CITY COUNCIL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 17, 15 October 1907, Page 6

CITY COUNCIL.

i MUNICIPAL BILLS"DISCUSSED; ' : :;;;' A special meeting' of the City Council-was-held last night, for the'purpose.o.f considering several Bills dealing with municipal matters.,/ • There ■ .were present:—The - Mayor, (Hon. ,T. W. Hislop). Councillors Smith, Cohen, Bollinger, Hales, Shirtclift'e, Biss,, Fisher, Fletcher, . (Jarmichael, M'Laren, Hindmarsh,- Murdoch, and Godber. ,;.,;' '..... FIBE f ' BRIGADES BILL; i ~.,.-.. • '• The Fire' Brigades Bill;came.tinder discussioa. first.. Some discussion arose in connection,,with; the 'clause dealing with tho' proportion to-ba paid-by the-Goycrnment. -■-~;-, ~.,-• - .;, " Conneillbr Sliirtcliffo said-, that, the-contribu-tion , of.- *150, ' plus ■- .-was, a mistake as far.,; as Wellington was. concerned.. It,was intended, . however, to increase'the^'contribution, to .£4Ol. . In the city of.Wellington there .were buildings, valued at X8,3U,000,, and Government build-, ings were valued at i J5375.000. That was actually, onc-sevent'ecnth of tho whole, and thoroforo thj contribution of ,£4Ol-was far too small.; In Australia the contributions of, the Govern-.... mc'nt to.the Fire Boards,varied„from oufcthird , to one-seventeenth,of the total sum. Tuo.cou... tribution of JC4OI was'-.altogether, too .small--., compared.with Australia it .was absurd..,. The ■'-. contribution 0f,.,/the.'Government .ought.to, be.. one-fifth. ~: ',- ■'•"•■■• |, ~ . ■■< ■'~..'-• Councillor.Biss said that if the contribution,, was to be made on a valuation, basis, it should;., ■be-embodied-in the 8i11...,;.- ■~. • .-■ ■,•■■ -, ■ It was moved by Councillor Shirtcliffe.that,., itbe a recommendation that'.tho^Government a,; contribution be' one-fifth. ■".•'•','-,','. ', r..,'"' ' Conneillbr Ballinger moved that the contribu- i tion. be" c-no-third. ~ ... :,.,,,. ~•'.■■■-.;;,,,.■,■:"'■■• ...- Councillor Shirtcliffe's motion was carried., ' Clause 8; dealing with provisions for, borrow. . ing, led the Mayor to remark that they,did'not.;, need any Act at all.•', The Bill' was a retrograde. • stop,'and'it was extraordinary 'that - whilst the ( , Corporation ■ could not borrow without.'a. poll, of the ratepayers,"the .Bill, proposed to,.give,. power-to the Board to borrow on, cumulated by the Corporation, on the Minis- • tor's sanction." Tho body to which the property. ' virtually belonged 1 -' ought to give, tho consent/,',: It was resolved, on the proposition ofCpiin--cillor Shirtcliffo,-" That the Minister's namo.le; delctcd,"and statutory power vbe, given t6 Fire Boards to borrow, by way 1 of '.overdraft; with.:' the bank, at current rate, of Interest,' withuimi;,': tation of the amount-to one'year's income.' : | : It was-also' resolved, "That tho' power, of , making by-laws'under, the Act should bo;'re-;' tained by the Council." "'-'•"'.' ■'■'.„ ■,- In regard-to Clause; 11, dealing.;,with;,the. appointment of inspectors of electrical, installation,' tho -Mayor"said the'trend of the lation was leading towards- trouble, cohiphca-', tioh and worry.- It was'-a'h attempt to,get,at' the insurance companies.-'.: ••'•- ,'■ On .'the- motion of Councillor bmrtclino: the Council strongly objected to'Claus 13,' and tlia;-. transfer of tho .properties:' from; the Corporation to the.'Boards..""- , :;v-..-: ' ; /,^,. : '.-■-. ; . Councillor Maclaren moved to'the effect that they would-be" better unde'r.-tlie Council; than' under the Fire Board; and'that the Councif. ' recommend to the. Minister that Wellington b« exempt-from the-operation of the' Act. 1 . Tho motion was"carried.'- 1 ' ""■.'',' ;".,'.': HOLIDAYS. / In reference to the Public and-.Bank Holfc. davs Bill Councillor Ballinger objected to thft holidavs being kept on' Monday as proposed. Conricillor: Hindmarsh thought ~ Monday would bo far preferable to the present arran^omit 'was. resolved,-: on the motion or Coun. eillor Ballinger, to recommend Wednesday in. stead of Monday. ,• ' ' ' ... ■ It was further decided, on the motion of Councillor Shirtcliffo, that the Bill- be. amended so as to govern all Bank holidays, oxcopting Christmas, Easter,-and New. \ ear. and that a elapse be; inserted limiting the power of the banks to declare; special holidays. TRAMWAYS 'BILL.'" ', , ; V..,In reference to the Tramways Bill, Mr. Richardson, Tramways Engineer,-wrote 'disapproving of.the .proposal to subject drivers to examination for certificates,-.as'''each had its .own peculiarities. ,- ,; \ ••':•'• ■' Councillors Shirtclifle and Biss disapproved •of tho Government's proposals;, Other Councillors considered that the Bill constituted an" undue' interference with; the rights of local bodies. ■ '■;'. .';; "-- '-' ! Councillor Carnncliael " said that as soon as it was proposed to deal with public bodies as with private enterprise, there, was-'an outcry. The Bill did not propose to do anything objectionable. It was intended more;for the' protection of the public than anything'else, and they should be glad : to assist the' Government. They were raising a bogey that probablv did not exist. The Mayor.said ho did not,see. the .necesjity for the Act. It did not rcoiiire a great deal of skill Ho'-bo'a motorman; it was a'matter of carefulness rather than skill. Uhder,"this'-'. Art the Council's 1M men—including emer-. ; gency men—would ho immediately disqualifiidi They wore doing their work satisfactorily now, anil there was no'reason'why they should be callfd. upon to pass an examination.'-; They wefo given two years before tho: examination,' but was it not absurd that they'should'.ba allowed to risk' people's lives in that period if they were iiot competent. The Council we're cai of til ' enough to sec that the men wore competent. The Government-'certificate wouldgive a false sense of. security, as the examination would not be effective, and the" whole: thing was unnecessary. •■■ "■ . It was resolved that-the Bill constituted an. undue interference with the powers of the. local authority, and that the Minister .'hv charge of it bo requested to receive adeputa-' tion from the Council in regard to the matter."