CITY COUNCIL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6140, 29 March 1898, Page 1

CITY COUNCIL.

ORDINARY MEETING. An ordinary meeting of tlie Christchurch City Council was held yesterday evening ; present— the Mayor, and Councillors Gray] Samuels, Woods, Andrews, Sandstein] Hamilton, Morris, Stapleton, Kincaid' Prudhoe, Payliug, Smith, Sorensen and Loughnan. 1 FINANCE. Items of finance were reported as follows : — Debit balance at bank, .£8359 8s 2d. lteceipts since last meeting — General account, ,£232 15s 7d; cemetery account, £13 12s 6d ; suspense accouut, £4,9 15s 4d ; interest account, .£2O 133 9d. Expenditure —General account, .£1794 17s lid; loan account, .£SB 2s Id; suspense account, .£480; cemetery account, .£2B 11s 2d; interest account, .£462 3s 9d. CORRESPONDENCE. A letter was received from Mr J. W. Pye, Chairman of the Geraldine Domain Board, thanking 1 the Council for its gift of a pair of swans. CITY SURVEYOR'S REPORT. The City Surveyor reported that the Works Committee, having called : for fresh tenders for cement, now recommended that Messrs Mason, Strainers and Co.'s should be accepted for the imported article, and Mr H. B. Kirk's for the colonial. The ordinary work of the, city, the erection of the clock tower and the Richmond drainage, had made satisfactory progress during the last fortnight. The report was adopted. A PUBLIC MORGUE. The Eeserves Committee reported that the committee, after very carefully considering the question of a site for a public morgue, again strongly recommended the site originally selected, at Colombo and Chester Streets. The question of using the Council's section on the South Belt had been gone into, but the committee thought that it was not sufficiently central. Councillor.Kincaid moved, and Councillor Morris seconded, the adoption of the report. Councillor Gray strongly opposed the adoption of the report, and said that if the Conncil rejected it, he would move for the erection of a morgue on the South Belt site. The report was opposed by Councillors Pay ling, Smith, Samuels, Woods and Prudhoe, and supported by Councillors Loughnan, Andrews, Sorensen, Stapleton and Hamilton. The motion was carried by eight to six. Ayes— Councillors Kincaid, Andrews, Sandstein, Hamilton, Morris, Stap n 9ton, Loughnan and Sorensen. Noes — Councillors Gray, Samuels, Woods, Prudhoe, Payling and Smith. Councillor Gray subsequently gave notice of a motion for rescinding the resolution. • - . .V SANITARY CO3IMITTEE. . The report of the Sanitary Committee stated that— (1) The committee considered that the Council should have its own abattoirs, and no time should be lost in bringing the matter to a head. (2) The committee drew the attention of the Council to the present practice of shopkeepers sweeping their frontages after nine o'clock a.m., and recommended that the hour should be altered to eight o'clock, as the present practice interfered with the public traffic and convenience. (3) The committee noticed, with pleasure, that members of the medical profession had again commenced to send in their reports of the infectious diseases they wt-re attending, as it would give the Council the opportunity o:f specially inspecting the places in the interests of the citizens and public safety. Councillor Smith moved — " That Clause 1 be referred to the Special Committee appointed to consider the question of establishing abattoirs." Councillor Sorensen moved the adoption of the clause, which was seconded by Councillor Stapleton, who remarked that the butchers strongly objected to the work of public abattoirs being carried on by either of the freezing companies. He thought it would be very unadvisable for the Council to allow any private company to do the work which should be done in publio abattoirs. Councillor Smith's motion was supported by Councillors Payling and Sandstein, and Councillor Sorensen, as chairman of the Sanitary Committee, withdrew Clause 1 of the report. . Councillor Sorensen moved the adoption of Clause 2. Councillor Sandstein, moved an amendment providing that shopkeepers should be permitted to sweep their frontages until 9 a.m. The Mayor considered that the clause as drawn was inoperative. The best thing for the Council to do was to pass a resolution recommending citizens not to sweep out their premises after a certain hour. There was no by-law fixing the time for sweeping out shops, but there was a bylaw forbidding the sweepings of shops being swept into the street. After further discussion Councillor Sorensen altered his motion so as to recommend shopkeepers not to sweep out their shops after 9 a.m., and in that form it was carried unanimously. THE CLOCK TOWER. *[n reply to Councillor Gray, Councillor Prudhoe (chairman of the Works Committee) said that the advertisement calling for tenders for advertising on the hoarding around the Diamond Jubilee clock tower had been inserted by authority of the Works Committee, because they understood that the tower would not be finished for three months. Councillor Kincaid said that several business firms in the neighbourhood wished the hoarding, or part of it, removed. If room were wanted for storing material for the tower, he had authority for saying that it could be put in Messrs Edwards, Bennetts' yard. He moved — " That as much of the hoarding as is not necessary for the public safety be removed at once." Councillor Gray seconded the motion. Councillor Samuels said that the Works Committee would remove the hoarding as soon as they could in the interest of the public safety, and not a moment before. After further discussion the Mayor said that if the Council's expert, the City Surveyor, thought it unsafe to remove the hoarding it would be very unwise to remove it. In reply to the Mayor, the City Surveyor said that he thought it would not be safe to remove any of the hoarding at present. The motion was negatived. Councillor Sorensen, chairman of the Sanitary Committee, was appointed a member of the Special Abattoirs Committee. After granting licenses the Council rose.