CITY COUNCIL REPORTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18420, 5 December 1921, Page 2

CITY COUNCIL REPORTS

The following paragraphs are extracted from the committee reports to bo submitted to the City Council at its meeting on Wednesday. The Water Committee recommends that authority be granted to lay 12 chains of 4in main in Como street, Koslyn, at an estimated cost of £240. The supply is required mainly for fire purposes to replace tho existing IJin service. 'Tho Reserves Committee reports that the balance available on tho current year’s estimates for “Town Belt and reserves” will be insufficient to cover the year's work by approximately £4OO. The matter of providing a supplemental maintenance vote has accordingly been reunited to the Finance Committee for report. The Electric Power and Lighting Committee begs to recommend that authority be granted to extend the electric lighting lines into the Tomahawk district to supply 29 consumers, at an estimated cost of £1165, subject to' the consumers giving a guarantee of a revenue of £320 for four years, the actual charge for the supply being in accordance with the schedule of fixed rates for country districts. Tho proposal is subject to the report of the Finance Committee on tho financial aspect. Tenders have now been called for the construction of so much of the dam on the Waipori River as may bo done with the existing authority. Tenders will close on the 14th inst., and it is hoped that they may be submitted to a special mooting of the council within a few days after that date. The Tramways Committee recommends that the tender of Messrs Thomson, Bridger, andl Co. for one length of 15,650 ft, 3Jin circumference, wire rope for the Itoalyn tramway at the price of £63 10s per ton, f.0.b., London, acid grade rope, bo accepted. Tho rope is of the same manufacture'and type ■'* that which has previously given the longer.! average life of the ropes used by the late Roslyn Company. -Authority has been granted to run an add. ■ onal car on the Hcolyn line on Sundays during the summer months so as to provide a 10-minutes service in lieu of the 15-tmnuf© service run at present. The car will run between the hours of 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. to relievo the heavy loading which occurs between those hours.

The Finance Committee states that it has lately had under consideration. the question of improving tho procedure regarding the administration of the council’s business, and begs now to report as follows: —That your committee, having considered the advisability of _ appointing • a general manager, is of opinion that no need exists for such. appointment. In view, however, of the projected legislation regarding the control of local authorities’ finance, it is recommended, that the town, clerk, as chief administrative officer of tho council, together with the chairmen of the committees respectively, shall regularly meet the heads of departments in conference to discuss works being carried out. plans and proposals for the future, appointments and promotions, and other matters of administrative detail, so as to keep in close touch with the operations, present and projected, of each department, with a view to the. co-ordination of the activities of the council, as far os possible, and to ensure that works contemplated are amply provided for in some vote or authorisation of the council. The committee also recommends that for the future the conditions of the several awards of tho Arbitration Court under which tho council’s affairs are conducted be strictly adhered to. This . recommendation 1 has special reference to the matter of paid holiday's, and is intended to supercede tho practice at- present prevailing of extending tho payment for statutory and other holidays to other than those who are entitled to the privilege, in terms of any particular award. It recommends that tho application from the Caledonian Society for the remission of rates on the Caledonian Grounds be not granted, in view of the great difficulty that would be experienced in dealing with other cases coming within tho same section of the Act; that the undermentioned supplemental votes ba authorised pursuant to tho standing orders: —(a) From tho General Committee, a supplementary maintenance vote of £B7 10s to cover charge made by Health Department for months of January, February, and March, for carrying out infectious disease work on behalf of the council. The charge is at the rate of £350 par annum, and is allowed for in tho estimates from April 1 last only, (b) Prom the Reserves ’ Committee, a supplementary maintenance vote of £4OO to cover shortage up to the end of the financial year in. the vote for Town Belt and reserves; and that tho necessary steps bo taken to bring to the notice of the Minister of Industries and Commerce, and the British Trade Com; missioner, the strong protest of the City Council against the omission of Dunedin from tho Now Zealand ■; itinerary .of .the British Industrial Exhibition which is to leave England in 1923. An application from the Electric Power and Lighting Committee for authority to proceed with the expenditure involved in providing 29 residents of the Tomahawk district with a supply of electric light has been granted. The estimated outlay is £1165. I