CITY COUNCIL.

Otago Witness, Issue 846, 15 February 1868, Page 7

CITY COUNCIL.

:;;- t-'.v "IA meeting of the City Council was i»ld on Wednesday laa't,. at the offices, in the new Posti Office, Buildiug. The Hon, tj. H. Harris, MjL<C. Mayor, presided jf and, all the members of the Council, -wjej^ipresent, namely, Messrs. Birch), Carrick, Dods, Driver, Fish, Griffen, and "Wain,. ; , , r ,'•-,, PUBLIC WORKS. v ' , The Clerk read the foil owing report ■from the Public Works Committee :—: — • lst v , The following maters have been referred to the. Inspector f of Works, for! attention as may be found necessary : — Drainage at Moray place, SJEI complained of by Messrs <3eo. Matthews and J.'JF. Millar. London street,J'near Mr Wni: M;Leunau's Jbakery. Great King street drain, near Mr E. H. Evans's premises. Clark, street, as l>roughtundernoticebyMrW. Langlands; and a drain off George street^ near Messrs Rendle and Co's premises.— 2nd. The following permissions have been granted under the usual supervision : To Messrs "Robinson and Co, A. Frew, D. MUler, and F. D. Bell, to obtain a limited quantity of gravel from the Water of Leith ; to Mr George Howe, to lay a drain pipe in George street ; and to Mr F. D. Bell, to have a crossing constructed at his • property, corner of- George ■ and Pitt streets.-. — 3rd. The Inspector of Works reports having attended to the matter complained of by Messrs Kenyon and Maddock, on behalf of Mr James Davidson ; and to storm "water at Pitt 1 street, which affected the Khox Church Manse property.— 4th. A grating has been ordered for the drain at Mr D. Haggitt's premises, Regent road. — sth. The tenders opened at last Council meeting. Your Committee have accepted' Mr Robert Wilson's tender for the formation of a new xoad from Princes street south to the Southern Cemetery, for a sum of LI4G 15s j sod the contractor is understood to be proceeding satisfactorily with the work. Mr John Reid was the lowest tenderer for the two cube crossings at Princes street north ; and Mr P. Ireland was the lowest for the supply of two horses, drays, and drivers. In these two latter cases, your Committee regret that the parties have not taken up the contracts, thereby occasioning delay and annoyance.- Your Committee, therefore, recommend that fresh tenders be called for the construction of the cube crossings ; and that in future contracts, -each tenderer be required to lodge with his tender a deposit of 10 per cent, of the total amount, as security for the due fulfilment of the contract. It will be "unnecessary to call for further tenders for supply of horses and drays, as temporary provision has been made.

6th. ,Your Committee have had before them several Reports from the Inspector of Works, and acting on that officer's suggestions, they now recommend—

That- an inexpensive bridge be constructed at York place, so as to accommodate Mrs Etty and some other residents adjacent. Estimate. LB.

That the requirements of George street be considered .when the Government subsidy is being allocated to the different streets. That George street, where intersected by St. Andrew street, and George and Great King'streets, near the White Horse Hotel and Knox Church,' be channelled, and half a dozen gratings be ordered for immediate use.

That the footpath at north George street, as brought under notice by a recent memorial, be attended to by the daymen. Upper Albany street. — That the Inspector's suggestions for the formation of two chains of drainage, and for driving a number of piles at the foot of the hill, to consolidate the ground, and prevent any further landslip, be earned out, provided the owners of property m the neighborhood, and who are chiefly concerned, will contribute one third of the expense, the total cost being estimated •at LI 50.

That a culvert be formed at London street. Estimated cost, L 25.

Princes street south. — That the Surveyor prepare a specification for a brick culvert, 18in x 24in, to cross Princes street, near the Peacock Hotel. Estimated cost, L 45 ; and that tenders be called for the work.

Cargill street. — That a brick culvert, ISm x 24in, be formed at the head of this street. Estimated cost, L3O.

Heriot row* and London street.— That a brick culvert, 2 tin x 2(jin, be formed. Estimated cosfc, L-10.

