CITY COUNCIL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 4117, 29 April 1875, Page 2

CITY COUNCIL.

i ,-■■; The ordinary meeting .ofc-the; City" Council was held last . evening..-, There were prosent:—His Worship' the "''Mayor, Mr_Keitl«L Rainsay^jjin-the phair), 7 an^ Messrs-Walter, '"Fish," Mercer,~ Barron,' Be'okjfEeeye^'Granf: Gibson; Carrolli,Jioid.lsaac. * \ THE CORPORATION RESERVES AND ''TH^EOi'CS.— j ;' TION BOARD. '.'.,; The Superinteudeut wrote asfolfows:4-;^ ■; e "I have-the honour ito: acknowle<3ge.:receJpt ! of your letter of 17tK March* in reply to -mine of lOthFebruaryj relative io the!grantingf of two> sections contiguojis to the iAlbany'street^hocl. as playground !for... the.-'..children., i-You'jinfoDXß. nie thatthe City.,C.qgncil\.arehwilling to lease the sections in question, subject to a rental tc» be. determined.by the rprice per- acre which, the other- portions <>f the reserve avjll fetciby, auc«* tion.'.: I.hadjioped—Seeing. thaAVtheobjecVij* view was solely for the! benefit pf the "citizen* themselves, and'sb advaritage'dus to the locality the City_ Council would see its.wayata letting the sections, at a nominal rental.-. Unless this can be done, I fear that the school must .remain in its present unsatisfactory condition, as regards playground. ' It.is all that the' Government can do to find money for buildings*: I would therefore venture to submit that tKe.suibject might be reconsidered by the Corporatrop, I may add that a similar question will crop up soon in connection with ■ the •Normal School now being erected on the old Hospital reserve. # "In dealing with the residue .of 4his reserve it may be well to bear in mind that iri~all prcbability the time is not 'fairi;distant when the whole cost of providing fichbol^uildings, ifmoft of teachers also, will devolve entirely Tipoirtne l>articular districts. coiicerhedri^l .*=^«7i -jMe Fish,drew attention to^thexecen&aSna* of the Education Board in: regardi*l»:=^Bese reserves, c What had lately^pas&a.^r^afc Board showed strongly the-cuTreiiir of feelinW on the part of that body, and the Council"nius6 take steps to counteract.it. He .entirely demurred to the assertion in the Superintendents letter in regard to theseTeserves," The Govern-ment-had no more power than anyone else to prevent thcCorpoi-ationleasing or letting these reserves. The Superintendent certainly MA power to , the lease; but .his <Mr Fish'tel opinion was that his ; power was merely to prevent any abuse on the part of the' Corpdri--tion in deviating from the purposes forwhidk the-sections, were reserved. Mr J.-L.-G4HieF sincehehod been inJDunedm. as,U;permafiienfc resident, had been very, active, in the direction of getting/ these siectibiis for the^Harbbtir Board, andj-having been'imsuccessfuL-was-now endeavouring to have them transferred fron* the Council for school'purposes? "fto'wyif 'tnere was, anything iv.the statements of the members of the Education Board," it was that steps would .be taken ;atJ.the-next meeting "of .the Provincial Council for the passing of aa Ordinance transferring so much o£ this reserve as they may at the present time think desirous to filch, from, the City Council to the Government:■' His object in'bringing tni^inatter before the Council was to sound>tihe jiote" €>£ alarm. He held it'to be wrong inthe'extreinesfc degree-that, on an-application-for a-reserve being refused, a covert threat should be thrown, out that, if the reserve were riot given, it would be taken by the machinery of the Provincial Council. The Government would not find- it so easy a task" to commit an act of spbliitior.. Ihe Council must put an end- to this perpetual filching and threatening, and they should apply at next session of the 'Assembly for power to take all matters connected with these reserves out of the hands of the Superintendent He moved that the question of the desirability of vesting the. .full, control of the leasing of the various city reserves solely in the city authorties, "be remitted to the New Act Committee^ \ r <U JUrl>ose of giving efFect to the sanus. Mi- Grant suppoited the action proposed to be taken.—Mr Isaac would resist any. spoliation of the corporation reserves.—Mr Walteb said the action of .the Government was similar to that of one of Dickens's characters—oliv«c r £ )n^~ *uev were always crying for morew ihe Council must not be intimidated in the manner the letters indicated.—Mr Mercer thought the Councilshould not be stingy having received benefits from the Provincial Government.. (Mr.FiSH;:; Oh!): --. At the same time, he did not like to see threats held crafr that the reservesrwould be taken from: the city by compulsion.—Mr Gibson did not think there was anything dictatorial in the letter.—MsGahroll agreed with the majority of those who .had spoken, but not with; Mr Mercer ; tfc was the duty of the Government to ; provide lands for school purposes. From the tone the Education Board appeared to have assumed it was time the Council' should"know" their position with regard ttos these- reserves.^. • Mr Reeves said the action indicated in ties feupermtendent's letter was,only the thin edge of the wedge. He believed the Government wished to get other Corpqratipn reserves^lsa. —MrBARRON thought the Council should nofcut the first instance have held- out' special ihdnwSments to the Government in the^vay'pf'takHiff into consideration applications fojf the'ffratuitous use of, these reser^e&—His Woßsanp thought it was high time that action' should-be taken by the Corporation-to assert its right to these reserves, and considered' that:the properplace to go to was Wellington. ■ He'mentioned, that the Harboiir s Board'"intended at nex£ session of the Assembly to get possession.^ these two reserves. He deemed it to be Ms' duty as Mayor to let^theyGimncu know that and he trusted that^prompt action be taken. * ' Mr Fish's motion'-wasFcamed, and it was also resolved that the question of these two particular sections.. be .refen:edto;a!<Mnimifctee to wait on the Government to come to some arrangement —Mr' Reeves suggested that the same Committee should see the Superintendent m regard to the reserves gerieraily.Oii f\ f~ ,: -THE BOTANIC'GARDENS HESEHviv -S-*^- : Thefollowing'letterfrom the Superintendenfe was read:—

