Invercargill Borough Council

Southland Times, Issue 12009, 1 April 1892, Page 2

Invercargill Borough Council

Tjiiirsdav, 3 Ist March. The fortnightly meeting was attended by his Worship the Mayor (Mr J. W. Bain) and Councillors "Roche, Storie, McFa.ria.ne, Lewis, Anderson, Raeside, McLean, Cleave, McEwan, and Stead. The Otago School Commissioners thanked the Council for its very liberal offer in con- j neclion with the proposal to lease part of tho foreshore at Clifton, and explained that on further consideration they found that the contemplated fence would not- answer the purpose ia view. — Received. The Star Cricket Club asked permission to temporarily feace in a small part of the Eastern Reserve in order to protect their cricketing crease, on which they intended to spend a few pounds. The lessee had no objection to this being done. — Granted, provided the. concurrence of the lessee is given in writing. Councillor J. Mackintosh forwarded his resignation as one of the members for the Third Ward, explaining that he waa unable to devote the time and attention to the duties that the importance of the office demanded. — The resignation waa received with expressions of regret, and on the motion of Councillor McLean a vote of thanks to Councillor Mackintosh for his past services was recorded in the minutes. A. C. Henderson, solicitor, forwarded an account forL2 from J. Gerbes, Clyde street, being amount of damage sustained on 7th March, through his horse being frightened by the trees overhanging hid right-pf • way, with the result that a waggon wheel had been broken. Mr Henderson added that Mr Gerbes would waive the lO3S he had sustained through a previous accident from the same cause, but failing settlement of the present claim he would institute proceedings in the Supreme Court to have the trees removed. — In reply to Councillor McFarlaue the Mayor said he had visited the place and had not noticed any overhanging branches. He had in» structed the gardener to remove any overhanging branch if he found one. — Councillor MoFarlane moved that the letter be referred to the Finance. Committee, to which Councillor Raeside moved as an amendment that Mr Gerbes' solicitor be informed that the Council declined to recognise his claim. After a short discussion, in which it was remarked that several branches of one of the trees had been lopped off, the motion was put and carried, the amendment not being seconded. A petition from a number of cab proprietors and expressmen, Ssking that the license for four wheelers should be reduced from 303 to LI per annum, wa3 referred to the Finance Committee. The following report waa read from the Works Committee :— (1) Referring to Mr Brass' letter of the loth March desiring to surrender his lease recommend that he be informed that the Corporation cannot comply with his request ; (2) recommend that tenders fcbe called for excavating and stacking in the reserve at the back of the gasworks 100 yards of gravel for street repairs generally and that 50 yards of small metal be procured for repairs to the tramline ; (3) recommend that the foreman be authorised to employ a stonebreaker for a short time to remove and break the large stoves 1n Esk street from the railway station to Kelvin street ; (4) recommend that the Engineer top dress with tar ani sand the east footpath in Dee street from Don street corner to Tay street ; (5) will report at next meeting on the question of repairing the asphalt path at the eastern corner of Tay and Clyde streets ; (6) report that B. Smith has left the employment of the Corporation in the reserves,, and recbinmend that Arthur Crisp's wages be 12s per week, that no other lad be engaged until October, and that the man at the cemetery be transferred to the reserves when required to overtake the work. — Adopted. The following report was read from the Gas and Water Committee : — (1) Recommend that the consideration of Thomas Gruit's application for an increase of wages be held over until the result of the year's transactions are before the Council in the balance-sheet ; (2) recommend that the Engineer be requested to prepare a sketch plan of the fitting required to accommodate the exhibits of the museum at the Water Tower; ', 3) report that the committee think that the consideration of the proposal to make bylaw No. 166 apply to the whole of the town should stand over in the meantime ; (4) recommend that the Engineer be supplied with cement to cement wash the inside of the water tank, and also with some clear glass bottles for taking samples of the water from time to time ; (s)j recommend that the lanterns of the lamps not now lighted be removed for safety; (6) recommend that the iron roofing at the gasworks receive a coating of hematite paint ; (7) report that your committee visited the hospital for the purpose of making inquiries regarding the quality of the water supplied to the institution. Your committee is not prepared at present, to make any positive recommendation on the Bubjeufc, but in the meantime suggest that the services of another man should be procured to enable fche turncock to attend more regularly to the flushing of the mains ; (8) as it has been decided to sell a quantity of tar for use outside the borough at a considerable reduction on the price that has been charged locally for some time, the committee recommend that until tho accumulation is gob rid of the price of tar should be reduced as follows : — For quantities over 100 gallons to 2d per gallon, under 100 gallons to 3d per gallon ; further, that these prices be advertised, and that it be publicly notified that the Gas Manager will give directions, free of charge, for laying down asphalt. — Clause one was adopted. Clause two vms rejected, a number of the speakers expressing the opinion that the finances would not warrant tho outlay necessary to fit up part of the water-tower for the reception and care of the contents of the Museum. — Clauses three, four, five, ami six were adopted. : — Councillor Roche having moved the adoption of clause seven, Councillor Cleave opposed it on the ground that another man was not required. They had •got an extra man at the Gasworks sometime ago, and now they wished to get another because the Hospital had complained about the quality of the water— the only one for months.— CouucilloF, Stone .explained that the committee had: tried the water at the hospital since complaint had been made, and they found that there was no improvement; in the quality. The. turncock could not overtake the work of flushing the mains owing to so many now services being pub in, and the nmu at the Gasworks to whom Councillor Cleave referred could not be spared for the work. The man to^be appointed would only be engaged for a time, to get the work forward. — Councillor Stead: said there had been a number of complaints, and there would have . been .more, bub for the faob that an impression; Erevailed that the Council was doing its est 10 discover the cause of the trouble and' if possible remove it. — The Alayor, ia reply

