 6. On the Application of Mr. Logan, re drainage of his property in Tinakorl-road—the committee advise that the open ditch opposite Mr, Logan's prope ty be dosed up, and that Mr. Logan connect his house drainage with the box drain crossing the Tinakorlroad at the northern boundary of his property. _ 7. Complaints having been repeatedly made of the obstruction caused by timber and other goods lying on the breastwork—it is recommended to the Council that any timber or other goods left thereon hi future, more than three days after being landed, «bnll to charged for at the rate of 3d. per 100 ft. of timber; other goods at the rate of Is. per ton for every day or part of a day that such timber or other goods are found so lying on the breastwork; and that the Insp-ctor of Nuisances have strict orders to enforce this regulation. 8. The committee recommend that the box drain now being laid down on the west side of "Willis-street between Xngestre and Abel Smith streets he continued a short distance up Abel Smith-street on the north side. ... 0. A quantity of water pipes are required from England for waterworks" extension. The Mayor has suggested that tenders be called for the necessary supply. Other members of the committee recommend ordering the pipes through an agency; and as there is a diversity of opinion, the decision of the Council is requested. 10. The Surveyor has "been instructed as follows: To erect lamp at junction of Abel Smith and Woolcomhe streets; to brick in well on Gr-nt-road; to call for tenders for formation of Courtenay-place between Tory-street and Camhridge-terrace; to attend to south end of Toranaki-street; to attend to Bucklestreet; to inspect Halning-street as to drain; to report as to best means of preventing fish getting into water service pii es; to repair road through Town Belt to "Wadestown; to report on letter f ora Mrs. Frances Pharazyn, and attend to drainage Plimmer’s steps. 11. The committee have had the condition of the upper or south end of Taranaki-street brought before them, and they recommend that after a report from the Surveyor the street bo formed, and a drain made from the upper part of Maslem’s brick work to connect with the new drain immediately below the barrack gate. The report was adopted, and it was agreed that notice should be given to the residents of Haining-street to the effect that by paying ono> half now they would be allowed six months in which to pay the other half. It was decided also to send home for the pipes mentioned in clause 9 of the report. A TOWN HALL. Councillor Greenfield moved the resolution, of which he had given notice at the previous meeting of the Council, in respect to the erection of a Town Hall and Corporation offices, to be paid for out of the fund raised by the payments oh account of the reclaimed land. Councillor Mills seconded the motion, saying that Wellington should not play second fiddle to other towns in the colony, as far as the subject of the present motion was concerned. Councillor Moeller deprecated the idea, much as he acknowledged the desirability, of having a building erected such as was suggested. He was induced to take this view of the case in consequence of the public works which it was proposed to undertake. He moved as an amendment that the subject be deferred for one year. Councillor Allen supported Councillor Moeller.; Councillor George thought with Councillor Dranafield, as also did Councillor Eainie.. - Councillor Dransfield pointed to the, necessity of providing a town hall and suitable offices for the Corporation, and thought the revenue derived from the wharf might be well expended lon such a work. He hoped the amendment would he withdrawn. Councillor Moss and the Mayor supported the original resolution. Councillor Moeller declined to withdraw his proposition. The original motion and the amendment were then put. The motion was carried. NOTICES OP MOTION. Councillor Moeller gave notice that he would move at next meeting—That, for the better supervision of public and other vehicles, a Hackney Carriage Committee be appointed. Councillor Dransfield gavenotice of motion as follows ;—That a deputation from the City Council wait upon the Government for the purpose of ascertaining whether it is the intention of the Government (as the City Council has been led to suppose) to hand over to the Corporation the land now being reclaimed on the Thomdou foreshore, upon payment by the Council of the, original debt incurred by the Provincial Government, as also the cost of reclaiming the same.