CITY COUNCIL

Evening Star, Issue 15892, 26 August 1915, Page 2

CITY COUNCIL

The fortnightly meeting of the City Council was held last evening, and attended by the Mayor (Mr J, J. Clark), Ors White, Hayward, Green, Willson, Lunn, Hancock, Sinclair, Cole, Small, Black, Douglas, Carroll, Begg, Taverner, Shacklock, and Scott. The_ Hon. Secretary of the Dunedin Municipal Officers’ Association wrote that the members of the official staff had established an association., and they requested the Mayor and councillors To -became patrons.—Agreed to. —Moniington Amalgamation.— The- Town Clerk, Mornington, advised tliat the poll for the amalgamation with the City had been carried, and suggested a meeting of the two councils to discuss arrangements for taking over the borough. It was moved that this be referred to the Finance Committee to act. Cr Black moved that the matter be reto the Town Clerk, City Treasurer, and City Engineer, to report to the council. The mover said that if what people favoring amalgamation had said was true, the Dunedin Corporation should act with ■caution before embracing in their fold the present Borough of Mornington. Cr Hayward seconded the amendment. Cr Wilson hoped the council-would nob consider the amendment. It was absurd coming from a former suburban councillor. He did not believe that Mornington was in a bad condition. Certainly it had been mismanaged recently, but it was no worse than other suburbs the council had taken in. The whole policy was to take in the suburbs round about. Tho water, tramways, and other matters could .be cheaper worked by the City than- by a borough. The amendment was lost and tho motion carried. —Dunedin’s Civic History.— ■ On the motion of the Mayor, seconded by Cr Cole, it was resolved—“ That this council place bn record their deep and sincere thanks to Georgo Fenwick, Esq., for the very special and admirable services he has rendered -to the citizens of Dunedin in compiling the souvenir booklet B. a history of civic government in in since its inception. The council realise the great amount of time and labor the work involved, and express their sense of gratitude to • Mr Fenwick for another of the many acts of good citizenship that he has rendered to the City.” —General Committee Before moving the adoption of the General Committee’s report, Cr Sinclair asked that clause 1, in regard to an application from Messrs Coopers, Ltd., for permission to erect two semi-detached dwellings in Walker street be referred back to the committee.—Agreed to. Cr Sinclair then moved the adoption of the report. He said that the committee had declined the request of Fletcher Bros, for the payment of £sl Is 6d, balance alleged to be due on the heater for the Turkish Baths. The committee were satisfied that all moneys due to the contractors under the contract had been paid in full. The returns from the public baths had fallen off, but that was to be expected, owing to the war. For the past four months the takings at the tepid and Turkish Baths were £lB7, while the expenses were £468. Instructions had been given to the inspectors of nuisances to take action to stop the practice of sweeping shop sweepings into the streetchannel.—The report was adopted. —Electric Power Committee.— Cr Shaddock, in moving tho ratification jlf the committees recommendation to accept the tender of Messrs A. and T. Burt for storage battery—£2,B99 8s 4d—said that this had been before the council for six months. The tender of Messrs A. and T. Burt was the lowest for the best British battery, and the moot suitable, as the committee thought. Or Wilson asked if the final payment had been made on the Diesel engines. Cr Shacklock, in reply, said it had been made, but the council held the contractors’ bond in £SOO for tho satisfaction of the engine. The report was adopted. —Tramways.— Cr .Wilson, in moving tho adoption of the Tramway Committee’s report, explained that the reason the committee recommended the refusal of the Bay Town Board’s application for the running of two of the ordinary time-table cars as “ minimam fare ” cars was that the citizens of Dunedin should be served before the suburban boroughs. Although the proposal would only affect the first section, it was thought it would be unjust to those people that were detained from using the ordinary running cars. The application for three tramway passes for the St. John Ambulance district nurses haS been declined because the committee thought this would lead to a multiplication of such demands. Cr Sinclair moved as an amendment—- “ That during the pleasure of the council three tramway passes be granted the St. John Ambulance Association for their district nurses.” The speaker said that the association were working entirely for charity. They were not wanting to make any profit out of the department, nor were they attempting to impose on the department. A similar application had been granted the Plunket nurses. Gr Black seconded the amendment. Cr Small thought that concessions of this kind should bo debited to the municipal department. Cr Wilson, in reply, said it was a matter of principle. There was no comparison between the Plunket nurses and tho St. John Ambulance nurses. The amendment was carried by 9 votes to 7, and the‘report as amended was adopted. —General.— On the motion of Cr Carroll the Finance Committee were instructed to -report as to the advisability of reducing the charge on lavatories. A motion was carried confirming tho resolution previously passed regulating motor traffic within the City. Cr Sinclair explained that the by-law was designed to protect the public and study their convenience. PERSONAL AeqUqeETA Very Rev. Father Coffey, Adm., and Mr T. J. Hussey, who are representing the Dunedin Diocesan_Council of the Catholic Federation at the meeting of the Dominion Council, left for Wellington by the second 'express oh Tuesday. Mr D. w J£°PP®Jwell, the third representative, kft for the North on Monday,