CITY COUNCIL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22164, 18 January 1934, Page 2

CITY COUNCIL

FORTNIGHTLY MEETING The first meeting of the City. Council for the new year was held last night, and was attended by the Mayor (the Rev. E, T. Cox) and Crs Campbell, Shaddock, Scott, Munro, M.P., Silverstone, Begg, Borrie, Marlow, and Jones, M.P. The Mayor welcomed councillors back to the council table. He said they all looked well and happy. Cr Begg: Some of them. The Mayor said that the council had received a challenge from the Jockey Ciub, and he -would suggest that Cr Shepherd be the skip, Cr Marlow No. 1, Cr Scott No. 2. and he would act as No. 3. Cr Begg: What i s it? A hurdle race? Cr Scott: Are there any stakes in it? Cr Marlow: Mistakes.—(Laughter.) The Mayor explained that it was a challenge to a bowling match; The Mayor extended a welcome to Cr Bcanland, chairman of the Works Committee of the Christchurch City Council. He congratulated Cr Beanland on tho interest he showed by being present in other centres besides hie own. Possibly the Dunedin City Council could help Christchurch, and Christchurch in turn could help Dunedin. He was sure their co-operation would be of benefit to the South Island generally. He hoped that they might co-operate in promoting the restoration of the shipping service between Melbourne and the South Island. Cr Beanland, in returning thanks, sau that council meetings generally proceeded on the same lines. They in Christchurch, however, might make more noise than the Dunedin Council—at least they were reported as doing so. They in Christchurch, as to Dunedin, tried to do their utmost with the money available. In regard to the shipping service referred to by the Mayor, Christchurch Was out to help Dunedin in every way it could. Whatever was in the interests of Dunedin was in the interests ot Christchurch —(Applause.) OBJECTION TO POSTERS. ’ The Dunedin Presbytery wrote forwarding the following resolution:— That this presbytery heartily supports the protest made in the City Council and other bodies against the unseemly and suggestive posters exhibited on hoardings in the city, and that representations in particular be made to the council regarding the hoarding near the George btieet School at the present time. When a motion for the reception ot the resolution was moved Cr Begg asked what the councils action meant. What wag the council going to do about it. Cr Campbell moved that the matter be referred to the General Committee. Cr Begg said that did not get over the difficulty. The General Committee could not go down and view the hoardings every 24 hours. Some special officer should be responsible for the proper supervision ot such displays. _ , . Cr Shacklock said Cr Begg was right, but be thought it was a matter tor the General Committee first of all. , Cr Silverstone said there was nothing so very shocking about the posters. . They did not shock him. It was making a mountain out of a molehill. In any case it was a matter for the film censor.. He did not think there was anythin'' indecent or suggestive about what he had seen. , , c Cr Munro said that any discussion ot the matter simply gave the posters a good advertisement. The resolution was finally referred to the Genera! Committee for a report and for action if it were deemed necessary. GENERAL COMMITTEE. Cr Campbell said he would like to see the General Committee consider the question of making Burlington. street a one- ; way traffic street, giving access from High ’street to Moray place. The same speaker urged stricter supervision and control of parking in High street between Jacobs’s Corner and the first telegraph Polo U P- „ _ ~, . Cr Marlow supported Cr Campbell in the matter of parking in High street. Cr Begg suggested that the control of traffic lights in the vicinity of the Hospital should be in the Hospital Buildings in order to frustrate the mischief of persons who now made a habit of interfering with the existing light. Cr Borrie said the lights would be controlled from the Hospital, and said further that the committee was considering the matter of parking in High street. One-way traffic in Burlington street would be made the subject of discussion by the General Committee. The General Committees report was ; adopted.' WORKS COMMITTEE, Cr Marlow moved the adoption of the Works Committee’s report. Cr Jones wanted to know what the council intended doing -with regard to roads in the vicinity of Surrey street, Forbury road, and Macandrew road, where the streets were a disgrace. Residents had a (grievance, and wanted to know what the council intended doing in the matter. Cr Marlow said that with respect to Macandrew road it was on the present schedule and would be done before March 31. He thought, but was not sure, that Surrey street came into the same schedule. Cr Munro brought up the question of work on the Highcliff road, which was of an extensive nature, and which the council proposed doing.at unemployment rates. Cr Marlow explained that the work in question was necessary, but. not expert and it was one of those projects put in hand to help the unemployed. The council would not consider it as anything but a relief operation. The report was adopted. WATER COMMITTEE. Cr Begg moved the adoption of the Water Committee’s report. He said that the whole of the notices required in terms of the “Dunedin Waterworks Extension Act, 1930,” had now been personally served on all the occupiers and owners of land who would be affected by the carrying out of the Deep Creek water i works. Service had been made on November 28 and 29, 1933, and it would be necessary for the council to hold a special meeting after the expiration of one month from the date for the. purpose of dealing with any written objections that might be received to the carrying out of the work. The great majority of the objections were, however, of a purely formal nature. Cr Begg said he had much pleasure in announcing that off Monday morning 45 men would be started on the work of the laying of mains at St. Clair, Caversham, and Morniugton. These mains would improve the water supply to l-liA Lin-U IrtXTola nf l-liOso OllKnt'llQ PnrfiOii