" The Provincial Council at its last session* resolved that eight acres of- the' Old iCenietetff" Reserve should be conveyed to the.Otagb:Dn&yersity as a site for new buildings. :: Since then, it has ai>peared to the TTniveisity" Comicil;tha6 a more suitable site for the buildings would be. the.oldißotanic, Gardens Reserve, nowundar■• the administration ot the Corporation bf.^S2^ edra. ' It is very justly,"held,that immediate" proximity to the Hospital and to the Provincial Museum would be a great-advantage to students in connection 2 withj the -medical jschooL, whiclar has ab^ady been estabHshed, and the ScliooEoF Mines, which it is hoped will shortly be estab-*" bshed in the University. It has been "represented to me that the Corporation would be willing to exchange-the.Botanical, Gardens; Reserve for an equal area of the CemeteryReserve. I£ so, I shall be glad to b& infornuxE ? accordingly, ; wifch.a -view, of, theiiecessaryJegislative action being taken in the jaatter;'.'...r^ '. Walter : I object to " equal area." We shoidd get a larger area of the Cemetery Reserve,- the lind wanted being more *aldiblr_F* The Mvtor : This is a more sensible 'proposi-L tion than that in the letteclast read. The letter was referred to the Reserves Cchemittee, who were to interview the'Sui>erniten-?~ dent on the matter.' : ■ :.,.::. .: ■ \S,_ THE GOVERNOR. " '! ' J : • • The Superintendent vnibie that he had insfe | been advised that the' Governor: and sL&dyiNotßr mauby imposed to visit Dunedin:f<?r ten- dayafi; or a fortnight They will arrive here overland i from Christehurch onJPriday, 7th .May. ~. !, A Reception Committee was'appbiiitecflV',1 '"," ■■ . . Mr Fish :-.. .Of. course. they will go to no" ci?» iiense. ' ; . •■ -' ' ; THE WATER OP LEITH IHVERSIOX. The ITnder-Secretar}', in regard #Q;the .pto- ]» e<l iliversion of the Water of Leith, wrote .that th&,Government, were -prepared to-give pi-ison labour to the extent-bf oneVtlurd tiiecasSx «^ the work—not to exceed, lMwever^lC&ttSfr i DISCHARGING NIGHTSOIL INTO THE^BAT^IsI^ .; ;The Secretary to tlie Hp.rbbnr Board wrote at considerable length, objecting to the'disI.chargeof uightsoil into, the sewers and from: ! these into the bay. The letter was referred to the Sanitary Committee. • . » ;". ■ it-."

" ANACHARIS ALSINASTRUM." ."..,-__ „.. ;The following letter to the Mayor was reads r' !"Almil a year ago I;visited the Dunedut Water W irks Reservoir in company "with. Dsr'^ Jierggren, the eminent Swedish bot-uiist The - .reservoir was nearly full; and he poirite(l 6nt<a small patch of -water weed'- growings the upper end, and called "Anacharis Msiaasjsrvaa^ which he stated would yet cause enoiinous b-oubleand expense if stejis: were not taken. ,to^ destroy it- It is a plaut which is ahnbst;in>^v,f possible to destroy; exce}>t by dx-aiu^g,<of|j|Bitt'i' water and digging every vestige-of its rootsiMii^^. and he warneif me that itwouldJgo-trninCTeafe^J'-* ing in a marvellously rapid way, 'till'it wb'uM;* choke up the whole reservoir! ".. _ _. " Itly object in writing to you vow.,is. .fat ixjint out that the" present'low'state of tte reservoir, should.be.taken advantage to get rat ofjthepe-stj'asit could'at present be easily <nW;> 1 >osed of. The patch I refer to iva^ in the mtim/f lower reservoir, not the upper, .and/I^U^evetj^.' this weed has cost the owners of cfitials aSi"" -rosei-vqirs in Em-bije thousanils of .pound^'ia»:. keejlitdown. ' -.■',■' ■•■'.'i--''; :hi.'..- IV"J'>-'; !■>.-.''•;

" I feel sure no ajjolosyisMiecessai-y oii'my ,})ort foi- drawing yowr attention to thie ruatten. ;'lt: is jWiisible your own officers may have been >\rai« of it, F.ui'in4y Laro sfcttnded -to it, bnt?; TU3 r time is .so much" oceaj«cd I liave'uot biu£ time to eatjuij-e. If so s I fetd «Dr«i you iriSE

The recommendations contained in the reports:wer'e adopted.