CITY COUNCIL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 2489, 27 January 1870, Page 2

CITY COUNCIL.

The usual meeting of the City Council. was held yesterday, at three o'clock, rat the Council Chamber. la the absence o£ the Mayor, Councillor Griffen occupied the chair ; and there were also present— Councillors Fish, Wilkinson, Walter,, Carroll, Thoneman, and Wilson. The?: minutes of the previous meeting were read and adopted. CORRESPONDENCE. .'; .., , c , A number of letters on unimpor&ntsulhjects were referred to the various coatmittees. .',-. i^ A letter was read from Mr James Lar- :' kin, poiating out to the Council that m" ?T consequence of the lowering of the footpath, ctx Bell Tower Hill,, his wife na£ fallen and fractured her knee. She had some time before broken her leg from & | similar cause, and as the path had beem lowered by order of the Corporation, lia asked some compensation. Mr Fish said that if it could be shomfe that the accident bad occurred through, any neglect on the part of the Corporation, he should consider the application & fair one. He had understood that s&e had fallen through a hole being left id t&s footpath. If, however, the accident liad -■■-- - been caused merely by cutting down, the path, he did. not see how the Council was. to blame. The matter was-referred, t* the Finance Committee. A letter- was read from Mr A. Lake-! man asking the use of the Council Chamber for one evening, for a meeting of the subscribers to the Athenjeum. The request was granted. . Sirs Alexander and Mr Smith wrote t« the Council, pointing out that it wouldl be dangerous to. take away any more metal from Steep street. Mr Fish said that he thought flae statement made in the letter."'was incorrect, as no danger was to be apprehended from moving metal from the place. Mr Carroll- objected to the proposed expense for cutting the street Letters were read from Messrs. Langlands and Chambers in Melbourne, on> the subject of a new fire bell, the former offering to supply a bell at 23 3d, and the latter at 2s 6d per Ib, both agreeing to* take the old bell at 6d per lb. REPOIVTS. The following reporb from the Cifcjr Surveyor was read and received :— Council Chambers, 26t!i January,lß7o; To His Worship tie Mayor and the City Council. ... . , - Gentlemen—Since my last report; to Sift CoutlCil, *&« Tf *»?& of fte contracts! theft«?» hand have been completed, excepting feW contract of Pitt. strest, and, contracts Now 2, for Miscellaneous Works in Bell and Leitia. Wards. The following contracts have in the IdtenaEu been; entered iato, and are now in progress ':— 1. Fencing Northern General Cemetery. %. Baating ; Weigh, bridge.. 3. Forming am! Metalling Melville LaneL 4. Box Colverfc^ > : Great King street. 5, Kerbing and Caaaaell- •■.'■ ing parfe oi Jetty street. 6. Supply ing horses and drays ? Four ei.tr* daymen have been taken ei£ as directed. A good deal of extra carfaag having been required for laying the gravel cleared out of tne Rattray street culvert oa various footpaths, I havekept on the horses, furnished by Mr Barnes ; and further, as w& have some forage still on hand, this will be conßamed during the present wctk, -whem only :the contract; horses and draya will b& employed, ■ ' _ The. late floods have occasioned an. increase^ : of work, but many ' minor iinprovemeuiß..■"*■ '^i have been made with day labour during tfest r last montli. Some of the men are finishing tbe work afc \ the Octagon Market; and -which I beg £» . A 'report will be completed to-day or toy /^ morr>>w, in view of the public opening os. Saturday. ■ . Mr O'Brien has nearly completed peggiisgoffthe graves in the Southern.General Cemef-i , ' tery, and lam at present en /aged in. peg^ng v off various town" reserves into sections, as instructed by the BeWrves Cuinmittee. The following report from the Publia Works Committee was read :— Your Committee bi32 to report as fol'ows:—--Ist. Steep street—Your Committee recommend that the City Surveyor's proposal, asuper his report of 6th January, for improvements in Steep Etieet, be adopted, and ihes. work carried oub ac an estimated coat of. L 135. 2ad. Your Committes regret having to report that the Kattray street sevrer was damaged during the late flood, to tha exteafe of about LSO. It w,^ knijossible to allaw the sewer to remain in ita damaged state ; aud your Committee therefor** have iastructed the Surveyor to effect the necessary repairs. 3rd. Your Committee recommend that La be voted tor filling np part of the channel afe north sde of York Place, bstweea Pillenl I and Victoria streets, by way of experiment 4tk -Tenders have been called for t&es Manure Depot extensi n, and for the supply of six eenta for the South Dunedin Recreation tiroand. sth. The Surveyor has been instructed toattend to too channels at G«orge aad gfe And ew street} also to abate a nuisancaafe

