Invercargill Borough Council

Southland Times, Issue 4498, 9 December 1882, Page 2

Invercargill Borough Council

Thursday, 7th Disc. An ordinary meeting of the Council was held this evening. Present — The Mayor and Councilors McEwan, McDonald, Osborne, McKay, Finn, JYoggatt, Carswell, Dunlop and Baastian. A letter from the Traffic Supcrintendent™pnelosed an account of £15 for points and crossings, and requested the Corporation to settle its account for £82. — The Mayor was authorised to complete the transaction in connection with the crossings. The manager of the Bank of Australasia sent in a .statement of the Corporation account with the London office, which showed a sum of £71 10s to its credit. An application made by Win. Holmes, boatman, for increased wayes, was referred to the fjarbdr Committee to report. The District Engineer intimated that the reserve opposite th* Gas Works, in Spey street, was required for railway purposes. As, howevei, the work would be hindered by waiting till this had been gazetted, he applied to the Corporation for authority to run sidings across the ground. This authority would not affect any claim for damages : but under any circumstances, this portion of the ground was required, and would be taken by proclamation. Councillor McKay moved that.the request be granted. The Mayor stated, in answer to Councillor Finn, that the portion o£ the reserve required, was where the asphalt shed was. Councillor McDonald seconded the motion, and pointed out that the request was made, and would be granted without prejudice. Councillor McEwan thought they should know exactly what was required before granting the application. Councillor Osborne would have preferred that a sketch should have been sent, but as the matter was urgent, he thought they ought to deal with it at once. Councillor Froggatt was also of opinion that they should have some more information before proceeding. If the matter was so urgent, a special meeting could be called to deal with it. He moved an amendment that the application be referred to the Works Committee with power to act if they thought necessary, or to request the Mayor to call a special meeting. Councillor Finn seconded the amendment. He considered the District Engineer bad acted in a very arbitrary manner. The amendment was then put, and lost on the casting vote of the Mavor, and the motion carried. The Mayor then rose and reminding the Council that this was the last occasion on which he should have the pleasure of presiding at an ordinary meeting of the Corporation, said he would take the opportunity of making a few remarks on the work of the past year. In addition, said big Worship, to the completion of a large portion of schedule works and ordinary street maintenance during the past year, out o£ the ordinary revenue, there have b^eu several permanent works constructed, such as the Clyde street bridge, box drains, &0.., which, together with the contracts that will bs ao? cepted to-night, w-ill place the town in a condition that the Council may fairly congratulate itself on. Before next winter there will be a good gravel footpath, and metal or gravel road to every property in the town. The remaining u,n,h*bished portion, of the loan works, amounting to

