MUNICIPAL WORKS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16489, 15 March 1917, Page 6

MUNICIPAL WORKS.

CITY COUNCIL'S ACTIVITIES. POSITION OF THE SUBURBS. Despite war conditions municipal activities in Auckland are keeping the staff of the City Council fully occupied. Councillors also are finding a great deal to do in attending to committee work, the Works Committee being a particularly busy body. The Mayor, in a statement on the subject yesterday, said that although the loan works now in progress were few in number, the ordinary work was constantly increasing. The additions to the city by the inclusion of suburban I districts of course accounted for much of this expansion, and was in no small do- I ' gree responsible for the increasing demands upon the attention of the councillors and staff. In reference to such districts as Remuera | and Epsom, which have joined the eilv more recently, the Mayor said that during the continuation of the war maintenance works would be all that it would I be possible to undertake. These districts i had joined the oily at a time when their own resources wort' practically exhausted, and altkiigh only a maintenance policy could be pursued'at present by the city, these districts probably would base greater attention than would have been possible had the old svstem of road board administration been" continued. The suburban districts would get the benefit of the city's administrative system, and there would bo available for expenditure on their local works a sum almost equal to their previous revenue. For many years, the Mayor went on to say, the City Council and the most of the' other local bodies had carried out streets formation and other works by j means of loan moneys. The authorities j for the majority of the loans had been exhausted, and most of the work now in j progress was being done out of general account. "1 am satisfied," the Mayor added, "that although the council a present is unable to do all that it would like to do, or intends ultimately to do, it is able to do more than the individual local administrations could have done had they continued to exist as separate bodies.