PORT CHALMERS AFFAIRS

Evening Star, Issue 21934, 22 January 1935, Page 6

PORT CHALMERS AFFAIRS

COUNCIL MEETING MUSSEL BAY AGAIN The first monthly "meeting this year was held last night, those presentbeing the mayor (Mr J. \Vatson) Ovs A. Love, T. E. Mackic, E. Smith, L. fenutii, J. Annan, D. Bell, and E. Rouse. Since the previous meeting Mr s. Voisey, Mr T. Smith, and Mr G. Soilitt had passed away, and the council resolved to send letters of sympathy to the relatives.

• CORRESPONDENCE. Mr C. J. Stewart asked that the high trees in Victoria Gardens be topped in order not to obstruct the view trom ins | homo' at Dalkeith. The writer s mother | had been resided there tor eighty-tour years, and she would like tho obstruction removed. —Cr Love: Ihe devil take tlie topping of the trees; the trees want thinning put.” The Mayor said it ineaiit iiuituatiiij-, well-grown trees at the request ot one individual, and -nothing should be done hurriedly... . , Resolved to hold over action lor a month, and that the council visit the locality meanwhile. The Chairman of the Local Government Loans Hoard wrote regretting he wtis unable to give the council any information in regard to the reports or other documents which were considered by the hoard in respect to a recent, unsuccessful application from the council for . permission to raise a loan for tar sealing streets. .. Mr G. A. Lewin, a member ot the Loans Board, wrote stating that a request for such information from individual members- of the Loans Board was unusual, and lie referred the council tp the chairman of the hoard for any information required. The Engineer-in-chief aiid undersecretary of the Public Works Department replied in similar terms to a request made to him for such mlormation. ■ , . it appeared that the mayor was opposed to the loan referred to and had eaid at sown previous meeting he Would ( oppose the loan by all means in his , power. Wlien the Loans Board declined j to sanction such a loan, the council decided to find out whether the mayor had done anything to influence the board’s' decision. Inquiries in that direction had brought the above replies. Cr Mackic thought it Was deplorable that a body like the Loans Board should be in a position to decline to supply the’information sought. On the motion of Cr Bell it was resolved to refer the whole matter to the Minister of Finance. Or F. Smith said the loan was really needed to improve the streets. Cr Love pointed out that young women going to the first train in the morning had to carry extra shoes and stockings, ns they were splashed and wet by cars on the roadway, Ji the road were tar sealed there would be no splashing. The Mayor said the first tar sealing required was Irom tiie bridge to the cenotaph. ’ WORKS.

The Works Committee reportedA further twenty-eight yards of nibble were carted and spread on Burns street. Two yards of rubble were also spread on Bellevue place. Metal in Fox street and Meridian street was blinded. The footpath at the south end of George street was asphalted for a distance ot three chains. A handrail fence WJW erected on the track leading from Wickliffe terrace to the children’s playground. Five chains of handrail fencing was erected in Harbour terrace. It is proposed to extend the latter fence as far ns the corner of Slant street. Forty-eight yards of screenings were spread on the borough highway. Metal on Cemetery road was blinded and a portion of the footway treated with tarred screenings. The cutting of grass throughout the borough is proceeding. The rainfall registered at the reservoir for December Was 2.88 in with eighteen days’ r aim For the corresponding month last year the rainfall was 2.51 in with fifteen days’ rain. Relief workers have been engaged on the following work:. Mussel Bay reclamation, cutting grass, loading and napping stone at the quarry, grubbing noxious weeds at reserves, regrading Quarry road, thinning out larch strees at reservoir.. During the month one water service was repaired and a fire plug at the recreation ground also required attention. Men have been engaged cutting out ragwort, gorse, and broom at the water reserves. The reservoir at date of reporting is down 2ft din below normal level.

C'r Mackie moved the adoption of the report. Although the reserve was down .‘loin there was no cause for concern. Cr L. Smith said that the trees cut down on the Recreation Ground should he removed. • The Mayor thought Hint the trees might suit for slabs useable in escavat-

iug for the main, dram at Mussel Ba^. The report was adopted. llesolved to fix the registration lee for dogs at 10s each, with a rebate of 2s 6d for prompt payment. : Cr \V„ Love was granted extended leave of absence, also three months’ leave of absence to Cr Campbell. The Mayor said the returned soldiers were holding a. Tort Chalmers picnic, and he intended declaring the day a public holiday. GKN FiIAL. The General Committee reported: The gas manager in his report for the month of December states, inter alia, that 22 tons of coal were carbonised, , yielding 286,000 cubic feet of gas, an average of 13,000 cubic feet per ton. General routine work has been carried out and complaints attended, to. One service in George street, which was badly corroded, was renewed. The manager reports that certain repairs to the plant will have to be put in hand prior to the winter months setting 111. (final notice lias been given to those persons known to have failed to effect registration of their dogs for the 1634 vear. Failure to respond to the request of the committee will result in proceedings being taken in the Magistrate’s Court against the oflenders. Cr Bell moved the adoption of the report The committee intended to again visit the gasworks • and' go into tho matter of repairs with the gas manager. . Cr L. Smith asked whether youths had been employed during the past month at the gasworks while applications were being called for a cadet at the gasworks, if any of the applicants had been so employed it put the other applicants at a disadvantage. Had a relief worker been removed from the cemetery to plant trees P The Mayor said that the man was employed for a few hours two months ago to plant a number of young trees for shelter. Someone pulled up the trees after they were planted. After the previous cadet left tho gasworks a relief worker was put on, but only stayed two days. A youth was put on, hut lie only staved ton days, when the manager put 011 another youth to nil the gap. Since then he put on anothci temporarily. . Cr L. Smith said rose trees had also been pulled up in the cemetery. Cr F. Smith said ho preferred to see native trees planted rathei than imported trees. He approved of pm us iusignis being pulled up; he would have done tho same himself. Cr Love: “We are wasting time. The-Mavor: "You are wasting most ,of it.”. Native trees were not suitable for lireakwind purposes. The report was adopted. A formal resolution was passed to create a sinking fund for converted securities. Resolved to arrange with the sanitary contractor for a elcan-np day for the removal of rubbish. Cr F. Smith thought it was up to the council to make a start at constructing an approved drain at Mussel Bay. The engineer should he " shaken up.” The Mayor said he was asked to declare a half-holiday for business people when tho Prince arrived. Anyone could have got the time off-by applying for same. The Mayor reported that he and Cr Maekie recently attended a meeting in Dunedin in respect to getting shipowners to have more shipping work done at Port Chalmers. The town clerk would ho soon calling another meeting, when the matter would be carried further. . Cr Maekie said the meeting m Dunedin was a representative one, and the proposition to wait on the shipowners 1 was very favourably entertained.