CITY COUNCIL REPORTS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20312, 21 January 1928, Page 9

CITY COUNCIL REPORTS.

The following reports of eommit.teees will bo presented at the meeting of the City Council to be held on W edncsday nest: LIBRARY COMMITTEE. The Library Committee will report as follows : The number of books issued for home reading for the month ended December 16 was 24,199, at the average rate of 931 books per day. Books added 89. Total stock of books to November 30, 1927, 42,011. The scheme for establishing school travelling libraries as a branch of the city library work has now been satisfactorily drawn up and it is proposed to commence delivery of books to the schools early in February next. The council supplies the books, and the committee of each school is responsible for carriage, lost books, boxes for books during transit, and also insurance cover. _ The Otago Education Board is to provide necessary accommodation at the schools and shelving. The schools to receive the first supplies will be the Anderson's Bay, Forbury, Maori Hill, Pine Hill, and Upper Junction. In the case of the three schools first mentioned, Standards V and VI only will be catered for at present. Five hundred and forty specially selected new books are now available for the five schools, and the number will be constantly increased and the scope of the scheme widened until all the city schools are brought into it. The following have been appointed as delegates to the next conference of the Libraries' Association, to be held in Christchurch on February 8 and 9—Crs J. J. Clark and R. S. Black, and the city librarian. RESERVES COMMITTEE. The Reserves Committee will report as follows: The matter of additions to the sexton's dwelling at the Northern Cemetery, consisting of two bedrooms to be constructed in timber and finished inside with plaster board and paper, has been recommended for consideration with next year's allocations. Approval has been given to a preliminary application by the Alhambra Football Club for permission" to extend the Opoho pavilion by the addition of a new double room on the east side, and the extension forward of the present room on the west side. GENERAL COMMITTEE. The General Committee will submit the following report: Approval has been given for the construction of concrete steps with hand-rails from the road near the baths at St. Clair down to the beach to enable those undressing at the baths, to got down to the sand, conditional on the Domain Board bearing the cost, amounting to £7 15s. Applications for licenses and permits have been dealt with as under:—Wale of ice cream, 10; sale of milk, 2; hairdressers' shops, 2; fish shop, 1; second-hand dealers, 2; billiard room, 1; all granted. Taxi drivers' licenses, 2; both declined. WORKS COMMITTEE. The Works Committee will report •■ as follows On the application of the Otago Harbour Board and the Otago Education Board the committee has agreed to the reservation in the name of the Harbour Board of the strips of land on both banks of the Water of Leith where the stream intersects the area which is to be occupied by the .Education Board as the site for the new Albany Street School. The reserves will practically form part of the school playground. An application from the Peninsula Motor Service, Ltd., for permission to erect a time-table notice board adjacent to the motor bus stand, on the back edgo of the footway abutting on the kerb surrounding the Queen's Gardens, has been granted. Authority has been granted for payment of the sum of £4OO as a first progress payment to the Public Works Department on account of the reconstruction of the Southern Main Highway through the borough of Green Island. Authority bas been granted for the purchase from Mrs H. Lee of a small portion of her property comprising an area of approximately .3 of a pole, which is required for widening out the junction ot Carnarvon street and Kenmure road.

The City Engineer has been instructed to act with respect to the following matters:—

Application from Dalmorc Ratepayers Association for the widening of wooden culverts in Pine Hill road. Estimated cost, £6. , Repairs to the Selwyn street bridge, North-East Valley, including length ot hand-rail, at a total estimated cost of £lll. , m . Construction of footway in Tomahawk road and Highcliff road. Estimated cost of the strips of land on both banks of the road fronting shop premises recently erected at the corner of Tomahawk for footway with necessary K. and U., £2l. In connection with the discharge of storm water from Alva street water course, 15m pipes are being laid in the watercourse to the bottom of the gully at Stafford street, at which point a temporary connection will be made to the old _ culvert after the necessary temporary repairs have been effected to the same. The estimated cost is £45. and it is proposed, to provide for the completion of the work in next year’s allocations. Authority has been given to the engineer for the laying of 56ft of 12m foul sewer pipes across Hanover street m line with the footpath on the west side ot St. Andrew street, before paving opera tions are commenced at the intersection of Hanover and King streets, at an estimated cost of £75. These pipes will form pan, of the separation scheme at a later date and will be laid undorneath the cxistnig Aft bin pressure pipe and the 3ft by 2ft brick has been given to the engineer for the laying of 126 ft of 18m foul sewer pipes across the intersection of King street and St. Andrew street before the P r °P° se< * paving is commenced, at an estimated cost of £l9O. This line of pipes will form part of a separation scheme at a later date Owing to the existing work, it will be necessary to lay these pipes at a depth of lift 6in.

