CITY COUNCIL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11795, 26 July 1900, Page 7

CITY COUNCIL.

the ordinary meeting of the City Council, lield last evening, was attended by Crs Carroll (in-the chair), J. A. Park, T. R. Christie, E. Howlison, C. liaynec, A. Christopher, U. L. Denniston, H. Crust, J: Gore, T. Scott, and P. Miller. The Mayor (Mr Oliisholm), telegraphed an apology for absence. CORUESrONDEXCE. Thirteen business firms, in the vicinity of Lower Kattray. street, petitioned the council to have the lower portion of Kattray street ntiended to.-—Referred to the Works Committee to act. Sargood, Son, and Ewen wrote complaining of the state of Willis street near their boot factory.—Referred to the Works Committee, to actMartin Peurce, town clerk to the Borough ■of Cave'rsham, wrote asking the eouiieU to repair the footpath leading from St. Kilda road to Phillip street.—Referred to the Works Committee to report. Alex. Palmer, licensee of Wain s Hotel, ■wrote ■ suggesting that throe of the faces of the Colonial Bank clock- should be lit up instead of only one as at present.—Referred to the Works Committee to act. About 30 ratepayers in and around Canongate aud Serpentine avenue requested the council to lay screenings on the path in Canoiigate street from Arthur street.—Referred to the Works Committee to act. Mr Ben Fuller, on behalf of the proprietary of tho Alhambra Theatre, wrote pointing out that owing to certain altered conditions the services of a fireman were not indispensable, and that they objected to having to pay £32 s. .year for.his presence at their performances. ijteferred to the General Committee to report. REPORTS. On the Works Committee's report coming up for consideration, some discussion took place with reference to the clause about the erection of public urinals and water closets at the back of Cargill's monument, the clause eventually being referred back to the committee to. furnish details as to the annual cost of keeping up the urinals; also plans and specifications.—The remainder of the report was adopted as published. •The Water Committee's report evoked some little discussion.

Or Carroll, referring to the recommendation of the committee to have a' fresh poll taken on the question of borrowing £65,000 for extension of the waterworks, said that he would move the adoption of the report "because, after careful consideration, he had come to the conclusion that this was the wisest course to pursue. ■Cr Gore: What steps are required to take another poll? ;Cr Carroll: The same steps as we took before. .

•Or Denniston seconded the adoption of a report. .Or Christie said he went up and visited the reservoir owing to certain representations made to him that it was unsuitable, and that there was an element of danger in connection with it. After, he visited it, however, he came to the- conclusion that it was an admirable reservoir—(hear,hear), —in fact, he did not think a more suitable could be got. The only thing that occurred to him in connection with it was that it might be advisable to make more than one reservoir of it, and so minimise the danger to <% very great extent—if there ■was any danger, which he failed to see. . Cr Gore said that he was very much surprised on the previous evening on reading the Water Committee's report, and complained that the committee had not quoted him correctly. He then proceeded to read from a letter written by him and published in the Times on June 26 to show his attitude on the question.

Or Scott imported some new matter into the discussion, and said tliat in the first place they had the engineer's estimate of the cost of the reservoir at M'Kenzie's Creek, which was set down at £10,280. He also stated at last meeting that there was no report by Mr Hay on Powder Creek, except for a pumping plant. Since that Mr Mirams had reported on bringing in the top waters of Powder Creek, and his estimate for the work was J34000. No pipes were included in that estimate, and the weakest part of the scheme for bringing in Powder Creek was in the fact that the water had to be syphoned over a ridge. If they took the Al'Kehzie's, Creek reservoir at £10,280 .and added the pumping plant Mr Hay recommended, it would bring the matter up to an annual outlay of £1355, and the recurring expenses in connection with this reservoir of 125,000 gallons capacity would total up £I+Bs annually. , Take the other scheme, which the committee suggested, against that, and it was found that for a reservior giving a daily yield of 1,660,000 gallons the ■ total recurring cost was £2950 - per year. He admitted that they were compelled to supply water to the Flat boroughs at a lower rate than the ratepayers paid, but he would point out that last year the amount received for" water supplied to Caversham, South Dunedin, and St. Kilda, at 6d per 1000 gallons, was £1328 lis ,6d.' To put the population" of these "boroughs at 11,416 persons, and the popular tion of North-Eaet Valley and the hill boroughs at 13,451 persons, and allowing for a slight surplus that the other boroughs might require for special purposes, it would he found that the cost of the Waitati scheme, as compared'with that of Silverstream, would lie in .Waitati's favour, and would cost' not a; penny more than the proposed Silverstream extension cost. At the.last meeting of the council Mr Gore stated that the reason that the water from Silverstream did not rise to the high levels was that the pipes were too small; therefore, before the supply from that locality could be increased it would be necessary to put in an extra main in order to supply the high levels, and an additional tunnel, and that would entail fresh expenses not included in the estimate of £12,000. In conclusion, Cr Scott mentioned the fact that_ there was a likelihood of a serious slip occurring," which would throw the Silverstream race out of order, to the interference of the city supply. If they had a supply from Waitati, and anything went wrong.with the Silveretr.eam race, the city supply could be maintained without inconvenience. After , further discussion the report was adopted. . , i -nThe Gas, Reserves, General, and Finance Committees' reports were adopted as published, without discussion. APPOINTMENTS. ■ The council went into committee to consider appointments to the Water and Municipal departments, and on a ballot being taken in each case; James Long was appointed a cadet in the Water department, and Thomas Ireland an.assistant in the Municipal department.

THE EDUCATION BOARD AND THE DISTRICT HIGH SCHOOLS.

The Rev. P. B. Fraser has addressed a long letter to the chairman and members of the District High Schools, his object being to " seek their co-operation to ascertain the truth and to ensure that the Minister is correctly informed." In doing so lie examines the report of the select committee of the Education Board which was set up at the last meeting. The secretary's letter of May 21, representing the extra cost of the four district high schools at over £1000 is, he says, alleged to be correct. But its representations can be correct only if the returns on which they are based are correct. He contends that the first return, showing the extra cost to be £1061, was wrong to the extent of about £270 on the day on which it was sent. And lie maintains that the second r.etuvn. showing an extra cost of £1037, which the chairman of the board sent to the -Minister on July 7 to substantiate the secretary's letter, gives an untrue representation of the .salaries of the mistresses; and the representation that, owing to the fall in attendance at two schools for one quarter, the first assistants at £200 should bo. replaced by female assistants at £35 he characterises in very strong language. Regulation 43, providing that the staff of a school shall not be increased or diminished save by a rise or fall of attendance for two crmsocutiye quarters, has never bsen rescinded or superseded. Teachers would not submit to hold their positions for a day on Ihe tenure suggested by the select committee. The reason why the salary of £115 attached to the position of mistress at Pnlmcrston .is not operative till August 1 is, he says, that the place is actually filled by a relieving teacher at £85. The statement'of the committee regarding the fees at Waitaki High School is, Mr Fraser declares, not correct, and as to the fee of 10s per quarter, he repeats that, though

the Minister has sanctioned it for years, the board has not ordered it, and he counsels

parents not to pay it. Its effect is to compel them to pay for subjects which are taught in other schools to class X children for nothing. The statement imputed to him by the committee that " extra fees amount to £200 per annum" is, he says, the secretary's estimate of the board's revenue from the source. He states that he intends to petition the Minister and, if need be, Parliament for an investiga-

tion as to the true cost of district high schools in Otago and as to the representations to the Minister on the subject,' and he invites the District High School Committees also to petition for an inquiry.