MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS.

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14547, 26 December 1912, Page 8

MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS.

THE TEAR'S RECORD.

In municipal affairs the year 1912 has bean ono of steady progress, despite the fact that no largo undertakings were attempted. It will be chiefly memorable as the year in which tho City Council adopted the proposals of the Government in respect to supplying the city with electricity from the Lake Coleridge hydro-electrical installation. Considerable advance has been made in tho matter of the improvement of tho streets, principally those in the central ward. The work has been done out of revenue, and whilst the method adopted gives a durable surface, it is too costly to apply on a largo scale out of rates. It is probable that the method referred to will be generally' adopted, and that proposals for a loan of £100,000 for the purpose of improving the streets of tho city will be submitted. It is also probable that, the ratepayers will be asked to authorise a loan of £16,000, to bo spent on asphalting full width all tho footpaths witiiin tho city boundaries, also on the purchase of two motor waggons for the collection of household retuse, and also to purcnaso up-to-date machinery for distilling tar and mixing asphalt, which at present is done by hand labour. During the year tho municipality purchased the freehold of a section of land at Sockbnrn for grazing purposes in connection with tho municipal abattoirs. The price paid works out at less than has been paid hitherto in rents. The Council has considered a coniprehensivo street-widening policy. The question of providing cool storage has not been lost sight ot, and proposals for the establishment of a market and of a cool store are beins drawn up. These important proposals are being held up pending tl c adoption of tho Lakfe Coleridgo electric scheme. In connection with the planting of the municipal reserves, .arrangements have been made with the Domains Board to grow young trees for the City Council. The Municipal Tepia Baths have continued to increase in popularity, and during the year a nunber of improvements have ieen effected. ■

Tho Council's electrical department has oxper enced no difficulty in disposing of all the current generated. The demand for current is large, and in matiy instances exceeds tho Council's ability to meet it. At the end of the year thero were 146 additional consumers as compared with tho number of consumers at the end of 1911. Tho increaso mentioned is stated to ho no criterion of what it would have been if the Council's present installation had been capable of supplying tho demands. About fourteen miles of the forty miles of streets in the central ward have been improved either by the laying down of tarred macadam or by tarring the surface. Compared with previous years, tho amount of work done of this description showed a marked increase last year. Building operations in all parts of the city have been fairly brisk, and in some parts have been very brisk. The cuttine up ofi the Strowan estate, of the Church Property Trustees' area on the north side of Innes road, and of areas in north-east St. Albans has resulted in much building being done in tho localities mentioned. Compared with 1911, the value of the buildings in the city iin respect to which permits were isstied by the City Council was considerably less, the totals being: For 1911, £24 f>1036, of which £55,940 represented by ildings in the Central ; and for 11912, £193,411, of which £51,390 represented buildings in the Central Word. An analysis of tho figures for the year show that the greatest amount of building has taken place !in the St. Albans Ward, the details !■ being: —

Tho monthly figures for 1912, as compared with those for 1911, for tho Central Ward are as follows: —

For the other wards the monthly figures for 1912 are as follows: — St. Albans. Sydenham. I/inwcod.

Totfcle ..£76,97G £36,965 £28,060 The new buildings, aud alterations to existing buildings, in respect to which building permits were issued, numbered 419. The city high-pressuro water supply continues to bo increasingly availed of, and continues to prove a great convenience.- Since the inauguration of the system to the present time, the toxal number of houses connected with the system was 10,680, made up as follows : — Sydenham .. .. SSSS Central ..• .. 3391 St-i Albans .. ..-.■ .. 1363 Linwood .. ';.. .. 1633 Beckenham-Fisherton .. 99 • Total .. i0,C60 Tho connections made during the year totalled 1299, as follow:— Central .. '.. .. 477 St. Albans .. .. 356 Linwood .. .. •Zμ Sydenham .. .. 17(5 Beckenham-Fisherion .. 10 Total .. .. 1299 Tho parks and reserves under the Council's control have been steadily improved. During the year the control of Victoria Park, Cashmere Hills, was vested in the Council, and since it took tho Park over, new tea rooms have been erected, which are greatly appreciated by visitors. The best advertisement is quality in tho bottle and quality has always been the motto of Messrs M:ick:e aid Co.. Distillers, Ltd., tho proprietors of tho famous "WHITE HORSE" Whisky. They "have consequently not the s.inio margin oi profit for indiscriminate advertising as somtrof their rivals. They depend mainly on personal recommendation. 1

St. Albana .. Central .. Sydenham Linwood Value of Buildings. £ .. 76,976 .. 51,390 .. 86,965 .. 28,080 Total .. ..£193,411

J an nary February March April May June July August September October November December Totals 1912. £ 670 .. 1,750 .. 1,710 .. 1,750 .. 3.65Q .. 5.4S0 .. 4,900 .. 12,500 .. 3,050 .. 9,400 .. 4,650 .. 1,680 .. £51,390 1911. £ Nil 11,250 G,eoo 3,100 200 6,030 11,250 2,050 6,1.(0 3.700 Nil 5,600 £5S,i>lO

January February March April May June July August Soptember October November Deocmber .. 9,3M .. 10.530 .. 6,050 .. 5,560 .. 8,870 .. . 6,590 200 .. 9,500 .. 9,570 .. 8,600 650 .. 1,510 2,735 7,325 3,400 1,220 2,100 2,100 5,080 4,200 1,750 3,710 1,280 2,015 800 1,515 1,720 (9G0 lispO 1,300 6,595 3,350 M0 580 8,950 20