CITY COUNCIL.

Otago Witness, Issue 824, 13 September 1867, Page 14

CITY COUNCIL.

The weekly meeting of the City Council ■was held on Wednesday afternoon, at the office, in the Market Place, Octagon. Mr James Turner was called to the chair ; and the other members present were Messrs Fish, Griffen, Towers, and Wain.

A memorial from residents in Maclaggan street was read. It complained of the nuisance, and the danger, resulting from the quantity of bone-dust manure ■tored in a warehouse there ; and asked that steps to secure a remedy Bhould be taken.

On the motion of Mr Fish, seconded byMr Griffen, it "was resolved that the memorial should be handed to the Inspector of Nuisances, with instructions to him %o take action in the matter.

The Towx CiEßfc (Mr Massey) read the following report by the Public Works Committee : —

Your Committee have the honor, to, report the result of their last meeting : haying granted — Ist, Mr Joel permission to remove certain earth from end of George street. 2nd, Mr Henry Driver permission to take stone from a portion of the Water of Leith. 3rd, Mr J. Cooke permission to lay down a crossing in Maitland street. 4th, Mr J. Leckie, a crossing in Leith street. sth, Mr J. F. Roberts (on, behalf of the Congregational Church), a drain under the footbath of Moray Place, S.W. 6th, Messrs Law, Somner, and Co. permission to remove certain earth from line of Castle street. 7th, Mr John M'Laren to remove 10 carts soil from Castle street, under the usual supervision in each case. Bth, Your Committee have directed the Inspector of Works to attend to Steep street referred to in a late memorial. 9th, To the footpath from Princes street to' Dr Burns's Church. 10th, To Breakneck Hill and Stafford street footpath, between Hope and Melville streets, to be trimmed and gravelled by the daymen. 11th. Your Committee recommend that Russell street (that portion mentioned in last week's memorial) be attended to by the daymen. 12th, That the footpath fronting Mr Davie's house. High street, and the portion of Royal Terrace included in Mr W. Greenwood's letter, be attended to by daymen as may be neceßsary. 13th, The portion of Forth street referred to by Mr C. G. Tilly must necessarily stand over for the present. 14th, As to the memorial from residents on* section 2S, Suburban Lands, your Committee have ordered a reply explaining the conditions of the Town Belt lease, providing for certain roads and turnstiles.

The Clerk read the following letter from the Mayor, J. H. Harris, Esq. :—

Wellington, 4th,Sept., 1867. Sir — I have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 26th August, and beg now to inform the Council, through you, that the " Dunedin Gas Company's Incorporation Bill, 1867," has been thrown out for the session.

It would appear from your letter, and more particularly from a report which I have r* ceived of the proceedings of the meeting of the Council held on the 2 1st August, that eorne misapprehension existed relative to the course I was then supposed to be taking with i«f jrence to the above named Bill. I regret ik much, if aoy member of the Council for a moment supposed it possible that I would oppose the Bill tor the sake of opposition, or that I 'would needlessly spend the money of the citizens in support of such opposition. On this subject, it is only necessary for me to add that the expenses incurred by me on behalf of the Corporation in the above mattor do not exceed L2O.

i I expectel to have been able to leave by i to-day's steamer, but the at present unsatisfactory position of the Princes street Heserve question detains me. Owing to the turn i recently given to this affair, it can enly be settled by a compromise, or by an action at law. The Superintendent joins with me in the opinion that the first named is the wiser and better course, and we are now both engaged in an endeavour to effect a satisfactory settlement of the dispute. I expect to leave here on the Bth or 9th instant, and on my arrival to be able to report a satisfactory issue of this vexed question. — I have, &c. J. Hyde Harris. Mayor. The Town Clerk, Dunedia. The Clerk read a letter which had been received from Mr Ward, solicitor, giving notice of action against the Corporation by Mr Hyman Cohen, for LIOO, for damages caused to his business, and to goods and stock-in-trade on his premises in Maclaggan street, through alleged neglect of the Corporation in maintaining the main sewer, channels, &c. , in that street. On the motion of Mr Fish, the letter was referred to the Works Committee, with power to confer with the Solicitor. Letters were received from Mr S. G. Isaacs and Mr Geo. Turnbull, intimating that they declined to accept leases of Town Belt sections, as amended. Mr Isaacs intimated, also, that he considered himself entitled to compensation. The letters were referred to the Reserves Committee.

