CIVIC GOVERNMENT. LAST NIGHT'S COUNCIL MEETING.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 134, 3 December 1909, Page 4

CIVIC GOVERNMENT. LAST NIGHT'S COUNCIL MEETING.

VARIOUS COMMITTEES' REPORTS. The City Council met last night, the Mayor (Dr. A. K. Newman) presiding. The councillors present were — Messrs. J. P. Luke, John Smith, Falk Cohen, T. Balliuger, G. Frost, James Trevor, A. R. Atkinson, J. J. Devine, J. F. Fitzgerald, T. Carmichael, D. M'Laren, G. Shirtcliffe, R. Fletcher, and W. H. Morrah. » FINANCE AND PROPERTY. This committee's chief recommendations were :—(1): — (1) That the council insist upon the payment by the Wellesley Club ot their water by meter account, amounting to £18 12s 3d, said by them to be excessive. (2) That the Harbour "Board be informed that the council cannot revoke its previous decision not to supply water to the conveniences at the King's Wharf free of charge, and the board be requested to improve the conditipn of the conveniences at the heafl of the Queen's Wharf. (3) That the offer of the Wellington Choral Society to give its services to the City Organist for a joint organ recital and carol concert on Christmas night, in the Town Hall, be accepted with thanks. (4) That the City Engineer be granted one month's leave of absence, in order to visit Australia. (5) That the request of the Wellington Industrial Association that the council should give the Technical Education Board a lease in perpetuity, at a -peppercorn rental, of the land in Mercer'street at present leased to the board for sixty years as a site for a Technical School, as an endowment for technical education 1 purposes' (in order that financial arrangements might be made with the Government), be acceded to. (6) That the suggestion of Mr. F. de J. Clere, architect, on behalf of Messrs. Chapman, Skerrett, Wylie, and Tripp, that a mutual arrangement be entered into between the council and Messrs. Chapman, Skerrett, Wylie, and Tripp, regarding contiguous light areas for sections 1(M, 105, and 106, Lambton reclamation, be not agreed to. The committee reported that it had approved the action of tlie city engineer ir. purchasing four additional horses foi corporation works, more particularly in connection with street cleansing and watering. Considerable discussion took place regarding clause 5. Councillor Fitzgerald, who said that the section of land proposed to be parted with was worth £14,500, moved that the matter be deferred for further consideration. This motion was seconded by Councillor Atkinson. Most of the arguments used were repetitions of what was said at last council meeting, but a new aspect was opened up when mention was made by Councillor M'Laren of a belief in some quarters that a Bill to be introduced to Parliament would provide for the City Counci.' parting with the fee simple of the section. He hoped the belief was ill-founded ; he was certain that when the matter was discussed at the Technical Education Board's meetings, he and other members of it were assured that there was no intention ~of seeking to secure the fee simple of the land. Later in the evening, Councillor M'Laren.intimated that he Tiad received an assurance from Councillor Luke, M.P., that the fee simple division in the Bill before Parliament would be deleted. The motion to Tefer back the clause was lost, and the report was then adopted in the form submitted. TRAMWAY MATTERS. The tramway committee recommended :—(1): — (1) That an ordinary Sunday tramway service be run on the principal routes on Christmas Day, including morning cars to meet boats and trains ; •double ordinary fares to be charged. t (2) That the St. John Ambulance Association and the Tramway Band be granted permission to fly streamers on tram cars advertising "Ambulance Saturday" and the "moonlight excursion" respectively. (3) That the petitioners for a tramway stopping-place at Harris-Btreet, on the Jervois-quay route, be informed that their request cannot be acceded to. (4) That the timetable and fares for the Lyell Bay tramway extension be as follows : — Week days : Twenty minutes' service from morning till 7 p.m. Forty minutes' service thereafter. Sundays : Twenty minutes service till 8 p.m. Forty minutes' service thereafter. Fares: — Kilbirnie Hotel to Lyell Bay Id ; residents to have the benefit of the 12-trip concession ticket from Lambton Railway station to Lyell Bay terminus, costing 2s 6d. The above timetable will be supple.mentcd by special cars as occasion demands. (5) That a concession of halffares -on city lines be granted to the boy scouts. (6) That an agreement bu entered into with the Post and Telegraph Department for the carriage of mails, telegraph messengers, and letter carriers on the tramways within the City for the sum of £385 per annum, being an increase of £10 per annum on account of the Lyell Bay '*and»that a further sum of £15 be charged when the W.adestown ii ne j s con _ structed. (7) That penalties be charged for non-completion to contract time of the following) contracts, unless the contractors furnish satisfactory reasons for the remission of' same: — F. S. Greenshields and Company : twenty miles of insulated wire. Amount of contract, £380 ; period overdue, one month, eight days ; penalty , £5 per week ; liability forfeiture, £25. W. Crabtree and Sons : incandescent lighting brackets ; amount of contract, £62 10s ; period overdue, 26 days ; penalty, £5 per week ; liability forfeiture, £15. Councillor Carmichael moved that clause 1 be deleted, but this was lost, and the whole report, as submitted, was adopted. BATHS AND RESERVES. The Baths and Reserves Committee's most important recommendations were as follow:— (1) That the Wellington North District Club be informed that the charge for the preparation of cricket pitches is £2, and for keeping, them in order thereafter, 12s per month, and that a charge of £3 3s per annum will be made on clubs using the rooms at Kelburne Park, the council allowing them to erect ample locker or cupboard accommodation for the storage of cricket material, but no exclusive right to the rooms will be granted. (2) That the recommendations of the city engineer on the question of supplying, water to the Karori Cemetery be adopted, estimated to cost approximately £100, including piping and tank. (3) That the City Engineer b© instructed to report on the best means of improving the water supply to the Newtown Park, with an estimate of fche cost. (4) I That charges for use of the baths be altered, as follow : — Family ticket (£1 11s 6d) and season ticket (10s 6d), to remain as at present. Adult monthly (2s 6d), to be repealed, and a clip ticket entitling the bearer to 30 dips for 2s 6d (transferable) he substituted. Children yearly (ss), and children monthly (Is 6d), to remain as at present. Twelve dip ticket (transferable) (2s) to be repealed. Single admission (adult 3d and ■ child Id) to remain ac at present. The committee rpjportgd thit it h&di

