ST. KILDA COUNCIL

Evening Star, Issue 21744, 12 June 1934, Page 13

ST. KILDA COUNCIL

UNCERTAINTY W HOSPITAL RATE POSSIBLE INCREASE SERIOUSLY VIEWED ' Considered in a serious light by last night’s St. Hilda Council meeting, the possibility of having to pay more than the amount struck for the hospital rate wris revealed when a letter was received from the Hospital Board requesting the payment of its levy at the same rate as fixed for last year, pending the. Minister’s approval of the board’s estimates. Present at the meeting were the mayor (Mr John Beattie), and Crs H, H. Leary, J. Robinson, J. A. Carman, G. Glue, W. G. Baird, R. J. B. Griffiths, E, W. Hunter, N. D. Anderson, A. I); Edgar, and A. J. Morison, “ Our rates are struck in July, and if we give way to the board in this matter we may have £2OO odd to pay at a later date,” said the mayor. " We shall never get that back, and nest year our rates will have to appear on the rates forms the same as this year.” Or Anderson; Have we any option but to agree ? ! The Mayor: 1 believe we have. So far there had been no word of the Minister’s approval, said Cr Leary. The council should pay nothing until such approval was received. In reply to Cr Glue, the town clerk, reported that the demand was made quarterly, the next being due in August. Cf Glue moved that the letter be received. Cr Edgar: Will the levy be more or less ? The Mayor: More, The Town Clerk reported that over the whole of the board’s district £3,000 had to be found. St. Hilda’s proportion worked out at about £2OO, “ It will be a serious matter for St. Hilda if the hospital rates arc more than the amount struck by the council,” declared Cr Edgar. Cr Carman seconded the' motion, which was carried. APPLICATIONS FOR HALL. Application was made by the St. Hilda Beach Improvement Society's Queen Carnival Committee for the hire of the Coronation Hall for the purpose of the carnival’s final demonstrations next Thursday, Friday, and Saturday afternoons and evenings. Another application for the hall next Saturday mgat at a charge to he fixed by the council was made by the St. Hilda' Unemployed Association for Its weekly dance, and in' connection with this application Messrs G. Taylor (speaker) and M. Anderson were received as a deputation for tho/associa-t-ion.

Mr. Tayltir asked the council to consider its decision in view of the fact that during the past three: years it had bijeii paid about £7O a year by the association, whose dances would- suffer considerably if the hall were refused the association even for one night. It was estimated ; that the loss to the association for. one . niglit would be , £lO. add that had been revealed to a deputation From the Beach improvement Society, which had waited on the association to negotiate for the hall oh terms that Would compensate the association. But there was so much opposition in dances at • present that it would not pay the association to give up the hail for a night; 'Had the hall notbeen engaged by the association it would have been idle, and not a source of revenue to the council. The unemployed also took an interest in the hall and its decorations, aiid it was- to the council’s benefit to see that the association’s lease was without interference.

The Town Clerk reported that the association had befin given a lease of the liall. for Saturday nights at the reduced cluirge of’3os -it was, however, stipulated that the association would have io forfeit the hall lit any tiine when mi applicant offered to pay full hire rates, t.

‘‘ Ist it not a Fact that your last two dances have been run at a loss?" itsked Cr Gluq. Mr Taylor did not answer directly, saying that only last Thursday night a credit balance had been revealed to the association as a result of its dances. ‘‘But that balance covers a period,” said Cf Glue,

, Replying to Cr Anderson, Mr Taylor said that the dance band, which had been engaged for the ciifrent season, would have to be paid its fee (£3 10s) whether or not the dance were held.

“ In the interests Of the borough'tlio association should waive its right to the hall,” said the mayor. “ We must stand by ahy public body doing as much lor the borough as the Beacli improvement Society. Surely, knowing the society's good work, the association is selfish in wanting to turn the society down on such an occasion. Have you no interest in St. Kilda?” Mr Taylor: Certainly! The Mayor: 1 do not think it is any use arguing further. Cr Anderson asked the deputation if the association had told the Beach improvement Society representatives that it had a monopoly on the hall. Air Taylor replied that the representatives had been told the hall had been leased for. the dancing season. When the deputation had retired. Cr Glue said that when the council had decided to grant the association its lease at 30s a, night, it had gone against its own interests in rofilslng an applicant, willing to pay £2 10s a night. He had heard on good authority that the association’s last two dances had been run at a loss. The Beach Improvement Society’s application was granted. valuations and .estimates. " Wc are the largest borough in the South Island rater! on unimproved values, yol rye are the last to receive oiir valuations from the department instead of bpiiig the first,” said the Town Clerk. He added that the figures user! to come to hapd in May, but they were being received later and later each succeeding year. That meant a subsequent delay in making up the estimates and striking the rates. Oyer,2,ooo.demands for rate's had to be issued before the, epd Of Augitst,. despite any delay, On the motion of Cr Leary the town clerk was empowered to lodge a protest along the lines of Ms complaint. The Valuer-General, Wellington, advised that ifo advance on account of subsidy on rates for (as applied for by the council) was being made, but the full amount payable would become due aftey June 30. —Received. . ‘ It was decided that a special meeting of the council be held bn tVednesday. June 20. to consider the estimates for the year 1934-35. AGREEMENTS WITH CITY COUNCIL. Under a recent agreement between St. Kilda and the City Council it was stated that the cost pi lighting all boundary roads or portions of roads was to he borne equally between the two councils. The town clerk. Dunedin. - '• vised that St. Kilda had, paid halfhe cost of nineteen lights in Bay lr iew

