CITY COUNCIL.

Globe, Volume III, Issue 246, 24 March 1875, Page 3

CITY COUNCIL.

A conference between the members of the revenue committee of the City Council, and the members of the Provincial Council for the city, was held at the Council Chamber yesterday afternoon. The following members of the revenue committee were present : —His Worship the Mayor (in the chair), Messrs B. B. Bishop, M. B. Han, and A. J, Raphael. Messrs Andrews and Tancred were present as city members. The Mayor said that they had invited the members for the city in the Provincial Council to be present that day in order to lay certain facts and figures before them relating to the financial position of the Council, and the responsibility res:-ing upon them to carry out the various works in the city. They also desired to have the advice of the city members on the question of obtaining the various fees for licenses, dog tax, &c. He wou'd now read an apology from Dr Turnbull regretting that he could not be present on the occasion, but expressing his entire concurrence in any movement which might have for its object the better recognition by the Provincial Government of the claims of the city of Christchurch. [Read.] What the revenue committee contemplated was to ask the Government and the Council both for a special grant in aid of works which it was urgently necessary should be carried out, and also for the licenses and other fees. With their present revenue they were unable either to keep the city healthy, the streets in repair, or the bridges. In fact, they had not a penny after their weekly pay-sheet, the lighting and official expenses were provided for. They had overrun the constable in trying to carry out works last year, and they had now not a sixpence to spend on any works during the present year. The committee had drawn up a petition to the Provincial Council, which he would ask the town clerk to read.

Cr Bishop said that, before reading the petition, it would be as well to place the members for the city who were present that afternoon in possession of the intentions of the revenue committee. First, then, it was intended that the representatives of the city in the Provincial Council should have handed to them particulars of the works which the Council were required to undertake and for which it was necessary to procure the funds. Next, to request their representatives again to apply to the Provincial Council that the license fees from hotels, &c, and the dog fees, should be handed over to the municipality, and in addition that the Council be requested to hand over by legislation to the Municipal Council the fees payable under the Licensing Act by wholesale dealers and brewers. With a view of carrying this last suggestion into effect, that steps be taken for passing an Ordinance giving such powers to the City Council; that application be made to the Provincial Council to obtain a reserve of 1000 acres on the Forty-mile Beach for sanitary purposes. It was also proposed—That Dr Forster be instructed to prepare a Bill respecting dealers’ fees under 10 of the Licensing Act, and that a copy of the petition of the City Council be sent to every member of the Provincial Council. In order to carry out these objects it was resolved by the committee to have an interview with the Government, request the support of the newspapers, andalsocallapublicmeetingof the ratepayers. This was their programme, and the first step would be perhaps to read the petition. It was in the power of the Provincial Government to impose fees on dealers and brewers, which might be received by the municipal authorities on a Provincial Ordinance to that effect being passed. In Dunedin this was was done, and the corporation received this amount.

Mr Tancred asked whether the dealers did not pay a tax at the present time ? Or Bishop said that at present they had to take out a license, but they paid nothing for it. They paid £1 to Mr Mills under the Distillation Act, which was a totally different thing. The fact was that the imposition of this tax was left by the General Government as a perfectly optional matter with Provincial Legislatures, who could bring in a bill to impose the same. Mr Gordon then read the following petition :

*• To the Hon the Provincial Council of the Province of Canterbury, in Session assembled, the petition of the City Council of Christchurch humbly sheweth—l. That the introduction of immigrants under the scheme of the General Government has had the effect of largely increasing the population of this city. 2. That the safety, health, and convenience of such increase, and the inhabitants generally, necessitate the carrying out of public works upon a more extensive scale than hitherto; 3. That such extension is beyond the means at the disposal of the Council. 4. That the estimate cost of the required works is £56,300, a large portion of which is for those of an urgent nature. 5. That this sum does not include a large amount of money required to carry out a system of drainage. 6. That the funds of the Council are not assisted by an endowment. 7. The Council therefore humbly pray that your honorable House will be pleased to take this matter into its serious and favorable consideration.