LUC iC * CID Wt l/Ul-OV. ouwui i/j. 4. v/i v*--* of the work had already been done, and a further expenditure of £4229 was to bo incurred. The work would embrace cartage, jointing, and labour, and the procuring of nine-inch and four-inch pipes.. Consideration had been given to an application which had been made for the granting of a prospecting license at Deep Stream in the vicinity of the department’s gauging weir. As there were objections to the granting of such a license the matter had been referred to the city solicitors, with instructions to oppose the application. The warden, in his wisdom, had seen fit to grant prospectors’ licenses, but the granting was bound up with certain conditions, one of which was a deposit of £2O to indemnify him or his department. If anything further eventuated it would be brought under the notice of the council. In answer to a question by Cr Shacklock, Cr Begg said that the Post and Telegraph Department was supplying the whole of the material for a telephone line to Deep Stream. All they were asked to do was the cartage and the erection of the line. It was true, however, that the Post and Telegraph Department had given them an estimate for the whole work. It had, however, not submitted a tender. He had never known the Post and Telegraph Department to tender for a work. The report was adopted. ELECTRIC POWER AND LIGHT. Cr Shaddock moved the adoption of the Electric Power and Light Committee’s report.

Cr Silvcrstone regarded as unnecessary expenditure the cost of sending the electrical engineer on a tour of Wellington, : Auckland, and Christchurch in connection with the establishment of a show and demonstration room. There were sufficient brains in Dunedin to do the work here. 1 The Mayor urged the necessity for build- , ing up electric power sales to meet the impending liability of the council of j £IO,OOO with respect to the contract en- ■ tered into with the Government in the matter of the Waitaki scheme. Sales had not been pushed enough, and he proposed ; that they use a whirlwind campaign for the sale of 1000 ranges at £1 deposit and Is 6d per week. They could sell 10Q0 in three months and almost ensure their liability j to the Government,

Cr Shaddock said the object of sending, the engineer north was that he should find out the pitfalls that had beset other centres and avoid them. _ Fitting up a showroom was not an engineer’s business, and he needed the guidance of those who had profited by mistakes. Cr Shacklock went on to say that the bargain made with the Government was a good one, and did not need a system of civiii" appurtenances away to make it pay. If the Mayor thought the contract was not a good one, he was about the only one in New Zealand who thought so. The Mayor said he would like to explain that he regarded the contract as a bad one, because it was the unanimous decision of the committee that they were ‘ in the soup.” ~ „ Cr Shacklock: Not “in the soup, your Tim'Mayor: I will deal with that at next meeting when I move in the terms of the suggestion I have just made. TRAMWAYS COMMITTEE. Cr Campbell moved the adoption of the Traimvays Committee’s report, lie said that the committee recommended that an ex gratia allowance of £lB 10s be made to the widow of the late chief inspector Malthewson. This sum was equivalent to the pay for accumulated holidays due to the late inspector. Cr Campbell said that the total decrease in revenue since April 1 now amounted to £3462, equal to 3.13 per cent., as compared with the corresponding period of 1932-33. That decrease, however, was more than made up by the decreased expenditure, through the generosity and goodwill of the tramways staff the children of the unemployed would be carried on the trams to the beaches at practically the amount granted by the council. , , l , Cr Silverstone said he was glad to see that the children were to be carried practically free to the beaches. He referred to the decrease in revenue, and said it was still falling. He thought it was about time the department looked into the question of setting up a committee to inquire into the running of the service. He considered that there was a lair amount of justifiable criticism of the sdvice. . The expenditure had declined, but the service was also declining. He thought that if they had a two minute and a-halt service, at least in the centre of the city, people would ride in the trains moie, instead of deciding to walk rather than wait for five minutes, and the revenue would increase. He intended later on to move for the setting up of a committee to investigate the tramway service. Cr Jones said that the reduced expend!, ture had been obtained by reduced wages and the 10 per cent. cut. They were forcing people to walk by not providing a better service. The speaker referred to what was being done in Christchurch to popularise the service there, amd to the growing use of bicycles in Dunedin. Cr Scott: “Hear, hear. —(Laughter.) Cr Jones said he knew he could be twitted with the huge losses made in toe running of the Christchurch trams, but as a result of cheap fares in Christchurch a great many more passengers had been earned there* Cr Marlow said be was a member of the Tramways Committee and he would welcome any suggestion that would help the service. Destructive criticism would not, however, carry them far. He would just like to point out that bowlers in Dunedin at present from Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch had complimented him on his city having such a splendid tram service, and said that they i only wished they had a similar service iB their respective cities. The Mayor said he could supplement Cr Marlow’s statement. There had been a large crowd on the Dunedin bowling green that day, and one prominent bowler

