CIVIC AFFAIRS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 208, 2 September 1932, Page 9

CIVIC AFFAIRS.

MEETING OF COUNCIL. MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS. The Mayor, Mr. G. W. Hutchison, presided over the meeting of the Auckland City Council last evening. College Playgrounds—Following a request from the secretary of the Auckland Education Board asking the council to arrange a new lease of sections forming the major portion of the site of the Seddon Memorial Technical College, the council decided. to steps to insert an appropriate clause in an empowering bill to enable' the council to issue one lease for, the whole of the lots forming the site, such lease to be for only so long as the area is used as a technical college. Ground Rents.—After giving consideration to a question by the Municipal Association of New Zealand asking how the council would be affected if the present provision of the National Expenditure Adjustment Act, 1932, relating to a maximum of 5 per cent of the unimproved value in respect of reduction of ground rents were repealed, the council, on the recommendation of the property committee, decided to support the retention of the provision.

Mills Lane. —On the application of the manager of a firm whose premises have a frontage to Mills Lane, off Swanson Street, it was decided to grant permission to erect a gate to close portion of the lane from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. The request was made because there was a tendency on the part of undesirables to prowl about or indulge in drinking bouts in the darkness of the lane at night. Bonus Discontinued.—For furnishing fortnightly water analyses to the council, Dr. W. Gilmour has for some years past been .paid a bonus of £100. The lafit payment was up to July 31, last year. Last night it was decided to pay Dr. Gilmour £100 for services to date, and that in future the payment of the bonus be discontinued. Appointing a Cadet. —Reporting that the work of compiling the city valuations is behind and requires to be completed by January 15 next, the city valuer asked that the department's staff be increased by a cadet, and also pointed out that it would be necessary to engage a temporary hand for about a month later. It was decided to call for applications for a cadet, who must be resident within the city area, or a son of a city ratepayer. Children's Games.—• At a recent meeting of the council a recommendation of the finance committee that £he lady supervisor of children's games in the parks be retired from the council's services, was referred to the parks committee. Several deputations have since waited upon the committee, and on the latter's recommendation the council last evening decided to retain the supervisor's services. Services Accepted.—Drawing attention to overgrown tracks through Kauri Park Reserve, the secretary of the Alpine Sports Club suggested that the council should avail itself of the honorary services of club members, organised in parties, who were prepared to clear the tracks and put them in order. As the_ superintendent of parks offered no objection to the club forming a working bee, under the direction of the council's ranger, the offer was accepted. Labour Day Celebrations. —A donation of £5 5/ was made to the prize fund of the Auckland Trades Hall Labour Day celebrations committee.