MUNICIPAL COUNCIL.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 114, 1 September 1876, Page 2

MUNICIPAL COUNCIL.

The nnliiiary meeting of the Council took place last night. Present : His Worship the Mayor. Councillors Headland .Scott. Mainland, Booth, and Grave. MINLTES. The minutes of the last general and two special meetings were read and confirmed. CORRESPONDENCE. The outward correspondence was read and approved of. From Messrs. Lintott and Otterson, requesting permission to erect buildings for the purpose of a brewery on sections 19, Block XXII., Kibble-street; also, drain and right-of-way.—Granted. From Mr. H. Wallace, complaining of the unsafe t'tid dangerous state of the face of the quarry on section '.l, Block IV. — Referred to the Keserves Committee with powers to act. From James Tieid and ratepayers, requesting that a lamp be placed at the corner of Reed and Dee streets. Resolved, •' That the letter lie on the tabic." From Mr. Thomas Forrester, asking permission to open the foot] Kith in Wharfsi net, for the purpose of laying down a drain.—lU-ferred to the Engineer with power to act. From Mr. Hislop, M.H.R., enclosing copies of the Tramways Bill, and referring to the amendments made on the original dn.ft.

On tlie met ion of Councillor Headland, seconded l>y Councillor .Scott, it was resolved. '-'That the Bill, as amended, be .submitted to the Council's solicitor for his opinion thereon, and that Mr. Hislop be thanked for the trouble taken by him. and requested to get the Bill passed t:.rough the House as early as possible, a special meeting of the Council to be called should the Solicitor suggest any aba rations. r.rsu on ri!K cape. Couiu-ill.ir J-1!-:ai>i.and moved, and it was resolved—•'l hat the Engineer be requested to furnish a tracing and written boundaries of the (iovernment Reserve of land upon which is glowing the bush referred to by the Crown Banger, with a view t>» such action as may be deemed advisable for the preservation of said bush : also, that the question of the temporary road granted for the use of Messrs. Lees and 'Moore, be enquired into by the Engineer. VVV.Uf WiUIKS COMMITTEE. The following rq.ort was read and adopted : ;i Your (Ymmittee recommend that the contract for forming Medwaysfivet, as per present plan and specifications, be carried out. and so soon as building's are erected, the street be formed to its full width. I'CIM.IC TIKAT.TH COMMITTEK. A report from the above was read, when it was resolved :—"That the report of the Public Health Committee, dated 21st June, be referred to the present Public Health Committee, with instructions to bring up a report, specially setting out what steps should be taken by the Council in the matter.'" lirMBKK-STKFKT BISIDOE. It was determined " That the plans and report on the proposed erection of this bridge lie on the table.'" water si i'l-r.V. The following letter was read : '• To the Members of the Municipal O.iuvil. •■ d'eiith-meii. — I have the honor to report thai, as requested by 3-011 at your last meeting, I brought the matter of the land required for an in-take for the water .-upplv in Block ITT.. Awamoho, before tin- Provincial Executive, and also interviewed the Chairman of the Waste Lands Hoard. " ft was v-reed by the Executive that the land in qui stion should be recommended to be set aside as a reserve under .-eetion U>o. of "The Waste Lands Act, 1.572." and Mr. Strode expressed himself as quite favorable to such action being taken. At the meeting of the Waste Lands Board, held on Wednesday, a recommendation to that effect was made, and the application to purchase by consequence refused. • l I believe that a notice will appear in the I'rfriiic'nl fiti-.etU: reserving the land accordingly.

