CITY COUNCIL.

Colonist, Volume XLVIII, Issue 11675, 10 July 1906, Page 2

CITY COUNCIL.

SPECIAL MEETING RE GAS. A special meeting of the City ■'! 1 Council was held last night to con- i sider the matter of providing larger . gas mains for the. Waimea road. , There were present his Worship the , Mayor, Mr J. Piper, and Crs Harrison, Ligbtband, Grace, Webley, At- . more, Pafctit, Hounsell, and Turner. The Mayor said that in calling them together so soon after their decision, ' he was only anxious to give them an • opportunity of rectifying what .he I thought wag an error fatal to the prosperity of the Nelson Gasworks. He had ascertained that a function ' was to take place at the new College in connection with the Old Boys' Association at Christmas, so that there vras very short time to prepare 1 to Bupply gas to that institution, r He had told them it was impossible, a to supply gas to that great institu- ( tioh in addition to other consumers I on the Waimea road from the present I main, and if they waited till a vote t was taken, and debentures were t allotted, ten weeks would elapse, and t it would then be impossible to get f the mains in time for that function, t From the report of the Hospital and r Charitable Aid Board they also saw a it^waa suggested to go in for another a system of lighting, fie intepded t>Q/ 4

interview the College Governors, and see what could be done, for if they went in for some other sysiom of lighting their antion might be contagious. „ Already he was , informed there was. a proposal ,to ligbt^ffiitn electricity the block to the east p? Trafalgar, street, south of Bridge street and north of Hardy, street, and estimates were being given. That was sufficient to cause them to give serious consideration to the matter, * and as business men running a business concern, they could not allow experiments to be made to light a portion of the city with other light than gas, which they had to SBll. He moved, that this Council order from England at oace, by cable, sufficient 6-inch gas mains to extend from Haven road to the Waimea toad junction, and sufficient 4-inch pipes to supplement those to be , taken tip ana relayed, and extend from the Waimea road junction, to the College He had gone pretty fully into tfie matter, and found the distance 45 chains; which .would require SGO^si&j inch pipes, but he.propos^d prdbrjng ten more in, case of breakage: The weight would be 41 tons 10 cwt, and the cost at .£6 a top, with freight, by sailing ship, would be J5301. . : Tty) cost of the 4-inch pipes would bo £61, making a total of £362. He did not think that was a sum they cpuld squeal at, seeing it wpuld be four months before they came to hand. At the present time, from the statements received,, the Gasworks made a profit of £429 in two months, and the pipes could be paid fori out, of profits. He hoped they Would autho* rise the order being cabled that night, as there was absolutely no time to be lost. He had been asked if the money could subsequently be taken out of loan money if a loan wag authorised, but he could not say. It might if no Councilor objected. It was not the Waimea road or one portion of the city he was considering, but the institutions named, and the prosperity of the city. Cr Webley seconded the motion, and said he thought there could be no two ofiiniolls as to the wisdom of supplying the College and Hospital with gasj the only difference could be as to whether they should drder the mains immediately, or whit till the loan was carried} but he tnbught they should proceed at once. He was confident from what , he heard thai the loan would not be carried j and there vas no use in blinding themselves to the fact that ratepayer! wgre dissatisfied— they had .either lost confidence in the Council .as constituted, or in the adnjiniatrar tion. -(Or Grace: If you think t;.hat i\vhy don't you resign.?