PORT CHALMERS AFFAIRS

Evening Star, Issue 21720, 15 May 1934, Page 19

PORT CHALMERS AFFAIRS

COUNCIL MEETING The monthly meeting of the council last night was attended by the mayor (Mr J. Watson) and all the councillors except Mr W. Love. Since th© previous meeting there had passed away Mr H. H. Wilson, Mrs W. Hunter, and Mr W. Stewart. Mrs Hunter’s- late husband had been a banker at Port Chalmers, Letters of sympathy to relatives of the deceased wore approved. CORRESPONDENCE. The Mayor of Palmerston North sent a circular in regard to the unemployment sustenance operating there on a graduated scale ranging from 5s per week for single men up to 20s per week for married men with five or more children. The scheme was te operate for one week in four. Support was asked for a resolution passed (in four sections) protesting against the new rates taking the place of the old rates in Palmerston- North or elsewhere. — The Mayor commented on the scheme operating for only on© week in every four. Probably this intention was to supplement other earnings, but he did not know if that were the case.—The council resolved to comply with the request for support. The Mayor of Christchurch asked for co-operation in urging on the Minister of Internal Affairs the desirability of the whole net proceeds of art unions being devoted to relief of the unemployed.—Resolved to support the proposal. Cr Mirams regretted he could not support a project to help the unemployed. but he was opposed to art unions on- principle. WORKS. The Works Committee reported:— Twenty-seven yards of screenings were spread on Beach street and 55yds on Macandrew road. The pitched crossing at the lower end of Cemetery road was removed. Forty yards of hand-broken metal and 13yds’of IJin metal were spread and blinded on Cemetery road. Four yards of hand-broken metal and 9yds of Hin metal were spread at the intersection of the top road and the railway bridge. Three yards of toppings were spread on the Beacli road footpath. The brush fence at the top of tho_ embankment in Wickliffe terrace is well under way, and should be completed in a few days. It is not proposed to trim the top off this fence. A plug blew out of the main in Mount street, and repairs were effected. A water pipe fronting Mr Wiseman’s property in Bellevue place was lowered. Men are still engaged thinning out the larch plantation at the water reserves. The silt dam was cleaned out during the month. Authority has been given to purchase 120 ft each of 2in and lin hose and couplings for use on the wharves. Men have been engaged on the following work: Clearing ragwort on reserves, thinning out trees at water reserves, cleaning up cemetery, quarrying stone. Mussel Bay reclamation, cleaning water tables. The rainfall registered at the reservoir for April was 3.71 in, with fifteen days rain. For the corresponding month last year the rainfall was 5.04 m with nineteen days rain.—Cr T. F. Mackie moved adoption of the report. The report was adopted without comment. GENERAL COMMITTEE. Details of expenditure on tar-sealing and maintenance of the Dunedin-Port Chalmers road for the month of February and March, 1934, were examined, reported the committee, and the ■amounts payable by this council—viz., £57 18s lid and £lO 19s Bd—were recommended for payment. In the matter of a letter from the Association Football Club re the use of the Recreation Ground, the committee had no further recommendation to make to the decision reached at the last meeting. The Gas Manager, in his report for April, stated (inter alia) that 22 tons 6 ewt of coal was carbonised, yielding 301,000 cubic feet of gas, an average ol 13,480 cubic feet per ton. No. 1 purifier was cleaned out and refilled with fresh oxide. The cover of No. 4 purifier is getting into a had state and will shortly require to be replaced. During the month a new back bearer bar for the furnace had to be procured. Some trouble has been experienced with the back walls in the two middle retorts, and authority has been given to have repairs effected at an estimated cost of £ls. Cr F. Smith said three councillors visited the football ground on Saturday. They thought that football teams from ships in harbour should be stopped from playing in wet weather, as it cut up the ground. They did not take any notice of the caretaker. The report was adopted, and it was resolved to empower the caretaker to stop playing on the Recreation Ground in wet weather. HIGHWAY ESTIMATE.

Mr F. J. Williams submitted an estimate of the cost of maintaining the Dunedin-Port Chalmers highway from April 1, 1934, to March 31, 1935: Racensbourne ward, £260 ; Rothesay ward, £95; St. Leonards ward, £547; Sawyers Bay ward to Junction road, £933; Sawyers Bay ward to borough boundary, £170: "Waikouaiti County section of"road, £3Bo.—Received. Mr F. J. Williams also reported on the proposed tar-sealing of Macandrew road, Grey street, Magnetic street, and Harrington street. The report, aitei being fully discussed in committee, was referred to the Works Committee. A deputation from the council recently waited on the Unemployment Board in respect to obtaining a bonus on the labour required for laying a sewer at Mussel Bay. That deputation brought down a report, and it was also taken in committee.