THE CITY'S PROGRESS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIV, Issue 18, 20 July 1907, Page 6

THE CITY'S PROGRESS.

i TOWN CLERK'S ANNUAL REPORT. The Toaau Clerk of Wellington (Mr. J. R. Palmer) in his anuul report gives an exhaustive review of the works carried out, or considered by the City Council during the last finanehl year. Referring to the question of undertaking municipally the management of t the milk supply of* the city, the Town Cleric says : "ihe proposal is one which the Chief Medical Officer of the colony. Dr. Mason, strongly favours- as being capable of obviuting <i great deal' of infantile mortality now considered to bo more or less traceable to the milk, supply as controlled by the many agencies now dealing with' the matter. There is no uniform m.ethod of treatment guaranteeing any standard of purity. This could be carried out if it were" made imperative that all the milk forwarded for city consumption were received at a. municipal 'C-ojntrplled depot, treated by pasteurization or other appro vod method of- sterilization'and delivered without intermediary aid diiect to the consumer, and übly io soa'.ed bottles of vaiious.^eii'.es. Such a/ reform must be considered as one ranking fur a great improvement in the gener.il health of the community, the facility with which miik uuries infection being only too >yell know n. Considerable data 'has been collected by the committee (chairman, Councillor Mur. doch) and a repoit on the matter will shovtlr be laid before the council." The council has voted £400 ' towards the cost of the proposed crematorium, and subscriptions received and promised lunouut to about £530. Plans of ihe building have baen prepared and working drawings of the fin-nave luiac been applied for from the manufacturers, in E'^land, and it is intended to piorped : \vi:h the v.ork at tho earliest possibjs opportunity. • -| For the year 1905-6 no less than 814 j permits Were issued for" now bijildvn£s] within the city are.:, the value of V.'hieh j was" estimated at £574,000. For 1906-7 ! there were 553 permits issued for buildings in the city proper and 330 iov the I siriToimdhig-Melpose district, §03 in all., the estimated value of which "wits £381,--233 and £176,307 respectively, or a total of £557,540. Although the aggregate value was some £160.000 less, the 1111 11" 1 number of separate buildings w.is increased by 69 This mainly' shows that tho demand for residential properties Y.M3 largely in excess of tho prc'vio'is , .Vt.li'. In addinon to, this it must not be forgotten that tho Boroughs of Karoii and liirp-i".r have hr.d ;i laige nuirtber of new buildings erected within their inns' duriiif the year, no doubt piincipally due to the extension of the c-ity tram service to the boroughs. Looked nt broadly, th» building operations tor ihs year must be considered as convincing evidence of the city's growth und extension. 'ihe site of the old home-tram carshed:, lus been subdivided into .sections for p;de. .A. road is being formed from Adelaide-road to King-street to onen up the sections. ' Tho public lectuics given under the auspices of the council have been much appreciated, and it is intended to arrange for some to be given in the Thorndon district. ■ * The Xewtown Library Museum collection is valued at £3000. The attendance of visitors is increasing. The Special Committee (chairman Councillor Smith) tet up to make enquiry as to the advisability of establishing public markets in the city having taken evidence limn a number of citizens, and obtained the litest particulars from the Auwtrctlrm States, after full consideration decided to recommend tint a nwrket for the aale of fi:-h, fruit, meat, vegetables, and dairy produce be erected in the city. As a site for the buildings ths committee recommeuded that a poition of the Kenfcterraco Reserve bo used. This, however, the council would not agree to. Since then the committee has not succeeded in finding a suitable location. Several sites, have been suggested and ure under present consideration, but in view of 'the heavy expense involved no decision has yet been made. , The council his purchased Messrs. Garrett and Exlcv'h land, buildings, and machinery at Ngahauranga on which to establish "a public abattoir, has authorised the 1-iiLmig of a special loan (by special order) and has instructed the City Engin. eer to prepare plans, etc., of the buildings. ■ ing tho year the council expended £ on the Hutt-road, but will be refund .1 a large proportion of the amount [by t:>o Hutt, Petone, and Onslow Borough?. A very large increase in the number of tramway passengers for the year has to bo recorded. For 1905-6 the number was 13.574,223 an average of 1,130,000 per month. Last year tho total number carried was 16,897.034, beirig a monthly average of 1,408,000. This large increase of 270,000 per month must he considered highly satisfactory. Arrangements arc well in hand for the .construction of the loop line for waiting cars jn Victoria-street and for the line ! in Charlotte-street to connect more readily with the existing line in Moles-worth-street, to obviate the loss of time in proceeding via the existing lines in Mulgrave and Aitken streets. ' The rates fixed for the financial year were slightly under 'those of the previous year, but owing to a large increase' in tho Government valuation, produced, as was required to meet the estimated expenditure, a larger income. The loan authorised in July last was reduced by £110,000 to £135,000, and debentures arc being sold as funds are required, at par, at. ,4 per cent. jntcrcßt.' The Consolidated Loan, 1876, Repayment Loan of £200,000 (6 per cent.) was. renewed by negotiation 'with .'the Union Bank at 4 per cent., and the Sanitation Loan of £35,000 (4 per cent.) with the A.M. P. Society at 4 per cent. The drastic naturo of the Public Works Act, 1905, under which a desirable reform' in semiring a uniforjn width of streets to 66 feet is sought to be enforced, by the dedication of ptreefc frontages of private, lands under subdivision, to the extent of 33 feet from tho centre of existing streets of a less width than 66 feet, compensation for which is to be paid by the local authority (unless exemption conditionally or otherwise is granted by ihe Government) has necessitated numerous applications for exemption of lands not immediately needed for street-widening purposes. Some relief lias, however, been afforded local ! authorities by tho Public Works Act Amendment Act of 1906 whereby in all cases of actual dedication, betterment due to street-widening has to be considered by tho Compensation Court, against claims made. Tho general rule is, that where the Government agrees with 'the opinion of the local authority that it is not immediately essential to widen any existing horou^hfaro, a, condition i» made find registered against the title of lands, that any building hereafter erected must J not be built nearer than 33 feet from ths centre of the- street, the portion in front being. utilised as a garden plot thus providing that opposite houses' Fhall not be nearer each other than 66 feet. Tn these circumstances compensation is not necessary until the area is actually icnwired for street purposes, and when this occurs betterment will reduce thevalue of claims by adding considerable additional wilna to the remaining area, | and vry few houses will need to bo removed. The Day's Bay. Karaka Bay, and Soatotin steamers will run to tho rcspeotivo rusorts to-morrow.' The time-lablo anpoixs I in. another column,.