DISCUSSED BY THE COUNCIL

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3087, 18 May 1917, Page 6

DISCUSSED BY THE COUNCIL

CONSIDERATION POSTPONED. Tho report was discussed at considerable length by the council, but not any of the discussion was on the merits of any of tho proposals. Introducing the. subject the Mayor suggested that it would be well for the report to be circulated before being finally dealt with, and ho moved that consideration of it be deferred until next meeting of the council. Some councillors were of opinion that this was too long a postponement, and the Mayor then gave a promise that if the need seemed urgent he would summon a special meeting at a day's notice io enable the council to deal with, the matter. After the discussion had continued for some time he' accepted the suggestion that the report be considered at a special meeting of the council to be held at 4 o'clock.on Monday afternoon, and this is the motion that was in the end carried.

Two Weeks' Supply in Hand. The City Engineer was asked to make a statement regarding coal supplies. Mr. Morton said that when the strike occurred a few days ago the city had three weeks' supply of coal for tramways. One full week went by without any coal coming in, and in other weeks the bare week's supply had come in, so that now there was just two weeks' supply in stock. In the lighting department they wero better off, because they could use different coal in the lighting power-liou6e furnaces from that required for the tramway station. It might be suggested that they should transfer coal from one department to the other, but he regarded it as imperative that tho lighting service should be maintained at all hazards.

In reply to Councillor Shorland, Mr. Morton said that under normal circumstances the stocks held were six weeks' supply, but since the war started it had not been possible to keep up the stocks.

What Councillors Thought. . The only councillor who to the last remained unconvinccd of the need for any such drastic proposals was Councillor H'Konzae. He was of thß opinion that the council. had before it no facts to justify adoption of. the report, and he refused to believe that thera was any such urgent necessity for saving coal, as was represented. He thought the council was just a little hysterical about tho business. But he was quite alone in these opinions. Other councillors wero all agreed that' the necessity was such as to make prompt action imperative. Councillor Barber pointed out to the meeting that if it should be necessary to exercise the right to cut oft' power used for industries, the result would be that many industries in the city would be stopped, and hundreds of people would be deprived of their employment. Tho only councillor to criticise the authorities was Councillor Bennett, who. said that the present plight was due in great part to the failure of the council in the past to accumulate and conserve big stocks of coal, and he suggested that one of the reasons why ij; had not been possible to do this was that the coal yard was not well adapted for its purpose. This adverse criticism of tho management found no supporters. As above stated, tho report is to bo considered at a special meeting of the council on Monday afternoon.