CITY COUNCIL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4788, 4 September 1883, Page 4

CITY COUNCIL.

♦ I Special Mbetihg. A special meeting of the Ohristchuroh City Council was held last evening for the purpose of making the street- watering rate j present — His Worship the Mayor, Councillors Ayers, Bowman, Vincent, Kiver, Beese, Jenkins, Prudhoe, iambort, Brice, Hiorns. An apology was made for the absence of Councillor Louisaon. * ; The motion adopting the resolution making the rate was agreed to unanimously, and the other necessary forms oomplied with. Obdinabt Mbbhng. The ordinary meeting of the Council was then held, the same Councillors being present. 3?INAKOE. It wai reported that the oredit balance at the Bank was £1918 Os 8i The reoeipts for the fortnight wero:~Oa general account, £1564 7a; on suspense aocounfc, £106 15s 8d | and oa drainage acoount, £312 2s. The expenditure on general acoount was £767 Is Bd. OOBBBBPONDBNOB. The following was read : — From the Chairman, Public Cemetery Board, reporting the result of the conference of looal bodies held on August 9, to consider the question of contributing towards the maintenaaoe of the general cemetery. The amount to be contributed by the oity on the basis of population, was estimated at £176 per annum. The Mayor gave a brief summary of the oiroumitanoes attending the conference, and stated that it remained for the local bodies to sanotion its action. He thought that steps should be taken to provide anew cemetery, as the present ones would have to be olosed sooner or later. The question was, was the proposed cemetery acceptable. Councillors Bowman, Vincent, and himself had visited it, and found it a long way from town, and, moreover, very wet. He thought it would be advisable to postpone the consideration of the letter, and meanwhile authorise the surveyor to ascertain the depth to whioh graves oould be dug. Councillor Vinoent moved — "That consideration of the letter be deferred for a fortnight, and that steps be taken to at certain tho depth to whioh graves oould bo dug without coming to water." He thought that, under the circumstances, it would perhaps be well for the Cemetery Board to sell their present land, and prooure another site alongside some line of railway. Perhaps it would be well to confer with the Cemetery Board on the question. Councillor Bowman seconded the motion. He expressed tho opinion that the proposed cemetery was not fit for the purpose. The motion was agreed to nem con. From the Fire Insurance Association, stating that the Association would be prepared to contribute £10 towards a reward fer the conviction of any person giving a false alarm at the eleotrio fire alarms. The letter suggested placing a coloured light on or near to the posts to whioh the boxes are affixed. This, it was thought, would enable persons to find the boxes more readily and also increase the chance of detecting a person giving a false alarm. Councillor Vinoent moved — "That the letter be received, and the Association be thanked for their offer." Councillor Hiorns seoonded the motion, whioh was carried. From the Secretary to tho iddington Workshops Band, asking permission to play at intervals during the summer near the Godley statue. The request was granted. From Mr F. Seelep, Colombo street south, asking that the Building By-law might be relaxed so as to allow him to oreot a wooden verandah in front of his shop, which is situated close to the South belt. He stated that he had not the means to build as required by the By-law, and that the sun in summer was very injurious to the fruit he sold. The request was granted, subject to the supervision of the Oity Sucreyor. From Mr B. W. England, suggesting that the reserves at Bottle Lake should be planted with trees at once, whioh would raise their value— they were not at present worth 10s per aore— and make tho land a source of income to the City in tfte future. He suggested that in order not to expend too large an amount of the Oity funds, 40 aores should be enclosed and planted yearly, and, as each block was plantedj^an applicatioß made to the Government under the Planting Aot, whereby the Counoil would obtain in a few years a property double the _ size of that planted. Although the land in question was oertainly barren, many suoh spots in the Province had been successfully planted. Some species of pine and two kinds of wattle were very suitable for the purpose. Councillor Vincent thought the suggestion

