CITY COUNCIL.

Globe, Volume II, Issue 174, 29 December 1874, Page 2

CITY COUNCIL.

Monday, December 28. The usual weekly meeting was held in the Council Chambers. Present—His Worship the Mayor, and Crs Ick, Bishop, Jones, Raphael, and Gapes. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. The town clerk reported the receipts for the week to be as follows:—From rate collector, account general city rates, 1874, £6B 7s; Waimakariri do, £ll 7s lOd; fines from R. M. Court, £9 10s; rent from Market place, 7s; total receipts, £B9 11s 10s. Credit at bank on general account, £6O 4s; drainage account, creditor, £3593 15s 8d; drainage rate account, creditor, £I2OO 2s sd; wages, &c, to be paid on general account, £l2l 4s 3d; on drainage account, £4B 14s 4d. The Mayor said that the town clerk had been verbally informed that the Hackney Carriage Bye-law would not be disallowed by the Government, and it would, no doubt, be gazetted during the week. The sanitary committee had met that morning and drawn up a short report, which would be laid before the Council during the evening. The city surveyor reported:— “1. I have had a new watering place made at Armagh street bridge, in lieu of the one which was closed. “2. I received instructions some time back to have the overflow ditch running from the East belt alongside the main drain lined with boards, and as I may find an opportunity of commencing this shortly, I would like to suggest for the Council’s consideration the building of a brick invert instead of boards, which at some future time could have an arch turned over it, and so be converted into a covered sewer. The brick invert would cost about £2 more per chain than the boarded work.

“ 3. As wilful damage has been done in various parts of the city to fencing, culverts, lamps, &c., I have received instructions from the works committee to offer a reward by placards for the conviction of the offenders.” The various clauses in the report were approved as read. A letter was read from the Commissioner of Police in reply, stating that the Inspector had been notified of the Council’s permission to S. S. Brighting, fish hawker, to stand for fifteen minutes with his cart before the door of a customer.

A letter was read from Mr George Croll resigning his appointment as engineer to the tire brigade. The resignation of Mr Croll was accepted. In conjunction with this letter a report was read from the tire brigade committee, expressing in eulogistic terms their approval of Mr CrolTs action during his six years’ service in the Christchurch tire brigade; also recommending the tilling up of engineer appointments in the brigade, and again urging the necessity of proceeding with the erection of suitable buildings at the market place, as the present buildings are unfit for the officers of the brigade with families and valuable plant therein. The following interim report was brought up by the sanitary committee:— “ The sanitary committee beg to recommend the two pits, being those last filled, to be covered with lime, and after being slacked to be then covered with earth. “ The committee append a letter from the contractor for the consideration of tl e Council. *• With reference to the letter from Mr McCardell, your committee gave instruction to the inspector to visit the premises

complained of, and the result he has reported in hie journal.” The contractor in the letter referred to, stated that he was willing to meet the views of the Coun< il by having his drays removed from the public roads at five o’clock during the summer mornings, and six o’clock in the winter months. He was also agreeable to bury the soil as recommended by the sanitary committee at an extra charge of £3 10s per week. Or Jones said that it was also the intention of the sanitary committee to have all the pits covered as suggested in tl;e report, and he would ask the Council to give the committee authority to obtain fifty bushels of lime for this purpose. Before this lime would be ordered it was their intention to obtain professional opinion of the efficacy of lime for this purpose. His Worship explained that the means about to be taken were merely provisional. A full report would be brought up at a future time, and he thought it would, in the meantime, be advisable to recompence the contractor for the extra expense he would be put to. On the motion of Cr Gapes, seconded by Cr Raphael, it was resolved—“To pay £3 10s to the contractor, for a period not to exceed three months.”

The report was adopted as a whole, power being given to the sanitary committee to take any temporary steps that may be deemed advisable.

The weekly report of the inspector of nuisances was read and approved. Cr Bishop referred to what he had seen in the papers, with reference to St John’s school, where 200 children were crowded into the school, which was only intended for 200. He had also read that the children were taught outside in fine weather, and he thought that, even as a sanitary measure, some means should be taken to remedy this state of things. It was explained to Cr Bishop that this overcrowding had now ceased, ns the committee had taken a school in Lichfield street, which relieved the overcrowding complained of. The letter from the City Council of Auckland, requesting the co-operation of the Christchurch Council in their application to the Assembly for an Act, giving powers to Corporations to supply cities with gas, was considered.

After some discussion, Cr Ick moved—- “ That this Council co-operate with the City Council of Auckland in obtaining an Act of the General Assembly in terms of their letter of 30th November, 1874.” Cr Gapes seconded the motion, which was carried.

Discussion on Cr Raphael’s notice of motion, relative to a premium for the best essay on the subject of deodorisation, was, by leave of the Council, postponed for a fortnight. It was resolved, on the motion of Cr Gapes—“ That the town clerk write to Cr Hart, asking him to withdraw the city seal from his advertisement.” It was decided that the offices of the Council should be closed on Friday and Saturday next. The Council then adjourned. NOTICE OF MOTION. Cr Ick gave notice of the following motion for Monday next:—“ That, having in view the greatly increasing population settling down immediately outside the present city boundaries, and the probable extension of the city of Christchurch at no distant date, no general system of drainage or sanitary improvement will be satisfactory which does not embrace part of the districts known as the Heathcote* Avon, Spreydou, and Riccarton. And this Council is therefore prepared to vote a sum of £l5O by way of supplement to the offer made by the ex-Mayor M. B. Hart (with his consent) for the best essay on the subject of drainage and sanitary improvement of the city of Christchurch and suburbs as above mentioned.”