ST. KILDA COUNCIL

Evening Star, Issue 21720, 15 May 1934, Page 23

ST. KILDA COUNCIL

DRAINAGE IN THE BOROUGH INCREASED RATES CHALLENGED Upon receipt of :i letter from the Dunedin Drainage and Sewerage Board advising the scale of rates tor the current year, last night’s meeting of the St. Kilda Borough Council discussed the increased demand in view ot the fact that the borough could reveal nothing done by the board lor some years. Present at the meeting were the mayor (Mr Joint Beattie) and H. Leary, J. Robinson, J. A. Carman, G.Glue. W. G. Baird, B. J. BGriffiths, E. W. Hunter, and X. D. Anderson. Tlie rates fixed by the board for the year ending March 31, 1935, wore advised as follow :—On every sewered property, a general rale ol Is -Id in the £ ; on overy unsewored property, a rate of Sd in the £; on every un•sewerod property in the outer drainage area, a general rale of ‘id in the £. The Town Clerk reported that last year the drainage rate had been £6,900. This year it would be £7,400, an increase of £SOO.

“ It is only fair that we should get a statement from the. Drainage Board as to where the money contributed by ns is going,” declared Cr Leary. “We have nothing to show where it is being spent.” Cr Glue, the council’s representative on the board, expressed the opinion that it would be of little use requesting a statement, as Cr Leary had suggested. How would the council fare if the board told it that if it were dissatisfied with the board’s services it could do its own drainage P The council could not undertake the drainage of the borough, so it must keep on paying the rate the same as demanded of the city. Cr Leary: It would he interesting to know how much of the borough has! been connected with drainage during recent years. A large portion of the borough was still being served by drains laid by the council thirty years ago, said the town clerk. Most of the money raised by the council’s loan of £13,300 hadbeen spent on drainage, and that loan was still being paid off at the rate of 4J per cent., with sinking fund at 4 per cent., making a total interest of 81 pjor cent, on the amount ot the loan. .Discussion la psed, and the letter was received. GRANT FOR BEACH IMPROVEMENT. Representing the St. Kilda Beach Improvement Society’s Queen Carnival Committee, Messrs Si. J. Kelly and G. A. 'Wycherley (organising secretary) waited on the council to solicit a donation in supplementation of the carnival fund. Mr Kelly said that the society appreciated the fact that in the past the council had given it very material assistance, thus making the present mission infinitely more difficult. Although the society had principally confined its queen carnival activities to the borough, it might quite reasonably have extended its operations to the city and other suburbs, and even beyond that. Improvements to the beach and the assurance of its safety were the concern of every citizen of Dunedin. The City Council had not done all that the society had anticipated in view of the revenue derived by the tramway department by carrying passengers to and from the beach in the warmer weather. The beach would be a move remunerative asset from the time the society’s next improvement programme commenced. The deputation retired, and when its request was being considered Cr Glue moved and Cr Robinson seconded that £SO be granted the society. As an amendment, Cr Anderson moved that £25 be granted. Cr Carman seconded. Councillors indirectly interested in the society were instructed not to vote. The amendment was lost by 3 votes to 2-. Thereupon Cr Baird moved another amendment that £5 5s be granted. Cr Hunter seconded this amendment, which was carried by 5 votes to 0. Only the mover and seconder voted for the original motion, put to the meeting as a mere formality. HALL CHARGES. On behalf of the aub-committce appointed at, the previous meeting to receive the charges for the council’s halls. Or Baird (convenor) reported that, as requests for concessions on the existing charges had been so numerous of late, it had been decided to refuse every such request, except in the cases of the local unemployment authorities, schools, churches, Girl Guides, and Boy Scouts. It was the sub-commit-tee’s opinion that the charges fixed were reasonable. The facilities provided in the halls were better than those of any other hall in the city available at a fee of up to three times the council's charge. —The report was endorsed. Permission was granted tlie St. Kilda Band Centenary Contest Committee to make a fixed charge for admission to two Sunday night concerts to he held in June, the proceeds to be divided equally between tlie Contest and Mayor’s Relief Committees. Use of the Coronation Hall at a reduced charge was refused the St. Kilda Ladies’ Cricket Club for a forthcoming dance WORKS REPORT. Reporting on works carried out in the borough during the past two weeks, the Borough Foreman stated that mud tanks and blocked drains had been cleaned out. One hundred and eighteen relief workers had been engaged in the borough, working on walls and kerbs, forming a footpath, and grassing streets. The foreman recommended for the ensuing fortnight that streets and footpaths he patched and given general maintenance attention. Owing to the weather conditions, tar sealing was at present out of the question. All plant was in good order.—Adopted. LICENSES ISSUED. Three motor drivers’ licenses were issued during the past two weeks, the borough traffic inspector reported. Compared with last year, thirty more licenses had been issued up to the present time. The Inspector also reported that four building permits had been granted.—Adopted. WATER CONSUMPTION. During the two weeks ended that day the water consumption of the borough was 3,914,000 gallons, at a cost of £97 17s, as. compared with £99 13s (Jd for the previous period. This was reported by the town clerk.—Noted. FINANCE. Accounts amounting to £l-11 10s wore passed for payment.