CITY COUNCIL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 3368, 21 November 1872, Page 3

CITY COUNCIL.

An ordinary meeting was held last evening. Mr Ramsay, in the absence of the Mayor, presided. All the other Councillors were present. IOI.NXfM.on IJAUNKH AND A CONTRACTOR.

IMr Baknkh B;iid he wished to make a complaint against one of the contractors working for the Corporation. At the last meeting of the Works Committee, when that body passed accounts, he objected to one of them, and it appeared that, by some means the contractor to whom ho then referred had learned all about the matter, hi consequence ho (Mr Barnes) hud been subjected to a good deal of i abuse, although, as the Mayor could bear him out were that gentleman present, he (Mr Barnes) had only done his duty. The Council, he thought, ought to take notice of such conduct on the part of a contractor. At any rate, he intended to move that no tender of the contractor nlhtdcd to be accepted for twelve months. Such a course was often aioptcd in other places, and if pursued by the Council it would teach people that they could not abuse councillor with impunity, merely because they did their duty. It was suggested that the matter should be considered in Committee. THE lAOIITISO. Mr Nkjilk considered the present a fitting opportunity to call attention to the indifferent manner in which the city was lighted. At the present time the lighting was almost unbearable. Mr Haknkk : We cannot interfere with the private lighting. Mr Nkalk : But it is in reference to the lighting of the public lamps. Mr Thonkman : If the gaa is bad in one place it is ho in another. Mr Baknks explained that last night was tha first time the lamps had been lit for six nights, and therefore they could not pretend to speak of the illumination of the streets during several previous evenings. He was aware, however, that some of the shopkeepers had been making complaints regarding the quality of the gas, and he had told them that the Corporation could not interfere with the private lighting ; that, in fact, they could not interfere so long as the lamps were properly lighted. The Council had incurred expense in obtaining the means of testing the quality of the gas ; but as had been the case with regard to many other matters, the apparatus had been allowed to lie idle, and the money spent upon it might just as well have been otherwise dealt with, and so prevented the- interest on it being locked up. TJJK DAYMEN AND THKIK WAOKH. A letter from ten of the daymen, in the employ of the Corporation was read. It naked that their wages might be increased by 1b per day on the following ground* :— The increased demand in the labour market ; because there would be a go*>d deal of time lost in coiiHequence of the forthcoming holidays ; and also because motifc of them having largo families, they could not afford to lose time. The matter was referred to the Works Committee, but not with power to act. A number of other letters were referred to the Committees having power to deal with them. PUJJLIO WOKK.S COMMITTEK. | The report of this Committee was adopted. It set forth, amongst other things, That, with reference to the proposed opening up of the roal from Kensington to the Ocean Beach, the Committee, recognising the importance of the work to the citizens, recommended that in the even' of the road being shortly completed the Council should form ho much thereof an was situate within the city including the Town Belt. The Committee's attention having bei'ii directed to the continued damage occasioned to the asphalt and other footpaths by persons laying down drain pipes, or l»y carting over them, they recommended that in future ! all persons requiring to lay down pipes under footpaths that bad been kcrbed nr asphalted, bo required to pay a sum of 10s, to defray cost of carefully cutting the kerb stone, and of reinstating the footpath. That a sum of 5s be paid in all cases of carting civer footpaths —the same to cover the expense of reinstating the street. The Committee also made the following recommendations :- -That Mr Thomas Calcutt be served with, a notice to repair the crossing at his premises, George Etrect; that Mr W. Sutherland be required to pay for side kerbiinfr. if hewishes to have a crossing at his .paddock, George street north. The report also stated'1 that the Surveyor had been instructed'"to attend to the following matters -.-—To dear away mud between Castle, St. David, and Dundaa streets ; to lay down 12 loads of gravid ; to adjust channelling at eiist side of Princes street near Jetty street, and tt'iggnig on west side of Princes street, abutting Mr James Brown's property ; to lay drain pipe at the intersection of Pitt street staid Herint row; to employ fire extra daymen for six weeks, in order to complete late allocation work and work connected therewith. The attention of the Government, the report said, had been directed to the circumstance that nightsoil from the High School had been finding its way into the open channel in Itattray street. The following tenders had been accepted :—Mr P. M'Kenzie, for keeping the Manure Depot, at a rental of £.10 per annum. Mr Charles Hunn, for supply of h smith work ; and Messrs Black and Thomson, for supply of timber, at schedule prices. COACH .STANDS. Mr Baiwes * moved—(l) "That the temporary permission for a coach stand (Chaplin's) in Princes street be withdrawn." (2) "That the temporary permission to H. Yeend for a coaclb stand in Manse street be withdrawn on and after the 21st November." Mr Barnes said the conduct of some of the coachmen had not been what it ought to be. Last Wednesday morning a cab, in which there were two ladies, stopped near one of the

