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Sydney City Council

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Reports of the Improvement Committee, 1843-1887 [Municipal Council of Sydney]

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Items in this series (9)

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Minutes of the Improvement Committee [Municipal Council of Sydney], 1843-1891

Description

Unique IDAS-0010DateBetween 21st July 1843 and 8th May 1891Date qualifiercircaFormatVolume - Leather BoundShort descriptionThis series contains the minutes of Meetings of the Improvement Committee, 1844-1891 and its predecessor the Board of Works Committee, 1843-1844. The committee managed the construction, maintenance, repair and cleaning of streets and various structures.DescriptionThis series contains the minutes of meetings of the Improvement Committee (AG-0119) for the period 30/11/1844 to 08/05/1891, and its predecessor the Board of Works Committee (AG-0120) for the period 28/08/1843 to 30/11/1844.

The minutes record decisions made by the committee concerning the management (including construction, maintenance, repair and cleansing) of City Streets, surface drains, bridges, steps and stairs, wharves and jetties, parks, structures within parks such as the Exhibition Building, public baths, depots and produce markets. This includes minor works to streets as well as major projects such as the Argyle Street Cut, and the removal of night soil.

On 21 July 1843 Council appointed a committee consisting of three aldermen with the City Surveyor "for the purpose of employing men on the streets of the City". The number of men was not to exceed thirty. On 18 August two more aldermen were added to the Committee and a number of men were employed.

However, on 25 August Council passed a resolution increasing the number to not more than 300 married men because ‘great distress prevailed amongst the Labouring Classes for want of employment, and ... the Streets of the City required more hands to repair them.’

A committee of the whole Council met on 26 August to interrogate 166 applicants on their name, length of residence in the City, and number of children. This was the first time the Committee was referred to as the Board of Works. On 28 August fifty married men with families were employed (although on 2 September ten of these were discharged for idleness and 63 others were employed). The Committee then turned its attention to tendering for picks and spades.

On 5 September the committee called its first tenders for horses and carts and on 8 September employed the first six. The Council was obviously having problems with some of the men it employed as it resolved on 17 November 1843 ‘That in future the Committee will refuse to employ any labourer on the streets of the City without a personal knowledge of his needy circumstances and his deserving character, and members are requested to furnish the City Surveyor with a Certificate of the same previously to his employment’.

The early minutes sometimes list the names of men to be employed and discharged, and also the names of contractors. As early as 1845 the minutes show that the Committee was paying small amounts of compensation to men unable to work because of work-related injuries. Management of street improvements and drainage was relevant to the work of the City Health Officer so the minutes often include reports from him on unsanitary conditions in parts of the City.

All of the volumes are indexed except for volumes 1 and 3, although volume 1 has summaries of the resolutions written in the margins.

From 1885 to 1891 the committee met only four times, 20 November 1885, 16 September 1886, 25 August 1887, and 7 May 1891.
Relationship summaryRELATED TO: Management of parks and reserves AY-0084 (07/06/1866 to 8/5/1891)
RELATED TO: Provision and management of public toilets AY-0039 (01/05/1857 to 8/5/1891)
RELATED TO: Management of sports facilities, swimming pools, recreation and community centres AY-0037 (04/05/1857 to 8/5/1891)
RELATED TO: Construction and maintenance of buildings and structures AY-0001 (28/8/1843 to 8/5/1891)
RELATED TO: Reports of the Improvement Committee AS-0023 (20/10/1843 to 14/9/1887)
RELATED TO: Street furniture management, including fruit and news stands AY-0112 (28/10/1843 to 8/5/1891)
RELATED TO: Depots management AY-0097 (28/8/1843 to 8/5/1891)
RELATED TO: Architectural and engineering design and drafting AY-0087 (28/8/1843 to 8/5/1891)
RELATED TO: Contractual arrangements for the supply of goods and services AY-0077 (28/8/1843 to 8/5/1891)
RELATED TO: Street openings AY-0050 (28/8/1843 to 8/5/1891)
RELATED TO: Construction and repair of bridges, overpasses and tunnels AY-0049 (28/8/1843 to 8/5/1891)
RELATED TO: Surveying AY-0046 (28/8/1843 to 8/5/1891)
RELATED TO: Management of Council property AY-0019 (28/8/1843 to 8/5/1891)
RELATED TO: Purchase and sale of land and buildings AY-0018 (28/8/1843 to 8/5/1891)
RELATED TO: Disposal of waste by punting, tipping or destruction AY-0008 (28/8/1843 to 8/5/1891)
RELATED TO: Removal of waste from streets, public places and premises AY-0005 (28/8/1843 to 8/5/1891)
RELATED TO: Regulation of produce, fish and livestock markets AY-0002 (28/8/1843 to 8/5/1891)
RELATED TO: Meetings of Council and Committees AY-0060 (26/8/1843 to 8/5/1891)
RELATED TO: Allocation and changes of street names and street numbers AY-0051 (19/11/1875 to 19/11/1875)
RELATED TO: Road construction and maintenance AY-0047 (28/8/1843 to 8/5/1891)
RELATED TO: Drainage works and maintenance AY-0101 (28/8/1843 to 8/5/1891) LanguageEnglish (eng)

Item

Minutes - Improvement Committee, 1872-1891 (vol. F)

Minutes - Improvement Committee, 1865-1871 (vol. E)

Minutes - Improvement Committee, 1862-1864 (vol. D)

Minutes - Improvement Committee, 1860-1861 (vol. C)

Minutes - Improvement Committee, 1858-1860 (vol. B)

Minutes - Improvement Committee, 1857-1858 (vol. A)

Minutes - Improvement Committee, 1857

Minutes - Improvement Committee, 1847-1853

Minutes: Board of Works Committee, 1843-1844; Improvement Committee, 1844-1846

Box

CSA047069

CSA047068

CSA047067

CSA047066

CSA047065

CSA047064

Series

Committee Reports (Various committees), 1842-1899

Minutes of the Finance Committee I [Municipal Council of Sydney], 1846-1973

Access

Public access statusOpen to public access

Identification and Arrangement

Source system ID10System of arrangementChronological

Digitisation

Digitisation statusNot digitised

Data Quality

Authenticity & integrityThese are the original Minutes of the Improvement Committee of the Municipal Council of Sydney. The record has been held in the Council’s custody and has a high level of authenticity. Users should be aware that this is an historical record and the language used within the record was the language of the time it was captured, and may not reflect current community values or expectations.

Relationships

OrganisationSydney City CouncilRelated seriesReports of the Improvement Committee, 1843-1887 [Municipal Council of Sydney]Creating agenciesBoard of Works CommitteeImprovement CommitteeRelated activitiesDrainage works and maintenanceRoad construction and maintenanceAllocation and changes of street names and street numbersMeetings of Council and CommitteesRegulation of produce, fish and livestock marketsRemoval of waste from streets, public places and premisesDisposal of waste by punting, tipping or destructionPurchase and sale of land and buildingsManagement of Council propertySurveyingConstruction and repair of bridges, overpasses and tunnelsStreet openingsContractual arrangements for the supply of goods and servicesArchitectural and engineering design and draftingDepots managementStreet furniture management, including fruit and news standsConstruction and maintenance of buildings and structuresManagement of sports facilities, swimming pools, recreation and community centresProvision and management of public toiletsManagement of parks and reserves

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Minutes of the Improvement Committee [Municipal Council of Sydney], 1843-1891