Dunuas street bridge. — That this bridge, which has been considerably damaged by the late floods, be taken down and placed higher up the stream, at a right angle with the street. Estimated cost, "L 160.1 60. Slaitland street south. — That two specifications'be prepared— the first to provide for removing the .upper portion of the hill at the junction of Maitland. street with Princes street j' the second specification to provide for forming a road to connect Maitland street ■with Pjrinces street south. As the last two contracts will be undertaken in a great measure with a view to secure the Southern Cemetery lleserve, it is suggested that half the cost be charged against the Cemetery accoimt. »-

In order to overtake the accumulated work, your Coimoittee reoommend that six men be employed in addition to those now engaged ; and that the Inspector of Works be allowed to keep jbis horse free at the Corporation stables. With reference to the Building Surveyor's letter bearing on the subject, your Committee recommend that Mr W. H. Clayton be reg sted! .to act as Building Surveyor in any

:caaarttt spxpfeMipttafly^en^gedj^arx)hit«jt. > ;-■!: .- : yo^ .that all, epepi^cations prepared by thei Surveyor for Corporation works, he gutyniatted 4».the ; Coinmittee'fdrapproval^ previous to tenders beirig called ; and 'that 'the various worka mentioned in this report "be charged against the funds* &c. allocated to the Wards' respectively; ii terms df the Report- of the' finance Committee. • ■ ' < > Mr 33ir,ch said.that this was a- very important report — First, , because,' 'it' involve^ large 'expenditure j and, second, because it raided the' question whether the Committee, nr th" members'for the Beverai'WarrLs, should' be responsible for jth'e 1 , application of the allocated portions of the. Government' subsidy.' Mr Fish said ihat it was distinctly recommended that the .cost of the works in South' Ward should be taken out of that Ward's portion of the subsidy ;. and, the principal other works recommended were the culverts in Cargill street and London street. If those works were not paid for out of the subsidy, the Committee could not see whence the money was to come. As to the general allocation of tlie subsidy, the Committee thought that the members for the several Wards should be asked to make recommendations, and that, then, the Committee should hsfre a long meeting, consider all that was recommended, and report as to which works seemed most necessary or advisable. As to South Ward, himself and his colleagues agreed that the. works named should be. paid for out of the Ward's portion ot the subsidy. Th^ throwing down of the hill at the end of Maitland street, was necessary for safety, for now it was continually slipping and endangering life and property ; and it would be advantageous, seeing that it would be the means of giving a fairly good road from Maitland street to the Cemetery .Road. The Committee were strongly in favor of tenderers being required to deposit 10 per cent, of the amount of their respective tenders. At present, such a thing as tlus was at least, possible — Two persons might tender, one low, and the other high; and when the amounts were, known, a sum of money might be paid to induce the low tenderer to withdraw, to the gain of the other, and the loss, of the city. Mr Carrick thought that if the Council did not now proceed very carefully, the whole of the recently-adopted scheme of finance might be knocked on the head. If it was important that all the damage done by the floods should be at once made good, let the Council face that fact boldly ; let the money come out of the subsidy ; and then let there be very careful consideration when any further works were recommended. • Mr Driver thought the report should be discussed clause by clause. Mr Carrick was inclined to think that it would be well to allow the report to lie on the table until the next meeting. In the meantime, the Councillors for the several Wards might .consider and report ass to what they thought should be first done in their respective Wards. Mr Fish explained that the report did not recommend that all the damage done by the flood should be at once made good — it only dealt with the most important works. There were two or three reports from the Inspector of Works that were left over, until the members for the Wards had made recommendations. The whole of the works recommended would not cost more than about LSOO, and they were principally in South \Vu,rd. Of course, that sum did not include any part of the cost of the extra daymen recommended.

Mr Driver thought the expenditure of LSOO or L6OO would be a mere bagatelle compared with what was needed. The placing of the city in the state in which it was before the flood, was a pressing matter. If doing it thoroughly was within the means of the Council, it should be done. Another important question was, tlie position of the Inspector of Works a3 to these works. He was far from disparaging the Inspector's abilities — he believed nobody in Dunedin could have done better, as Inspector, than Mr Barnes had done ; but Mr Barnes was not a professional man : and the Council were paying a City Surveyor.

It was agreed to consider the report clause by clause ; and upon each clause there was a good j deal of conversation, rather than any discussion.