t. coaches, whereupon the man in charge of id another coach caught hold of the ladies and palled them about in the street, while sd endeavouring to secure them as passengers. Steps ought to be taken to prevent le a repetition of such conduct People should be allowed to take their seats unmolested in whatever coach they chose t*> S travel by. He (Mr Barnes) also reported that some of the coachmen had been in the habit of carrying an excessive num--4 ber of passengers, and that on one occasion a coachman, who had then two passengers more than the* licensed number, J- abstained from picking'up others because 4 he detected him following the vehicle. 7 Mr Nbat,k seconded the motion. Q Mr Thonkmax : I have not heard of '„ any complaints. The Council gave permission, and I don't see why we should rescind it. It looks like a piece of spite. 4 Mr Mkkckr ; I have been an eye-wit--2 ness, and have not seen this. They are r both trying to do business, and we should *' give them both an opportunity of doing it. Mr Walter supported Mr Barnes's 4 motion on the broad principle of doing that which was right and proper. It was 4 ridiculous for a'member of the Council to xay they were actuated by spite. Where [> did it lie } Probably in that gentleman's fertile imagination. When a nuisance 8 existed, the Council should endeavour to ,j remove it. It really appeared that applications of this kind carried with them a sort of terror to the minds of some people, and Mr Mkrckh : No insinuations should be made. I After some remarks from the Chair- . mas in support of this latter opinion expressed by Mr 31ereer, Mr Walter said he had no hesitation in stating that it did appear to be convenient sometimes for people not to see * things. Mr Mbkobr : Oh, dear me ! f Mr Bossbothaw hud heard no com- " plnints from any quarter except from Mr Barnes. When the citizens brought the ' r matter forward as a grievance it would be time to move in it. I Mr Barnkh said it would be too late | then. He was surprised to hear Councillor Mercer say that there had been very little annoyance, seeing that he was an eye-witness of everything that transpired. Mr Mkrckr rose to a point of order. He was not, like Mr Barnes, always poking his noBC into everything.—{Laughter. ) He (Mr Mercer) was above it. He could say that for some time back there had been no disturbance whatever. Mr Barkks : I tay Mr Mercer saw what I saw, that morning, and very likely if I kept a shop close to where the coach stops I might want to get it there. There are certain reasons for certain effects, and I am one of that nort who can pick out the effects pretty sharply. I'say it is a shame that ladies should be pulled about in the street. He saw ii as well as me, and it's not right to wink at it. The motions, after some further discussion, were carried. CUMBKRLAOT) STRERT. Mr Barnes moved, " That Cumber- ' land street, from Union street to Dundas . street, be formed and gravelled, at a cost not exceeding £00." ( The motion was seconded by Mr \ Thonkman. He said that about sixty < buildings had been erected in that neigh- i bourhood during the last eighteen months, i and from which a considerable benefit 1 would be derived. After some remarks by other Councillors regarding the necessity which existed for effecting similar improvements in other parts of the city, the motion was ' carried. NKOKXBARY IMI'ROVKMKNTH. Mr Woodi,and wished to call attention to the condition of Hanover street. Some months had expired since it was formed, , and in wet weather it was in an impas- ( sable state. If the Surveyor were in- t structed to metal and level it, a great \ boon would be conferred. Then, in ] regard to London street. At the last i meeting of the Council, he obtained a < promise that it should be attended to on < the following day. Now he did not think it was right that works decided upon * should be neglected for other works. * There was also another matter to which J ho desired to allude. In Athol place, in | j the rear of Mr Outline's premises, drains had been laid down to carry ofT the filthy ( water ; but they had not been effectual. / He therefore wished the Council to in- i struct the Surveyor to take some steps in I the matter. 1 THK RATTRAY STRKKT KKWKR. * A letter was received from the Provin- f cial Secretary's office, stating that the OoI vernment had no intention of expending £1000 on the Rattray street sewer, seeing ! that the Council had declined to contri- | bute or assist in its extension, as proposed in the letter of the Under-Secretary of Ist July. j TKNOKRB. ! The tenders of Mr James Casey, for , forming dray tracks in Elm Row and i Canocgato for £44 16s, were accepted. I the aas sopp^v. 1 Mr Thoskha.v gave notice of his inten- j tion to move at next meeting that the ( City Surveyor, or some other competent * person, be instructed to test and report j as to the quality of the gas now supplied j i to the City.

The Council, on rising, adjourned for a fortnight.