nearly £3000, is composed chiefly of asphalt footpaths. The ordinary municipal account is overdrawn about £3500, which, together with £3400 outstanding liabilities (including tenders accepted to-night) : will make the.cur/.ent liability, about £6900, a large portion- of which will nbt Be due; for .•; nine or twelve months. ;!' but against" thisliability the whole of the year's income C£ 12,000) is to be, received. After making provision for interest, sinking fund, and incidental working expenses, and assuming the Council will follow the same course of expenditure for the next two ■years that it has dil? ing the past two, th e 'ordinary municipal, revenue will complete the loan schedule, and pav off the overdraft by the end of 1884, without having recourse to further borrowing. Ths municipal loan debt is £45,000. The accumulated sinking fund is £5500. The gasworks — considering the large capital account, £35,000 — have been fairly successful. The plant is very complete, and in first-rate order, and, according to reports of the engineer, capable of producing three times the present output of gas,at a very little more working cost. The returns from other cities, and the adoption by the Council of Councillor Roche's suggestion to reduce the price of gas to 10s per thousand, stows Invercargill to be the best and cheapest lighted town in the colony. The monthly balance-sheets show that, although the strain is heavy, there will still be a balance on the credit side. The present annual income of the Gasworks is about £7000. The New River Harbor Board account appears to me to be in anything but a hopeful state. The total revenue from all sources is about £350 ; the expense of working — which is of the most primitive kind— about £300.' If to this is added the interest on the loau (£300) it makes the anniuil charge £600 ; leaving a deficiency o2 about £250 per annum. When it is remembered that all its endowments are leased for fourteen years, and that the rent of the jetty is not likely to materially increase for sometime the outlook for the New River is not very cheering. The New River Harbor Board being a distinct corporate body from the Corporation of Invercargill, cannot legally appropriate the rates of the town and expend them on the harbor. Indeed it would be as reasonable to expect the Borough of Campbelltown to make the Bluff Harbor out of its rates, as the Borough of Invercargill to make the New River Harbor out of its rotes. Financially the Harbor Board appears to show an annual deficiency of £250, without any perceptible means of raising the money to meet it. I would like to add, so far as I am able to judge, tli at the employes of the Corporation in every department have been most attentive and painstaking in their duties. The Public Works Committee recommended — (1.) That the land required by Mr Cleave be leased at auction for a term of 21 years, without valuation for improvements, at an upset price of 6>l per acre. (2.) That tenders be called for draining on Park section 7, and for cleaning out the outfall ditch on Kelvin road. The committee reported — (1.) That the Corporation had now available an excellent gravel-pit at Makarewa siding, with natorial suitable either for roadways or footpaths ; and (2.) That Messrs Duncan and McGregor had been informed that the Chinese buried in the cemetery could be removed on payment of the usual interment fees. The report was adopted. The following tenders were accepted : — Gravelling, Messrs P. Dolan and Co., £398 ; grass-cutting, G. Hush, £1 11s ; F. Hewitt, £2 ; A. Ball, £1 2:; 6d ; three iron buoys, G. Hawthorn, £49 10s • borough valuation, Mr Longuet, £50. On the motion of Councillor McEwan it was resolved to put up the remaining blocks for grass-cutting at auction. The Town Engineer reported that in his opinion the best remedy for street cesspools which had become foul was to deal with them — as had lately been done to one in Tay street, viz., by the introduction of an earthenware syphon, with a receiver for storm water. This had been tried several weeks and found to answer the purpose extremely well. The Engineer recommended that tenders be invited for the supply of 50 syphons, and that the affixing be done by day labor for the present. The Town Engineer reported on the proposed footpath in Elles road, between Tay and Tweed streets, that he was of opinion that the west side would be found the best and cheapest in execution. Councillor iMcEwan moved, and Councillor Dunlop seconded, that plans and specifications for the work bo prepared. Councillor Frogyatt moved, in amendment, tliat the matter be referred to the Works Committee. The work suggested was not provided for in the schedule, and lie thought it would be much better if! they had a report from the Finance Committee stating what amount they were likely to have to spend during the ensuing year. Councillor McKay seconded the amendment, which was ultimately carried by 5 to 4. Councillor McDonald having obtained leave, then moved that on the occasion of liii Worship vacating the Mayoral chair, "This Council desires to testify and to place on record the high esteem iu which his Worship was regarded by those over whom he bad so ably presided during his term of office, and in bidding him on his retirement from the chair adieu and God speed, the members of the Council hoped that he would long be spared to dwell in their midst." The speaker said he had originally intended to move this resolution at the statutory meeting, but this would be held at noon, ami would probibly not be well attended. He therefore took the present opportunity of giving this sincere expression of his feelings with reference to the able manner iu which his Worship had presided at the meetings of tlie Corporation. Councillor Finn seconded the resolution. Councillor Osborno endorsed the opinion that had been expressed as to the manner in which his Worship had acted during his term of office. There had been differences of opinion between his Worship and some of the councillors, bu^ he had invariably acted impartially. Councillor Carswell heartily endorsed the motion. He thought the Council must feel gratified at the way in which the business had been conducted. No doubt his Worship had had his opinion on questions that had come up before them, and had expressed that opinion freely, but ho had also allowed the members of the Council to give full expression to theirs. He would like to have added to the motion the expression of a hops that his Worship would not only continue to dwell in their midst but that he would also continue to give the Council the benefit of his experience and advice. Councillor Froggatt said that while slightly differing in opinion at times from his Worship, he believed, they esteemed one anotl\er sincerely. He endorsed the hope expressed by the last speaker, and was happy to testify to the extreme impartiality shown by his Worship on every occasion. Councillor McKay supported the motion, every wor<\ of which he considered true. Councillor Basstian only regretted that the Mayor's term of office had not extended over a longer period. Councillor Dunlop said he had been but a short time in the Council, but everything had been conducted sin.ee ho had been there in a. spirit which was fair to all parties. Councillor McEwan observed that he had been two years in the Council, but he had never seen such a happy family before. For once they were all o£ the same opinion. He hoped his Worship would not use bis privilege on this occasion, and give his casting voto against the motion,

The motion was then put by the Town Clerk and earned. The Mayor, in acknowledging the compliment, said that if anything could have given/him pleasure it was the kind opinion they had given expression to on that occasion; When he accepted the position of "Mayor he did so with a considerable amount of fear and trembling, and he certainly did not antieipat&beingso; successful as he seemed to have been in pleasing The position of /Mayor was«a rather difficult one. The }ho!der of} that office had a considerabla amount of power which, if -he ; wished,' be '-"could exercise" in an arbitrary manner. He, had had to give his casting vote on several occasions, a fact .which that, the Council was pretty equally divided. ; .He should always look back upon his mayoral year as being one of the most successful of; his life* Cuncillor McEwan then moved, that the Engineer bo instructed to inspect the Park reserves and report whether or not the lessees had; complied .with the conditions of their leases. They bad arrived at nn important crisis in this question, when an endeavor was being made to infringe on the rights of the public, whe.n ; the public would be asked to pay a sum 'of money before they -could go on a piece, of - land which had been specially reserved for their use. . . Councillor Dunlop seconded the motion. Councillor McDonald opposed it, as also did several other Councillors. I- ■ The Mayor thought the motion ought to be accepted without opposition. Councillor McEwan expressed his surprise at Councillor McDonald's opposing a motion which was exactly similar to one strongly supported by him some time ago, and passed by the Council. . The motion was lost. Councillor- Basstiau moved, that a8 the proposed plans of the improvement. oE the railway station exhibit the intention of working the goods shed from the western side of the railway, via Spey street, the District Engineer be asked to provide for a road to the western side from hear the Puni creek, or Wood street, to such goods shed, thus enabling carters to work south or north as their loading might require. Councillor McDonald seconded the motion, which was carried. The Council then adjourned.