Four reports were received from the Inspector of Nuisances. He directed attention to the state of a drain on the property of Mr John Logan, between the shops of Mr A. & T. Burt and Mr Begg, and asked for instructions, Mr Logan refusing to do anything to the drain, as it is used by the Corporation. He also reported that a piece of ground between the shops referred to was insecurely fenced and highly dangerous, and that Mr Logan declined to do anything towards making it secure, for the protection of the public. He reported that the rubbish from the jetty is being deposited on the reclaimed ground south of Jetty street, and suggested that the matter should be brought under the notice of the Government. And he again reported the existence of a pool of stagnant water in Leith street, the condition of the footpath in Filleul street, at the junction of London street, and the Btate of drains in Cumberland ptreet and Smith street.

Several abdications for leave to form crossings, &c.y "were referred to the Works -Comfinftee.

Mr !^ish obtained, leave to amend ft motion p£ ; \<hich he had given notice, and moved >— " That the> salary of the Town Clerk be L 350 per annum, such rate of salary t© date* from the lßt of June past, and that the Town Clerk be required to find secrarity forthwith, to the amount of LIOOO, inapcordance with the Act." He anticipated that the motion would meet with no opposition. All must agree that the present salary was totally inadequate compared with the requirements of the office, or the abilities of the gentleman holding it. Formerly there had been three officers — town clerk, accountant, and cashier, whose salaries amounted to L9OO. The present Town Clerk was doing the whole work of these officers for L2OO, and, so-far as he had gone, he had performed th 6 duties so as to leave no cauae of complaint, and, in fact, better thanhad been done bythree gentlemen collectively. The Council should consider what these duties were worth. L2OO per annum was a most beggarly payment — not enough to enable a man holding the position to live reputably. "When the Corporation had been seized with a zeal for retrenchment, they had reduced the Clerk's salary with othets, but ho understood that they had no intention of retaining it at the sum fixed. He asked that it should now be L 350, because a Guarantee Society would not give a guarantee on a salary of L3OO, or would take so much out of it that it would reduce the salary to very little indeed ; and it was absolutely necessary, in compliance with the Act, and for prudential reasons, that the Town Clerk should give substantial security, Mr Gbiffen would be happy to second a motion for an increase of salary to the Clerk, but preferred that consideration of the motion should be adjourned until next meeting. Mr .Towers seconded the motion formally, and on the understanding that Mr Griffin would move an adjournment.

Mr GRiFFEN.considered that L 350 was not a sufficient salary for the duties of the office, and that, with the Mayor and other members present, the salary might be finally fixed at something like a proper amount. H e was inclined to propose L4OO a year, and for that reason, and in consequence ,of the absence of some of the other members, he moved that consideration of the motion should be adjourned until next. meeting. Mr Wain seconded the amendment. He i-hould like first to know where the money was to come from. Probably at the next meeting they might have some information which would induce him to consider the motion more favorably than he was now disposed to do. Mr Fish had not heard Mr Wain make any- reference as to where the money was to come from, when the question of paying sums due to the Fire Brigade was before the Council. It was evident that they must have a Town Clerk, and they Bhould pay him a salary, and not a beggarly sum such a3 he was now receiving. The Chairman explained that the salary was fixed at L2OO when the Council was confuaed ; there was no intention on the part of the majority that it should remain at that sum. Mr Massey had been consulted, and he had stated that he was quite willing to full in with the views of the Council in the matter of retrenchment. At present he was doing the work, but had given no security ; and, as to the character of that work, he could con- | fidently assert that Mr Massey was one of the most efficient officers i which the Corporation had ever had. | He hoped Mr Griffen would withdraw hiß amendment ; there should be no delicticy ori the part of members present, in I settling the matter at once. As to the j question where the money was to come i from, if they were not likely to have i money enough" for that purpose, they were no* likely to have a Town Clerk at all.

Mr Griffbn repeated that his object in seeking for an adjournment was not to oppose the proposed increase, but rather to extend it.

Mr Fish said that one absent member (Mr Carrick) was favorable to the resolution, and he thought it might be passed without adjournment. The Chairman- did not think there would be the slightest opposition to the motion, whenever it might be brought up. The amendment for adjournment was agreed to. f Mr FrsH reminded the Council that, at ' its last meeting, it was resolved that the man Brown, who had persisted in cutting timber on the Town Belt, should be prosecuted. He -understood that this had not been done, and that Brown was still carrying on the same course. The 'Chairman understood from the Clerk that the matter was at present in the hands of the Commissioner of Police, and it would, no doubt, receive . proper attention. The Council then adjourned^