a valuable one, though rather late in the season. Councillor Kiver moved — " That Mr England be thanked for his letter, and that it be referred to the Reserves Committee." Councillor Hiorns seconded the motion. He remarked that 8500 trees had already been planted by the Besetves Committee. He thought it would be useless to try and plant the reserves in their presant state. The motion wai agreed to. OITT SUBVHTOB'S BHPOBT. The following report from the City Surveyor was road : ~" 1. Furdie street has been obannelled, formed and shingled in contract. England's right-of-way is being done. Wilson's right-of-way through the Gaol Beßerve has been let to Mr Cooper in contraot and will be commenced at onoe. 2. Armagh street bridge.— A quantity of stone for this bridge is now lying in the oontraotor's yard ready dressed, and fair progress is being made in the work of putting in the foundations. 3. The Works Committee have carefully considered the eeoond application of Mr Eiddey with reference to altering the boundaries of Brick wharf, and they recommend that the application be declined. 4. The at«am roller has been thoroughly overhauled, repaired and tested by the Government Inspeotor, and is now again at work. 5. The Carlton bridge has been rep*ired by putting in two more girders and some planking. 6. Now that the Bill for alteration of Cathedral Square has beoome law the Works Committee recommend that they be empowered to oarry out the work. 7. In oonsequence of the new bridge being built at Armagh street it becomes necessary to make a slight alteration in the line of the river (»hown on a plan herewith) and the Works Committee recommend that the City Surreyor be instructed to communicate with Mr Baker, the Chief Surveyor, on the subjtot, in order .to obtain permission from the Government to make the proposed alteration. Building permits have been issued to 16 persons during the month of August, and tbe amount collected for the same period was £16 5)." The report was approved. ASPHALT OBOSSINGS. Councillor Vincent moved, pursuant to notice—" That the deoieion arrived at by the Council on April 29, 1874, that the Oounoil would bear half the cost of laying down asphalt crossings, 9ft wide, be rescinded." Councillor Ajert seconded th« r«solutioD| whioh was agreed to. FIBK AIABMS. Councillor Hiorcs moved — •• That Mr Meddings be empowered to alter seven of the outside fire alarm boxes, in tho same manner ob that at Lalimer square, at a coat not exoeoding £2 each" Councillor Eoese seconded the motion. Councillor Vincent thought it would be as | well to wait and see how tho alteration of the one box answered before altering any moro. The Mayor was ateo in favour of postponing further alterations. The motion was put and carried. PBBBONAIi. Councillor Vincent said that, as the present was likely to bo the last meetisg at whioh he would be present, ho would like to thank his colleagues for the treatment he had received during his four years of office. He believed that no doubt there were many citizens who oould do tbe work he had done as veil as he had. Now blocd was sometimes desirable, and new Councillors would doubtless be able to do good. He again thanked the Councillors for their kindness. Councillor Ajers, as one who had worked with Uounoillor Vincent, extremely regretted that gentleman's deoision, whioh he hoped was not unalterable. (Hear, hear.) Councillor Yinoent was one whoso superior he himself had never worked with. He was a thorough business man, and his retirement would be a lobs both to the Council and the city. Councillor Keese, as one of the youngest members, bore emphatic testimony to the admirable manner in which Councillor Vincent had discharged his duties, dwelling partioularly on his punctual attendance to the business of the oity. A requisition was in course of signature asking Councillor Vincent to come forward again, and he hoped that gentleman would acoede to it. Councillor Hiorns endorsed the remarks of Councillors Ayers and Beese. ' He considered that no new member could bo as efficient as an old one like Councillor Vincent. The Mayor hoped that he would again see Councillor Vincent at the Council Board, and remarked that be had always considered that gentleman as one of the pillars of the Oounoil. He was ono of the hardest working members, and his retirement would be a loss to the city. (Hear, hear.) THE OBHBTBBX QUESTION. The Council then re salved itself into the Board of Health for the City, and the follow- j ing report of the Sanitary Commit tie on the state of the Christohurch cemeteries was read:— " Sour Oommitiee have considered the petition relative to the sanitary condition of tho cemeteries in Barbadoes street, referred to by the Counoil at its last; meeting. Your Committee visited them, and asked the medioal officer to do the same. His report is attached hereto. Your Committee finds on investigation/ that no drainage has been attempted in any of the cemeteries, except into the tide channels, although the ground was swampy and totally unfitted for the purpose of inhumation. A grave oannofc be dug to tho required depth without pumping, or other means of getting rid of the water, on account of the springs in the land, which require underground drains. Your Committee understand that there have been about 5000 bodies buried in the three oemeteries since they were opened, and that the depth of the graves, with few exceptions, is such that the bottoms ara about on a level with the street side ohannel. Your Committee, considering the present state of the grounds, with other facts, has come to the conclusion that further interments in suoh cemeteries should be discontinued, and that prompt action should be taken to close them as early as possible. Your Committee also recommends that the pretent cemeteries, when dosed, should be walled in, and a thorough system of drainage adopted for eaoh oemotery, nuoh drainage to be oonneoted with the pumping station." A lengthy report from Dr Ned will, Medical Offioer, whioh confirmed tho suggestions of the Committee, was also read. (It will be found in full elsewhere.) Councillor Bowman moved tho adoption of the report. He considered that the oemeteries were a disgrace to civilisation. Councillor Hiorns seconded the motion. A brief disoussion ensued on the subjeot, during which the opinion was expressed that it was inadvisable to take action until a more suitable place of intorment was provided. In this connection it was pointed out that the proposed public cemetery was apparently soaroely suitable for the purpose, and a suggestion was made that one of the Council's reserves should be utilised as a cemetery. It was also pointed out that the Counoil was bound to ■ take some botion on the petition received from residents in the neighbourhood of the present burial grounds. The report was finally adopted, and it was decided, on the motion of Councillor Vincent, to request the authoritioa of the several cemeteries to take measures to abate the nuisanoe, and to drain the grounds by means of underground drains connected with the main sewer. The Council then resumed. VOTB Or THAHKS. Councillor Ayers moved — " That a cordial and hearty vote of thanks be tendered to the retiring members." Ho remarked that, though it was sometimes said that gentlemen who served as members of tho Council got no thanks for their labours, ebill he thought that the more thoughtful portion of tho ratepayers were thankful to the Councillors for their work. Councillor Hiorns seconded the motion, and briefly supported the remarks of Coun oillor Ayers. The motion havine been carried unanimously, Councillor Vincent briefly returned thanks. He said that, oce thing he had previously forgotten was to mention the efficient manner in whioh the officers of the Council had always performed their respective dutiee. After dealing with an application for a license, the Oounoil adjourned at 9 p.m.