The Mayor gave explanation? to show that' the non-acceptance of - the two tenders was in each case due to an exceptional cause — error on the part of the person who wrote one of the tenders for the tenderer-; and, in the other, a belief that personal feeling, • indirectly caused, would render it impossible for the tenderer to satisfy the Inspector. The clauses referring to the following matters were* withdrawn from the report, and the matters were referred to the City Surveyor for reports : — Slipping of the hil\ in Albany street ; removal of the remains of the Dundaa street bridge ; getting down the Maitland street hill.

r^SlNp^^aiwu^ment "as :t: to ITe~ Inspector^ horsed ivrm'ovd&tki 'to W limited to three month* "->'» r *" r • "* *' ; The report, 4s amended, was-adopted. , OQEIIE^POItDENCi!. ,' \ >;i The. Building Surveyor reported that the retaining wall, between the premises pf Messrs Hoyt. ; and Co. (Stafford street) and those of .the Daily Times and (Witness. Company (Limited), was iv a, dangerous state,; and that Messrs Hoyt were now taking steps to make the wall secure. . • Mr Turton, as solicitor v for Capt. P.* Williams, wrote, giving notice of action to recover LIOOQ diunau:93, for injury done to Capt. Williams's property in Maclaggan street, through negligence in the management, &c: of a certain sewer. Messrs Smith and Dempsey wrote that Mr Turton had ■ asked them to waive the usual notice, so that tlie action might be tried at the March sitting of the 'Supreme Court. This might be desirable, seeing that the decision on the point of law involved might be taken as ruling other cases. The Mayor said that he did not understand why the Council should yield any right, as to notice, i Ef a point of law wasiuvolved, there would be very little time for considering it, before the March sitting of the Court. It was agreed that notice should not be waived. Mr C. Reid, on behalf of Capt. Williams, wrote complaining of the state in which the Corporation had left the building recently rented by it as offices ; and it was ordered that the Inspector of Works should cause any tenant's repairs to be made, &c. Messrs Smith and Dempsey wrote detailing the results of the late prosecutions for allowing cattle to trespass on the Town Belt. It was recommended that, instead of risking an appeal to the Supreme Court, the Council should endeavor to get the Ordinance amended in stated particulars. The Secretary to the Dunedin Water Works Company wrote that tb.e directors declined, as quite inadequate, the offer of the Corporation to pay LIOO a year for water for public purposes. The directors would accept L3OO a year. — The letter was referred to the Works Committee. Nearly a score of letters, complaining of the state of streets, or asking for permission to do small works, were read, and were referred to the Works Committee, or to the Inspector. The Mayor reported that a deputation from the Directors of the Caledonian Society had waited upon him, relative to the debt of the Society ; end had offered to pay one-third at once, provided two years were allowed' for the payment of the remainder, in two equal instalments. No time seemed to have been originally stipulated, within which the L 250 was to be paid. The proposal was referred to the Finance Committee. THE CEMETERY FtTSD. Mr Fish had given notice to move — That from and after this date, all fees and moneys received from the Southern Cemetery be placed to the credit of the fuud, in a separate account at the Bank, and that no cheques be drawn against the same except , for purposes in connection therewith. That J this Council take immediate steps to repay the amount owing to the Southern Cemetery fund, either by placing the amount in cash 1 to its credit, or by issuing a debenture to ' cover the same, which shall be negotiated Avhenever the necessities of the Cemetery r shall require the same. He now obtained leave to withdraw the . last sentence; and, so amended, he .proposed his motion. 1 Mr Carrick seconded the motion ; and it was agreed to. On the motion of Mr Wao, seconded by Mr Fish, Mr Birch was appointed a member of the Reserves Committee, in lieu of Mr Towersj deceased. FILLING THE SWAMP — LEVELLING THE OCTAGON. The Mayor reported that he had had an interview with the Secretary for Land and Works, with reference to the resump- ■ tion of the work of tilling in the Cumber1 land street swamp. Mr Duncan stated that the Government would be willing at once to resume the work ; but they suggested that the first thing done should be to bring the Octagon to its permanent level, carting the stuff to the swamp. Mr Duncan promised to communicate with him in a few days, as to the number of carts and horses that would be spared for the work — which he (the Mayor) understood would not be more than three. There would thus, it might be hoped, be .'an immediate commencement of carrying out the plan of the Octagon prepared by the Town Surveyor, and approved by the Government and the Council.

Amongst the letters read (or partially read), were one containing an offer as to the Baths at Pelichet Bay jetty, ' and another' 1 asking for the appointment of the writer as Fire' Inspector. Consideration of the former waa postponed until

Ahe Council ? had, "whetfieitne (BatM showdtfe ae^ptefffconT tM' Fntilic Committee ; and ; >of the latter, until the report of the Committee on the Municipal * Corporations Act, 186T, had'ljeep. brought up. ' ' " ' , •.„ . • Mr, Driver suggested .' that tjie .Wp'rks Committee 'should consider, and report as to the removal of the water-tanks fr^m -the'-front of the m ew Post Office ; and that the Committee should suggest what' should be done to make'tie Coiinc2 Chafnber fit for use. „ The Council was adjourned until Friday •- next.' ■ • " ' •