TOWN BOARD

Otago Daily Times, Issue 124, 9 April 1862, Page 4

TOWN BOARD

Shs usual weakly meeting of this body was held yescoraay afternoon at the Board's oliiee, Princes-street, Llie undermentioned members being in attendance at four o'clock : Messrs. Jenkinson (chairman), Hardy, .vloHison, S'lVitzer, Shand, (-rrnhain, Jlulino, and Kil:!our. Mr. Oar^ill entered tliu Ciiambar at live ■/clock. It wiu) resolved th-it the pavement in Princes-street', south of the cutting, should be constructed of flagstone .11 preference to nsplmite. The Board accept?! Mr. Lowaey's tender for channelling from Nathan's corner at 5s (id per yard, >vitU | <(|U;u-e blocks of 0 indie.3 n-ide. j Mr. Hardy proposed, and Mr. Switzer seconded,! !ih,tt tilt? City Surveyor be instructed to lay oi!' the footpaths. (J.irried. The fJJitrk repm-ted that the inhabitants of Moray-: place had subscribe.i LlOi for improvements in that locality. Resolved, that tenders be invited for the construction of the work required. The Clerk reported that the residents of Highstret had subscribed L 10!) i&>. towards repairing that street. Mr. Hardy enquired if the inhabitants of Mansestreet had contributed anything to that object. No answer. The Chairman asked whit would be the probable cost of the work in question. The clerk replied, about L3QO. The Chairman avkad if this sum vrould inolule the metalling,'and was answered in the negative. Tha Clerk intimated tiiat tha amount from Atkin» and Barnier, iuuntly Lsl2s. b'd. would raise the Ruin already collected to the amount of L 358. The Chairman expresse 1 an opinihn that in the event of this work being carried out in Hiyh street, it ought to be metalled, and hs would suggest that an estimate ba m:ule of what sum the proposed improvements would cost, also the metalling as far as the road ifoss, and then in the event of the inhabitants subscribing one-third, that tha work be proceeded with.

Mr. Switzsr would decidedly oppose any money being expemiad on High-street unless it were metalled so that the work.when finished would be efficient and durable. ' Mr. Shancl thought that the Board could proceed with the work, and then come upon the inhabitants] for one-third the expense, to complete the metalling. Mr. Hardy moved that the requisition from the memorialists in High-street be agreed to ; that the tender of Mr. W. Barnes be accepted ; and that the work be executed without delay. Mr. Graham seconded this motion. Mr Switzer moved and Mr. Kilgour seconded the following amendment: —" That in the event of the inhabitants of High and Manse-streets subscribing one-third of the sum required to complete the work, including metalling, that the Hoard proceed with it. The amendment was adopted by a numerical majority of two members. The Clerk announced that the sum of L2f! 2s had had been subscribed by the inhabitants of Georgestreet, towards metalling' that street. The Board supplemented this amount by voting the usual grant-in-aid. An arrangement was agreed ta with (the Union Bank of Australia for L3,0U0, to be secured on the assessments of the city, the interest on the same not to exceed 10 per cent. The Clerk read a letter from the inhabitants of Castle and Union-streets, intimating that they had subscribed LlO towards constructing-a bridge, and for metalling the approach to It, the estimate of the cost was set dovvn at i.22. The Clerk imagined that would be under the figure. Mr. Hardy moved that the memorial of thp inhabitants of Leith Wafer be agreed to, on condition of their contributing- Que-tl)ird towards the cost of the bridge, Seconded by Dr. Hulme, and carried. The Clerk read a letter from. Thomus Murray, offering- to lay a pipe across Regent Road into a* tank to supply the town with pure water by means ot carts. Dr. Hulme said this should not be allowed. The Clerk observed that if the Board failed to give permission, Mr. Murray'would construct the tank on Spme land which he had either purchased or leased, I Tin; consideration of tlje questionr^as'lfdfp'uTned'" Iby consent, for one week. " Mr. Shand suggested" th&t an Inspector be appointed by the Board, as it was utterly impossible for Mr. Reid, Ciei-k to the Town Board, to perform so many contingent and multifarious duties. The suggestion was ordered to be entered on the Records, and its discussion deferred to next meet-in"1. Mr. Graham moved that tenders be called for nfetalling Manse-street, 40 feet wide, and that the parties resident in the said street be required to contribute towards the formation of footpaths aloiv that road. °