been waited on by a deputation from the Legislation Committee of the Hospital Board of Trustees, with reference to the narrow strip of Town Belt situate between the board's property and Sala-manca-road. They asked that the council vest the strip of land in them as a frontage to their sections adjacent thereto. The committee informed the trustees that the matter would be referred to the officers for a report, and a visit to the land arranged for in company with the trustees. The report was adopted without alteration. \ STREETS COMMITTEE'S REPORT. , The committee recommended (1) That a cab driver be granted a permit to drive ! a cab under clause^ 637 aof the bylaws, conditional upon (a) his signing the pledge ; (b) his good behaviour, but subject to the right of the council to cancel this permission at any time if deemed advisable. Thati seven Jandus arc lamps, similar to the one installed at the corner of Featherstonstreet and Lambton-quay, be purchased, at' an estitaated cost of £102, and erected as follows ; — Lambton Station, Dyke of Edinburgh corner, Rdyal Oak corner, Courtenay-place waiting shed, Veitch and Allan's corner, Taranakietreet, near new King's Theatre, Stewart Dawson's corner. (4) That the application of Mr. E. King, of Kelburne, for permission to construct a common drain for his own and his mother's houses at Wakefield-terrace, Kelburns, be not granted. (5) That the application of Mr. J. Hutcheson for permission to erect a dwelling on part of Town Acre 452, Wellington-terrace, be not granted, as the distance of the proposed dwelling! ia not.' ton feet! fiom "adjacent boundaries, and the erection of this building would deprive the front building of access to the rear thereof. (6) That the application of Mr. J. J. Boyd for permission, to- erect a dwelling at Coro-mandel-street at the read, of existing hou&qs fronting Goromandel-street and Mem-street, though not in accordance with the requirements of the by-laws, be granted, on certain conditions set forth. There was a long discussion on the question of Mr. Hutcheson's application. It was finally decided that the application should be granted subject to the advice of the City Solicitor and the City Engineer. The rest of the report was adopted as recommended.