Cr Bishop pointed out, that when asking last year that the fees arising from licenses should be placed at their disposal, a doubt arose whether the petition would be received by the Council as asking for a money vote, which was in opposition to the standing orders. For this reason it was omitted this time, and they had resolved to leave the matter in the hands of their representatives. Mr Tancred, though speaking as it were out of court, did not think that there was any danger of the petition being ruled out of order.

Mr Andrews also thought the petition was in order.

Cr Raphael would like to read the ing statement of works urgently required to be carried out by the Council, andrfor which the money would have to be procured. At present he would desire to point out to the city members, the municipality of Christchurch was the poorest endowed of any city in the colony. In other parts of the colony the municipalities had either endowments or

received special grants from the Provincial Governments. Looking to these facts the committee had thought it their duty to confer with the city members, in order to devise some means of meeting their liabilities. The rate for the present year produced £5500, and next year they might look for about £7OOO, which was totally insufficient for their works. He would now read them the estimate of works :

6 new bridges, required at the following streets :—Antigua, Montreal, Hereford, Manchester, Madras, Barbadoes or East belt... £12,000 Water supply, for fire extinction purposes and watering streets ... 10,000 419 chains of streets to form ... 2,933 601 do do to shingle ... 4,507 1200 chains of streets to trim into

proper shape 1.800 120 chains of streets requiring extra shingle or metal 9,600 3000 chains of footpaths to trim

and form 1,600 3000 chains of footpaths to shingle 3,000 Asphalting footpaths in the most important streets, 4ft 6in wide ... 6,000 200 additional gas lamps 2,000 240 chains of fencing along river and open ditches 960 New Fire Brigade station, Market place 1,000

Baths, including purchase of land... 1,500 Public urinals 500

Drainage—--3917 chains of channelling ... 41,128 Additional brickwork required to main outfall drain 440 Underground drains required ... 10,000

£107,868 In other cities when they found they could not carry on, they fell back upon the Government to pay for them, but they here preferred to stop the works. In Dunedin they had an endowment from the Government, while here the Council while voting £30,000 for roads in the Ashburton district, refused to recognise the right of the city to a portion of the revenues. He would point out that it was well known that the town made the # country, and yet they persistently refused to recognise what was a plain right. ' The Mayor would des're to point out that under the Municipal Corporations Act the utmost limit of their rating power was Is in the £ special rate, and Is in the £ general, or 2s in the £ in all, and he thought if this amount was enforced it was quite as much as they could expect people to pay—indeed, ,too much. With regard to the borrowing power of the city he might say it was in. tended to ask the General Assembly to extend the time from fifteen years to fifty, as it wag utterly useless to think of borrowing money with the prospect of haying to raise a large special rate for the purpose of paying it back again in so short a time. Their expenses, exclusive of official salaries, was about £SO per week, and when they came to pay lighting and current expenses they had not a shilling left to pay for building or repairing bridges, &c.

After a lengthy conversational discussion, Mr Tancred suggested that the City Council should apply to the Government for the sum required, and allow it to be spread over three years, Cr Raphael moved—“ That the Council request the Government to grant a sum of £IOB,OOO, being the estimated amount of works required for the city of Christchurch, such amount to be spread over three years.” Or Bishop seconded the motion, which was agreed to. Cr Hart moved—“ That the members for the city be requested to use their utmost endeavors to procure for* the City Council the funds arising from hotel licenses, auctioneers’ licenses, dog tax, and the wholesale and brewers’ licenses.”

Cr Bishop seconded the motion, which was carried.

Cr Hart moved—“ That a deputation comprising the revenue committee of the Council wait upon the Government to lay before them the schedule of works required to be done, and ask them for their support of a grant in aid of the same at the next session of the Provincial Council.”

Cr Raphael seconded the motion, which was agreed to. It was resolved that copies of the petition, schedule, and other papers be printed and sent round to the members of the Provincial Council. The meeting then adjourned.