LOCAL BODIES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 147, 23 June 1936, Page 11

LOCAL BODIES.

ONEHUNGA BOROUGH COUNCIL. s Tli e Mayor, Mr. J. Park, presided at the meeting of the Onehunga Borough Council last night. Street Lighting.—The Auckland Electric Power Board advised the council that a reduction of £50 would be made in the charges for street lighting from, the price charged last year. Drainage.—Plans are to be prepared for the drainage of Angle and Patrick Streets at an estimated cost of £8679, by Mr. Greville Walker. When these are ready application is to be made to the Local Government Loans Board for approval under the appropriate provisions of the Health Act. * Mount Smart. —The No. 2 scoria pit at Mount Smart is to be opened for 40 hours a week only, the pit to be closed on Saturday mornings. Traffic Licenses. —There have been 1000 new traffic licenses issued to date. Footpaths.—The council accepted the tender of £70 18/ submitted by J. J. Craig, Ltd., for concreting footpaths in Hillsboro' Cemetery, and that of £81 15/ by McGarten Bros, for extending the main sewer in May's Koad. Charge.—Permission was given to the Manukau Rovers' Rugby Football Club to hold a charge day for admission to the recreation reverse next Saturday. PAPAKURA TOWN BOARD. The usual fortnightly meeting of the Papakura Town Board was held last evening, Mr. H. E. McEntee, the chairman, presiding. Papakura Cemetery.—After recerfing an estimate of the cost of tarring the cemetery footpaths from the Auckland Gas Company, it was resolved to leave the work until next summer. Engineer's Report.—A report was received from the consulting engineer, Mr. A. Greville Walker, that the cost of survey anil plans for work to be done on tha Cleveclon highway would be 20gs. Village Green.—lt was resolved that no action be taken for the present in regard to the leases asked for by the tennis and bowling clubs. Highway Estimates—The town clerk reported that he had advised the Main Highways Board that the estimates on the Papakura main highways for the year 1936-37 were £2755, and that last year the expenditure over the same roads was £853. The clerk's action was approved. Stock Route.—Mr. H. Spinley called the attention of the board to the fact that the Franklin County Council was making a new road through the back of Drury to come out at Opaheke. It was resolved to see if arrangements could be made with the council so that the stock route could be continued through the back of Papakura. New Transport Act. —A letter from the Hon. R. Semple enclosed a copy of the new Act for motor vehicles. It was decided to send a letter of congratulation to the Minister on his efforts to improve the safety of road conditions. . Prince Edward Park.—The question of what rent the Rugby League Club should pay for the use of Prince Edward Park was left in the hands of a committee, but it was agreed that it should not be less than £5 annually.

