MUNICIPAL COUNCIL.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 150, 13 October 1876, Page 2

MUNICIPAL COUNCIL.

The ordinary fortnightly meeting of the Council was held last evening. Present : His Worship the Mayor, Councillors Mainland, Headland, Scott, Booth, and Galbraith. MINUTES AND CORRESPONDENCE.

The minutes of last meeting were read and confirmed, and the outward correspondence approved of. MR. grave's dam. The following letter was read : " To the Town Clerk, Oamaru.

"Dear Sir, —I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of your letter of this date, with enclosure, and in reply, beg to inform you that steps are being taken to complete the works now in hand at my dam ; and further, to state that I will at once have the contract pushed on, so as to allay all fear of accident or danger.— I am, &c. "James Grave.

"Oamaru Sept. 30." SLY GROG SELLING. The following letter was read : "Provincial Secretary's Office, " Dunedin, 29th Sept. 1876. " Sir, —Referring to your letter of the 24th April last, with reference to the evil of sly grog selling by the keepers of boarding houses in Oamaru, I have now been directed to enclose copy of the Provincial Government Gazette, containing a Proclamation, under the hand of his Honor the Superintendent, extending the ' CommonLodging House Ordinance, 1862,' and the 'Common Lodging House OrcSttance,~ 1862, Amendment Ordinance, 1864,' to the town of Oamaru. —I have, &c, "Alex. Willis, " Under Secretary. " The Town Clerk, Oamaru." The letter was referred to the Bye-laws Committee. PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE'S REPORT.

The report was read as follows : " Access to Yare-street* —The Engineer, Mr. M'Leod, attended, and produced a plan, showing a dray road to a point about four chains from the junction with Crosslane, at a grade of 1 in 6, and a zigzag horse track thence to the top of the hill, on the same gradient, This work can be executed for about £23, and is, the Committee consider the only practicable way of meeting the petitioner's request. They, therefore recommend that tenders, be called for the work in question. "Levels of Ure-street. —Your Committee have considered the plans prepared

by Mr. M'Leod, and recommend that the levels, as shown on Flans Nos. 1 and 2 herewith be adopted. "Be Boadway at Bee's Comer.—The Committee, having considered the matter herein referred to them, recommend that a reply be sent to the Government to the following eifect: —That the proposal of the Government will, allowing for a footpath 9ft. wide on the east side of Tyne and Itchen streets, only leave an available roadway of 26ft., whereas allowiugfor a footpath of the same width, the roadway, prior to the railway encroachment, was 42ft. That such 26ft. roadway is of insufficient width for the safety of traffic, which at this point is very great, and must become increasingly so. That the Council urge upon the Government the necessity of acquiring so much of the property at the corner as will admit of the street being restored to itj full width. That pending this being done, the Council will be glad to see the in. creased facilities for traffic given by carrying out the proposals contained in the letter of the Under-Secretary for Public Works, dated 23rd September; but it must be understood that the Council cannot accept this as a final and satisfactory settlement of the question.

THE ENGINEER'S REPORT. This report was read : '' Engineer's Office, " Oamaru, Oct. 12, 1876. "To His Worship the Mayor and Councillors.

" Gentlemen, —I have the honor to report as to the works now going on, as follows :

"Contract 105, for asphalting footpaths, has only been begun to-day. The contract time expires on the 30th November next.

"The Contractor was duly served with notice to proceed, in terms of general conditions, on the 2nd inst., but, I believe, illness has prevented him making a start before now. " Contract 100.—Earthwork in Stewardstreet, &c, and Oamaru Creek is about half finished.

" Contract 106.—Trimming and gravelling footpaths is all but completed.

" Contract 108. —Formation of roadway from Ouse into Aln street will be finished by the end of this month. " Contract 103.—Erection of bridge over new cut for Oamaru Creek, near Lees and Moore's is now being proceeded with. The Contractors have not been able to get at the work until the excavation in creek diversion under Contract 100 was finished; hence the delay. "As, however, they have almost all their plant and material on the ground, rapid progress will be made. " A considerable extra will have to be incurred in the foundations for this bridge, owing t:> the road dipping away very suddenly from the face level, it shows at the! water cushion at Lees and Moore's dam. This could not have been foreseen until the excavations were taken, out, consequently additions will have to be made to the masonry of footways, and the two remaining walls will have to be built one at each water cushion.

" Contract 107—supply of bluestone for metal—is being well carried out, the quality of stone being excellent. At present there are only ten men engaged breaking, and of these not more than half signed the memorial lately handed to the Mayor. " On the Esplanade, from the Gassrorla to the Town Boundary, North, the flai and scrub is all being cut down and cleared away. "In street work, the upper portion of Wansbeck and Severn streets is being considerably improved by widening out the sides, and raising and repairing the metalled portions. " The drains by the National Bank, and from Tees-street through Itchen-street were both almost silted up, but have been properly cleaned out. All the channelling and side ditches are getting a good overhaul, and will be in pretty fair order when finisned.

" The working sections for the waterworks are being taken, and the permanent level pegs being put in. The whole or a considerable portion of this work will be ready for tender by the Ist of December next. —I have, &c, "D. A. M'Leod, Engineer." wansbeck-street.

The following resolution, moved by Councillor Mainland and seconded by Councillor Booth, was carried :—" That the footpath on the north side of Wans-beck-street be kerbed, channelled, and formed ; also, that the footpath be formed on the south side to its permanent level ; the engineer to have power to call for tenders."

COMMITTEE. The Council then went into Committee.