from Wellington, who was on the green, had told him how much they appreciated the Dunedin tramway service and particularly the cheapness of the fares. He was sure that a large number of bowlers had used trams to reach the green in preference to taking taxis. He would also like to thank Cr Campbell and his department on the way in which they had arranged for the transportation of the children to the beaches. Cr Campbell, in replying, said that Cr Silverstone was not a member of the Tramways Committee. He hoped that some day he would be. Cr Jones, however, was a member of the committee. It was a common thing that people considered they could do the other man’s iob better than he could himself. It was interesting to note that the hill trams ivere on the up grade in their returns, which were better than for years past. Cr Campbell*'said he thought the real reason for the decrease in revenue was the smaller number of men and women in employment, and as a consequence they did not require to use the trams. The report was adopted. GAS COMMITTEE. ’ Cr Scott moved the adoption of the Gas Committee’s report. Referring to the proposed reductions in gas charges the speaker said the problem was one of greater difficulty in Dunedin than elsewhere because Dunedin had the lowest charges for the small consumer of any centre. In Dunedin the smaller consumer wag helped in every way possible, and it was now proposed that large consumers, who were helping to carry the smaller ones, should be assisted. The report was adopted. FINANCE COMMITTEE. Cr Shacklock moved' the adoption of the Finance Committee's report. He said that the expenditure of £3554 on work on the Leith would result in permanent improvements to and in the bed of the stream, and would be a charge against the unexpended balance in the flood damage loan account. As in the case of the water mains scheme, the unskilled labour to be employed would be taken out of the No. 5 scheme and paid full time at standard rates of pay on the understanding that the Unemployment Board provided a subsidy on the basis of relief pay at 10s per day for four days per week. It would be necessary for the council to employ a few permanent sldlled . hands on the job whose wages wonld be paid direct by the council. The operations would occupy about four months. Cr Begg referred to a clause in tlie report which stated that as the Water Department’s vote for main extensions had been exhausted some time ago, the expenditure of £3 3s lid (excluding £9lB unemployment subsidy) on the reticula-

tion of the high levels in the city would involve a reduction in the department's credit balance of approximately that amount, and to that extent, therefore, the available resources of the department for expenditure on mains extensions and for other capital works would bo diminished for next year. Cr Begg said he must protest against his department being thus sacrificed so far as maintenance and general work was concerned. He had no objection, however; if the whole expenditure was spread over the other departments. Cr Shaddock said that it was admitted that the Municipal and other departments had drawn a fairly good subsidy from the Water Department. If, however, the department had not the money to hand over, as in the past, to that extent the burden would be spread

over the other departments. The Mayor: We are first protecting ourselves. If ono department overspends one year it is expected to underspend the following year. The report was adopted. RESERVES COMMITTEE. The report of the Reserves Committee was adopted without discussion.

TENDERS. Tenders for the supply of 100 desapped hardwoood poles were referred to the Electric Power and Lighting Committee, with power to act. There were six tenders. The two tenders received for the supply of 1000 Australian hardwood sleepers were referred to the Tramways Committee, with power to act. SUPERANNUATION. A report of the Finance Committee concerning pending retirements on superannuation was discussed in committee, and finally referred back for further report.