THE CITY'S ROADS

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16432, 28 January 1919, Page 8

THE CITY'S ROADS

CRITICISM OF CITY COUNCIL ' COMMITTEE. r 3 1 His administration cf the City Connoil's Works Committee was the subject ' of some candid comment at the meeting of the Council last evening. The subject was brought up bv Cr. Bcanlaud, chairman of the committee who took strong exception to a statement alleged to have been made bv another councillor at a public meeting criticising the committee's tion. He said this councillor had stated that the work of the Council i was costing 23 per cent, more than ft ■ should cost. In rebuttal of this Cr. Beanland said he had looked up various reports and figures concerning the votes and expenditure of the Council during recent years. In 1913-14 be- • fore Avonside and St. Martin's came in the vote had been £44,163 and the expenditure £-14,173. He was leavin" . out lighting from this calculation, and there was 110 war bonus. In 1915-16 the vote was £.51,054 and the expendi- ' ture £50,340, with war pay amounting to £411. In 1916-17 the vote went up to £32.574, but the expenditure was kept down to £50,340, and the war bonus was £1508 and the war pav vote £753, while they spent in war pay £2121. In 1917-18 the city comprised a much larger area, which included Avonside, St. Mai tin's, and Opawa to look after, and the cost of material had gone up considerably. The vote that year was £55,727, but they had only expended £51.290. If councillors would remember, the Council at that time discussed the raising of the rate, and it was agreed that it had to be a question of economising or raising the rate. As a result the various oommiLtees had to effect a saving and the Works Committee had only 'spent out of their vote £50,290, the War pay amounting to £2480. In these figures they had not only to contend with the question of war pay, but the price of t.ieir material had gone up over 7 per pent, since 1913-14, whilst the average increase on general material had been about 2o per cent. The Works Committee were paying now 2d per gallon more for their tar. of which they were using a great quantity at the present tune. On these figures no one could say the committee had been extravagant. At the same meeting this par- . ticular councillor had said the com- . mittee had six carts going out each , morning collecting the fish offal of ' the city. The fact was that a cart went out at 5.30 a.m. with two men and another went out at 6.30 with one man. After a holiday perhaps an extra cart went out, and perhaps the foreman went out to see if extra work was required. , The 'statements which had been made should not go out to the public unless they could be proved to the hilt. This councillor had also said at the last meeting of the Council that their caretaker lived in a slum*. He (Cr. Beanland) had been through the Council's building that night, and he would like. other councillors to do the same. The caretaker's rooms were anything but a slum; in fact, if any of the workers in the city lived as well thoy would.be quite all right. Cr. Howard said if he were the unfortunate person referred to, he stood by every statement he had made. He regretted that by a misprint in the report in the paper he had been represented as saying fish carts instead of dust carts. AVnat Cr. Beanland had tried to prove that night was that the Works Committee had saved a certain amount of'money. He (Cr. Howard) charged the Wprks Committee now. with, a general want of organisation 1 and administration. The general work of the city was badly organised', and,; consequently, they got the work.of the city done .in a bad way. In the course of "further remarks, Cr. Howard said, he had not intended to- hurt the feel~ • ings of the Council's caretaker and his wife in his remdrks concerning their domicile. Their place was spotlessly clean. They had not had a bath-until, recently. Cr. Herbert: You mean they have not had a bath put in. (Laughter.) Cr. Howard: /'Yes, they have not had a bath put in." Ct. Howard said that if a fire broke out in the caretaker's quarters they would not stand a dog's chance. ' He challenged Cr. MoKellar to stand upright "in their rooms. Cr. Herbert endorsed Cr. Howard's statement. The Works Committee was the' most incompetent committee the Council had. -In the Mile road there wore holes one could bury oneself in, and sevei al contiguous streets ■ were. in an equally had way. The Works Committee were saving money because they were not doing any work. There was no chance of doing effective work until they had the whole Council as a Works Committee. • Cr. EH criticised the proposed new shelter in Buckley's road. Cir. Sullivan also endorsed Cr. Howard's statements. There was serious discontent, he alleged, on the part of the business community with the state of the roads. If the Council had had the courage to adopt the late Mr T. E. -Taylor's scheme they would . have been able to keep their roads in good condition. He asked why the Works Committee had not gone into the question of opening up the Council's quarry at Birdling's Flat? They would never be able to reduce the cost of maintenance of their streets until they adopted something in the nature hie had indicated. The only courage the committee had shown was in keeping Labour members of the Council off its personnel. Cr. Flesher said there was a right and a proper time for making complaints. He objected to the delay in criticism of some councillors. / Cr. Hayward said he had to visit various parts of the Dominion, and he had found .that' the roads of Christchurch were better than anywhere else. hear.). He had. not seen any thoroughfare in Christchuch that 'was in the deplorable condition that the Wiellington-Petone road was in. 1 The discussion then.ended.