TAKING CARE OF THE CITY

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21399, 15 February 1935, Page 8

TAKING CARE OF THE CITY

COUNCIL STAFF HAS VARIED DUTIES INFORMATION IN OFFICERS' REPORTS It is probable that very few city dwellers ever stop to think about the many and varied duties which fall to the lot of council officials in their daily administration of the city. The average city man's knowledge of the matter is probably limited to the conception of a city official as someone who receives rates and gives receipts, tots up the figures at the end of the day, registers dogs and collects the fee, keeps the city's traffic in order, and sees to the maintenance of the roads. Even that sounds quite enough for the City Council staff. But once a year the city is given a peep behind the scenes and an opportunity to guage the surprising diversity of minor tasks which the administrators of the city have to perform or supervise. Once a year, in the modest but interesting volume known as "Officers' Reports," all these activities are summarised and set out clearly by each department. And the "Officers' Reports" for 193334, like their predecessors, provide among the ordinary routine reports little scraps of information which ought to amuse and instruct the ratepayer who is anxious to know in detail to what use his rates are put. The reports cover every important official activity of the city. Most of those have already been published—details of the work of the City Engineer's Department, of the City Treasury, of the Town Clerk's staff, the Municipal Electricity Department, and the abbatoir. The average ratepayer needs no reminder of these big happenings. He knows no doubt that at the city abbatoir 84,816 sheep were slaughtered during the year ended March 31, 1934 (the year under review). But does he know that the vigilance of officials led to the condemnation of 513? And would he be interested to know that there are so many tripe-eaters in Christchurch that the fees at the abbatoir for cleaning and cooking tripe amounted to £Bl3 17s 2d, an increase of £32 Is 2d. Licenses for Balconies Then do many ratepayers know that the city licenses balconies? Five of them were given licenses last year, a decrease of four. One solitary cabhorse was licensed, the last remaining horse of the large number which once trotted smartly about the streets of Christchurch. Fiften "common lodging houses" were licensed, 110 eating houses, 9 weighbridges, and 28 septic tanks. Dogs registered showed a slight decrease. Not a single license was issued "to keep swine," whereas two were issued in the previous year. Why this decrease naturally the report cannot indicate, but probably the depression, which at that time was apparently still struggling "round the corner," had hit the ancient occupation of swine-husbandry very hard One would expect of all these reports that "Dangerous Goods" would offer interesting material, but the only item which catches the eye under this heading is the name "Petane." Even the Oxford Dictionary does not say what "petane" is. Not far below "Dangerous Goods" is a line which tells simply— 'll4O jars of rat poison were sold during the year." Much Condemned Fish The city keeps a vigilant eye on fish shops Inspections of them made during the year under review (to March 31 last) totalled 4215. Many thoSds of pounds of fish (whitebait tODome the list with 3640) were condernnTd

The reports state that there are six inspectors engaged full time on sanitary matters. The premises which have to be inspected in the city num'-. ber 25,0.00;' and an inspector is on duty every evening throughout the year in places of amusement to prevent overcrowding. The report about the municipal bath discloses a little known act of kindness on the part of the council. Free, baths numbering 586 were granted to the unemployed. It is also worth noticing, perhaps, that the hours for mixed bathing at the baths proved easily the most lucrative. Receipts during men's hours were £348, during women's hours £IOO, during mixed hours £759.