OTAHUHU BOROUGH COUNCIL. 1 The Otahuhu Borough Council met last evening, the Mayor, Mrl C. R. Petrie, M.P., presiding. Rates.—lt was decided to strike . the, same rate as last y«ar plus the addition of the increase in the hospital rate, which would bring the latter to 1 l-6d in the £. The town clerk reported that Otahuhu s hospital levy amounted to £1414 17/, an increase of £119 15/11 on last year. Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill. —A letter was received from the Minister of Transport urging closer control of traffic to check accidents, as proposed in the above bill. The letter stated there was one death every day in New Zealand through accidents. In the last seven years there had been 1250 killed and 35,000 hurt in road accidents. During the last 13 years there had been more people injured and killed on Now Zealand roadfi than there had been New Zealanders kiKed in the Great War. Or, to come down to averages, the parents of four children coald expect one of these children to be killed or injured in road accidents. Mr. Murdoch was of opinion that more rigid control of cycle licensing was necessary. He thought it was not so much a question of the speed that was the trouble, but the point and place at which the speed became dangerous. Mr. Graham remarked that as long as cars were built capable of high speeds people would drive at high speeds. After a long discussion the council agreed with the ODjects of the bill, although several councillors thought that the speed of 30 m.p.h. was rather fast. One point of the bill they agreed with was that which would make speed limits uniform throughout the country and do away with the confusion that exists to-day, when each local body has its own speed limit. St. John Ambulance Street Collection. — A request for permission to hold a street collection in the borough on Friday, October 2, was received from the St. John Ambulance Association. Several councillors thought that the local corps should receive a higher percentage of the collection. Mr. Grey moved that the central body be asked to give the local corps 25 per cer.t of the gross takings in the borough and permission be granted for the collection on these terms. Mr. Morton seconded the motion. Mr. Murdoch moved an amendment, which was seconded by Mr. Littler, that the council agreed to grant permission for the collection, but hoped the central body would increase the allocation of the Otahuhu corps. On being put to the meeting the amendment was lost by 4 votes to 2 and the motion carried by 4 votes to 2. It was made clear that this was the feeling of the council and not the local corps, which had not approached the council on the matter. Street Lighting.—Advice was received from the Power Board that power charges for street lighting had been reduced from 10.9795 per cent to 10.9659 per cent, or a reduction of £33 8/ from last year e charges. A discussion took place as to means of improving the street lighting, the Mayor stating that Otahuhu was far ■behind the Southern towns in this respect. Mr. Grey stated that they had many lights in the back streets that were of no use. Mr. Murdoch thought they should get some authority to give a report and then invite the business people to a conference to discuss better lighting facilities for the main street. The legal and finance committee was asked to bring down a report on these lines. Works Committee Report.—The works committee reported that the engineer had been instructed to put on two men to dig the rockery bounding the police property. The committee reported that the town clerk was instructed to apply for authority to employ 12 men under No. 5 scheme for footpath formation work. The committee reported that it had instructed the engineer to make the tar sealing of Princes Street between the Great South Road and Atkinson Avenue the next subsidy job and recommended that applica tion be made to the Labour Department for authority to commence the work oa the same lines as Princes Street and Huia Road. Engineer's Report. — Ihe engineer reported that concrete footpaths had been completed in Clevedon Road, Seddon Terrace, Hall Avenue and part of Nikau Road, and the concrete gang was now working in Golf Avenue. Excavating had been completed in Golf Avenue and the excavating gang was now in Hokonui area. The engineer stated that workon Atkinson Avenue was progressing and the highways engineer had inspected the road and was quite satisfied with the progress and method of the work. He reported that 10 men were at present engaged under No. 5 scheme. Complaints re Footpaths—Several complaints were received about the state of footpaths in Chelsea Avenue, Water Street and Tamaki Avenue and were referred to the works committee. Collector's Report. — The collector reported that since his last report he hn 1 collected the sum of £138 19/4, making a total of £2686 %/4 collected to date.

NEW LYNN. - I — I A meeting of the New Lynn Borough! Council was held last evening. The Mayor, Mr. George Lawson, presided, and other members present were Messrs. Geo. Severne, P. Carter and C. Drury. j Smoke Xuisance. —The works committee reported upon a conference relative to a smoke nuisance arising from pottery works on Great North Road. The Health Department favoured a suggested scheme berng given a trial over a period of a few j months, and, if not successful, further measures will be instituted by the Depart-; ment in co-operation with the council, j ll was considered that the raising of the! chimney would not improve conditions to i any great extent. 1 Portage Road.—A letter from Mr. A. J. Price suggested that two extra street | lights be installed between the Whati | Bridge end ot Portage Koad and Astley ( Avenue. The council resolved to give the) matter consideration in framing its esti-j mates for the current year. _ | Radio for School. —The New Lynn School Committee wrote inviting the council to be represented 011 a special committee set up for the purpose of installing a suitable radio in the school. In appointing Mr. Carter to represent the council, the opinion was expressed that the Government should be called upon to provide radios for school educative purposes. Local Body Employees' Union. —A communication from the Napier Borough Council intimated that that council's outside stall' had requested the council to take the initial steps in promoting a scheme for the formation of a local body employees' union right throughout New Zealand. The Napier Council was strongly in favour of the proposal to have one union for borough employees, as at present their employees were covered by approximately ten unions, thus making for a great deal of confusion in administration. The council had requested the Municipal Association to take the necessary steps to enable one union covering all municipal workers to be formed, and the New Lynn Council's support would be greatly appreciated. The council resolved to support the proposal. Forty-Hour Week. —The council decided to adopt the 40-hour week as from July 1.