CITY COUNCIL.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 836, 7 June 1910, Page 6

CITY COUNCIL.

PROPOSED FIRE BOARD. CONSIDERATION POSTPONED. An adjourned meeting af tho City Council was held yesterday afternoon, when there were present tho Mayor (Mr. T. M. Wilford, M.P.), Councillors Smith, Cohen, Ballinger, Trevor, Atkinson, Carmichael, Fletcher, and Morrah, Councillor Ballinger moved, in accordance with notice—"(l) That the council take steps under the provisions of tho Firo Brigades Act, I'JOS, and its amendments to apply to the Governor for an Order-in-Council declaring tho city of Wellington to bo a fire district under the Fire Brigades Act, and that the necessary poll of ratepayers of the city in connection therewith be taken on some day to bo appointed.

"(2) That the council request the Government to amend Section 3 of the amending Act, 1908, by striking out the following words, 'shall be deemed to -be carried unless at least one-third of tho ratepayers of that district have validly exercised their votes in respect of that proposal,' and substitute tho following: 'That tho proposal shall be deemed to be carried if two-thirds of the valid votes of the ratepayers are cast in favour of the proposal.'"

Councillor Ballinger, in moving tho motion, said that if it was adopted legislation might be obtained during the coming session. Tho Act provided that tho fire board, if formed, must be composed as follows:—One member appointed by tho Government, three appointed by the City Council, and three appointed by the. underwriters. The Government would pay £400 and the remainder of tho expense would be provided half by the underwriters and half by tho council.. Tho total cost for working expenses of the city's fire brigade for the past four years and for the present year (according to the estimate) was X 23"349, an average of £1669 a year. Tho cost or fsundry works —new plant, fire stations, and fire alarms —was £12,283, an average of ,£2556, making the total average cost .£7225. These expenses would be tho same to the fire board, and to them must be added the price tho board would have to pay for tho land, buildings, and plant, valued at, say, ,£46,000. This purchase money would have to be paid in 20 annual instalments, equal to live per cent., making =£2300 per year. The cost per year to the board would therefore -ba increased to ,£3525, of which the Government would provide £'-100. The remaining sum of .£3125 would be equally divided between the underwriters and the City Council, so that the cost to the council would bo £4562 10s., a saving of «£3osi 10s., as compared with the present system, or in 20 years a saving of .£79,417. If the council adopted tho board system they would pay off the ,£9OOO loans with tho first three years' savings, which would relieve them of £360 in interest and give them rents to the value of £250 towards their share- of the brigade's maintenance. It there had been a board for the last four years tho city would have saved no less than £12,218. The argument that the fire board system would lead to Government control was far-fetched, in view of the fact that the Government would have only ouo member on the board. It could not bo said that the Government dominated the Harbour Board, on which they had threo members. Tho council would not lose tho brigade's property and plant by soiling them to tho board. Theso would merely be transferred to another corporate body to be used for the same purpose, and the ratepayers would bo saved, the cost of up-keep. There were fire boards in the other three cities and in several smaller centres, and as far as he could learn ' they were working very satisfactorily. Tho underwriters had not raised their rates in the other centres on account .of tho establishment of fire boards. It was utterly impossible to get two-thirds of the ratepayers on the roll to attend a poll. ' Councillor Cohen, in seconding the mo-, tion, said that he had always supported tho proposal to have a fire board. Councillor Fletcher said that'the''in'atter was a very important one, and it had been twice beforo badly defeated in the council, As there was only a small attendance, he thought that the - question should bo adjourned, and moved an amendment in that direction. Councillor' Atkinson seconded the amendment. . Councillor Ballinger stated that tho proposal was once lost by 9 votes to ■1, but on tho second occasion it was defeated by only 7 votes to 0. Councillor Cohen pointed out that the motion merely proposed to refer tho request to tho ratepayers. If the ratepayers did not -want a fare board the proposal would bo thrown out by them. The amendment was carried on the Mayor's casting, vote. The Mayor\ explained that he had voted for the matter to go on, but as it was urged that members should have more information before them he would give his casting vote in favour of postponement.. It was decided, on the motion of Councillor Trevor, to ask the engineer to report on the advisability of remodelling and extending the latrines in Courtenay Place. / ,'

The motion of which Councillor Lukn had given notice in regard to providing an improved communication between tho city and Kilbirnie was postponed owing to the absence of tho proposer.