CITY COUNCIL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4904, 20 March 1894, Page 1

CITY COUNCIL.

ORDINARY MEETING. An ordinary meeting of the Chriatchurcfc City Council wbb held last evening; present — The Major and Councillors Cooper, Bonnington, Gray r Widdowson, Prudhoe, Payling, Bunting, E, Smith, J. T. Smith, Thomson, Wood, Anderßon, Connal and Calder. FINANCIAL, The debit-balance was stated to be £3642 18s sd. Beceipta since last meeting had amounted to £1030 12s lid, and payments to £6Q2 2& 9d. Councillor J. T. Smith said the Finance Committee had found that rates outstanding amounted to more than they should do, and the officers of the Council had been instructed to press for payment from those who could well afford to pay. A DISCLAIMER. Councillor Gray said that he had a personal statement to make. It bad been industriously circulated round the town that he would be an applicant for the position of town clerk in the event of fresh applications being called for. He desired to emphatically deny that he had any such intention. BLATTGHTKB-HOTJBE LICENSE. A petition from eighty-four persona living near the Addington saleyards, proI testing againßt the granting to the Canterbury Saleyards Company of a slaughterhouse license, was received. The Selwyn County Council wrote asking if the Council would consent to the granting of the license. The company I only wanted to kill the maimed and uselesß animals, and the County Council would grant the license if agreed to by the City Council and the Sydenham Borough Council. | A deputation, introduced by the Hon J. E. Jenkinson, was heard. Mr Say said that the proximity of a slaughter-house would be a great nuisance to the residents around the yards.. Property would deteriorate in value, and the establishment of a slaughter-house would drive the residents away. The application for the license to kill maimed beaats was regarded as the thin end of the wedge. Other members of the deputation spoke to tbe same effect. Councillor Gray moved— "That the Council refuse to grant the application of the Canterbury Saleyards Company for a slaughter-house at Addingfcon." Tbe motion was seconded by Councillor J. T. Smith and carried without diesent. COEBEBPONDBNCE. Letters were read :— , From Mr B. Drury, cab-driver, praying for a renewal of his cab license. <A peti- | tion signed by fifty-four penons accompanied the letter. It was decided to take no action in the matter. From Mr A. Saunders, cabman, complaining of carriers' vans carrying passengers. The letter was received. From the Woolston Borough Council, asking the Mayor to convene a public meeting of ratepayers within the drainage area to consider means of averting heavy sewage rating. After some discussion, it was resolved — "That the Council does not see its way to comply with the request, in the absence of more definite information." From the Woolaton Borough Council with reßpect to the alleged overcrowding of 'tramcara. It was agreed to advise the Borough Council to communicate with the Tramway Company. From Mr Stapleton, asking that the footpath in Perth Street, Richmond, might be formed and an objectionable drain filled in. Councillor Wood said tbe matter had been before the Works Committee, and it had been found that the Council could not afford the cost of the work, and that the drain referred to was connected with a law suit at present pending between a resident and the Drainage Beard. The action of the Works Committee \ras approved. REPORT OF CITY SURVEYOR. The City Surveyor reported : — (1) Two footbridges had been authorised by the Works Committee in a lme from Gloucester Street from Luck's Buildings to Buggy > s corner, instead of an asphalt crossing. (2) The accident to Mr Forrester's horse, alleged to have been caused by an inequality in the street, had been enquired into by the Works Committee, which regie ted it, but considered that under the circumstances the Council was not liable for the subsidence cf the road. (3) A new lamp had been ordered for Princes Street. (4) A joint report from Mr Seager, architect, and the City Surveyor had been ordered by the Committee to be laid before the Council with a recommendation that the work therein described should be carried out. (5) Tenders had been received for iron posts and chains for fencing, and that of Meesrs Hepburn and Co. accepted for the posts, and that of Mr P. M. Johnston for the chains. With regard to Clause 2 it was decided to obtain a legal opinion upon the liability of the Council. The report mentioned in Clause 4 was upon improvements to the municipal buildings, to prevent the movement of the west wall, caused by the spreading of the roof, owing to the loosening of tbe strut 3 and bolts. The estimated cost of repairs was set down at £a or JE6. The report was adopted. CHRISTCHTJRCH TRAMWAY COMPANY. The Works and By-law Committees reported that, before proceeding further with the conditions for the proposed new concession to the Christchurch Tramway Company, they desired to submit for the Council's approval the following candition with regard to the rent to be charged, viz., first seven year 3 £50 per year, second seven years .£IOO, third seven years £200 per year. Councillor Cooper moved— "That the price be .£IOO the first seven years, £150 the second and £200 the third." The motion was sc onded by Councillor Thomson, but was lost, and the report of tli a Committee was adopted. THE CLERICAL STAFF. Councillor Widdowson moved, pursuant to notice — "Tnat with a view to reorganising the staff and effecting improvements in tbe various departments of the Council, each member of the staff be given three months' notice of dispensing with his services ; such dismissal not, however, to preclude fresh application by any present official j and that his Worship the Mayor be requested to carry this resolution into effect." He said he had no personal feeling in tbe matter. He was simply trying to do his duty as a representative of tbe ratepayers. He would not have moved had he not been satisfied that good reason existed for considering the matter of reorganising the staff. A great deal of newspaper correspondence had taken place about the staff of the Council, and insinuations had been thrown out from time to time concerning individual members. He had gone through the duties performed by the clerical staff, and had felt bound to move as be had done. His action was not aimed at the Town Clerk only. It waß aimed at other officers as well. He believed that the staff should be reorganised in the interests of tbe ratepayers. If the Councillors bad noticed they would have seen that the officers did not work in harmony, and that the state of affairs existing was not desirable. If he had to make specific charges the business should be done in committee. It had been said that he should do this, or that tbe Council should disaisa his motion. How would it do to lay bare the buuglaa and mistakes of

