CIVIC AFFAIRS

Evening Star, Issue 22456, 29 September 1936, Page 6

CIVIC AFFAIRS

FORTNIGHTLY COUNCIL MEETING The fortnightly meeting of the City Council, held last night, was attended by the mayor (the Rev. E. T. Cox), Crs Munro, Silverstono, Begg, Scott, Allen, Mitchell, Shepherd, Cameron, Neilson, and Batchelor. ELECTRICAL DEPARTMENT. Cr Mitchell, in moving the adoption of the report of the Electric Power and Lighting Committee, said that very satisfactory progress' was being made with the pressure tunnel at Waipori. As it was imperative that sufficient lamps should be available to illuminate the streets during the period of celebration of the King’s Coronation in May of 1937, the city electrical engineer had been instructed to purchase 4,000. at an estimated cost of £250. The department was very careful of its water rights at Waipori, but it had decided to withdraw a protest previously lodged against an application for a prospecting license on the watershed, a guarantee having been given that tailings and other objectionable matter would not go into the lake. The report was adopted. TRAFFIC CONTROL. When the General Committee’s report was under consideration, Cr Cameron drew attention to a statement made by one of the councillors that certain regulations concerning traffic in the city and the establishment of zones had been endorsed by the committee. He pointed out that the proposals had not been adopted by the committee nor had they even been considered at a committee meeting. In reply, Cr Allen said that Cr Cameron’s remarks were correct. There was just a cursory view exipressed after the meeting of the committee concerning the matter. * The report was adopted. TRAMWAYS COMMITTEE. Cr Mitchell, in moving the adoption of the report of the Tramways Committee, referred with satisfaction to the increase in revenue of £4,072 for the period of 24 weeks from April 1 to September 12, as compared with the corresponding period of the previous year. He said that it could scarcely be expected that the. department would continue to show such an increase, as the football matches, which had given them so much revenue, were over for the season. ' Cr Munro said it had been represented to him that when men were recently added to the tramways ' staff some were engaged who already ■were in steady work. He would like the matter investigated. Cr Mitchell said he could only say he was surprised to hear that men had been taken on from other positions. A total of 49 had been engaged out of a very large number of applicants. He would have the matter looked into. The Mayor said it was a recognised principle of the various departments that the best men who applied for positions were engaged, quite irrespective of whether they were in employment or not. As long as the men were engaged from the city area it did not really matter, because it created vacancies which could be filled by other men in the city area. It would bo a different matter if men were engaged from outside the city. Cr Munro said ho understood the 40-hour week was for the purpose of absorbing'.unemployed men, not for the purpose of finding work for men already in employment. He did not think it wise of the department to have adopted the attitude it had —that was, if what his informant had told him were true. Cr Mitchell: I shall have the matter investigated. The report was adopted. WATER COMMITTEE. Cr Begg, in moving the adoption of the report of the Water Committee, referred to the necessity of replacing the Sin mains in the city area with 4in mains. The total cost was estimated at £53,400, made up of £25,630 for labour and £27,700 for materials, carting, etc. As no provision had been made in the current year’s estimates for the work, the matter had been referred to the Finance Committee. .Cr Allen said he would like the chairman to explain what the hurry was in the conversion of the size of the mains. What urgency was there for the work being done in two years? The day might arrive when the department might find difficulty in keeping a reasonable number of men in work. Cr Begg replied that the work would not be completed in two years. What was proposed was only portion of it. The oin mains were inadequate, and, when the water supply was_ augmented, as it would be before long, it was hoped by the uso of the 4in mains to give much more water to people who had previously been on short rations. From time to time, too, the Fire Board had pointed out that there was much danger in not enlarging the mains. The report was adopted. TENDERS. Tbs tender of T. Scurr Ltd. of £173 10s was accepted for the purchase of a quantity of Sin cast. iron water pipes and fittings for the water department. On the recommendation of the Works Committee, the council accepted the tender of A. Chatterton of £1,070 for the erection of a wooden dwelling at Kelvin Grove. The tender was the lowest of eight received. WORKS COMMITTEE. Cr Munro moved the adoption of the Works Committee’s report. Cr Cameron seconded the motion, and entered an objection against the following clause:—“ Record for consideration with next year’s allocations the matter of forming one chain of Ferry road, from Anderson’s Bay road; estimated cost £234, half of which is payable by the Harbour Board.” Cr Cameron said that the road would serve as an entrance to the premises of a firm which had made extensive additions to its factory, and he thought that the formation of the road should have been treated as a matter of urgency. Cr Jlegg said that nothing could be done to the road until a satisfactory arrangement had been made with the Harbour Board. The committee had offered to provide £ls if the firm concerned offered a like amount towards providing a temporary ent"Mice. This offer had not been accepted. Cr Allen asked what the committee intended to do about the bridge over th© Leith at Malvern street, Woodhnugh. It was of obsolete construction, and the largo stone pier which supported it in the centre was a potential source of trouble, as it was an obstruction in the stream and was ant to cause flooding in the locality. The bridge was also too narrow and was dangerous for pedestrians. He understood that from time to time the residents had been promised a new bridge, but he would like something definite. He wanted to know if the committee could

■ make any recommendation when the work would bo started. Replying to Cr Cameron, Cr Mnmo said that the council had offered to give the firm in question a temporary entrance. Many ratepayers, relying on their position as such, seemed to think that they had simply to ask for things to have them done. Unfortunately there were many requests for works to be done, but through lack of finance the council could not meet thorn all. In regard to the Malvern street bridge, that was not a question of money. It was a matter of the engineer’s office finding time to draw ap plans and specifications for the bridge. It was a costly job, but the money lor its construction would bo provided by the petrol tax. The council’s draftsman was still engaged with the Deep Creek water scheme, but he hoped to be free in the near future. There was a suggestion one time that the engineer’s office was over-staffed, and lie (Cr Munro) had also supported that idea, but he had since discovered the opposite to be the case. The work would be done as soon as possible. The report was adopted. FINANCE COMMITTEE. Cr Silverstone, who moved the adoption of the report of the Finance Committee, said the committee was of the opinion that to provide the cost of the extension of the water mains proposed

by the water department, the department’s renewal fund could be used to the extent of £130,300. With wages at £4 10s for a week of 40 hours on a subsidy basis of £2 os a man a week that would provide for a contribution of £12,815 from the Labour Department, making a total cost of £43,175. The balance of the cost would be defrayed out of the water renewal fund during the two years’ progress of the work. There was a necessity, said Cr Silverstone, for a greater supply of water for fire fighting, and the council could not afford to risk property and life when it had the opportunity and the finance - to do the necessary work. Cr Mitchell asked for an assurance that the renewal funds would not be detrimentally affected. Were not the funds being weakened . because of the | large amounts which had been with- j held from them ? He could not help feeling they were making a mistake in drawing from them to such a large extent. Cr Silverstone, in reply, said the renewal funds were being used for the purpose for which they were intended. The renewal funds were not being tampered with. There was no mandatory law telling the council how to deal with the profits from the trading departments, but when amounts had been allocated for certain purposes they must be used for those purposes. Some of the members might still be mourn-

ing in their old age because the council had departed from orthodox methods 1 of finance and given preference to human welfare. The report was adopted.