CITY PROGRESS

Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 148, 20 December 1945, Page 4

CITY PROGRESS

WORK OF PAST YEAR

SLOWED DOWN BY SHORTAGES

Reviewing the work done by the* City Engineer's Department during the past year, the Mayor (Mr. Appleton) who is chairman of the works committee of the City Council, said yesterday that though maintenance and more' urgent work had been done, shortages of both labour and material had meant that much had had to be left over until conditions became more normal. However, the return of technical staff from the Forces had enabled a considerable amount of planning and estimating to be carried out. to expedite commencement of a number of larger construction works when men and materials were again available.

Under the council's scheme of encouraging people who wished to build their own homes by assisting in loan advances of up to 90 per cent., 56 loans were arranged during the year. Sixteen homes were under construction and 184 had been completed, with a capital value of £298,905, on which the total amount of loans was £258.950. Plans had been prepared for the proposed transit housing scheme at Kaiwarra Park, but the council still awaited a decision from the Government. Much work had been done on zoning the city industrial areas. Plans of the new administrative building at the rear of the Town Hall were well advanced and the foundation work was in hand. WAITING FOR RONGOTAI DECISION. "The council is still waiting for the Government's decision on the reports submitted and the plans prepared of the proposed Rongotai airport development scheme," said Mr. Appleton. The scheme for the development of the Silverstream water supply was put into operation in September and provided for the pumping of water from Long Gully beyond the Karori reservoir into the upper reservoir. Since then 50,000,000 gallons of water had been made available to the city, and ,this had placed Wellington in a better | position than for some years past, though it might be anticipated that the present supply would be severely j taxed in the event of a dry summer period till the major water supply from the Hutt development scheme was available.

Contracts completed during the year included the strengthening of corpora-tion-owned buildings damaged by earthquake. The reconstruction of the naval barracks at Oriental Bay, now used as a Public Service youth hostel, had been carried out.

Other contracts let but on which work had not yet been started were:— New residence and laboratory at the zoo; large additions (garage and store) at the milk station in Tory Street; and repairs and additions to corporation buildings.

Apart from normal maintenance work, the following were among jobs completed which came under the direction of the works committee:— Campbell Street sewer; improvements in Ngaio Gorge; new pumping station at Epuni Street; strengthening of Hutt Pipe Bridge; new water supply pumps at Onslow and Karori, and at the artesian pumping station, Gear Island; continuation of major supplementary stormwater culvert in Adelaide Road and Riddiford Street, Newtown; construction of main sewer and stormwater drains through the hospital grounds. Riddiford Street. All air-raid shelters and air-raid shelter tunnels had been removed or filled in with the exception of concrete shelters in Marion Street and Kensington Street, and other works were additions to municipal abattoirs; additions to the crematorium at Karori: completion of Monorgan Road tip and Chaytor Street tip. which have been handed over to the reserves department for development; construction of tunnel for diversion of Kaiwarra Stream; Oriental Bay and Evan? Bay beach improvement by the depositing of ballast sand from overseas ships; construction of beginners' swimming-pool, Karori baths;., improvements to Rongotai airport" and provision of cafeteria.

The Mayor expressed his appreciation to the City Engineer, Mr. K. E. Luke, and staff for the amount, of work accomplished under difficult conditions.