•' After" this has hcen done, I would ■ recommend that the Council should apply j under section IGI for a lease of a reserve, ' or for a license to occupy ; and this having I been obtained, it would probably be ad- ; visable to ar>ply at next session of Parliaf ment for a Bill authorising the land being ■ Crown-granted to the Council in trust as a water reserve " It will be necessary for the Council to instruct Messrs. Connell and Moodie to 1 apply for the refund of the deposit paid 1 in at the time of making the application to purchase. ; ' I have, cv.e.. I ' : Wii. J. Steward, Mayor. ; -'August 31, 1876." It was resolved, on the motion of Councillor Grave, seconded by Councillor Headland, "That His Worship the Mayor be thanked for his courtesy in attending to the matter re the reserve of land in the Awamoko District, and that the letter be : received, and the suggestions contained j therein be carried out,"

PETITION. Councillor Scott presented the following petition from ratepayers in High Ward : " The memorial of the undersigned ratepayers and residents in blocks 77, 78, 83, 84, 85, 86, 93, and 94 of the Town of Oamaru, respectfully showeth that during :i continuance of dry weather your petitioners suffer great inconvenience and loss from the want of a water supply. •' And, further, that only a very small amount of money has been expended on that portion of the town. • " They, therefore, pray that your honorable Council will vote such a sum of money as will sink a well and erect a pump for the use of your petitioners and residents in these blocks, the right and been ■ • !.■'.: a well having been obtained i' i -';.• owner of Section 22, Block Lxxxnr." [Here follow the signatures.] Referred to Public Works Committee. STEW BUILDING. Mr. James Johnston applied for permission, in Tyne-strcet, for Mr. T. H. Brown, as per plans submitted, and also to make a right-of-way to the same. —Permission to erect the building was granted, and the matter of a right-of-way referred to the Engineer, with power to act. ACCOUNTS. .Several accounts were passed for payment. DRAIX I>~ THAMES-STREET. It was resolved, " That the Engineer be instructed to have the drain cleared from the grating at the Empire Hotel to Thames-street Bridge as soon as possible. TENDERS. The following tenders were received for trimming footpaths and gravelling same in Itclien, Wharf, and Wansbeck streets :

It was resolved, " That the tender of D. Heron and Co. be accepted." For contract 107, formation in Urestrect, the following were received :

It was moved by Councillor Headlaivtd, and seconded by Councillor Scott, " That the tender of Samuel Rusbatch be accepted." Councillor Booth spoke strongly against the motion, on the ground that the amount appeared to him far too large for the work to be performed. He also considered that the Council should defer incurring any further liabilities until the report" of the Finance Committee had been received. He would move the following amendment:—" That this Council adjourn till Tuesday next, in order to afford the whole" of the Councillors an opportunity of visiting the site of the proposed works prior to accepting any tender." Councillor Grave seconded the amendment, and remarked that the expenditure sought to be incurred was purely a shameful waste of public money, which he should use every effort to oppose. He considered the Councillors for High Ward went in f<>r expending as much as they could obtain, at an injustice to the ratepayers of other Wards. Councillor Headland intimated that if Councillor Grave persisted in carrying on an obstructive course of action it might possibly be reciprocated by the High Ward members, with interest, when the Severn Ward members required any works carried out in their Ward. His Woh.suip considered that the work proposed to lie done was not of sufficient importance to warrant so large an expenditure of public money. Councillor Grave said it was quite evident the High Ward members were determined to ace apt the tender, and Councillor Booth and himself could not prevent it. He. however, felt himself called upon to ni-ike a stand against such a wasteful expenditure of public money, and he had no idea so large an amount would be required to pci form the work. He might state that his wif j and little ones had gone to bed, and he was not in a hurry to go home ; therefore, he would make an effort to " speak against time," and he would be glad to remain till after midnight. After Councillor Grave had spoken " against time," the Council adjourned at a quarter to twelve o'clock until Thursday evening next, without having arrived at any decision with regard to the original motion.

B. Battersby £96 0 0 J. K. Anderson 49 12 0 Thus. Fkhurty 30 14 0 Samuel Rusbatch 40 8 0 David Heron and Co. ... 35 4 0 John D. Mitchell 64 0 0 Hugh Wallace ... 94 17 6 Hubert Hastings • 39 4 0

Robert Hastings ... £433 11 0^ D. Heron and Co. ... 409 12 9" Wallace 400 8 7 Win. Williams 571 5 0 Samuel Rusbatcli .. 354 7 81 B. Battersby 538 0 0 J. R. Awlorson 447 10 0