CITY COUNCIL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22630, 23 July 1935, Page 14

CITY COUNCIL

FORTNIGHTLY MEETING Jhe meeting of the Dunedin City Council last evening was attended by the Mayor (the Rev. E. T. Cox), Crs F. Jones, M.P., D. G. M'Millan, J. W. Munro, M.P., M. Silverstone, W. Begs, W. A. Scott. A. H. Allen. F. aV. Mitchell. W. H. Shepherd, D. C. Cameron, P. Neileon, and W. W. Batchelor.

TRAMWAYS COMMITTEE Cr Jones moved the adoption of the Tramways Committee’s report. Referring to the proposed reduction in Sunday fares the mover said he did not believe that the lose would be as great as had been estimated by the tramways manager. The extra charge on Sunday was not a fair charge, and it had been keenly resented , Cr Allen cordially supported the proposal to reduce Sunday fares, and seconded the motion. Cr Cameron, speaking to the report, said it was time the question of the restoration of salary “cuts” to tramway employees wag considered. If they coulu make concessions to the public they should also be able to afford to restore some part of the wage reductions. Dunedin was the only corporation in New Zealand that had not yet moved in this direction, and he thought it was time something was done, not for tramway employees alone, but for all employees. Cr Jones replied that the wage cuts could not be restored \ in the Tramways Department without similar action being taken in other departments. At present the whole position of salary cute was being explored by the J) inance Committee, and it was hoped that something could be done about it shortly. He was glad to find Cr Cameron in favour of restoration, and he hoped that when the matter did come up it would be received os favourably by all the' other councillors. The Question of restoration was simple enough in trading departments, which showed an annual profit, but it was a very different problem in such departments as the Reserves and Works. The report was adopted. ELECTRIC POWER AND LIGHTING COMMITTEE Cr M'Millan moved the adoption at the Electric Power and Lighting Committees report. The speaker said that he wished to limit the application of the holidays for employees on an hourly rate to this year. He explained that later in the evening a motion with'reference to the holidays of all the employees of the department would be brought. forward, and he"wished the recommendation to be confined to this year. . . Cr Allen moved as an amendment that the clause dealing with the holidays question be deleted from the report. He stated that the difference in the treatment of the clerical staff sjid the hourly-rate workers was explained by the fact that the latter were working under .an award which governed their conditions of employment, including overtime payment. He warned the council not to pass a clause such as this without reference to the Finance Committee. If this concession were given to one department it should be extended to cover , all departnients, and that would cost the council between £4OOO and. £4500 per annum. If tbe department went on at this rate, he said, they would have to apply for a loan or increase the rates when a renewarot plant was necessary. Cr Scott said that the council had voted large sums from the reserves . recently. and they would be well advised to see where they were before they did a thing such as was suggested by the coramsrC'Silverstone said that men in the department were obliged to work overtime without payment. . Sometimes men were obliged to take days off when they had been working overtime. He. was sure councillors would not work their own employees overtime without payment. He knew Cr Allen would not. , Cr Allen: Cr Allen is not ashamed to let you see his books. . Cr Silverstone: I know you would not work a man overtime and not pay him, I know that if one of your employees Is sick you pay him. , ... Cr Silverstone added that if the clerical workers were not paid for overtime they should be. L .. . Cr Jones referred to the fact that men were called out at night on an emergency work without receiving overtime payment. The holiday proposal was some compensation for the treatment they had received in the past. * . , Crs Mitchell and Cameron supported the amendment to refer the matter to the Finance Committee. ’ Cr Beg" said it was a standing order that all'matters involving expenditure should first go .to. the Finance Committee for consideration. , The town clerk explained' _ that the standing orders did' not cover the present Ca !n reply, Cr M'Millan said the question boiled down to the fact that either they could cive the employees a holiday or they could not. It did not seem fair that the collar and tie workers should receive a holiday and that the others should not receive it. If the council could not afford to give! holidays to one section ; it could not afford to give it to the other. He was not in favour of such discnmmatloThe amendment, when put to the meeting was lost, and the motion for the adoption of the* report was carried. Cr Silverstone later moved that the Finance Committee bring down a report on the question of holidays and overtime in yegpcct of employees in all departments of the corporation. The motion was carried. . * LIBRARY COMMITTEE The adoption of the Library Committee’s report was moved by Cr Neilson, who said that an extension in the library would be necessary at some time ,in the future.; The report was adopted. WORKS COMMITTEE Moving the adoption of the Works Committee’s report, Cr Munro said that a request had been made that the Unemployment Board should subsidise work on the banks of the Leith. Since the committee had met a reply had been received from the board to, the effect that it would give a subsidy of 35s per man per week to eligible married men under the usual conditions relating to full-time employment of 40 hours per week at standard rates. FINANCE COMMITTEE Cr Silverstone moved the adoption of the Finance Committee’s report. Cr Cameron asked what had happened to the District Nursing Association’s request for financial assistance. He understood that the committee had been asked to contribute £3O per annum for each .nurse engaged. , ' , Cr Silverstone said the committee had considered the matter, but it had not yet been finally disposed of The renort was adopted. OTHER COMMITTEES The reports of the Water, Reserves, Gae, and General Committees were also adopted. EMPLOYMENT OF RETURNED SOLDIERS In connection with the movement inaugurated by the Chamber of Commerce for the purpose of finding employment for returned soldiers, Cr Shepherd moved that the chairman of one of .the employing committees of the council should be offered as a member of the Public Committee that had been set up to undertake this work. Cr Munro was appointed to represent the council on the committee. TENDERS Tenders for the supplv of a two to three-ton motor truck, one light delivery truck, and one light motor car were accepted as- follows:—Two to three-top truck, Ford Motors. Ltd., £379. less allowance of £3O for the old truck; light truck, Todd Motor Company. Ltd., £245, less £46 for the old truck; light car, Austin Motors, Ltd., £2lO, less £2O for the old CU The tenders for the supply of uniforms for the Tramways Department were refer; ed to the Tramways Committee.