Mr. Kilgour seconded the motion. Mi-. SwKzer understood that tho earth which was to b« taken off High-street was to be-thrown into Manse-street, to briny it up to a proper level before metalling it, and he saw no reason why the Board should be saddled with the cost of the work. 'Mr. Cargill expressed an opinion that the inhabitants shoijUrjncirr the eyneiisfi'j tho Board held property worth Lst)O'in 'JYans.irStreut/'aud yet they could derive no revenue from it; whereas the holders of property in that neighborhood were realising handsome returns, he really th'.mght they 'ought to heai the burden of expenditure to lie involved in the con-

s traction of improvements. Tiio Chairman asked if the settlers in Manso-streot .vould not contribute their moiety towards effecting tlie required improvements, would it be pnident for the Board to leave it in its present dangerous state ] Mr. Cargill would say—Certainly. TII3 cost of putting Manse-street into an eiiiuient and durable condition would incur a cost of some £300, aim the .Board would not be justified in expending so much of :he public money, subscribed by the town generally, tor any. particular locality, Ho could assure the Board that, wore this question, in its integrity and its entirety, subinii±pd f o; . thg opinion of Jho ratepayers. Mat it would Iw defeated by an almostijiuwimous"verdict of public opinion. Mr. Kilgonr observed that tha carts from the country did more than anything else to destroy and out up the roads; could not some tax or license bo imposed upon them, so as to cause them to bear a fair [share of the exjjen.se. Mr. Switser remarked that he had mooted the question of cart and carriage licenses at the las: meeting, and he could assure Mr. Kilgour that, were such a tax imposed, the co.it of collecting the derivable revenue would swallow up the proceeds raised from such n, sourje for the next two yr<nvi). Ho, however, still adhere;! to Hie opinion tna't carter;) ■and drivers of vehicles should "be required to "take" up a license, as in municipal towns, 'lie'inquired the proo:ible cast,,of repairing Afanse-streeU ' The Qigvk gayo an iiiijsromnf.u estimate at thefignrei of L 200.' ' ' Mr. (Traham'a resolution was thrown gut. ' Mr. Cjfrahauj next moved' that High-street, as far up aa Misuse-street (off Prinqas'-stree't), be foriiieil anrl nietnllwl fciie fall width of the strost, and tl»nt tender for tlie work ha called. Put find lost. Mr. Graham brought forward in sucaossian similar propositions with reference to Stafford and Walker.streets.. Mr. Oarg-lt Raid lie walked up Walker-street frequently, and he knjiv what it was; he should like very mush to see it macadamised, b\it he thought that the inhabitants should defray the expense. Mr Svv:{t?cr c^jjreswd an opinion that the Board had plenty to do wi'tji' tlieir ruoney \yljeu dealing with petitions, instead of votiiig it h/,yay in: d,^ a rfecklessj and spendthrift manner, I

The subject tliea dropped. . l'ho Clerk now ro.vl a letter mg:io.l by James Brown, A. 0. Itees, and A. 11. Livingstone, resident's in .Stafford-street, approximate to the Provincial Hotel, asking tho Jioarii to cut down the footwth to ilsl

[proper level, on their undertaking to roeUil and repair it" ; ■■ •

Agreed to. THe Chairman was about to read aloud a letter from Kiclimoad and Gillies, when he was interrupted by Mr. Switzer, wlio exclaimed—"Don't read that out !"

TJje^ Cleric: Oh, no! it won't do to have the ponteuts of that lgtter macle imtilfp;' ' " —!'■■'■■> The Ohairmnin neiti proceeded to open tenders from parties wljo desjred to contract for certain public works, and at six o'clock the Board adjourned. j