— ** certain officers before the public? An open meeting of the Council was not the place to make charges. If any of the officers were to go, let them go without : odium or injury. I£ he had to make charges, facts would coma oat showing the loss of considerable sums through clerical mistakes. la fairness to the officers theaielves, specific charges should not be made. At tha subcommittee meeting ample information had been forthcoming to authorise the Council to make great alterations and completely reorganise the whole etaff. He did not favour the reduction of individual Balarieß, and he believed that an efficient town clerk was worth a largar salary than was now paid. He had nothing ti omplain of in the surveyor's department, although several things could be remedied with advantage, and he considered the surveyor to be underpaid. He took it that a fresh schedule of duties would be drawn out if his motion were carried. He did not thiDt that a reorganisation such as he deßired could be attained without the course he proposed being adopted, and the whole staff dismissed, and the worthy ones taken on again. The motion was seconded by Councillor Cooper. Councillor Bonnington asked wbat the mover had brought forward which warranted his action? The effect of' the motion if carried would be very severe upon the members of the staff. In the cub-committee Councillor Widdowson had failed to carry his motion because there had been no evidence to warrant what had been involved in it. The charges he had brought up had been trivial indeed. One of the absurd charges had been that the junior clerk was not as civil bb he should have been, and that the Town Clerk was responsible for that conduct. He was perfectly satisfied that the proposal was aimed at the Town Clerk. He was not a personal friend of the Town Clerk, but he had been, much brought into contact with him in municipal matters, and had found him to be a civil and efficient officer. Toe very position of Town Clerk, if carried out dutifully, made that officer unpopular in certain quarters. But Mr Haakins was not generally unpopular — quite the reverse. He was well liked among the citizens and commercial men, aid respected for his ability. All' the previous Mayors of the city had uttered the most flattering panegyrics upon the wotk of the Town Clerk, aud the general efficiency o! the staff. He was glad the newspapers had written of the matter in the stra v they had. Councillor J. T. Smith said he could not follow the motion. It said too much and it ea ; d too little. It proposed to dismiss the staff, and; then it went on to propose that the mayor should proceed to appoint a new staff. This was not the proper way to go about redressing a grievance, if any grievance existed. He would not say whether he though 1 ; there was any grievance or not, but the motion raised in the minds of outsiders snspicions regarding the whole of the staff. The ratepayers, on reading the motion, would immediately think that the integrity, the ability, or the civility of the officers of the Council was not what it should be. It was not ripV.t for a public body to do these things. No firm in town would have treated its employe * so. If there were delinquents ia the office a comm't'ee should deal with them, but. the whole staff should not be reflected upon. Tfaorc was an element of injustice in the proposal — it raised a suspicion upon, perhaps, the moat honourable of men. Councillor Payling moved that the Council should go into committee, and hear what charges there were to be made against the officers. The motion was seconded by Councillor Bunting. Councillor Wood opposed the proposal to go into committee. He was sorry that the recommendations of the sub-committee had not been brought before the Council. Councillor Widdowson had ehowa not the slightest reason or cause for Buch a drastic measure as he had proposed. Councillor Gray said that he envied the position of the councillors who could stand up for the staff. He would infinitely rather do that than find the fault 3he felt compelled to find. The rates, for instance, were not well collected. That evening, with only twelve days to finish the financial year, there was over £1000 outstanding. Even councillors had owed ' large sums until quite lately, and many large business men had been allowed to leave their rates standing. His principal grievance was that sufficient business tact was not shown, and that the system employed in the office was not an efficient one. If there was a niore efficient head over the staff, he believed that the others would work better. His charges were mostly cf a negative character, and he maintained that the present occupier of the town clerk's position entirely lacked tact. Then the departments could be arranged with much better effeot. These were small things, and he was glad indeed that nothing serious could be brought up. He would have to vote for the motion, though he would rather vote the other way. Councillor Anderson baid that probably there was truth in what Councillor Gray said. He objected, however, to the means in which reform was sought to be brought about. He was very much against the form of the proposal, and would rather that the members of the staff should have pointed out to them any particulars in which it was considered they failed. This course, he was persuaded, would have due effect. Councillor Prudhoe considered that Councillor Widdowson had failed to make out a case at all, and he would vote against the motion. Councillor Thomson thought that it would be better, in the interests of the staff, to carry the motion, as that would settle the whole matter, and the good officials would get back into their old places. If the motion lapsed the whole thing might be brought up again at a future date. Councillor Connal opposed the motion. The motion of Councillor Widdowson was then put, and the voting wa3 equal, viz. : — Ayeß — Councillors Widdowson, Bunting, Calder, Thomson, E. Smith, Gray and Cooper ; Noes — Councillors Bonnington, Prudhoe, J. T. Smith, Wood, Anderson, Connal and Paylicg. The Mayor said that he would give his vote against the motion, because if there had been any charges worthy of being made they would have been brought forward in the sub-committee. He had heard nothing serious advanced against any of the officials, and as an Englishman he could not consent to the discharge of a man without strong and sufficient reasons. He declared the- motion lost. The Council ad journed at 11.30 p.m.