-corner of St. Andrew and Great King streets. 6th. Dowling street, near Mr Laririns's house.—The surveyor reports that tbe footpath at this place has recently been brought to its permanent lew! 7th. Fire Bell.—Your Committee have obtained the temporary use oi the new Post Office bell, as an alarm bell in case of fire. Bth. Mr G. Duncan's letter, complaining that boys bathing in the Water of Leith fronting his property tended to pollute tbe water. Your Committee hive replied that the Council is unable to take any action in the matter. 9th. The following- permissions have bson granted : —To Mr M'Kerras, to bnra refuse oa Towh Belt, near his house. To Messrs ■O. Hirsch and ,T. Jones, to effect alterations at trap doors fronting their premises. To Messrs J. Colgau and \V\ Harrop, for drain pipes at tbeir premises. To Mr P. P. Allen, for a bridle poßt at Princes street cutting. To Mr J. Bradbury, to remove some stone from Maclaggan street quarry. Mr Fish moved that the reporb be adopted. Mr Carroll would second the motion provided the clause respecting Steep street were; referred back to the Public Works Committee. Mr Fish thought that the work at Steep street had received the careful attention both yi the Council and of the Committee, and it would be better to let the.recommendation of the Committee be carried out as it stood. The surveyor had mentioned L 135 as the cost of the work, but it must be remembered that the value of the metal they would get wonld reduce that expense to L3O or L4O. The catting would create no danger to property. Mr Carroll saidrthat Mrs Alexander ;liad already recovered L2O damages from a person for removing metal from this very place, and so damaging her property, and he did not want to see the Council made responsible for any further damage which might accrue through cutting down "the street. Mr Fish said the reason why Mrs Alexander iiad recovered those damages was that the man who was quarrying had gone where the Surveyor told him not to. \ .' ''. ■ -■■■'.■'. Mr Wilson could see no reason for spending such a large surd as L 135 on the matter. '.'■.■''• The Town Clerk read a previous report on the subject from the City Sur--veyor. Mr Wilkinson seconded Mr Fish's motion, and Mr Wilson the proposal of Mr Carroll, to refer the clatise about Steep street back to the Committee. The amendment was put and lost, and the original resolution carried. The following report from the Reserves • Committee was read :~- Your Committee beg respectfully to report aa follows :— ■ Ist. Mr Fenwick's letter, asking the con- •• sent of tbe Council to the surrendering of hia present lease of sections 13 and 14, block XV., Dunedin,- with a view to a uew and extended lease of those sections ; being granted him. . Your Committee recommend that Mr Fen■wiok's proposal be declined ; the sections named are close to what will probably be the •terminus of the Southern and Port Chalmers Railways, and your Committee are of opinion that it would be inadvisable to enter into any extended lease of those sections until something more certain be done in the. matter of those railways. 2nd. Your Committee recommend that Mr Sievwright's application for the consent of the Council to an assignment of a lease of sections 3 arid "4, block VI., Town district, from Messrs C. Reid and K. Home, to Mr Geo. Smith, be granted, on condition that such consent should not be construed as relieviiig the lessee from any of the covenants of his\lease. 2rd. Draft letter to be forwarded to Messrs', Driver and M Lean granting their perzeissiph to. carry on their fellmongery business on a portion of the reserve for wharves and quays. Your Committee, as directed, beg herewith to submit the draft letter for the approval of the" Council. \ 4. Your Committee have instructed the Surveyor to peg off some few remaining reserve sections preparatory to their being leased by axiction. • 5. Your Committee recommend that Mr Forsyte's application to lease several sections at North. Molyneux be declined. 