MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22398, 20 October 1934, Page 10

MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS

CITY COUNCIL REPORTS The various committees of the City Council will report as follows to the meeting on Wednesday evening:— GENERAL COMMITTEE The General Committee will submit the following recommendation: — PARKING PLACE. That the undernoted resolution, amending the parking place on the south-western side of Moray place south-west, be adopted. The alteration is necessary for the purpose of clearing the frontage of the new entrance to the Empire Theatre. The resolution is as follows: — That the parking place on the southwestern side of Moray place south-west, between Princes street and View street, be and is hereby .abolished. That a parking place for private cars be and is hereby appointed on portion of the south-western side of Moray place south-west, such parking place to commence at a point on the southern side of the premises known as No. 39 Moray place west, and extend in a westerly direction to a point 30 feet e§st of the View street intersection, as the said parking place is more particularly defined by notice boards and white lines drawn on the ground, at each end thereof; all vehicles while using the park to face in a north-westerly direction and to stand at an angle of approximately 45 degrees, with the near side of the vehicle towards the kerb. The General Committee will report as follows; — LICENSES AND PERMITS. On application for a meat hawker’s license and one application for transfer of license for coffee stall at Cargill’s Corner have been granted on the prescribed conditions. An application for a license to erect an advertising hoarding in the North road, at the corner of Baldwin street, has been declined on the ground. that the ■ locality is mainly of a residential nature. WORKS COMMITTEE The Works Committee will recommend that an exchange of lands between the council (land edged blue on plan, area approximately 6J poles) and Miss B. A. Christopher (land edged red on plan, area 6J poles approximately, excluding the portion edged green) as shown on the plan laid on the table; be and is hereby approved. The portion of land being transferred by the council is part of an old unformed road forming an extension of Queen street, and the exchange is being made at the request of Miss Christopher, who is to pay the whole of the costs involved in the transaction; The committee will report as follows: KENMURE ROAD PAVING. A petition has been received from a number of ratepayers and residents of Kenmure road for paving portion of this street from Rosebery street to a point 50 yards past Pitcairn street corner. The position is that a portion of Kenmure road ig at present being prepared for surface sealing and terminates at Rosebery street, which is as far as the bus runs in this street. The petitioners’ request involves a further seven chains of surface preparation and, sealing, estimated to cost £BO. Provision has been made in the current year’s allocations for sealing the roads on the bus route only, and the funds available will not provide for any further work being carried out. The question of continuing the paving of Kenmure road and Highgate to Ross street will require to be considered with next year’s allocations, and this section includes the area referred to by the petitioners, who have been informed accordingly. , MOTOR TRUCK.

