CIVIC AFFAIRS

Evening Star, Issue 21504, 31 August 1933, Page 5

CIVIC AFFAIRS

FORTNIGHTLY COUNCIL MEETING The fortnightly meeting of the City Council, held last night, was attended by the Mayor (Rev. E. T. Cox), Crs Campbell, Begg, Allen, Silverstone, Shacklock, Marlow, Scott, MTndoe, Borrie, Jones, and Munro. The secretary of the Alhambra Football Club wrote asking for permission, on behalf of the Otago Referees’ Association and his club, to hold a concert in the Regent Theatre on Sunday, October 8, and to make a charge for admission of Is and 6d, the proceeds to be devoted to Mr Alex. Downes’s benefit fund.—lt was decided to grant permission as requested. GENERAL COMMITTEE. Or MTndoe moved the adoption of the report of the General Committee, which recommended that the draft of the proposed by-law amending and extending by-law No. 1 be approved, and that the necessary steps be taken to adopt the by-law as provided by statute. The draft dealt in the main with street trading, provided for the issue of licenses to persons desirous of trading in the streets, restricted the issue of licenses in the case of children to boys 12 years and over and girls 14 years and over, and empowered the council to prescribe generally the conditions that may attach to any license in terms of the by-law. Cr M'lndoe said the by-law was intended to protect ratepayers who were shopkeepers from unfair competition after hours. Cr MTndoe said he was pleased to be able to say that he had a very satisfactory report in regard to the Baby Austin car now used by the traffic inspectors. As a result of the operation of the car £ls odd had been collected in heavy traffic fees, and quite a number of convictions had been obtained for breaches of by-laws such as' speeding, etc. Thus there had been a return of £l6 for a net cost of £1 18s. He thought it would be admitted that the obtaining of the car had been justified. Cr Campbell suggested that the traffic inspectors should bo sworn in as constables to give them greater authority. Cr Jones said he thought it would be very unwise to swear in the traffic inspectors, who wore traffic inspectors and not policemen. That was the opinion of the majority of the committee. Cr Silverstone said he was pleased the Baby Austin was doing so well. He suggested the washing down of Cargill’s Monument might bo handed over to the fire brigade. Cr Allen said he would like to know if the Austin car was to become a permanent asset of the department. He hoped that their inspectors would noi harass motorists. At times some of the charges brought against motorists were really trivial. It was the duty of the inspectors to help motorists as well as see that the by-laws were complied with.

Cr MTndoe, speaking in reply, said he was of the opinion that their inspectors should be sworn in as special constables. They were men of judgment, and would not abuse the power. Recently the inspectors had to obtain a constable for the arrest of a man who was drunk in charge of a motor truck. In the meantime he might have escaped,. The offender was fined £lO, and had the inspectors been sworn in that money would have gone to the council In reply to Cr Silverstone he would say that Cargill’s Monument had already been washed down. It was intended to ask that the Austin car be made a permanent asset of the department, and such a recommendation would be made to the next meeting of the council. It had always been impressed on the inspectors not to harass motorists, and he thought they thoroughly understood that. The report was adopted.

CONDITION OP STABLES. Before moving the adoption of the Works Committee’s report, the chairman (Cr Marlow) asked for the deletion of the following clause .-—Erecting a wall at a property in Highgate. Estimated cost £l2, of which the owner is to contribute £9. This was agreed to. Cr Marlow went on to say that the question had been raised of the condition of the stables in Anderson’s Bay road. In the company of the city engineer and Cr Scott he had paid a visit to the stables, and, though he would not say that conditions were quite perfect —where horses were close to dwellings they were always a nuisance—they were as nearly perfect as they could make them. Cr Silverstono: I am not quite satisfied that the stables are in the right place. Cr Marlow: 1 did not say they were in the right place. Cr Silverstone went on to say that the stables should not be there at all. It was not right that horses should bo stabled within 10ft or 15ft of residences. He had been assured that on a warm day one could not see the backs of the residences for flies. A Councillor: Which were there first —the residents or the horses? Cr Silverstone: The horses were there first, but, in my opinion, human beings take the preference. Cr MTndoe said that spray was used at the stables to keep the flies away. Cr Scott said that the horse stalls were a credit to the corporation servants who looked after them. Cr Borrie: If the stables are as bad as Cr Silverstone says, the Health Department will soon step in and see that everything is all right. Cr Marlow maintained that there were no horses as near as 10ft to 15ft from the dwellings. The houses themselves were practically 10ft from the boundary, and on the stables side there were plots laid down to prevent horses going nearer than 10ft from that side of the boundary. Cr Silverstone: Not when I saw the place. Cr Scott: That must have been years ago. The report was adopted. It was agreed that Or Shacklock be associated with the Works Committee in the matter of looking into the layout of Glasgow street. TOO MUCH GAS.” ■‘To much gas has gone to waste in the Council Chamber to-night,” said Cr Scott in reply to Cr Munro’s question as to the possibility of discussing reduced gas charges, as well as reduced Sunday tram fares. The’ Gas Committee's report was adopted. TOWN HALL RENOVATIONS. Mr L. D. Coombs (city building inspector) reported to the meeting that two tenders had been received for the proposed repairs to the exterior stonework of the old portion of the Town Hall. Messrs H. S. Bingham and Co. had tendered £1,452 and Messrs Wood and M'Cormack had quoted 7\ per cent, on the cost. His estimate of September. 1932, had been £1,585, and ho recommended that the tender of Messrs Bingham and Co. be accepted. He pointed out that the proposal of 7\ percent. on cost left the liability of the council too indefinite. The inspector’s recommendation was adopted. STREET STALLS. A special meeting was held to confirm the by-law referred to by Cr MTndoe in the General Committee’s report. ‘‘The committee has had a difficulty in framing the by-law," said Cr MTndoe. Shopkeepers who sold periodicals or books objected to people setting up street stands for the purpose of selling periodicals, etc. However, lie did not think that the provisions of the by-law were drastic. In reply to a question. Cr MTndoe added that stands were already allotted at certain corners, and the by-laws were being broken if stands were set up at any other corners. the Mayor: There is no doubt that it is only carnival exuberance which is causing the breaking of the by-law. Cr Shacklock: The by-law has been broken for the past four or five years, and an injustice is, being inflicted on shopkeepers at certain popular street corners.

The draft of the clauses was finally referred for further consideration to the General Committee.