MUNICIPAL COUNCIL.

West Coast Times, Issue 868, 4 July 1868, Page 2

MUNICIPAL COUNCIL.

Feiday, Jvly 3.

The usual weekly meeting of the Municipal Council was held last evening at the Council Chambers, Hevell street, at halfpast .seven o'clock. Present — The Mayor, in the chair; Councillors Prosser, Ecclesfield, Paterson, Boyle, M'Beth, Button, Higgin, Bartlett. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed.

BEPOETS IN WEST COAST TIMES.

Cr Prosser said that lie wished to draw the attention of the MayOr to the report of his speech in the "West Coast Times of last week. He had noticed that his remarks which had appeared hi that journal for some time past, when they were opposed to the views of certain representatives in the Council, were always misreported. He compared the reports of the two journals together last week, and while the one was a faithful report the other was not. He admitted that there was often very great difficulty* in following the speakers, but they should be reported as closely as possible. He had been misreported in the Council, and he hoped that the gentleman who had reported, his speech would have his attention" drawn to the matter.

PETITIONS.

Cr Boyle presented apetition from, the inhabitants of Stafford street, requesting that that street might be opened up/ and connected with Sale street. Eeferred to the Public "Works Committee.

COBEESPONDENCE.

A letter was read from Mr Hawkins complaining that the " back frontage " of his allotment had been fenced in. Beferred to the Town Surveyor. A letter was read from Mr Sale, as treasurer of the Dobson Memorial Fund, stating that there was not sufficient funds in Land to do anything to the unsightly hoarding round the memorial; and also stating that Government could not take any action to remedy the evil till notice was drawn to it by the Corporation. JReferred to the Public Works Committee.

The Mayor stated he would like to see some action taken in the matter. He was fully prepared, as he stated before, to light and keep in order two or four lamps for twelve months.

A letter was read from the agent of Mr Manson, -stating that he had received orders from the Surveyor to remove a cottage belonging to Mr Manson, in consequence of a complaint being lodged against it by Mr Cosgrave. — Letter received, and referred to the Public "Works Committee.

A letter was read from Messrs Carey and Gilles, offering to sell the Ruby hulk for £50. — Letter received, and referred to a committee of the whole Council.

Letters were read from Mr Purton, of the Kanieri Tramway, and from Mr Dalrymple, of the Hokitika and Greymouth Tramway, stating that the drivers of the carriages had been furnished with whistles. — Letters received.

A letter was read from Messrs Cheffing and Whitten, asking if the Corporation would grant protection to them if they placed a punt on the Hokitika river. — > .Referred to a committee of the whole Council.

A letter was read from Messrs Staifce and Co., asking permission to store 100 cases of kerosene in the Kerosene Depot. —Permission granted. A letter was read from Mr Harvey, stating that Tanner's securities were liable for the amount of their bonds.

In reply to an observation from the Town Clerk,

Or Button stated that he and Mr Harvey after looking tlmragb. the new Electoral Act, came to the conclusion that a large portion of it did not apply to Hokitika. It applied to boroughs, and Hokitika was a municipality. It would not be applicable to Hokitika till August, when Hokitika would be declared a borough. Under those circumstances Hokitika would remain under the old Act till then.

A letter was read from Mr Bonar, stating that as the Corporation had commenced active operations towards repairing Gibson's % Quay, tlio sum of £281 18s 7d was at the disposal of the Corporation ■—

Tho Town Clerk stated that lie had* ruado aj>plication and received the money. . The Mayor protested against the interferenco of the Chairman of the County Council in- the affairs of the Corporation. The Chairman himself had said in the County Council that he could not interfere in the distribution of the surplus revenue and the manner in which it was expended, and yet in the face of that he sont the Corporation the letter which had just been read. There was also another sum of £1000 belonging to the Corporation, and lie thought the only reason Why

they had not received it was that the Government had not got the money. Cr Higgin could not see what right the Government had to interfere in the laying out of the surplus revenue. With the wharfage rates it might be deferred. It was resolved that the letter be referred to the same committee as the previous one of Mr Bonar's on the subject, to Xfijport upon it. XThe Town Clerk read a statement of the expenses incurred in the late appeal case of Klein v. Clayton, from which it that a sum of .£2O 6s. 6d. was due by the Corporation to Mr Harvey. The letter was referred to the Finance Committee. TENDERS. The following tenders, for supplying material for erecting a wing dam, were then read: Messrs W. Smith, twenty piless thirty-five feet long, £32 Is 8d ; 200 tons stone, £110 ; Messrs Pullen and Wright, piles, Is s|d per foot ; Hamilton, Nessen and Co., piles, ll^d per foot; Henry Herne, pile, Is 2d per foot ; Livingstone, 200 tons stone, 11s 6d per ton, £115. The tender of Mr Smith, being the lowest, was accepted. BEPOBT OF PUBLIC "WOEKS COMMITTEE. The report of the Public Works Committee was read, as follows :—: — Public Wobks Committee. June 30, 1868. To the Members of the Town Council. G-enteemen — Your Committee met on the above day, and have the honor to report that they considered :—: — « 1. The motion of Councillor Button, for . a site for the Literary Society, and your Committee recommend that a frontage to Hamilton street, of thirty-five feet, by a depth of eighty feet, and adjoining the Union Bank, be granted, and that a public right-of-way on the east side of the Institute be reserved. 2. In compliance with Mr Binney's letter, the Town Surveyor was instructed to fill up the holes in Park street. 3. The application of Messrs Cassius and Comiskey to fill their tanks on the Camp Keserve was granted, subject to the payment of threepence per tank, per week. 4. Your Committee instructed the Town Clerk to write to Mr Dyason, informing him, that his request to erect a weighbridge on Gibson's Quay will be complied with, upon the same terms as offered by Mr Joseph Neil. 5. In reply to Mr Bonar's letter, No. 714, your Committee recommend that the Council (Continued in paae 4>.J