Authority has been given lor tenders to be called for the supply and delivery of a now motor truck of from two to three tons payload capacity for the Works Department. This vehicle is required to replace an existing truck which is now due for replacement. Provision has been made in the “ special schedule ” of the current year’s, allocations for the expenditure involved. TENDERS FOR BITUMEN. The committee has granted authority to call tenders for the supply and delivery, of 100 tons of bitumen for surface sealing purposes! This material is required for top-dressing paved carriageways and footways, including n considerable proportion of work chargeable to the petrol tax vote. KERB AND CHANNEL. Authority has been given for effecting permanent improvements for dealing with storm water from the roadway on the south side of South road by the construction of concrete kerbing and channelling from about the intersection with Burnett street down as far as a point opposite the end of the existing kerb and channel on the north side. These improvements are to obviate trouble caused by earth channels overflowing during heavy rain, and also to deal with seepage under the paving in South road at the lower end of Sidey street. The estimated cost of the work is £154, which will be charged to the petrol tax vote. • INSTRUCTIONS TO CITY ENGINEER. The city engineer has been instructed to act in respect of the undernoted matters: —(a) Erecting a stone and concrete wall in portion of Tanner road, where a slip recently occurred. Estimated cost £36. (b) Constructing'a proper intake at a watercourse in Lancefield street. Estimated cost, with grating complete. £23. (c) Erecting protection fencing of posts and single rail along the top of the embankments on both sides of Mailer street. Estimated cost £45. (dj Erecting fencing and gates at a property in Signal \Hill road, where land was dedicated, free of compensation, for street widening purposes. Estimated cost £22. (e) Erecting walling, gates, and crossing at a property in Signal Hill road where land was dedicated, free of compensation, for street widening purposes. Estimated cost £2l ss. (f) Carrying out street work on the frontages of the properties referred to in paragraphs (d) and (e) above-men-tioned. Estimated cost to the council, providing for relief labour, £6l. ELECTRIC POWER AND LIGHTING COMMITTEE The Electric Bower and Lighting Committee will report as follows; WATPORI TUNNEL. The report of the consulting engineer (Mr H. Yickerman) on the progress of works in connection with the Waipori pressure tunnel during the past two weeks shows that the contractors have now 35 men employed on the different sections of the work. A further 27 feet has been driven on the excavation in the pressure tunnel, bringing the total to 700 feet. The country is still good hard rock and there is practically no water. Work is proceeding on the surge tank excavation and this is now being carried down 2ft Bin into the true rock, which is of first-class stone. Other incidental works are proceeding satisfactorily. ADVERTISING. Authority has been granted the city electrical engineer to make a trial for a period of six months of issuing a small bi-monthly bulletin to all consumers. The publication would be distributed by the meter readers, and would contain information of special interest to consumers concerning the latest type of apparatus, the economic use of same, schedules of rates and explanatory matter with reference thereto, and general matters which are likely to prove of interest and helpful to consumers in connection with the use of their installations. It is also expected that the bulletin will assist materially in encouraging the installation and of electrical apparatus in the home. The bulletin will contain advertising matter pertaining to electrical apparatus, and it is considered that the revenue from the advertisements will go a long way towards covering the cost of the bulletin. TRAMWAYS COMMITTEE The Tramways Committee will submit the following recommendations;— CASTLE STREET STOPPING PLACE. As a result of further consideration of the petition from residents in the vicinity of Albany street for a stopping place for the Castle street car at Albany street on the journey from the city, your corpmittee now begs to recommend that the request of the petitioners be agreed to. FREDERICK STREET STOPPING PLACE. Ag instructed, the matter of the Frederick street tram and bus stopping places, in respect of which representations were made by the Otago Motor Club, has been further considered. The site lias also been inspected, and after carefully reviewing the whole position, your committee is of the opinion that no valid objection can be taken to the existing arrangements if the users of the street

generally exercise ordinary care and comply with the traffic regulations. As previously reported, instructions have been given for the tram to stop a little below the Frederick street building line in lieu of the kerbline, and the stopping point has now been marked on the ground with a white line. This is the most that can be done as far as the tramcar is concerned, without causing serious inconvenience to the users of the cars, which would in turn result in the department incurring a considerable loss of revenue. It is further considered that the present arrangement with regard to the bus stop causes no serious disability to other users of the road, it, as above stated, such users exercise--ordin-ary care in traversing the intersection. It would be impossible for the existing Pitt street time table to be maintained if the buses were to proceed round the block, as has been suggested. As previously reported, only one accident at the intersection has come to the notice of the department, and the evidence in that case from a number of witnesses is conclusive that the driver of the motor car concerned was solely to blame. FINANCE COMMITTEE The Finance Committee will recommend that a grant of £25 be made to the Dunedin Competitions Society for the current year only. The committee will report as follows: — TOWN HALL BUILDING. A recent inspection of the roof of the old portion of the Town Hall building disclosed that the slates, plumbing work, etc., are generally, in bad condition, and should be replaced at the earliest possible date. Instructions have accordingly been given for a specification to be prepared with a view to tenders being called as soon as possible. The specification will provide that the slates are to be specially imported from Great Britain. The cost of the work would come into next year, and be provided for in next year's estima 6S 'roslyn fire, station. . This building, which is let to the Fire Board, is in need of repair and renovation, and authority has accordingly been given to arrange for the work, at an estimated cost of £55. PROFIT AND LOSS STATEMENTS. The profit and loss statements of the trading departments for the half-year ended September 30, 1934, are as follows: —

Net profit, Sept., Sept. 1933. 1934. £ £ £ Water Department 25,731 29,663 *3932 Gas Department 4,439 5,288 *848 Electric Department 25,751 29,663 *3932 City Trams .. 1,999 1,373 f 625 Eoslyn Trams 349 110 +238 Mornington Trams 1,402 811 +591 Motor Buses 167 105 +62 37,230 43,720 *6489 * Increase. t Decrease.