TOWN BOARD.

Southland Times, Volume III, Issue 17, 16 December 1863, Page 3

TOWN BOARD.

Monday, 14tti December; 1&63. The Board met (specially) at 4 o'clock. Present— The Chajrman,o Messrs Lock Mit, Garthwaite, Scandirett, 'JaggCTi, and Mflvor. THE DEB STREBTTGRA.TiN^'B^ CONTRACT . The Special Meeting of the Board having been called for the consideration of the retyjjng of the contract for the gratings in l>?j street, the Chairman read the following letter which had been received from Messrs M'Kenzie and Company : — "To the Chairman and Members of the Town Board, Invercargill. Invercargill, 14th December, 1563. Gentlemen, — In looking over the report of your Board's proceedings at the meeting of Friday last, we find it there stated that in your opinion Burgoyne B nd Sons were the only eligible tenders for gratings in Dee street, although not the lowest. If our tender was not eligible then it could «ot beany tender at all, and Burgoyne and must have been the lowest— but you •segui -to •hDAre a slrange way of twisting words to suit purpose ; however, we beg to state that our tender was in every way eligible, accorfiing to your specifications and adVertisement calling for tenders. We called at the Board office, and asked for tender forms, and were told you did not use them ; we also asked if we were required to send in any portion of the '10 per cent, deposit, and were told we- did not require to do so, that •all we bad to do was to be ptepared with the deposit when called upon. Now, as gentlemen, we leave it to yourselves to say whether ■we have been fairly dealt with. With regard 'to the alterations in the guage, &c, we would 'call your attention to the specifications, and .you will there find that the engineer can cause that or any other alteration without in any way interfering with the contract. Before laying our case before the public, we have a right to demand wherein our tender was not eligible, as we have never been treated with impunity before, and, although strangers in the district, did not expect it at your hands. We have the honor to be, your, obpdient serx'ants, D. M'Kenzie and Co., 'Contractors." . After some discussion, the following resolution was adopted by the Board—" That attendance of Messrs M'Kenzie and Co. be requested on Wednesday, at tour p.m., to answer the questions that may be required of them by the Board 'in explanation of their communication ofthis date." ■Plans and specifications wete submitted by : the Engineer for a deviation fromthe original "plans and specifications. 'By the amended plans^in accordance with : the wishes of the inhabitants of Dee-street— it appeared that thespace between each battenof the gratings was ' to be reduced. TCiie plahs of the Engineer "-were adopted, and a resolution carriedthat; ihe time'for receiving tenSers 'for the works ■be fixed 1 for Friday, at ' 6 o'clock p.m. \ toOCUJrEXTS-'Ri.TjSINEB BY "THE KATE EN&ItfEER. Mr Weston, ahe Solicitor to the Board, who "•was $11 attendance at the meeting, explained his reason for not having obtained possession of the books and papers, the protperty of the' Board, retained by Mr Marchant, -the late Engineer ' to' the Board In accordance with instructions received from the ' ."Board, he (Mr Weston) had seen MY Marchant on 'the "subject, and had teen in--formed that the town lands, &c, had been 1 en trusted to his charge Ly the Government, •and: not 'by the 'Board, and -that under those •■drcuhTsfcarices he could only'deliver'them up to Sir Tl«ile,'-the ? GovernnTent" Surveyor, who was at present abserit ■ from Invercargill, but was expected to return about the early part of the following ■ month. Mr HSfArchant, in tne interim, would offer every "facility for "^heir inspection by his successdr. It appeared, however, by the •'statement of 4S^L/ ! **rk, a »d members of the Board, that .there were other papers besides those referred. vio by Mr Weston, which <Mr Marchant still and after some discussion, during v. which it was shown that the Board would be •veiy much, inconvenienced by the want of them, the following resolution was carried : — f'.'That the Solicitor be instructed to lay an" ■ information against Mr Marchant, in accordance with the piovisions of clause 27 of the '■$ownJJoard Ordinance." The meeting was then adjourned.