RICCARTON STREETS

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21652, 10 December 1935, Page 10

RICCARTON STREETS

"NOT AS TIDY AS USUAL" Some members of the Riccarton Borough Council fear that unless extra labour is engaged, the borough is not going to look as tidy as it usually does , at Christmas, and at last evening s ■ meeting of the council they made j strenuous endeavours to - obtain the council's authority to employ two extra men to clean the streets. They were not entirely successful, for after an animated discussion, during which the town clerk told the council that it had overspent its estimates by nearly £4OO the council decided that one man should be engaged if necessary. The matter was introduced by a clause in the works and town hall committee's report, presented by the chairman. Cr. H. W. Wise. The clause contained a recommendation that two additional men should be employed on full time for one month so that the arrears of street cleaning could be overtaken, the men to be paid for time worked only. _ _ When the town clerk, Mr R. Sarjeant, was asked to comment on the recommendation, he told the council that it had overspent its estimates by nearly £4OO. The money had been spent on unexpected things No one could foresee that the council would have to pay £l3O to the Drainage Board in rate penalties or that it would have to buy an extra truck. The men had been kept from cutting the grass on the streets by the wet weather, but pow that the weather had cleared

• • work had been done and further i®. provements could be expected befae k g~ Christmas. Two extra men would be .% ■ acceptable, but it was just a question of finance. After a discussion, the recommends- " tion in the report was amended 1 oread *5 that one additional man should be era- ■/ ployed, but on the casting vote of thus < Mayor. Mr H. S. S. Kyle, MJ*. a further amendment adding the wards "if necessary" was carried. •