CITY COUNCIL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22294, 21 June 1934, Page 13

CITY COUNCIL

FORTNIGHTLY MEETING > The fortnightly meeting of the City Council was held last night, and was attended by the Mayor (Mr E. T. Cox) and Crs Campbell, Begg, Silverstone, Shacklock, Marlow, Scott, Shepherd, M'lndoe, Jones, and Borrie. Cr A. H. Allen’s leave of absence was extended by two months. SUNDAY CONCERTS. The manager of Amalgamated Theatres wrote asking for permission to screen picture programmes at the Grand Theatre and the State Theatre on Christmas Day. —The application was granted. The hon. organiser of the Dunedin North branch of the New Zealand Labour Party wrote applying for,a permit to hold concerts in the State Theatre on Sunday evenings, July 8, 15, 22, and 29, the whole of the proceeds to be devoted to charitable objects.—Permission was granted. —The town clerk said that there was to be no specific charge for admission, according to the conditions of the council. H. Cotter, on behalf of the organisers of the carnival in aid of the Sacred Heart Church, North-East Valley, wrote asking for permission to bold a concert on Sunday evening, June 24, in the Empire Theatre, admission to be by silver coin, and the proceeds to be in aid of the building fund.—Cr Silverstone said that the Labour Party had arranged to hold a concert on that date. —Permission was granted, Cr Silverstone to endeavour, if possible, to get Mr Cotter to change to another date. The musical director and manager of Derry’s Military Band (Christchurch) made application for permission to hold a concert in the Empire Theatre on Sunday, October 21, in the evening and also in the afternoon if necessary.—Permission was granted. * A BOTTLE OF WHISKY.

The hop. secretary of the Charity Bali Sommittee wrote, in conformity with the ity Corporation by-laws, making application for permission to have at the forthcoming Charity Ball one bottle of whisky. The whisky was for voluntary helpers when leaving the bail after their duties were finished. It would be under the strict supervision of the committee, Cr Campbell (in surprise): What is that? One bottle of whisky?—that is what I cannot understand. Cr Shepherd: How are we to identify the bottle?

The Mayor said that it was a regular practice for some organisations to give their ardent workers, who had worked all night, a drink before going home. Cr Shepherd: The council should receive this too.

Cr Jones: What, the bottle of whisky? Cr Begg said the whole thing seemed a farce to him. Fancy bringing up a matter like this at an important civic meeting. He thought the Mayor or the town clerk should oe given authority to deal with a matter like this.

The Mayor: There is no motion before us. Cr M'lndoe: I'll move that the application be granted. Cr Marlow said he did not know anything about the application. It was, however, more manly and straightforward for such an application to be made than to take whisky to the ball surreptitiously. The Mayor said that he had attended the Charity Ball last year and it was the best one he had attended in his life. Cr Begg; Did you have a nip?—(Laughter,} The motion was carried, Cr Shacklock asking that his dissent be recorded. LIBRARY COMMITTEE. Cr Borrie moved the adoption of the Library Committee’s report. He said that certain books were outstanding from the library, and they would like very much if these absent-minded people would return them. Cr M'lndoe said that it was a rather melancholy reflection that the large number of the books outstanding referred to religion. The report was adapted. RESERVES COMMITTEE. Cr Shepherd seconded the adoption of the Reserves Committee’s report. He asked that clause 1 be referred back to the committee. The clause read as follows.^—“The committee recommends that the charge for use of portions of the city reserves as bowling greens be advanced from the present rate of £2 10s per ground per season to £4 10s per ground per season. In the case of new greens it is further recommended that the charge commence upon the expiration of a period of two years from the time the privilege of constructing the green is granted, this condition to apply also in the case of croquet lawns. It is further ■ recommended that the rental for the golf course on the Town Belt at Belleknowes be advanced from the present rate of £lO per annum to £2O per annum as from the commencement of the current period.”—Permission was granted. They had received a letter from the Belleknowes Golf Club in regard to the proposed charges, and this could also come before the committee. The Amenities Society was paying £3O towards certain works for beautifying and improving the city. The clause relating to the planting of a few showy shrubs on the corner of Wilkie road and Anderson’s Bay road, and the report, as amended, was adopted. GENERAL COMMITTEE.

Cr M'lndoe moved the adoption of the General Committee’s report. He explained the reason why the application for a butcher’s shop wag subject to the applicant complying with the full requirements of the city by-laws, and said that the committee was averse to considering licenses for butchers’ shops and milk vending shops unless the full requirements of the by-laws were observed. In fairness to other- shops the regulations had to be observed.

Cr Jones said he approved of the remarks of Cr M'lndoe. He thought they should try to keep licensee from men who had a difficulty in complying with all the regulations, as their operations tended to affect shopkeepers who were complying with the full regulations. The report wag adopted. ' WORKS COMMITTEE.

Cr Marlow moved the adoption of the Works Committee’s report. He said that the formation work on the road leading from Signal Hill road to the reserve on Signal Hill had now reached a stage where increased additional expenditure was required to bring the work to completion. Eight culverts were required of a total approximate length of 400 feet and of diameters varying from 15 inches to nine inches. The road also required to be trimmed to correct grade from its present rouuh formation state. The estimated cost to the council was £434. _ This work was very suitable for execution as an unemployment relief measure, and would provide work for a large gang of men for about eight months. The report was adopted. 1 WATER COMMITTEE.

Cr Begg moved the adoption of the Water Committee’s report. He said that some parties on the Deep Creek work bad started very well, and so far their work had proved very satisfactory. Another party bad to assemble a great deal of material before they could get properly going. The committee was dealing with the question of opossums in the Silverstream Valley. They did not propose to grant a permit to trap any opossums that might be there. The report was adopted. ELECTRIC POWER AND LIGHTING COMMITTEE. Cr Shacklock moved the adoption of the Electric Power and Lighting Committee’s report. He said that the third transmission line between Waipori Falls and Halfway Bush had been completed at both ends. The copper was on hand aud the committee now proposed to complete it and thus enable the full output from Waipori to be transmitted to the town. In answer to a question by the Mayor, Cr Shacklock said he wa s not yet in a position to say how many bouses had benefited by the reduction of the minimum to 36 units. The Mayor said that the reduction was intended to encourage the use of the power. If some people were going to save £ls or £l6 a year they were not using more juice. Cr Shacklock said that the meter readers had not been round since the alteration, so that he could not give information regarding the point raised by the Mayor. The suggestion was made that the city electrical engineer could give some information on the matter, and thq report was then adopted. TRAMWAYS COMMITTEE.

Cr Campbell moved the adoption of the Tramways Committee’s report. Cr Silverstone said that a tram on the Morningtou service had fun into and

killed a dog and that the carcass had been removed by a 26-passenger bus. Cr Campbell said that, unfortunately, it had been bis dog that bad been killed. He did not know how it had been removed. Cr Campbell said, in answer to a question by Cr Scott, that a rope was on order for the Morninglon tram. The report was adopted. GAS COMMITTEE’S REPORT. Cr Scott moved the Gas Committee’s report, which was adopted without discussion. FINANCE COMMITTEE. Cr Shacklock moved the adoption of the Finance Committee’s report, which, be said, was of a more or less formal nature. The report was adopted.