to Councillor Cleave, said that a dozen complaints had been received at the office.— Councilor Roche said it was well known that the water, after it went into the mains was not what it should be, and it was only right that steps should be taken to ascertain how it was that it changed its colour. Even in towns where water came from a pure stream it was necessary to have the mains flushed.-— The Mayor said the town had invested L 30.000 in a water supply, and the matter under consideration was one of the most important that had come before the Council for a long time. There was no doubt there wm some difficulty in connection with the water after it passed into the mains, and ie was necessary that these should be flushed re' gularly. The work at the gasworks had been increasing, and a man could not be spared to assut in the waterworks department. The committee was doing its best to discover and remove the cause of the discolouration, and should receive every consideration in carrying out that laudable object. The Engineer's proposal was that one of the street maintenance men, who was receiving 3s 4d a day, should be transferred to the waterwarks department and paid 53 a day. — The clause was then passed, as waa also clause eight, and the report as amended adopted. With reference to the tender received for the lease of the jetty the Harbour Committee | recommended that the Conncil should go into committee of the whole to consider and I order on the matter. — Adopted. j The following report was read from the Finance Committee :— (1) Referring to Mr I Everett's letter relative to an injury re* ceived by him at a recent fire, the committee find that the local tpembera here joined the Fire Brigades Association's accident inaurance fund, and the committee think that the , applicant should apply to the officers of that fund. (2) From the confidential reports received by the Mayor, and placed before the committee, they recommend that no cab licenses be granted to five license holders specially objected to by the police — others whose namesare mentioned to be cautioned. — Clause one was passed. — On the adoption of clause two being proposed Councillor McFarlane said that the Council waa asked to condemn the cabmen before their version of the matter had been heard. He thought they Bhould have a chance to do this before being deprived of their licenses. He had never (heard anything about the matter, and he moved as an amendment that tho clause be relegated back to the committee.— This was seconded by Councillor Storie, who thought the action suggested rather hasty. The Couocil might hurt itself by cutting off some of its income, and besides the Council was not in a position to judge till there had been an inquiry ; it was only just that there should be one. — Councillor Stead could not support the motion. The mover and seconder of the clause had not given them any in* formation, and yet they were expected to refuse the licenses because "of certain confidential reports, although they had neither the reports nor the names of the cabmen.— The Mayor said that the reports were on the table. The licenses expired that evening, and the town clerk was compelled under the bylaws to issue them for another year next day. One of the bylaws also provided that the Mayor might at any time in his discretion either suspend a license for a given time or absolutely revoke it. VVere the councillors goiug to take the fees from the men and throw the onus on the Mayor of afterwards revoking the licenses. It was a pity councillors had not read the reports which had been available from the beginning of the week. — Councillor McEwau suggested that the Council should deal with the matter in committee. — Councillor Lewis explained that the idea of the committee was that the cabmen in question would again apply for licenses, when their cases would come before the whole Council, and be dealt with by it.. — Councillor Raeside said that the best plan was to speak out plainly, and to state that the police objected to cabmen driving people to houses of ill-fame. As some of the councillors appeared to be ignorant on the matter it might be as well to hold it over. If the police , sheeted home cases of the kind to which he had referred the Mayor would have to exercise his prerogative. There were houses of ill-fame in all civilised communities. They had had them from Adam's time, and would always have them. — Councillor McFarlane said that as the licenses expired that evening it might perhaps be a? well to go into. committee and tinish the matter at once. — Councillor Roche demurred, holding that the question should be dealt with in open Council. He bud been astonished on reading the reports. The cabmen had lived among them for years, and there had been no indication of these things. They seldom heard of councils in other large centres taking away a cabman's license be* cause of the passengers he drove. Would the railway authorities refuse to let a passenger travel on their lines if he paid his fare ? If there were such houses as those referred to the law provided that' the owners must get objectionable people out of them. If the borough inspector or the police did their duty they should have seen to this, and nob have the Council washing the linen, that other people should attend to. It was not a dignified position for the Council to take up to deprive men who were paying rates of the means of earning a livelihood. Speaking personally he had never come across a single driver in 'tpverc^ifgffl whtf^ia tttb worse of drink. He did not object to some of those mentioned in the' report getting but the Council shqtild have tfme to con* sider the subject, and after all he thought it would be better to strike out the clause, and let the Mayor use his, own discretion. — The Mayor, in reply to Councillor Roche's remarks, explained that the polios had acted in the matter by direction of the bench. He was in court when they were specially directed to bring before t.he Council, as th» body issuing the licenses, the conduct of oertaia cabmen, so that the police had not exceeded their duty*; and were amply justified in what they had done. The report from the police gave day and date and all particulars; The thing had been a matter or notoriety for a long time, and had not sprang np lately. — Councillor Roche said what he objected to was the Council being taken* by surprise, that being the night when the licenses expired. If these things had] been going on so long they should have been informed of them sooner. — Councillor Stead approved of the Mayor's action in bringing the matter before the Council, but thought no harm would b~e done T>y letting it stand over. "If the reports were correct; some of the cabmen deserved to have their licenses cancelled. — Councillor McEwan thought that if members had read the reports they would be in unison with the committee, and recognise that a sharp lesson should be administered. What form that should take was a matter for consideration. — The Mayer said that no cabman could ply without a license" after that evening. Would the Council issue licenses to all who applied for them? If so, then the position was^ that he had power to revoke them after the men had paid their 30s, and it waa not fair to issne them if there was that contingency. As remarked by Councillor McEwan, a sharp lesson was required. The things referred to in the reports needed to be checked in the interests of the town. A license might be suspended for a shorter or longer term, but some lesson was necessary if tho Council was to do its duty. — After some further discussion, in the course of which the Mayor said that the carrying of the amendment meant [that all and sundry could apply for licenses, the amendment /was thet put and carried, and the report as amended adopted. The following tenders were accepted :— Cleaning out ditch in Park, Kaveny and Hanan. L 9 163 lOd (three tenders) ; cutting new ditches in Parki Kaveny and Hanan, L"2l 63 lOd (four tenders) } ploughing section 15, M. MoKenzie (Wallacetown), L 9 (one tender). - ■'„'■' Councillor Storie called attention to the damage done to.the footpath in Liddel street by wandering stock, and the matter was noted. . ; , ■ ; ■■■■■■ ;■■■■< -it Councilor Raeside moved that fche extra man to be engaged in connection with the waterworks receive 6s a day, 'which' he considered little enough to support a wife and family 6n.~Thi3 was seconded by Councillor McFarlane, and supported; toy Councillors Roche and Stead and opposed by .Councillors Cleave and Storie, the. latter remargins tJjab, plenty of men would-be glad of 5a a day.— The motion was carried. The; Engineer -submitted-*-, sketch plan o* a residence for the Waterworks Engineer. Referred to the Gas and Water Committee. Reports were read from Capt. Clare and the foreman aa to the black buoy at the end

