CITY COUNCIL

Southland Times, Issue 23026, 21 October 1936, Page 8

CITY COUNCIL

Ordinary Meeting COMMITTEE REPORTS

The three-weekly meeting of the Invercargill City Council was held last night and was attended by the Mayor, Mr John Miller, and Councillors H. Ritchie, W. G. Tait, G. J. Reed, J. R. Hanan, A. W. Jones, G. E. T. Dorman, J. H. Tattersfield, J. S. Grieve, A. Scott and E. J. McLauchlan. The following are clauses of public interest as adopted from the various committee reports:— Baths and Library. The Baths and Library Committee reported having received a letter from the Deputy District Public Trustee, Invercargill, advising that the council’s application for a grant from the Reginald MacKinnon Trust for the purchase of reference books on farming matters had been approved, and a grant of £5 made for the purpose. It was asked that a list of the reference books available in the library dealing with farming matters, be forwarded to the trustees. The trustees considered it advisable that in the purchase of future books from the funds of the trust, a special committee comprising the following, be appointed to assist in the,< collection: —The District Public Trustee, Messrs D. Marshall, J. Macdonald and C. Gilbertson.

“The committee, having requested the chief librarian to forward the information required, recommends that the letter be received and the trustees thanked for their donation, and that the chief librarian co-operate with the committee named in the selection of the reference books.” Reserves.

The Reserves Committee reported having received a letter from the secretary of the estate of the late J. T. Thomson advising that the trustees were willing to grant the council the use of a right-of-way approximately 15 feet wide, running from a point in Tweed street near the junction of Pomona street, to the Turbull-Thomson Park. Permission was granted during the pleasure of the trustees. The committee recommended that the letter be received and the trustees thanked for their action in the matter and that the superintendent of reserves be authorized to form the required footway. “The committee, at a previous meeting, received a deputation from the Invercargill Tennis Club on suggested improvements to the surroundings of the club’s courts in Queen’s Park. The committee was of opinion that the small area of vacant land on the eastern boundary of the tennis courts should receive attention and be planted out in ornamental shrubs, and recommends accordingly. The committee further recommended that the council undertake the cutting of the Tennis Club’s proportion of the hedge on the northern boundary of the tennis courts, at the expense of the club, approximately £9 a year. The committee further reported having received a letter from the Invercargill Horticultural Society stating that at the National Doffodil Society’s South Island show held in Invercargill, two awards of merit were unanimously made by the judges to the Reserves Department of the corporation for a comprehensive collection of hardy ornamental trees and shrubs and for massed display of conservatory flowering plants. The thanks of the society were conveyed to the council for the I admirable and attractive displays made by the Reserves Department. The committee recommended that the Invercargill Horticultural Society be congratulated on the outstanding success of its recent spring show and that the superintendent of reserves and his staff be congratulated on the very creditable display. Works.

At the last meeting of the council it was asked that the Works Committee consider the position of country buses standing on Friday nights in Dee street between Esk and Don streets. The traffic inspector recommended that the matter be held over until the council could estimate what would be the effect of the whole of the parking position by the advent of the new Motor Vehicle Regulations. The committee reported having held the matter over for further consideration.

The committee reported that the council was making up the payment for No. 5 Scheme workers to the nearest half-day above the actual allocation. For instance, a man was allocated 18 hours, but the council paid a further two hours to make 20. The Labour Department, however, reduced the allocation in proportion as a man received “outside” payments, and the man referred to might, as a result of the council’s help and other earnings, be reduced to an allocation of 17 hours, when, the council subsidized him with three hours instead of 2, and so a vicious cycle was formed and the council’s payment was increased while the Labour Department’s contribution was decreased and the total relief earnings were kept the same.

Finance Committee.

The Finance Committee reported having received a communication from the South Island Travel Association of New Zealand advising that a resolution passed at the conference asking the Government to include in this session’s legislation a clause authorizing public bodies to contribute to the funds of the association from their ordinary revenue was conveyed to the Minister of Finance. After consideration, the Minister had made a statement that it was not considered desirable that legislation should be promoted affecting the association only, but that the matter should be deferred until such time as the position of all associations of this nature could be dealt with in a comprehensive manner. The executive of the association now suggested that each and every public body affected should communicate immediately with the Minister of Internal Affairs and the Minister of Finance, urging that the Government grant the desired permissive legislation during the present session. The committee recommended that consideration of the matter be deferred in the meantime.

The committee again considered the matter of restoration of salaries in respect to officers of the corporation excluded from the provision of the recent legislation as a result of the opinion of the solicitor to the Municipal Association of New Zealand. The Mayor, the chairman of the Finance Committee and Cr Dorman had been requested to make recommendations to the council in respect to cases requiring consideration where the present salary does not exceed £260 per annum.