CHIMNEY REPAIRS

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 217, 9 June 1943, Page 8

CHIMNEY REPAIRS

No Subsidy On Private Contracts GOVERNMENT DECISION A letter from the Prime Minister, read to the Wellington City Council at its meeting yesterday afternoon, stated that after consideration of the problem of the payment of the Government subsidy on repairs to earthquake-damaged chimneys over all the area involved, the Government was unable to agree to its payment in cases in which repairs had been affected by private contract between the property owner and the repairer. The mayor, Mr. T. C. A. Hislop, commented that the reply seemed very inadequate. People who had made private contracts should be entitled to the same treatment as those whose repairs had been effected through the council. Inc same conditions as to cost of materials and labour, he pointed out, had applied to the making of private contracts. He moved that the matter be taken further by means of a deputation to the Prime Minister. A report by the. city engineer, Mr. K. Luke, recommended that accounts for repairs. of which, payment of 25 per cent, had hitherto been withheld by the council. should now be paid, with the ,re-. tention of 5 per cent, for adjustments, in the cases where he had approved the accounts. He also recommended the' debit notes, less the combined Government and council subsidy of 30 per cent, should be rendered to all who operated through the Government scheme, and that cash refunds of the 30 per cent, should be made in all cases where payment had already been made. To encourage the payment of the accounts he suggested that arbitrators should not be appointed till the revised accounts had been rendered and sufficient time had elapsed for payment or arrangements to be made for instalment payment. The council approved the recommendations of the city engineer, and adopted the mayor’s motion for a further approach to the Prime Minister in the matter of the subsidy on the private contracts. '