Council Blamed For Delay

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31304, 25 February 1967, Page 24

Council Blamed For Delay

He had tried five times to get a plan through for Improvements, but had been held up by the council, said Mr B. E. Mather, of the Fendalton Fish Supply, Ltd., replying to criticism by the Waimairi County Council’s senior health inspector (Mr R. H. Gee) of storage conditions at the shop.

Mr Mather, whose shop Is at 5 Memorial avenue, said that the council had used the excuse that re-zoning proposals for the Fendalton road-Clyde road shops meant that permanent additions could not be allowed. “The council wouldn’t allow me to build e women’s toilet until the council’s health inspector pushed through the necessary permit,” said Mr Mather. “The same la the case with the alterations I propose to make to improve storage. I asked the health Inspector to come. It was not th* other way about.” Mr Mather said that his business, with its retail trade and Government contracts, had a turnover of £60,000 a year. He claimed that it was the most up-to-date fish shop in Christchurch. He said that the fact that working conditions in the shop were good was borne out by the fact that of his staff of seven, one woman bad been with him for seven years, and another for four year*, while the five men

all worked there for two years or more. What the council had now approved, said Mr Mather, was what he had wanted to do for some time. He would replace a lean-to storage used for soft drinks, flour and paper with a concret* block building. An open grease trap would be enclosed and ventilated, and the added room would enable a fish-split-ting bench to be installed. Mr Mather said he had just installed a portable cool room at a cost of £2OOO to supplement two coo] rooms and a freezer inside the shop. The yard would be concreted. Mr Mather said that up to 150 gallons of hot water a day were used to wash the premises. His excess water bill was £63 for six months.