CITY COUNCIL

Evening Star, Issue 17316, 1 April 1920, Page 3

CITY COUNCIL

The fortnightly meeting was held last evening, and attended by the Mayor (Mr W. Begg), Crs Shaddock; Wilson, Bradley, Hayward, Walker, Calder, Taverner, Jeffery, Scott, Hancock, Larnach, Thorn, Douglas, Clark; Sincock, and Thompson. THE ST. CLAIR BEACH. Mr R. A. Johnston, secretary of the Ocean Beadi Domain Board, wrote that the board were called upon to face a work of considerable magnitude on their domain at St. Clair, owing to the damage caused to the foreshore and sandhills by the action of the sea. The board askad the assistance of the council in financing the work, which w.as estimated to cost £2.000. Towards this sum tho board would be able to find £2OO, and it was suggested that the council might now contribute £6OO, and St. Kilda Council £2OO, leaving a balance of £I,OOO, which the board hoped to obtain by subsidy from the Government. At the present time the Government had authorised a grant of £1 for £1 up to £2OO for the work, but tho board were taking steps to further represent the matter to the authorities in the hope of obtaining in creased assistance. The damage to the domain was very considerable, and was ever increasing, and if anything was to be done tc cope with it, it would need to be put in hand and completed before the winter weather set in. The • board also applied for the services of the City engineer to supervise the erection' of the groynes. The board had endeavored to get the work done by contract, but no tenders were received. In the meantime the Harbor Beard had been approached, and had agreed to loan their pile driving plant without charge. 'Cr Taverner thought that it was a matter of extreme urgency, and should be dealt with that night. He would move “that the council agree to the request to provide £6OO, and that the City engineer’s services should be available for the supervision of the work.” Cr Clark seconded, and said it was extremely urgent that something should bo done. Cr Scott: Is it the intention that tho City engineer should carry out the work? Cr Hancock: Yes. Cr Wilson wanted to know why they should vote £6OO before they knew from their engineer whether the proposed work would be efficient. They should'have some report from their engineer as to whether the work would accomplish what was expected. He moved as an amendment “That the matter he deferred until a report was obtained from the City engineer.” Cr Douglas seconded. He thought that it was a national question, and that the Government engineer should take all responsibility. Mr Hancock eaid the Government Engineer had fully reported, and the City Engineer also. The local Public Works Engineer and the City Engineer both agreed that it would take £2,000, more or less, to do the work, notwithstanding that Mr Furkert had said it shCJuld be done for £7OO. Cr Bradley said that although the Government shirked their duty that was no reason for the council declining to do their duty and see that people were not drowned in their sleep. He supported the resolution. Cr Walter said he was satisfied with the report of the officer sent down by the Government. Since he said the work was necessary they should accept his dictum. The Domain Board had done good work with small finance, and he thought they should have greater rating power. The beach was a national asset. Cr Calder said Mr M'Curdie did not approve of the groyne system, and he (the speaker) thought they should have a report from him .as to what should be done before" spending £6OO of the ratepayers’ money. The groynes had been a failure, and they put the sandhills in greater danger than ever. He thought £2,000 worth of stone laid there would give £2,000 worth of value—the groynes nil. Cr Larnach said a report from their own engineer was “in the air.” The board had asked far the Harbcfc Board engineer and plant to do the work, -and if the City Engineer could not carry out the work what was the use of asking for his report? Cr Shaddock said there was one factor which was. not mentioned, and he regarded it as important among the causes making for the lowering of the level of the sandy beaches around Dunedin. That factor was that - the River was not bringing down the same quantity of sand as it did 25 years ago, or even later than that. Cr Hancock said that the City Engineer’s plan for the work had -been approved bv the Government Engineer. Cr Sincock said if the City Engineer was against the scheme it was perhaps better he should not carry out the work. Cr Taverner, in • reply, said that the City Engineer had given no indication that he was opposed to the plan proposed. Cr Scott: He’s given indication of if, to the Chairman of Works. Cr Jeffery said ho was inclined to vote for granting the £6OO. The City Engineer would simply be carrying out the instructions of the Government Marine Engineer. They wanted to save the beach, which was a valuable asset to Dunedin. The amendment was lost and the motion carried. WORKERS’ DWELLINGS. It was recommended by the Works Committee that tha. architects be now instructed to draw up specifications and invite tenders for the workers’ homes at Maori Hill, each architect to call tenders cii his own design. Cr Wilson moved the adoption of the recommendation. Cr Hayward did not approve -of the method adopted by the committee. He ■fcas doubtful if they would get builders to tender. Cr Sincock said that the Government' had sufficient laud at the Windle Settlement on which to erect 25 or 50 horses. If the Government could not *ee their way to make ns© of that laud, then perhaps they could finance the council in order to give them an opportunity of building houses there. Cr Douglas said that if the architects were going to take so long, as it had taken to bring the plans before the council, then it was hard to say when the houses at Maori Hill would he erected. Cr Taverner said he had been told that it was a physical impossibility to get tha houses erected within the next couple of years.