WATER COMMITTEE. The. Water Committee will recommend gx as-ssASs rtf™ and the consequent difUcully o cnn as vs£r* L ve,,id ™™r?OWEE A®' LIGHTING electric 1T r rEEThe Electric Power and Lighting Committee will re £° rt t k® ° t y "electrical engirluced. It is also intended to still tanner reduce the chance, of a stoppage by P - ceeding with the erection of a thud tians mfssion line between Waipon and Outram as soon as the poles, wires, etc, can bC An r °appl?oation has been received from the Dunedin Builders and Contractors Union for a revision of the charges for electric power used in connection with the erection of buildings. Tho matter has been considered by the committee on former occasions and has been, again looked into but it is clear that it is not possible with justice to other power users and the department to do what the applicants ask viz adopt a flat rate without taking into consideration the maximum demand, ihe applicants have been notified according y and' advised to consult the city electrical engineer with a view to getting the best, results from the present schedule of rates and conditions. Consideration has been given to an application from the Otago Power Board for a variation of the terms of the agreement ; subsisting between the board and the City Council for the supply of electrical energy. The matter has been given careful consideration and the committee is of the opinion that it would be advisable to adhere strictly to. the terms of the agreement while it is in operation. The board has been advised accordingly. I TRAMWAYS COMMITTEE, I

The Tramways Committee will report that an agreement has been reached with the Tramways Union respecting the terms of a proposed new industrial agreement to cover the wages and working conditions of tramway employees. The agreement provides for sundry increases to car examiners and a number of the junior motormen and conductors, but there has been no in-

crease in the maximum rates of pay. The tramway manager reports that the cost to the council of the increases will amount to approximately £B3O per annum. The committee recommends that the proposed agreement with the union be approved. The matter of the wages and working conditions of bus drivers was not settled, and will be referred to the court.

The committee will report that consideration has been given to a request from the Caversham Ratepayers’ Association that the Forbury Corner cars be turned in Forbury road in lieu of David street. The proposal would necessitate considerable alteration and would not be so convenient from the tramways point of view as the present arrangement. The putting of a cross-over in Forbury road would mean the blocking of main line cars while the Forbury Corner cars were shunting, and the department would be unable to hold up specials as is done at present. The committee is therefore of- the opinion that it would bo inadvisable to accede to the suggestion, and the applicants have been advised accordingly. .1 communication has been received from the Roslyn and Kaikorai Ratepayers’ Association asking for certain alterations in connection with the car stopping place and crossing at Highgato, Roslyn. The committee has decided that a suggestion that the stopping place of the down ear should be altered to the top side of Highgate be given a trial. A further suggestion that the car from the city stop at Hart street is not approved, as the alteration would mean that all cars would cross the roadway at full speed. A third suggestion for the erection of an automatic traffic signal at Flighgate similar to the one in use by the Kaikorai Company has been fully investigated and reported on by the department, but it appears inadvisable at the present juncture to give effect to the proposal. The association ia being advised accordingly. GAS COMMITTEE, The Gas Committee will report that rapid progress is being made with the erection of the vertical retort, the framework of the main building being practically all up, as also that of the retorts, including the coal bunkers. Good progress has also been made with the brickwork, a fair proportion of the generators having been completed. Approval has been given for the purchase of spare parts necessary to have on hand for the vertical retort. FINANCE COMMITTEE. The Finance Committee will report that authority has been granted the town clerk to take the preliminary steps in connection with the matter of obtaining sanction to the borrowing of a sum of £225,000 for the purpose of constructing the dam on the Waipori River. Authority has been granted to invite tenders by public advertisement for the purchase of building allotments in the council's subdivision at Clyde Hill at the upset prices set forth in schedule laid on the table. The terms of sale will provide for a cash deposit of £2O on each section, the balance being distributed over five years in equal quarterly instalments, with interest on outstanding balance at 0 per cent, per annum, payable quarterly; purchasers to have the right to pay the whole of the amount owing at any quarterly date, with the further proviso that in the case of the whole purchase money being paid within 12 months from date of purchase, the purchaser to be granted a rebate of 5/ per cent, on the purchase price.

.i communication has been received from the Roslyn and Kaikorai Ratepayers’ Association asking for certain alterations in connection with the car stopping place and crossing at Highgate, Roslyn. The committee has decided that a suggestion that the stopping place of the down ear should be altered to the top side of Highgate be given a trial. A further suggestion that the car from the city stop at Hart street is not approved, as the alteration would mean that all cars would cross the roadway at full speed. A third suggestion for the erection of an automatic traffic signal at Highgate similar to the one in use by the Kaikorai Company has been fully investigated and reported on by the department, but it appears inadvisable at the present juncture to give effect to the proposal The association is being advised accord ingly

Authority has been granted to advertise for sale by public tender sections Nos. 10 and 11 at the Kaikorai Valley terminus belonging to the Tramways Department. These sections lie between private property and the tram line, and are not required by the Tramways Department.