NRS-16872 | Lighting Committee minutes [Leichhardt Council]

This series consists of minutes from meetings of the Leichhardt Council Lighting Committee. The minutes are in volumes arranged chronologically by date of meeting. The initial minutes are hand written while the later minutes are typed. The final volume of minutes in this series have been bound together with minutes from a number of Leichhardt Council committees.Included in the minutes are the time, date and place of the meeting; and the names of the councillors attending the meeting. Generally, the minutes are signed by the Committee chairman. Matters recorded include recommendations relating to the erection, relocation, shutting down, relighting and removal of coal gas street lamps (usually identified by street location and lamp number). Other matters referred to include attachment of street names to lamps; management of the lighting rate; election of the Committee Chairman and Vice Chairman; and details of correspondence about lighting with residents, the Australian Gas Light Company (supplier of gas to Sydney municipalities), Tramway authorities, other municipalities etc.The date the Lighting Committee was established and ceased to operate is subject to research however it is clear from the minutes in this series the committee was already established by 11 April 1888. Previous to the establishment of the Lighting Committee it is probable that the committee's role in relation to street gas lighting was first performed by the Works Committee. References to the erection of gas lighting can be found in the Works Committee Minutes of 3 September 1883.The Municipalities Act of 1858 (22 Vic. No.13) empowered municipalities in the colony to construct and maintain works relating to lighting with gas. Section 189 of the Municipalities Act of 1897 (Act No.23, 1897) stated that 'Any council may do all things necessary to light the streets and public places of a municipality with gas, and to supply gas to the inhabitants thereof. Furthermore, councils could: 'erect lamp-posts with all fittings thereto, in the streets'. Under Section 109 of the Local Government Act of 1906 (Act No.56, 1906) council powers were widened to include that of 'the manufacture and supply of gas' and 'the manufacture and supply of electricity'.Section 109 of the Municipalities Act of 1867 (31 Vic. No.12), which was assented to on 23 December 1867, allowed municipal councils to appoint either standing committees or occasional (special) committees, composed of councillors, and to delegate to the committees 'any inquiry negotiation or arrangement or power to do any emergent act or to carry out any work which such Council may have ordered agreed to or directed'. However, committees had to report to the council at the earliest opportunity. The reports and recommendations document the decisions made by the Committee at its meetings. The minutes of each meeting of the Committee were confirmed at the following committee meeting and signed by the chairman to guarantee that they were a true and accurate record.However such recommendations were not binding upon Council. The Committee's recommendations were normally submitted to the next Council meeting. Council could reject the recommendation, send the recommendation back to the committee for further discussion, amend the recommendation, or accept the recommendation. The recommendations were not binding upon Council unless, and until, adopted by Council as shown in the minutes of the Council meeting.