— you were in favor of a loan. ) Yes, he was in favor of a loan, but he doubted its being .carried. , Qne, ratepayer said, to him how do you ejcpec.tj a,,k>£\n. to be carried when yod made ibbh a bungle on the Waimea Road? (A Councilor: What bungle?) In locating the stoppage in the gas main. He ur£sd that the motion should b© carried. Cr Pettit thought it would save time if he at once moved an amendment. The arguments that had been advanced that night were all used when the loan was discussed, and if those advancing them had awakened earlier they would have seen them all before. He was sorry to say that some Councilors were constantly saving $hey did pjoi expec't th£ join, id be , carried j and he said such conduct did not tend to inspire confidence. He was prepared to vote against the proposal, and to do so with, a fun sense of his responsibility. He said it was unfair .that one pa,rt of the city should be singled out for special treatment when all were crying out. The proposer of the motion, recently wanted them to resolve to stop'breaking stones for 20 chains of road because of the state of their funds, and yet he now asked them to authorise an expenditure of £100, Which would possibly be increased to £600. He moved as an amendment that instructions be given to take immediate steps for securing a vote of the ratepayers on the proposal that a loan of £2500 be authorised for gas reticulation, the same to bear interest at ndt more than six per cent) with a sinking fund of 1^ per centj the loan to be of 90 years' duration^ and that a three farthing rate be provided as security. He said the 1 rate would not come out of the {Dockets of the people for the Gasworks would provide the money. He had no doubt the lean would be authorised. He said he had never been confronted by so many bogejS as £ince he had been in the Councilj and he ridiculed the idea of the votes of 300 indicating no confidence. Or Liightband was impressed with the necessity of doing all they could to give a supply of gas to.the College and other institutions, and he thought the matter should be faced with an open mind. He did what he could to support the loan, and attributed the fact of the .vote being lost to bungling in placing it before the people. As far as the arguments in favor of the present proposals had gone, they bad not assumed the bus* iness-like trait that he had expected. If they cabled to England for pipes they must also cabl6 a credit. * A loan had been rejected, and now, on their own, they wero asked to order pipes and pay for them out of future profits, but it was ridiculous to order without the money. The Mayor had said that £100 a year should be allowed for the Municipal Buildings (out of gas account), but not -a penny had been paid, and now they were asked to spend some £500, not knowing how they were to pay the money. Their overdarft book was closed \ and now they proposed to open a new book and pay. out of future profits, but that book would soon be filled up. The Mayor said they had not in the past sent Home mdney with an order. Cr Lightband said the) could not get more money on overdraft. The' Mayor admitted that their overdraft was nearly £1500 more than the sum agreed on. , % Cr Atmore seconded the amendment, because it was the only business proposal before them. The Mayor's references to the Colleges came too late. Most of them had recognised the needs long ago, but the Mayor had said that the rrfains wete large enough. The Mayor denied this. Cr Grace: Then why did you not support the loan? Cr iAtmpre mentioned place and time wben'tbjß Mayor said wnat be asserted. The Mayor said he meant the mainswere large enough on that part of Waimea street. C.r, Atmore said the Mayor knetf very well the proposals were for the future. Now the Mayor had come round to theft way of thinking. As to electricity, he said that in London they were going back to gas, and he implied that they had little to fear, but said if the people did i natal electricty, 'it v.ould be because the ratepayers would not sanction a loan, lie objected to giving a good Supply; to oua.'pifrt of t&e town and neglectingr other -pafctsy and to mortgaging the profitsof the gasworks, whioh should be refunded to the general account. He s teoked at it that a reticulation loan would lead to the extinction of the overdraft. The question -w«s decided last Friday week, and.did the Mayor think that Councilors then voted without having fully roaHe up their minds? He said Cr Pettit deserved the thanks of the ratepayers for the businesslike way in which he had presented the matter. He also gave the Mayor credit for what he had done, but said be was mistaken. The letter from their London agents re drainage

