MOSGIEL BOROUGH COUNCIL

Evening Star, Issue 21510, 7 September 1933, Page 1

MOSGIEL BOROUGH COUNCIL

MONTHLY MEETING Mr A. F. Quelch (mayor) presided at the monthly meting of the Mosgiel Borough Council. There was a full attendance of councillors. REPORTS. The Finance Committee reported that the committee had considered and received a report by the town clerk giving details of receipts totalling £445 17s lid, and expenditure totalling £644 18s 8d for the period July 25 to September 4, 1933. The committee had had before it a number of cases of outstanding rates, water, and other accounts, together with matters in dispute which it was proposed to submit to arbitration, and the necessary instructions had been given as to how these matters were to be dealt with. Accounts for payment totalling £473 8s 5d had been examined by the committee, and were now recommended for payment.—The report was adopted. The Works Committee reported that the receiving and settling tanks had been desludged and cleaned out, this work having been done during a fresh in the stream. The foot valve of pump, being defective, had been repaired. All channels had been cleaned and outlets kept clear. Dead ends of water mains had been run off twice during the month. One service had been laid to a property in the borough,_ and one extraordinary service put in outside of the borough. One defective service had been repaired. _ All water meters had been read. Storm water drain in Burns' street had been lifted and relaid to conform with level of ditch. The boundary ditch had been graded up froin end to end, and now gave better drainage facilities from Mure street. Two sewer connections had been laid to properties in Bush road and Forfar street. Hedges round the Recreation Ground had been trimmed. Trees had been planted in the Recreation Ground, and Green, Wycliffe, and Burns streets. Soil had been sieved and was now ready for topdressing the- playing, area in the Re-< creation Ground. Three hundred and ninety-eight yards of gravel had been spread on the streets. A depression in Gordon road had been made up with asphalt. One foot crossing had been laid in Queen street, and portion of path in this street gravelled. Men under No. 5 scheme had been employed, on the pipe line, gravelling streets, sieving soil, cutting hedges, and grubbing roadsides. , Water patrol had iieen carried out during wet weather. .The lifting, scraping, and relaying pf the pipe line was proceeding. It had been decided"to eliminate a number of curves and high points on . the existing line, which would necessitate a deviationfrom thq jiresent pecqsisary the property owner concerned.—The report was adopted. The General Committee reported that an application for a reduction on the rental charged for the use of the Coronation Hall for a concert had been considered by the committee, ••nd declined. Following on the decision cf the council that a fireman should he prosen" at all functions in the Coronation Hall, a scale of fees had been drawn np by the Fife Brigade. It had been decided that these attendance fees must be paid to the town clerk upon the granting of the ball license. —The ’ report was adopted. The Reserves Committee reported that it had been decided that repairs should bel effected to the fence in front of the park in Gordon road, and also that an estimate be prepared of the cost of tar-sealing the paths across -he park.—ln moving the adoption of tho report, Cr Stevens detailed the sreps contemplated to improve the playing area in the Recreation Ground. Three quarters of an inch; top-dressing would he done in the centre. The granting of more than one pitch on the playing area to the cricket club was not favoured. Practice pitches, could be found on other portions of the ground. The one playing pitch on the centre could he returfed at the end of the season, but if several playing pitches wore available, then the cost of returfing would be considerable, Returfing would be necessary as the ground would be required for football when the season again came round.—The report was adopted. MOSGIEL POST OFFICE. The Postmaster-General replied to the council’s application for a new Post Office building or improvements to the present one was declined, as only, a limited amount of money was available each year for carrying out such work, and it was necessary that each case should be dealt with strictly in order of urgency. There was no urgency in the case of Mosgiel as compared with the needs of other places for improved post office accommodation. The Mayor said that sixteen years ago a site for a new post office had been purchased, the department thus admitting the necessity. A new post office was badly needed. There was no privacy for "the transaction of business. All matters had to be attended to over a very small counter in the eyes of all j whose business took them to the vicinity of tho counter. The Postmaster-, General said he had noted the council’s opinion, and this would receive consideration. ALLOWANCES TO UNEMPLOYED. The council at its last meeting decided to use its best endeavours to secure an additional grant for tho local unemployed. A reply was before the meeting as follows:—" In reply to the council’s application that the same treatment be accorded to the Mosgiel unemployed as that given to the unem“ ployed workers in Dunedin, I have to advise that the board regrets that it is not possible, for financial _and other reasons, to bring the Mosgiel district on to the same scale as obtained in Dunedin, or even to extend further the city scale of relief. The board’s policy is to provide substantially equal allocations where the local conditions and the costs of running a household are comparable, and on this basis the Mosgiel allocation is the same as that made to other similar places. After reviewing the allocation for Mosgiel the board regrets that it is unable to make any further provision at the present time.” It was decided again to write to the Minister explaining that Mosgiel was not on, the same basis as other suburban areas, and to ask that the scale be increased accordingly. The council J

stressed the point that the unemployed resident in a town like Mosgiel did not have advantages that the city unemployed: man possessed in the matter of the purchasing power of his earnings. Mr Ansell, M.P., notified the council that he was keeping in touch with the Minister of Employment regarding the claim of Mosgiel’s unemployed. THE WATER SUPPLY. The Mayor referred to the work the unemployed were doing in connection with the water supply, and a reference was also made to the matter in the Works Committee’s report. He said that under the unemployed scheme the pipe lino, which had become encrusted and in some places contained gravel, was being cleaned. Several curves were being eliminated, and when the work was finished it was hoped a greater volume of water would be obtained.Whatever might be decided on for an, increased supply at the intake, the j' pipe line p-ould be in readiness to carry ’ it.