of the spit opposite the Mokomoko rocka having been shifted oh March 27. The foreman stated that he had found it in the blind channel and had since replaced it. He was of opinion that the tide had not shifted it. — Referred to the Harbour Committee, Councillor Cleave remarking that according to the " man in the street " some one had been aeen interfering with the buoys. Accounts amounting to LlB6 12a were passed for payment. A petition was read from Invercargill, Avenal, and County ratepayers asking to have Kelvin road put in a paasablo condition and the ditch cleaned out. — To be informed that the Council is not at present in a position to assist in making the road. Coun .illor Cleave moved — That the signalman at the heads be dispensed with, and the reserve leased by auction for a term of seven years. He said that none regretted more than he did the necessity for the motion, but their income from the harbour was practically nil, and their indebtedness was considerable, and it behoved them to reduce expenditure. — The motion was seconded by Councillor McFarlaaue. — Councillor Storie moved as an amendment that the matter be referred to the Harbour Committee, remarking that Captain Clare might act without salary if allowed the use of the reserve. — The amend* ment was seconded by Councillor Lewis, and, after a short discussion, carried. The Waterworks Engineer reported that three new services had been put in during the last fortnight. He was of opinion that i-ineh pipes were too small where they extended over2o ft, the complaints made coming from houses with pipes of that size, fie found that such pipe 3 got choked up, and he recommended that a larger size be used. — Referred to the Gas and Water Committee*. There being no other business the Council should at this stage have gone into committee to consider the tender received for the lease of the jetty $ but it was suggested that this Bhould be dealt with on Monday evening, and the Council, at 10.40 ' p.m., adjourned till then.