LYTTELTON NEWS.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17125, 21 April 1921, Page 10

LYTTELTON NEWS.

BOHOUGH COUNCIL. The Lyttelton Borough Council met last evening. Present—The Mayor (Mr W. T. Lester), Crs. W. P. Elliott, J. JI. Collins, J. J. Gower, G. WMtford, J. T. Norton, G-. Morris, M. J. Miller and J. R. Webb. The Mayor said tie meeting was the last -one of the present Council, and ho could rot let the occasion pass' without referring to the careful manner in which ihe • Council had earned on the affairs of the borough curing the past two years. The high cost of materials and the scarcity of .labour had naturally prevented some works being carried out. The Council . had, iluiing their term of office, done what very few local bodies in the Dominion had accomplished in recent years. Nearly every other local body had to report a skght retrograde movement in regard : to finances. Lyttoltou had gone ahead, and the work of "the past two ytars showed a balance ol £5313 to the good; m other words, the Council's overdraft had been reduced by that amount. It was a position of which the Council and the people of Lyttelton might well be proud. This creditable state of the finances was largely attributable to the careful management of the staff.. A glance at the affairs of some other boroughs would show how fortunate Lyttelton was in having such a staff. An outstanding feature in the affairs of the borough was the great advance made by the gasworks. ' "With the introduction of electricity to the town it was predicted by many that the usefulness of tho gasworks would re practically at an end. The prediction was entirely wrong; the gasworks was nt present working to capacity, and was selling more gas than ever before, a position which reflected great credit on the. gas managnr and his staff. In conclusion,. the Mayor moved—, ''That this Council, on the'eve of its i«tireinent, desires to be recorded on the minutes n rcso'utiori .expifssing the Council's fullest appreciation of the. work of the staff during the past two years," m The motion was seoonded by Or. J. XV Norton and carried. Notice of the intended sitting of the. Royal Commission 'on-'Hospital Matters was received. Itwas •.lecided'+o take no action. The Minister ,of Public' Works fioknojv-' lodged receipt of the Council's letter endorsing the action' of the Canterbury Progress League" in bringing" under the notice of the Government the •'urgent necessity of ctnrying: out the- permanent work of the diversioivpf the Harper river into Laite Coleriis>».. The Minister stated tha* he would givo' the matter Ms ca.reful consideration. The letter was received. „.: The Officer Commanding 9, Southern Military,District,..'wrote,outlining a proposal for li display in lyaauous centres throughout the Dominion ■ of. war trophies and articles manufactured in vocational workshops, and asking for suggestions from the Council as to a. suitable date for'a display to be made in-Lvtielton. The matter was referred to the Finance Committee. v ; Mr J. D. Bundy wrote in connexion wrtdi his offer of land to the: Council to widen the comer of Brittain terrace, and stated he would' leave it to- the borough. engin.*r to take whatever land was required to make a good' corner. It was decided to accept the offer with thanks,. the work to ho commenced forthwith. It was-decided to .infonp' Mr W. Tlarkess fchat Ids reouest for an approach to his property o'n,.Reser\»e terrace wouM he if he would undertake to pay half the cost. The engineer was instructed to prepare an .oatithate of the coslb o£. making •>• footpath on the bank side rtl Reserve ten-ace, from the corner by Mr Fos*ter> residence to Randolph, terrace. '.,.,« In regard to the letter received from the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants (Guards' Branch) at ithe last merging of the Council, it was decided, on the recommendation of the Waterworks Committee, that <he engineer should inspect the mains in the tunnel .and report on the cost of encasing the pipes in concrete Or timber Mr H. G.outfh- -was appointed 'driver • -in charge of the Exeter street pumping station, and also inspector of water tape, etc., in the borough. '•.■"• The .question of the observance of. Anzac Da.y was discussed, and it was decided, on the motion of 'Cr. Milleir, that the matter should bo left in the hands of the Mayor, to arrange a combined service if ]Msaible. Cr. Collins moved; Cr Morris, .secondod, and lit" -was carried, that tfhe Works Committee- proceed with the improvement of the Recreation Grourri'at' Officers* Point,! <md adeo confer, with the Lyttelton Sports Club on the question of nrecting ft suitable building for a. dressing Shed. At the eortclonion of the . meeting the Mover thanked the Council for their support. The town , clerk prenonted the 'ohnnol* re--portffor the yea.r ended ,on MatcH 3l«t, 1921. The-!report stated that the iwr commenced w*tii> o deftjt "balance "in the district' fiind" account of £11,844 Is 4d, and' closed with a debit of' £9513 .18s 8d- the balance? for .the lart • three yeaTS being as follows: —1919, debit £ls 306: 1920, . debft' £1.1,844; 1921,' debit £9513, showing'a-,T*duotioiT!r for >;Khe two vCnrs'Of £W9B ; ' Th* public dibtnif-tlKi borough was £78:389. The-sale of water to .shipping during" the yea* reaflisad '.65814. The credit balance, in the pas Supply account ehowed a reduction of £B7 10s 7d, and the ouegtion bi incTOiMn.? the price of gas;- to •ctli'rwisiei ,wonW ,shortly have to be, consideifed' by the Oiimcil..'' .Th'ewedit.l.jala.nee in the 'elecitrio li'rht' account had increased by £134, after spending £ll7 on installing plant .in the new workshop.

MAGISTRATE'S COURT. Mr S. E. McCarthy, S.M., presided at'the Mogistraite's . CouTt yesterday. Jessie.. McDonaJd. r .,ljbejisee of tlje Bpgal Hotel,' yrasi ohargca.' wilirhavmg sold liquor to an. intoxicated pj&rsoj), Robert Elder Paton. Senior-Sergeant Jflclcsoh paid, that .two pqn-, stables had found Partem . drunk in the hoteL Defendant admitted having served him, but stated, that Bhe did) not notice that he was drunk. Defendant wa? convicted and fined £2 and costs. . \ A charge against Myrtle Hill, .licensee.of the Empire , Hotel,., of . having permitted drunkenness was adjourned until May 4th. jPaul Tan, for entering licensed* premises during the currency of a prohibition order, was fined £,l and costs. Alfred John, on a similar- charge, was finad £7, in'defaiiilt two months' imprison-; ment. John. Michael Grogan, all ad 'Wallace, ap-' peared. oa. a charge of stealing an overcoaj, a jersey; and a pair of boots, the property of Victor Charles Middleton, valued £3., .He was- further ' charged : stealing a suit of clothes, the property of George W. Webb, valued at £5. ' Accused pleaded guilty to both charges, and wns, sentenced to six months' imprisonment with hard labour. William "O'Regitn 'sued A. Beaumont for possession of a house in Winchester street, Lytteltori; " The defendant was \ ordered 1 to give up possession by ,May 18th, and was further ordered to l 'pay £7 l-ls as rent up to the'date of judgment. •