pipes showed it was impossible to send anthing more by the Westland, and if they took another vote and cabled at once they would get the rlpe3 in plenty of time. * The 'rat > payers had refused to sanction tho loan; arid he sajd they could not go behind the,. ratepayers, but they must convince them of the necessity for a loan, acd he believed they would sanction this The Mayor had come round to their opinion that more gas was required in the Waimea road district, but more was also needed in the Wood, in Brook street, and in other parts of the city. The Mayor rose to speak to the amendment, and, apparently attributed certain remarks to Cr Harrison, but that Cr said he had not spoken, and denied using the words. Ho flaked the Mayor to withdraw his staieiiioni' (t!r Atmore also denied using the words mentioned by the Mayor). The Mayor declined to withdraw, and Or Harmon said, j "Then I give you the lie direct. Are you. going to withdraw? j!ne Mayor l No, I am not. Cr Atniore rdse to a point of order, and Cr Harrison declared ho, would not sit, down till the Mayor withdrew his statement. THo Mayor threatened to adjourn' the .Council.; but after further remark's said he would withdraw his words, bee' ui 3e it was on a former occasion thoy were uttered. £ Cr Harrison said he did not use the words on a former occasion. Cr Atniore objected to theJVlayor flMiribiitirig J;d « Councilor thenremark that it was not a business proposal to look after one's customers. Ho said it was a business-like proposal to supply all, and not fair play to supply one only. The Mayor: "I don't know why you go on like this. " ' Cr Atmore: lam not responsible for your density. The Mayor acknowledged that he had not quoted precisely* He wont on to urge that they should look after a place with special need9, and that if they studied the interests of tbie ratepayers they Would pate his resolution; Cjr Turner supported the riiotion, Mild said they should get the pines out of gas works; profits. (A Cburic'ilor: We haven't any yet ; Cr Harrison said his opinion was that the overdraft was now much too large, and it appeared to him that it ftojjtd be, a' great , responsibility to Ordej these pipes,, wh&n, they hail not the money; and, after a loan had been refused by the ratepayers: The responsibility of declining to order the pipes was as nothing compared to going behind the ratepayers. As to the necessity for the work, he was as convinced as ever, and, he hoped i that \Vhen the matter was put clearly be^ fore the ratepayers they would sandtion a loan for the work, Cr Grace said they all felt the re- 1 aponsibility, and they proposed to! put the responsibility on the Bhould- j era of the ratepayers,, and if after all the arguments they did not sanction the loan, it would Show either that they took little interest or wanted to get rid of the gasworks. He pointed out that it' would be cheaper and better to raise a lump sum and pay it off by means of a sinking fund, then to" Cripple themslves for years. The Mayor must have known bdfore the necessity for improved reticulation, but he did not throw his weight on the side of the Council, though now his arguments showed that the Counoii was right:. The pjily inference was that he had some ulterior motive, and he would be sorry to think that it was to belittle the Council. Cr Hounsell supported the amendment, and urged that as the goods must come by steamer the order could be cabled after the poll was taken, and he said the poll^ could be taken on the 17th August, "which would enable the goods to be landed by the end of October. He also alleged that there was a" stinking fish party" in the Council, who went round whenever a proposal was before them and belittled their efforts, while not opposing them. The Mayor had proved the necessity for improved reticulation, and he hoped that his Worship would now coaperate with the, Council and help to get the loan authorised. Cr Webley spoke again* and after a little sparring with Cr Pettit, End Cr Webley withdrawing a remark, Cr Pettit suggested the possibility of getting the pipes in the Colony if the loan was carried. Cr Atniore replied to Cr Webley, and said that if there had ,been any feeling that night it had been imported by the Mayor, who made charges which he reluctantly withdrew. Cr Lightband pointed out that in mid-summer the gas consumption would not be so great, and that the supply to the College at that time of year wonld probably he ample. The Mayor, in his reply, repudiated the insinuation of Cr Grace that he was actuated by some ulterior motive. His only motive was to supply a prospective customer, and to study the interests of the city. He spoke of the state of the main?, and relative to his own estimate. It seemed to him that every motion for improvement was blocked. In reply, to Cr Hounsell, the Surveyor said the actual distance fromHaven Koad to Waimea Road was 47 chains, not 45, and that as existing' mains were not fitted with T pieces they would have to cut the mains. He allowed for 50 chains of piping. The question was then put, and the ramendmenfr was carried on a division by 6 to 3. Ayes: Crs Lightband, Hounsell, Pettit, Atmore, Grace and Harrison, Noes: Crs Webley, Turner, and the Mayor. Cr Hounsell asked that the advertisement re loan might appear at onie. The; Mayor said it would appear as soon as the Acting Town Clerk could get it ready. The^meetiug then adjourned.