Cr Jeffery said it was a discredit to the council that the housing of the people was not taken in hand years ago. The committee’s recommendation was adopted, Y.M.C.A, STREET COLLECTION. The General Committee having reported against the Y.M.C.A.’s application for permission to take np a street collection, enunciating the opinion that street collections should be limited as far as possible, a deputation from the association waited on the council last evening to press their claims. Mr J. Gray said that during the whole period of the war they had made no appeal for their own local work—had deliberately stood off during that period—and they came forward now because they were about £I,OOO behind. They had some claim on the community,, and did not think the council sliould turn them down.. * . Mr H. K. Wilkinson (president of the association) said their past 17 years’ work had been of great benefit to the coramu-* Bity, and he could not understand the council turning them down. Cr Bradley asked if, the association competed with hoarding-houses? The secretary said they did not.’ The average charge was 26s 6d, and only mem- • hers of the association were boarded. Cr Scott in moving the .adoption of the committee’s recommendation later, said Mr Wilkinson -wished to know what was at the back of tne committee's mind. - AH that was at the back of then* minds was the desire to protect the cheerful givers referred to as far as possible in regard to street collections of any kind.. The committee had no feeling in the matter;, they recognised the value and the altruism of the., work done; - but if the right to, hold the collection were, accorded this association the council would create a precedent, which would necessitate the granting of a similar privilege to other

bodies whose worn was just as altruistic and who could not in any sense bo regarded as trading concerns. Cr Clark moved as an amendment that the committee’s recommendation be referred back to the committee. He thought that the committee should submit some scheme by which they could, say, set aside sis days in the year for street collections. They wanted, some recognised scheme for street collections. Cr Hayward seconded the amendment, and referred to the good work - 'that 'ho Y.M.O.A. ware doing for the soldiers. Or Jeffery said that the Y.M.O.A had specially kept out of street collections during the war. Or Taverner eaid that in his opinion street collections had been hopelessly overdone Or Bradley ‘ wanted to know if they were also going to cut out garden foies, etc. C-r Sincock said that the Y.M.C A. were not a profit-making concern; they were most reasonable in their charges. Cr Bradley said that the appeal was not for the‘boarding establishment. Or Scott, in reply, said the council were a very liberal body with other people’s money, huh damnablv cautious with their own. He would like to see the council open their own pockets instead of being always so anxious to open the people’s pockets. In street collections the willing 'gave freely; the other didn’t give, and afterwards talked about it. The amendment w r as carried by 10 to 4.

Cr Walker moved in further amendment that the association’s request for permission to hold a. collection he granted, and the committee report on a general scheme as to street collections. In doing so he paid warm tribute to tho work of the association. The Mayor explained that the allowing or refusing of permission for street collections had during the war to he adjudicated upon by the Mayor, but he had referred this matter to the committee for an expression of opinion from them and the City Council. Or Scott remarked that if this new amendment was carried the. Mayor would have •"definite policy laid down for him—viz., to allow every applicant to make a street collection. The amendment granting permission was carried. TRAMWAYS COMMITTEE. The Tramways Committee recommended that free tramway passes be granted to anv disabled soldier urdergoing medical treatment. Cr Douglas moved the adoption of the recommendation. ■Or Scott moved a? an amendment—- “ That the matter be reviewed at the end of every financial year." This wftnld bring it in a line with all other passes issued by the council. Cr Sincock seconded. Cr Bradley said he understood it was to be reviewed every year. The committee’s recommendation as amended was adopted. THE MORNINGTON GROUND.

During the discussion on the Reserves Committee’s report Cr Hancock drew attention to remarks made by C!f Sincock at the annual meeting of the Mornington Football Chib. Cr Sincock ~as reported to have said: “He was ashamed of the City Corporation, because something had not been done to make their playing areas better than they were. Ho was also a bib ashamed of members of the hill sports clubs. He had been disappointed over the treatment meted out so far as some of the sports grounds were concerned. When they remembered the amount of money that had been subscribed by the players and sympathisers with the sports in and about Mornington for the improvement of their ground, only to have it expended on Unity Ground, which they knew was neither suitable for cricket or football, then they had just, cause for complaint. It was to be hoped that in the future this might be remedied, and that their playing grounds would be placed in something like order for football. If they did not, then he hoped the members of the Mornington Club would rally round him when a public meeting was called to ventilate their grievance, and at which he would be prepared to bring forward a strong resolution.” Proceeding, the speaker said that Cr Sincock had been appointed a member of the Reserves Committee, and five days later he resigned. Let thepi ask the players at Montecillo, Opoho, the Oval, Bathgate Park, and other playing areas, and he was quite sure they would say they were in’a far better condition than they were 12 months ago. If Cr Sincock had only remained on the Reserves Committee his area would probably have been done first. The blame was Cr Siucock’s alone. Cr Hayward thought that a vote of censure should be passed on Cr Sincock. Cr Sincock said that ho had not east any reflection on the City Council. What he had said had reference to the Reserves Committee of the City Council. If Cr Hancock would look at the ‘ Star ’ he would find that the president (Mr Martini of the Cricket Association had been just as strong as he (Cr Sincock) had been. Many residents of Mornington had dipped their hands into their pockets, and money had been handed over to the Reserves Committee, and a certain amount of work had been done, but the ground was fit for neither football nor cricket. The position last year was that so far as (Mornington was concerned first-class cricket and football was not played there, because the ground was not good enough. Ho resented any insinuation that .he had cast any reflection upon the whole council, but he had cast reflections on and levelled charges at the superintendent -of reserves and the Reserves Committee ft fat they had hot kept their pledge to make the ground fit from a playing point of view. The committee deserved the reflection' that Mornington cast upon them. Cr Thompson said that Unity ground was a huge blunder and a botch. Cr Hancock said the Reserves Committee as a committee were not responsible for the mistakes made. The work had been carried out by an outside body, and not by corporation work. That the committee had riot been able to spend monev upon this piece of ground was to bo regretted. But with regard to other parts of the Mornington ground, he knew that Mr Tannock had the playing area at Mornington under consideration. ’’The committee could not possibly do everything at one time. Mr Tannock was going to attend to the work at the first possible moment. ’Die Mayor said the committee that had had the work in hand was the same one that had controlled the making of the Ocean Beach road at St. Clair) and it had had added to it a few Mornington residents in connection with the work on the ground at Mornington. . Cr Shaoklock: That is correct. I was in the chair at the time. There the matter ended.