CITY COUNCIL.

New Zealand Times, Volume XL, Issue 6845, 30 March 1883, Page 2

CITY COUNCIL.

The ordinary fortnightly meeting of the City Council was held last night. Present— The Mayor, Councillors A. W. Brown, Greenfield, M’Kenzie, S. Brown, Newman, Thompson, Maginnity, Miller, Allen and DauUs. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. CORRESPONDENCE. A letter was received from Mr C. J. Johnston stating that the owners of the land at Wainuiomata required for the waterworks reserve, were willing to accept £ll6O in place of the £IOOO offered and interest at 6 per cent, as offered, but fer five years only and not for ten years. The letter was referred to the Waterworks Committee. The Secretary to the Harbor Board wrote stating that the board objected to nightsoil being deposited anywhere within the waters of the harbor. TENDERS. On the motion of Councillor Allan the tenders for supplies to the City Surveyor’s Department and of stationery, were referred to a committee consisting of Councillors A. W. Brown, M’Kenzie, Danks, Miller and the mover. Rive teuders were received for carting, that of Messrs Cronin and Co., as the lowest, being accepted. Councillor Greenfield moved that the tenders for the night-soil contract be opened and referred for report to a committee consisting of Councillors Allen, Thompson, Miller, and the mover. After some discussion, it was agreed to open the tenders, and if they were found excessive, or if it was for some other cansa found advisable to do so, to refer them to a committee. After opening the tenders, they were referred to the Night-soil Committee, without discussion, MANG AH AO ENDOWMENT COMMITTEE. The Muugohao Endowment Committee recommended the payment of the Wairarapa West Couuty Council the sum of £321 17s, which amount had been expended in the formation of roads; also, that as one of the neighbors had given notice to fence, the council should cause the bush to be felled to a width of two chains to protect the fence. The report was agreed to. PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE. Upon Clausa 2, referring to the difficulty which was said to have arisen with regard to access to the dam at Wainuiomata, the Mayorj replying to a question put by Councillor Magiuuity, stated that be thought there was no necessity for the appearance of the clause at all, for the council was quite prepared to fight all who attempted to create obstacles. The clause was adapted. Clause 4, proposing to grant leave to Messrs Murdoch and Rose to occupy one-half the footpath on Lamb* ton-quay, iu front of a building about to be erected, caused some discussion. Councillor Greenfield moved that the words “one half” be struck out. Councillor Danks condemned the practice of erecting hoardings, and said that, if the amendment were carried, be should give notice of motion to abolish thsm. Councillor Thompson took a similar view, and. pointed out that shopkeepers on either side of of a hoarding invariably suffered severe losses through it. Councillors Maginnity and S. Brown supported the amendment. Councillors Allen, A. W. Brown, and the Mayor also spoke. The amendment having been carried on division, the clause was passed. The remaining clauses were adopted without discussion. THE MUNICIPAL FIRE BRIGADE. On the motion for passing the accounts referred to in the report of the Public Works Committee,

Councillor Thompson said he desired to refer to the item “ Municipal Fire Brigade.” He had looked through the returns which had been sent iu by Superintendent Whiteford during the past six months, nor he had found that at neither practices nor tires during that period had more than two-thirds of the members attended. He had at first been under the impression that there had been a want of attention on the part of the firemen at two or three practices only, but on going back be found thatit was a regular thing. He gave details of parades from October 11th to the date of the meeting, from which he found that out of a total of 23 officers and men, the largest attendance had been 19, leaving 4 absent, and that the smallest was 8, leaving 15 absent. The average number of absentees was 8, thus being a fraction under the two-thirds be had mentioned. If be took the total, the maximum number at all the parades would have been 292, but it had only been 192, leaving 100 short. He did not know a single member of the brigade, but he could point out that there were two or three who had scarcely attended a single practice during five months, though they were always present to receive their pay. Such a corps to look after the safety of property was simply a delusion and a snare, Tho men had not the amount of practice which they should have, and consequently there was neither efficiency nor discipline. He would not lay the blame on the superintendent, for he was not sufficiently paid, and not otherwise in a position to devote much time to the brigade. If they wanted efficiency they should pay a man to be at his post. He found, however, that they were scarcely in a position to spend much money in such a way, and what he would propose under the circumstances was to appoint one of the council's officers to the post. Snob a step would only be a part of the principle of consolidation which he had always advocated. Amongst the corporation officers they had one man who was well able to fill the position, as he had previous experience in a brigade. He proposed to displace Mr Whiteford by Mr A. G. Johnson. That officer’s duties were not. very heavy at present, and they would dovetail most admirably with those of superintendent. With a thoroughly efficient brigade, they would not hear of that curious occurrence of hoses breaking at fires, for they would bo thoroughly tested. He should bring the subject forward in a formal manner at the next meeting of the council, when he hoped it would be fairly discussed, as there was something radically wrong in the management. Councillors Allen and McKenzie expressed surprise at what they had heard, and thought thatit was unecessary for them to take farther

steps. Councillor Greenfield held that if Councillor Thompson had done bis duty he would not have allowed the thing to go on for six months without bringing it up every month on the receipt of the returns. (Councillor Thompson : X did so twice.) He did not believe that. He thought the brigade was as efficient, as well disciplined, and as well appointed as any brigade had been during the past twelve years. (No, no.) As for appointing Mr Johnson, they bad better go a step further, and appoint the town clerk engineer and everything else. The thing was simply absurd. Councillor A. W. Brown said he also had reason to be dissatisfied with the brigade, and had on several occasions felt inclined to propose that they should abandon it altogether, and allow the insoraoce companies to do what they liked, as they had done once before. Councillor Maginnity said the charge preferred was of a very serious nature, and should be inquired into. Mr Johnson had already too many offices on his shoulders to be appointed superintendent of the Fire Brigade, The Mayor remarked that no complaints had reached the council, but he could not say whether any had appeared in the newspapers, as he never read newspapers. (Loud laughter.) The subject then dropped, FINANCES. Accounts amounting to £1750 4s 3d were passed for payment, including £577 13s 4d, the amount of a bill from the City Solicitor, which had been reduced to that amount by taxing of £9 18s fid. The name of Councillor Thompson having been added to the Finance Committee, the council rose.