ioad, and £8 10s per annum for t.’ e lighting of Fdfibury road. The number of lights in the various boundary streets really were: —Bay View road 0, Forbury rdad 16, Musselburgh Rise 4; a total of 40. In the terms of He agreement St. Hilda would be charged henceforth for half the cost of forty lights, £63 10s. —A check on the lights had shoifn the number to be correct, said the Town Clerk.—The letter was received^ The Town Clerk, Dunedin, wrote stating that regarding the new agreement between St. Hilda and the City Council whereby Forbury road carriageway was to be maintained on a fiftyfifty basis. £230 had been included in the City Council’s estimates for the current year (now under consideration), being half the cost of paving the carriageway over its full width between Bay View road and Victoria road. In the evbnt of the roadway being paved this financial year the. estimated cost of maintaining the existing macadam surface for the year would be £9B, of which St. Hilda would be required to contribute half.—Held over for consideration at the forthcoming special meeting. FAULTY WATER MISTER. The borough engineer advised receipt of a letter from the city engineer with reference to the installation of a new water meter. The one favoured by him registered a maximum of 40,000 gallons an hour, which would give an accuracy of plus or minus 3 per cent. The position was that the higher the maxirauimi discharge was fixed the greater would be the inaccuracy on the smaller range.—Cr Glue said that it had been suggested that further trouble would be saved if a deputation waited oh members of the City Council’s Water Committee. It was time finality was reached in this matter, said Cr Baird. It was becoming a regular bugbear. The sooner it was properly thrashed out the sooner the council Would know it was paying only for the amount of water the borough consumed, instead of paying “ through the nose ” for much water that never ,passed through the mate* - It was decided that Crs Glue and Baird and the town clerk meet the members of the Water Committee. GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE. Regarding the correspondence and the deputation from the St. Hilda and Green island Councils to the Dunedin Fire Board in connection with the formation of a united five district, the secretary of the board advised that at a recent meeting the board had decided that it was not in favour of such a scheme at present, having in view tie many insuperable difficulties in reference'to the suggested united fire district.—Received. .

The Unemployment Board advised its agreement to pay a subsidy on renovations to the Coronation Hall as a tilief incisure providing that the two men engaged were paid full time at award ra t es .—Cr Baird stated that the mutter had been straightened out after considerable difficulty.—The correspondence was, received. Mr J. Bowie, head master oi the Macandrew Road School, applied ior the Coronation Hall for the annual concert on Saturday, August 11.—It was decided that, as the St. Kilda Unemployed Association would be holding a dance that night, the council cotild not tri-ant the application, but the hall would be available any other night, WORKS REPORT. Reporting- on works carried out ill the borough during the past four Weeks the Borough Foreman stated that streets and footpaths had been patched. A flank of Victoria- road had been formed.' rotten rock and spalls having been carted for that purpose. Soil had been carted, and general maintenance work had been carried out. One hundred and ten relief workers had been engaged in the borough during the period reviewed, building kerbs and grassing streets. The foreman recommended lor the ensuing .fortnight that streets to be tar-sealed be patched, and that maintenance work be continued.— Approved. The borough plumber reported having cleaned out water mains in various parts of the borough.—Approved. LICENSES ISSUED. Five bund red and fifty motor drivers’ licenses, nine heavy traffic licenses, and four building permits wore issued during the past four weeks, stated ihe borough traffic inspector’s report.— Adopted. WATER. CONSUMPTION'! 1 During the four weeks ended that ddv the water consumption of the borough was 8.671.000 gallons at a cost of £216 15s 6d, as compared with 7,901,000 gallons at £l9O 10s 6d for the previous four weeks. This was reported by tlic towrt clerk.—Noted. FINANCE. Accounts amounting to £1,839 2s 4d were passed for payment.