MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21627, 23 April 1932, Page 16

MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS

CITY COUNCIL REPORTS The various committees of the City Council will, inter alia, report to the meeting of that body on Wednesday evening as follows: — LIBRARY COMMITTEE. The librarian’s return of attendances at the library during the month of March as compared with the figures for the corresponding month of last year, is submitted as follows: —1932, 20,141; 1931, 20,095. Number of books consulted in reference library in 1932, 4110; and 4028 last year. In the lending library the adult tickets issued to March 31, 1932, amounted to 7916, and juvenile tickets to 1121. The number of books issued for home reading was 27,928 volumes, at the average rate of 1214 per day. The total stock of books at March 31, 1932, was 49,757, 261 having been added during the 'month.

The completion of the annual stocktaking at the library disclosed the loss of two volumes from the reference library, 50 volumes from the lending library, and four volumes from the juvenile library; a total of 56 volumes.

. Five years ago, when the total circulation of books amounted to 229,000 volumes, the losses were 28 volumes. To-day, with the circulation increased to the large total of 369,000 volumes, it was anticipated that the losses would be increased, and the advance to 56 volumes is considered not out of the way. RESERVES COMMITTEE.

The Reserves Committee will report as follows: DAMAGE BY CRICKET BALLS.

In view of the recent decision in the Magistrate’s Court in which the council was held liable, for damage to a window caused by a cricket ball driven from a wicket on the Ovad Reserve, it has been decided to call upon the cricket governing bodies occupying wickets on the reserve to indemnify the council against liability for any such damage in the future. It is considered that the most suitable form of such indemnity would be an insurance cover in the name of the corporation, to be taken out by the bodies concerned and renewed annually. The Otago Cricket Association, the Otago Cricket League, and the Otago Boys’ Cricket Association have therefore been communicated with and asked to furnish the council with such a cover at the earliest possible date, RELIEF WORKS.

Authority has been granted : to proceed with the following relief works under the Unemployment Board’s No. 5 scheme on the conditions set out —viz:

The, removal of a rocky bank at one side of the Caversham Reserve and the filling in of a gully at the other side with the object of enabling the ground to be used for football. This work is contingent on the department obtaining the transfer or the use of a small portion of the_ railway property adjoining, and application therefor has accordingly been made to the Railways Department. The turfing of Robin Hood ground. The formation of two basket ball courts at Logan Park for the Basket Ball Union, subject to, the union providing the cost of cartage, which is estimated at £25. ■ Pay sheets and accounts amounting to the sum of £1227 4s 4d have been recommended tp the Finance Committee for payment. •GENERAL COMMITTEE. The General Committee will report as follows:

The under-noted applications for licenses and permits have been granted:— Eating house, 1; electric signs, Princes street and Moray place, 2; second-hand dealer, 1. Pay sheets and accounts amounting to the sum of £l2lO 6sV2d have been recommended to the Finance Committee for payment. WORKS COMMITTEE. The Works . Committee will report as follows:

In terms of instructions from the council, the matter of the issue of a building permit for a shop at the corner of Hope and High streets, referred back to the committee, has been reconsidered, and the committee begs to report that approval has been given for the issue of a permit for alterations to the existing building to provide for a shop facing and having entrance to Hope street only. INSTRUCTIONS TO ENGINEER. The city engineer has been instructed to act, with regard to the under-noted matters;— • Digging about two chains of ditch from n_ culvert outlet in Eraser’s road to the Kaikorai Stream. Constructing a retaining wall to retain the land at the back of a footpath on portion of the council’s quarry reserve in Serpentine avenue. Paving with tarred macadam the flat portion of the carriage way of Taieri road from the Kaikorai Tram Company’s power house to Nairn street. Estimated cost £B7. Constructing eatchpits at the intakes of two cidverts in Ravenswood road with the necessary gratings. Estimated cost £ls.

Removing a projecting bank in Hatfield street and walling with stone and concrete mortar. Estimated cost £5. Laying ‘pipqs for the disposal of storm water froin-Gamma street through private property. Estimated cost £l5O.

