CITY COUNCIL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 684, 2 August 1870, Page 2

CITY COUNCIL.

.+. Monday, August 1. The Council met for the transaction of their weekly business at the usual hour. His Worship the Mayor presided, and ali the Councillors, except Councillor Sawtell, were present. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. The Town Clerk reported per balance sheet that during the week he had received from rates 1869 £10 18s ; do 1870, £128 9s ; scavengering, £20 10s 4d ; licenses, petroleum, £10; do public buildings, £2; do carriers, 15s j rents - (market place), 7s ; total, £172 19s 4d ; and that the overdraft at the bank was reduced to £1 7a 4d. Accounts to the amount of £591 13s Bd, inclusive of a draft for the new steam engine and the monthly salaries of the Council's officers were passed, and ordered to be paid. The Surveyor's report was read and considered. The second quarter of Mr McWilliams' contract for keeping' the river clear of cress had expired, and the river is in very fair .order. The labour gang had been employed during the week in carting footpath shingle to Durham, Kilmore,- and Cashel streets ; road scraping in the central part of the city ; repairing footpaths .in- Cashel, Montreal and Durham streets out side drains and the south drain ; repairing St Asaph, street and Barbadoe. street with shingle, and other minor works. The report was approved.} The following correspondence was read and considered. Letter from Mr Fisher, Colombo street south, offering to let the Council quarry stone for metal on his land on the following conditions :— Royalty, 6d per cubic yard, agreement for five or six years ; Council not to sub-let without writer's consent, writer to

i have right of quarrying, but so as not to I interfere with the Council; no royalty to - be charged during the first year ; the: Council > if they desired to break the agreement at the i end of the flrst 12 months to have power to I do so on payment of 3d per yard upon all . the metal obtained during that period, should ' the quantity of stone taken by the Council . exceed 4000 yards per annum, a reduction ; to be made in the royalty. I Councillor Jameson said the Works Com--1 mittee intended, with the £10 voted at last ' meeting, to send two men to teat the stone, > when they would report upon the desirability ; or otherwise of entering into an agreement i with Mr Fisher. The letter was accordingly deferred until ■ next meeting. i Letter from the Provincial Secretary, inti- ' mating that the voucher for the annual conl tribution by the Government of £25 towards i the maintenance of the steam fire-engine had ' been passed, and a cheque would be for- • warded in the course of a few days. i Letter from the Provincial Secretary, for--1 warding the Gazette containing notices of I errata and corrections in the by-laws. ; Letter from Messrs Ward and Co., com- ; plaining of the excessive assessment of a » block of land in the city. The Clerk wa3 instructed to reply that the ' complaint had been made too late for the • Council to interfere in the matter. Letter from Mr W. R. Mitchell, captain of the fire police, acknowledging receipt of vote i of thanks accorded by the Council for the i services of the fire police during the past : year; also enquiring whether the force would s continue their services for the ensuing year. ■ Mr Mitchell replied to the latter in the affirma- > tive, and took occasion to intimate that funds • were required by the force for the purchase ! of uniform caps, and certain other expenses. On the suggestion of Councillor Jameson, I the latter part of the letter was referred to ! the Fire Brigade Committee with instruc- ■ tions to ascertain the amount required by the I force. s Letter from Mr W. Harris, Superinteni dent of the Fire Brigade, acknowledging , receipt of vote of thanks to the men under his command, and stating that the No. 2 : Engine Company had unanimously approved i the course taken by the Council, in adopt- : ing his recommendation for the whole of the s brigades to assemble for their weekly i parades at the Central Hall. i The Council deemed this information ■ highly satisfactory. ! Letter from Mrs Hossack asking per- , mission to burn gorse cuttings within the \ city. : The Surveyor was instructed to direct Mrs . Hossack's. attention to the provisions of the bye-laws bearing upon this matter. ' Letter from Mr Viney calling attention to . the bad state of the drainage in front of his i premises, Papanui Road. Councillor Jameson said the Works Com- ! mittee had the matter already under their l notice. i The Clerk was instructed to reply to this effect. ■ The Lighting Committee reported that the ' Gas Company had offered to light. the smaller ; street lamps at £10 5s each during the ensu- ! ing year, and the three larger ones at £1 1 17s ! each , making thereby a reduction on the whole • of £56 13s 3d. This reduction was, however, ' subject to the provision that the contract be ■ entered into for a period of not less than i three years. The Committee recommended i that this offer should be accepted. They ' would, by reason of the saving thus effected, ' also recommend that five or six additional ) lamps be erected, but not until the approach : of next winter, when a new committee should t be appointed to select sites for them. They j also recommended tbat tenders for a renewal i of the kerosine lighting contract should he i invited, and that in the contracts for both ) descriptions of lamps a clause should be in- : ser ted whereby the contractor would be com- > pelled to keep the lamps clean, and to .clean , the burners not less than, once than every ' three months. • Councillor Bishop, as chairman of the committee, said the committee had flrst spoken ■ to the Gas Company relative to the lighting of the lamps for seven months of the year, instead of as at present ; but the Company said that only £50 would be saved by such a measure, and then offered the alternative E course stated in the report. In making their i calculations, they had allowed for possible i reductions in the price of coals during the » three years, and altogether, therefore, the CDmmittee thought it would be better to s enter into a three years' contract, than to have the city lighted for a less number of > months .during the year. L After a brief conversation, the report was ; unanimously adopted. The Nuisance Inspector reported that during the week he had waited upon a large , number of persons, informing them that the i by-laws relating to the keeping of pigs within the city were in force, and they had , all, with one exception, intimated their readii ness to comply with them, i The report was approved. ■ The following licenses were granted : — ■ Wjlliam Edgeley, a carriers' license ; Can-- - terbury Music Hall, Theatre, Town Hall, pubE lie amusement licenses ; Taylor and Co., F. • Nashelski, E. S. Dalgety and Co;; W. L. - Bowker, C. Kiver, junr., James P.Jameson, i Sheppard and Co., H. J. Hall, petroleum I licenses. E Considerable discussion ensued upon the , license for the theatre. . The Surveyor, aa inspector under the Act, r had reported that alterations to the south i (stage) end of the building had greatly impaired its stability, though not so much so as to require the Council to altogether rel fuse the license. On being called in he supplemented this by averiing that although ; safe under ordinary circumstances, yet it . would be dangerous in the event of an earth- ■ quake pr any further alterations to the main ■ body of the building. It was ultimately resolved that the Secrei tary should inform the trustees that although

the license had been granted, the Council would not renew it at the expiration of the six months, unless further provision was made for the safety of the public. The Council then adjourned.