BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Globe, Volume IV, Issue 381, 1 September 1875, Page 2

BOROUGH COUNCIL.

LYTTELTON. The meeting took place as usual on Monday night. Present —Crs Chalmers, Hawkins, Buist, Graham, Murray, Allwright, and Grange. In the absence of his Worship the Mayor, Or Chalmers took the chair. The minutes were read and confirmed. The clerk stated he had received since last meeting £46 3s; ■i Correspondence was read from Mr D. Craig, of the Insurance Association, in reply to the letter from the Council, asking the Insurance Association to supplement the efforts of the town of Lyttelton to obtain a steam fire engine, stating that the matter would be laid before the Insurance Association at its next monthly meeting. from Mr P. Cunningham re bridle path, stating that Mr Stinson had offered land sufficient for a cart track up the bridle path at £4O, but that this offer was only open till Monday, 30th August, and asking the Council to purchase for the following reasons: —“ Should Mr Stinson put up the fence on his land, and the Council then purchase, the cost would be doubled. If the Council do not purchase, but allow the track to be stopped, they would probably have to make another, which in 'the opinion of competent judges, would cost from £l5O to £2OO. His Worship here entered and took the chair. The Mayor said that if Mr Stinson followed the line given to him by the Council surveyor, there would be hardly room for a wheelbarrow to pass at one point. Cr Chalmers thought it was unnecessary to buy Mr Stinson’s land j if the land were

not bought, the road need not be blocked up, for an expenditure of £5, or at any rate under £lO, would make the road passable. Cr Allwright said he wondered u any arrangement could be made by which air Stinson would defer fencing for six months. The oiler of Mr Stinson to sell the land tor £lO was, he considered, a good one lor the Council, as the price was very moderate. Or Chalmers moved, and Cr Murray seconded—“ That should the bridle path become blocked up, temporary measures should be taken to keep it open ” Carried. From Mr J. Illingworth, ashing that tae ni"ht cart might be placed at the back ol t le pound, instead of on the Sumner road. Cr Allwright moved—" That the scavenger be allowed to erect a shed at the back of the pound to keep the night cart in, always provided it is so kept that it is no nuisance. Seconded by Or Buist, and carried. From the Lyttelton Gas, Coal, and Coke Company, asking permission to lay down the gas mains throughout the town. _ Cr Chalmers moved, and Or Buist seconded—" That the application of the Gas Company be acceded to.” Carried. From the Secretary for Public Works asking if the Council were willing to grant an acre of land at the flagstaff site, for building a tower for the time ball. Cr Allwright moved, and ■ Cr Murray seconded—" That permission be granted. Carried. , , . In reference to the proposed loan tor drainage, his Worship stated that their solicitor was of opinion that the Council could not mortgage their estates. His Worship further stated that he had been examining into their financial position for for the last day or two. He found that their overdraft was £902 4s lid, and their assets £1129, so that they were really solvent. The following is a detailed statement of the assets :—Rates due 1873-74, £6°; do, 1874-5, £650 ; rents to October 30th, £94; Government grant for Sumner road, £IOO ; debt, Hester, £25 ; value of property brought from Calo, £2OO ; total, £1129. The following return of the expenditure on the upper part of Oxford street, as asked for by Cr Allwright, was read by his Worship :—Bricks for sewer, £23 11s 3d ; rope for trucks, £7 18s 7d ; nails for kerbing, rails, &c, £3 13s ; tools, £lO 14s ; grease for waggons, £1 7s 8d ; timber for rails and sleepers, £lO ; do, kerbing, &c, £l7 15s 5d ; cement for sewers and cesspools, £l3 os ; iron work for trucks and rails, £22 19s 4d ; repairing trucks, £8 12s 4d ; waggon wheels, £2 12s ; carting, £ls ; metal (300yds), £93 ; pipes for drain, £4 5s ; labor for culvert, £l2 15s—total, £247 9s 7d, His Worship said they would see that one large item was for metal, and that some of the plant purchased was still available for use in other parts of the borough. The Mayor said he had not yet seen Mr Coster on the subject of the covering iu the gully. Cr Chalmers said they should get the Government to do the whole of the engineering up to the mouth of the gully. Accounts were passed amounting to £lB 8s Id. The Mayor said that as he himself was a candidate, he could not well act as returning officer at the ensuing election. He would suggest that Mr Woledge should be asked to act. Cr Chalmers said that as their overdraft was so large some Cr might volunteer to do it for nothing. Cr Grange seconded the Mayor’s propo sition, and Cr Murray supported it, Cr Allwright also spoke iu favor of the Mayor’s proposition, and the motion was then put and carried. Cr Buist said that the smell from the slaughter yards near the orphanage was very offensive. The matter was referred tc the inspector of nuisances. Cr Chalmers asked what course the Mayor proposed to take with regard to their financial position now the loan was not to be proceeded with. True their assets were more than equal to their liabilities, but then could those assets be realised in time to cancel the overdraft before the Ist November next ? Ho thought not. The Mayor said he should like to see a financial committee appointed. Cr Allwright said it was no good to elect a finance committee till the new members bad taken their seats, as soon as that occurred he intended to move for the appointment of such a committee. The Council then adjourned.