Paysheets and accounts amounting to the sum of £4135 5s 7d have been . recommended to the Finance Committee for payment. ! ELECTRIC POWER AND LIGHTING COMMITTEE. The Electric Power and Ligiiting Committee recommends that the tender of the National Electrical and Engineering Company for the supply of two oil circuit breakers at £443 each and four gang operated isolating switches at £53 15s per set, delivered c.i.f. and e., Dunedin, and based on the exchange rate of 10 per cent., be, and is hereby accepted. This plant is portion of that for the Halfway Bush substation for which tenders were recently called. The proposal is to install the plant at the Halfway Bush station so that two of those at present in use at that'.station may be set free for use at the Outram station. It is not proposed to order the balance of the plant tendered for meantime, in view of the altered situation with regard to the Waitaki station. It may be explained that .the new transformers and switchgear for the Outram station which are required- for the changing oyer from 3000 to 0000 volts in the Taieri district are all designed for outdoor installation,'so that the existing substation building at Outram will, in due course,-be dismantled and only a small building will be required for housing the new 0000 volt switchgear; Provision will be made in the now Outram layout for the third transmission line from Waipori, but the switchgear for this will not be ordered until a Jater date. CONVERTER STATION ROOF. ' The quotation of the Petrous Tile Company for reconstructing and re-laying the roof of the converter station building at a cost of £B3 5s has been accepted. This roof is covered with poilite slates, and leaks have developed. It is intended to strip the existing roof in sections, shift the purlins, and re-lay only sound tiles with a four-inch lap instead of a'2J-inch lap as at present. STREET ILLUMINATIONS.

Instructions have been given to the city electrical engineer to arrange for the supply and erection of coloured electric lamps and the lighting of same in George and Princes streets, between Frederick street and Rattray street, and in Stuart street, between the Railway Station and the Town Hall, on the occasion of the forthcoming “Come to Dunedin” Week, extending from May 28 up to and including June 4.

Pay sheets and accounts amounting to the sum of £93,550 3s 7d have been recommended to the Finance Committee for payment. '• TRAMWAYS COMMITTEE.

The Tramways Committee will report as follows: — TRAFFIC RETURNS.

The tramway manager’s report on the traffic returns for the period ended April 16 show a decrease in revenue, as compared with the corresponding period of last year, of £52, or .72 per cent.

It is necessary to explain that last year Easter was included in the comparative period, and Easter is a particularly quiet time on the trams, though busy on the buses. The decrease is the lowest recorded since December, 1930.

Pay sheets and accounts amounting to the sum of £4864 14s 8d have been recommended to the Finance Committee for payment.

FINANCE COMMITTEE. The Finance Committee will report that pay sheets and accounts totalling £120,106 12s 4d have been passed for payment. DUNEDIN DRAINAGE BOARD. The Works Committee of the Drainage Board will report having investigated, the objections submitted to last meeting of the board by Mr D. C. Groves on behalf of Miss E. Harris respecting the proposal to construct a storm water sewer through her property, Earl’s road. The committee is satisfied that the construction of the drain will not depreciate the property in any way. In any case it is proposed to surround the pipe with concrete, and, if necessary, permission will be given for part of an ordinary domestic building to be erected over the pipe. The alternative route proposed by Miss Harris would almost double the cost of the work. For the above reasons the committee is of the opinion that the objections are not well founded, and recommends that the construction of the drain be proceeded with on the lines proposed and in terms of the notice sent to Miss Harris. KAIKORAI VALLEY DRAINAGE. Consideration has been given to a communication from the Green Island Borough Council proposing that the laying of a main sewer through the Kaikorai Valley be undertaken as an unemployment relief work, and suggesting that the allocation of costa be referred'to a commission for settlement. As the matter is governed primarily by consideration of finance, and the board has already found it impossible to raise loan money for works, already authorised, the committee has advised the Green Island Council that there is no possibility of its proposals being furthered in any way at the present time. DRAINAGE FACILITIES.

A largely-signed petition from residents of Nelson, Loyalty, Richmond, and Surrey streets, praying that immediate steps be taken to remodel the drainage facilities to prevent surcharging of the 'storm water and foul sewers in times of heavy rain, is laid on the table. The conditions complained of are, as stated in the petition, periodically in evidence, and it is regretted that effective relief is not immediately possible. The reconstruction of the. storm water sewers in the locality involves the whole question of the storm water drains of South Dunedin, and is a matter for which relief cannot be provided until after the completion of very extensive construction works involving heavy capital expenditure. As regards the foul sewers, the area is low-lying and about two miles from the pumping station. It is proposed to put in hand at an early date improvement works on the suction side of the pumping station with a view to giving freer access to the flow from the main intercepting sewer to the pumps, and thus giving a lower level in the sewers with relation to the level in the suction well. These works will tend to lessen the risk of flooding in the area in question. STORM WATER DRAIN.

Authority has been given the engineer to proceed with the construction of a nineinch branch drain to carry storm water from a natural watercourse through property abutting on Bedford street, at an estimated cost of £35. FOUL SEWERS.

In view* of complaint© received as to flooding in various portions of North-East Valley, the matter was investigated, and it appears that the conditions are due to the surcharging of sewers by storm water entering the gully traps. As it is a breach of the board's by-laws to permit storm water to gain entrance to gully traps, instructions have been given to put in hand a house-to-house inspection of the North-East Valley district with the object of requiring compliance with the by-laws wherever breaches are taking place., Paysheets and accounts amounting to the sum of £7245 5s 4d have been recommended to the Finance Committee for payment.