6. It having been brought: under notice of your Committee, Mr Reid, gardener, is occupying part of Queen street north, as a market garden, your Committee recommend that Mr Eeid be required to pay such a rental for the land as, the Council may determine. Also, that Mr James Paterson be required to remove a fence s which, for many years, has been erected, on the street line between sections 1 and 6, block 31., Dunedin.-. - ■'. - ...:. -■■-:. . . ,-•• ... •■• 7. Your Committee purpose waiting upon Eia Honour tbe Superintendent and the Executive as to the relative positions of the Government and the City Council, with, regard to the old Botanical Garden grounds. 8. The surveyor will jeport iurther : to your Committee, as toy Mr Grant's letter, complaimng of Mr R-J.Willson's action with refrence to the erecting or partial erection of baths on the Quays Keserve. •.. --"■■■.-. ■ '•■-■-'■- In connection with this report the following letter was read :— : Dunedin^ i 1869. Messrs Henry Driver and John Maclean, Dunedin. ■ " Gentlemen—By a.deed'.■of lease, hearing even date herewith, between the corporation of City of Dunedin, James Macandtew as Superintendent, and yourselves, the following allotments of land, being portion of Heserve 'for Public Wharves, were demised to you/namei}', hec|ionß ;."•• and whereas the deed above referred:.'t£ .contains a covenant by the Les'seesLthat.tliey " SbaU iiot, nor will, a.fe any time during the said term hereby granted, carry on, or permit orsirffer to be carried on, any offensive trade, mariuiacttmv. or occupation, or which can in any wise-create a nuisanue upon the "said land •hereby demised, v. ithout- the concent in .writ-ing-of the said .Corporation first had and obtained for any suolx purpose" ; -'■-. ...-;. and whereas you have for several years past carried on, and at this present time contiaue to carry on, .the business of wool-scouring and fellmongery, on the land so demised to you, aDd ;ba,ve appliect to the Baid Corpora tioa Tor their consent iv wiitiag to you continuing to carry on the said .-business, —the said Corporatiou, atyour request-, dothhe eby give and grant ;to you/ the said Henry Driver and John Maclean, and your "permitted" assigns, their license and consent to carry on the said business of wool-scouring and ftjllruoDgery, so long as ho public nuisance is caused by said business. In witness wheraof tbe Beal of the said Corporation is hereunto affixed. On the motion of Mr Fish, seconded by Mr Wilkinson, the report was adopted, and-tlis letter ordered to be sent. TEND BUS. The tender of "W. Buskin, to supply six seats for the South Recreation Ground for Ll6 103, was accepted. Tlie tender of M. Sutherland, for extension of the depofc road, for L 22 10s was ' A letter was read, from Mr Thomas Watson, of Melbourne, with reference to the tenders for the gas works. The writer said that he had intended to tender on behalf of his principals, Messrs Laidlaw and Sons, Glasgow, for the construction of the Dunedin Gasworks, but that he ■vras unable to do so on account of the ■way in which the plans and specifications bad been mystified, and because from them he could not arrive at a definite idea of the work to be done. Mr Walter said that when he first

read the letter, he had been struck with its peculiar orthography, and suspecting that it was not genuine, he had consulted a Melbourne Directory, but could find no such firm as that named. Rethought that firm was a myth. Mr Fish said that the scheme was a transparent one. It was a weak invention of the enemy. _ The Town Clerk, in reply to a question, stated that the letter had not come through the post, but had been delivered at the office by a stranger. The tenders for the construction of the proposed gasworks were then opened, and found to be as follows :—J. Millar, F.S. A., L2O 932 14s 8i ; E. Chambers, L 22,109 ; Walkem and Peyman, L 21,495 ; A. K. Smith, L 19,275 6s.

The tender of Mr Smith did not contain a cheque for the deposit, but he forwarded his account against the Corporation, which, with Llo 153 paid on their account in Melbourne, came to within about L 2 of that amount, : .

On the motion of Mr Fish, the tenders were referred to the Gas Committee.