CITY COUNCIL.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20496, 15 March 1932, Page 11

CITY COUNCIL.

XAST MIGHT'S MEETING. A meeting of the City Coimcil was hejd last night. There were present: The Mayor (Mr D. G. Sullivan, M.P.), Crs. J. S. Barnett, E. Parlane, G. T. Thurston, A; I. Fraer, E. R. McCombs, M. E; Lyons, A. A. McLachlan, T. H. Butterfleld, G. T. Baker, E. H. Andrews, J. W. Beanland, P. T. Evans, and A. E. Armstrong. The financial statement gave the following particulars: General rate levied, £126,225 4s 4d, collected, £44,747 5a 3d, outstanding £81,477 29§ Id. Receipts since the previous statement amounted to £76,677 15s 10d,,and accounts authorised for payment amounted to £41,019 0s 6d. In his statement the Mayor replied to questions asked by Cr. Baker at the previous meeting. The Mayor said that Cr. Baker had drawn attention to the practice of fruiterers placing fruit and vegetables on the footpath, and the liability to contamination, and asked that the by-law dealing with the placing of goods on the footpath be strictly enforced. The facts were that the City By-laws prohibited the placing of goods and. chattels upon any footpath or street and proceedings had been instituted on a number of occasions and the oecupiers fined for a breach of the by-laws. ■ It was pointed out "that often goods appeared to be on the footpath, but in some cases the buildings were set back from the building line and the Council had not the power to order the removal of the goods if on the shopkeeper's o.wn property. The Health Act :prohibited the exposing of any foodfor sale which was eaten in the same state in which it was sold except in glass covered receptacles. Cr. Baker suggested that any person or persons distributing milk on bicycles carrying more than one can of milk should not be allowed to place the additional can or cans on the footpath, when absent serving a customer, with a view to avoiding the contents being contaminated by stray dogs. He pointed out that a few days ago a can of milk left on the footpath was contaminated by a dog. The Mayor suggested that the foregoing should be provided for in the regulations to be made when the by-law. relating to the delivery of milk came into force. ! Reserves Department. The Reserves Department reported that enquiries had been made in regard to the suggestion that Council employees were called upon to work considerable overtime, and it had been, found that very little of this was done by members of the Reserves Department's staff.* Certain employees were required to patrol parks .on Sundays, and occasionally on evenings when band concerts were being Tield,. and one employee wab engaged on Sunday morning gathering up paper and other debris from the central reserves; but apart from these instances practically no overtime was worked. ./•. The report was adopted. v • • By-taws and rinance. v The By-laws and Finance Committee , recommended that the tender of D. N. Adams, Ltd., be accepted for the supply of 2100 sheets of paper, ruled,- printed and bound in 20 rate books (£56 12a fid). The report was adopted. Electricity Department.. The Electricity Department reported that ,in connexion with .-the 'resolution on regular passed at the last, meeting of the Council, the • com- „ mittee* already had the matter pnder consideration. The only part of the Department affected was the meter, and trouble staff, where regular' overtime work was involved. Arrangements had how been made whereby what was' formerly done H as overtime had s been spread over two additional men; The copimittee reported that pinoe the Council, in response to a request from Halswell County Council, approved of the County's electricity supply being taken over by the City, negotiations with th,e Public Works Department had been proceeding. After various ! delays, a Clause was included in the Local Legislation Act, 1931, authorising the - transfer of the County's electrical undertaking to tlie City. It was hoped that' this would remove any-difficulties, but the Public "Worts Department ha.d now submitted certain conditions tinder which the transfer conid be effected. All of these' were not acceptable from the Council's point, of view, and further ' negotiations were proceeding. " . Town Planning and Housing. The Town Planning, Housing; anil Health Committee reported that Mr H. Dalton. had applied for permission to , erect-a shop adjoining an existing block of shops'at the, corner of , Gloucester street and Wooctham road. As. the proposal was merely to extend an - existing . shopping area,' the committee had granted the requisite permit. . ; An application had been received far • to erect a workshop on a . j section • situated at' the corner of Jerrold street and Hiincoln".rroard r the building to be erected in galvanised iron." It was desired to erect the building with a' frontage to Jerrold strpet and leave I room for petrol pumps to be erected, on frontage at a later date. % Jerrold street had been zoned for residential purposes, whereas the whole of Lincoln road was regarded as a' business area. The committee, therefore proposed to require the owner to erect the building with its frontage to Jjincoln road, setingf it back sufficiently to fellow adequate rooim for the erection of -petrol pumps, but would require him to use materials other than galvanised iron, which would be more in keeping with the amenities of the district. . , The. following subdivision of land had been approved:—J. E." Bacon', Lot 43 D.P., 52J Maunsell street. The report was adopted. ' Water Supply and Works. The Water Supply and Works Com. mittee reported that arising from a ! request from the Becekenham School Committee that the Council meet it in connexion with the cost of water j supplied to the school bath, the Council referred to the committee the general question of supplying high pressure water to swimming baths. The committee' had given the .matter s farther consideration, and has ascertained that any reducion in . the present price of water supplied for this purpose, viz., Is per thousand gallons, would not„provide an adequate margin between the cost of pumping and. the price of supply. Further t if a reduction were made ,in the case of the Beckenham-School . Committee, it would be incumbent upon the Council .to make a reduction in the cost of water supplied to other Bchool baths in a similar position.' The committee had therefore 'decided, to C&dhere to, its previous decision, but has instructed, the City Engineer to assist the School Committee by reporting upon the .possibility, of supplying water from the artesian springs in Beckenham Park.' The committee recommended that the tender of the Hume Pipe Company, of' £359 4s, be accepted for the v supply of €in pipes, to be used in connexion with the renewal of the Manchester. street main. < , ,