CITY COUNCIL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16121, 9 July 1914, Page 5

CITY COUNCIL

Tho fortnightly meeting of the City Council -was held last evening; present—the Mayor (Mr J. B. Shaddock), and Crs Sullivan, Sinclair, Marlow, Todd, Wilson, Black, Meuziits, Green, Hay ward, Clark, Myers, Small, Hancock, and Scott. LOiiUESrONDENCK. Tho Secretary of the Hanover Street Baptist Church wrote inviting the Mayor and members of tho council to attend the jubilee services of the. church on Sunday.—Tho invitation was acceptedi. UEroBTS. Cr Black moved tho adoption of the Library Committee', report. With regard to the retusal of tho otter of the. Board of Management of the North-East Valley Pubb.c Library to hand the library over to the council, ho said that an exhaustive report had been made by tho librarian. Ho thought it would bo a very useful thing if copies were to bo distributed to councillors. —Cr Begg said it would have been much bettor if tho report had been circulated prior to the meeting. Now tho request would bo turned down altogether.— Cr Black, in really, said he did, not promise that tho report would be sent out. trie only suggested that it would bo a good thing if it wore scut out. —the report was adopted. Cr Green moved tho adoption of the General Committee's report.—Cr Clark said there was one thing he would like to bring before the committte. That was in connection with the last swimming tournament at the public baths, which had been run without the authority of tho Swimming Association. The tournament was organised presumably hy the oarctakor without the authority or consent of the Swimming Association, the result being that all. who took part in it were barred from taking part in any swimming contest till suspension was removed. To him it was a most regrettable thing that the association should have ' been slighted. It had strongly supported the erection- of the baths, and ho hoped such an episode would not occur again.—Cr Black said that he did not think it was the place of the council to look after tho status of swimmers. The baths wero being run as a business concern; they were thero for the public and' tho council was not holding a brief for any particular class or body.—Crs Scott and Sullivan fcid that they considered! Cr Clark's observations very reasonable.—Cr Green, in reply, said he regretted that the incident had happened. It was an oversight on the part of tho bath caretaker, and he had been instructed not to let it occur again. The council was very anxious to work in harmony with the Slwimming Association. —The motion was carried^

Cr Todd moved) tho adoption of the report of tho Reserves Committee- Speaking with regard to tho application froTn the Superintendent of Reserves for six months' leave of absence to enable him to visit Britain, Franco, and Germany for tlie purpose of studying the methods of mana.ge.mcnt of gardens, playgrounds, and, in particular, tree plantations in tihoso countries, be granted, he said that at tho present time they wore planting somewhere abcut 200,000 trees a year, covering an area something like 150 acres. There was still a considerable area of lar.di available for tree planting, and the work would bo carried on for some considerable time yet. The planting of the trees bad been carried out successfully and satisfactorily. The kinds of trees planted had, he believed, boon all right kinds. While, on tiho surface, forestry might seem a very simple matter, it was not so simple as it looked. Tlhcy had to look forward to the centuries to come and the proper foundations slrauld I>o laid. The time when thinnincr would have to bo commenced w;as rapidly approaching. Then after the thinning iiad 'been done there was tlio work of planting young trees to come on in the phocs of those removed. The aim was to have a continual growth of trees. In tho countries Mr Tunnock was anxious to visit forestry had been carried on for probably 10D years or more, and' the best thing to do would be to see for themselves where they could get the best information. The money spent on the trip would be money well spent.—Cr Hayward seconded tho motion, which was carried.

Ct Marlow moved tho adoption of tho Electric Power and Lighting Committee's raport, and in doing- so referred to the completion of the Port Chalmers scheme and the taking; over of the smaller of the two Diesel engines The cost of the former work had been estimated at £6000, but the •actual cost in round figures would) he some £50 or £100 below that estimate. The-weir at Waipori Foils had been completed, and ho understood that tho water had been let in that day. The city engineer wins preparing his report on the road to Waipori, and the committee would waste no time in dealing with it ami 'bringing it down. The lighting of Roslyn was being pushed on ns fast as possible, and additional men were boing put on. He had noticed a letter in the paner stating that the department was supplying the Milburn Cement Company with power on Sundays at a rate that was below the cost to ottier people. Tho position actually was that the department would supply tho Milburn Company with power at a shade less than it cost the council to produce it, yet tho arrangement would bo a reasonable one. It was part of an agreement tha'-. they should be no supplied when the stand-by ulant was completed. Tho company had a rotary kiln that had to be going, and if they did not get the power it would otherwise be lost. —Cr Mcnzies seconded the motion, and expressed pleasure at the satisfactory manner in which the I',-rhte wero being installed at Roslyn.—Tho motion was carried. The reports of the Public Works, Water, Finance. Gas, and Tramways Committees were adopted practically "without discussion.