THE PASSING YEAR.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume III, Issue 896, 23 December 1916, Page 14

THE PASSING YEAR.

MAYOR'S REVIEW.

The Mayor of Christ church (Mr H. Holland) contributes the following review of the year:—

Municipal activities have been, to [a very large extent, overshadowed by the world-wide war croud, and many schemes for the advancement iof the city and its people, have in consequence been held up for the present. The City Council has not overlooked the importance of keeping abreast of the times, and an immense amount of information has been collected, which will be of great value in the near future. Among the most important proposals to receive consideration may be mentioned the municipal markets, cool stores, and the conveyance of meat from the abattoirs to the retail shops under the most hygienic conditions. This subject, as will be seen, is a very large one, and has received a great deal of attention, it is so far advanced as to make it possible to launch it by the end of this financial year.

The importance of providing a town hall has not made much progress since last year, as it is considered that the time is inopportune, and this proposal may be held up for some years, but the question of securing the Canterbury Hall, known as His Majesty's Theatre, has once more been revived, and this is receiving the earnest consideration of the Town Hall Committee, the proposal seems to be a very sound business proposition. The council has decided to submit this proposal to the ratepayers, and it is to be hoped they will approve. The electrical department has made very fine progress. The committee with the approval of the council has decided to erect a permanent building on the corner of Manchester and Armagh Streets on the council's section, the department having been much hampered in consequence of being separated in three buildings, while the amount saved in rent will nearly pay interest on the cost of the new building. The building will have a frontage of 80ft on both streets, and will be two-stories high, while the walls and foundations will provide for an extra story whenever necessary, the building will accommodate the whole of the electrical departments as well as provide ample storage room for other departments all under one storcman, which will place the department on a proper footing. The engineer, sales department, testing department, showrooms, etc., will be all under one roof and will lead to economy and facilitate business. WATER SUPPLY. The water supply has also received considerable attention, and some valuable reports have been furnished by the council's officers, who have submitted four proposals to incr2ase the city's supply. Scheme No. 2 has been adopted, and some of the work is now well in hand. This scheme provides an increased supply at a

saving of £IOOO a year by the introduction of hydro-electric power. The River Avon has received more than usual attention, but want of unanimity and conflicting interests are responsible for nothing being done. WORKS DEPARTMENT. The antiquated practice of boiling tar in a 400-gallon tank for eight hours, and mixing tar macadam by hand has given place to more modern methods of distilling tar and mixing tar macadam by machinery; 14,200 cubic yards of broken metal has been delivered into the various wards; 397 chains of water bound, and about one mile of tar macadam have been laid down, while 47 miles 11 chains of footpaths and 330 chains of streets have been tar dressed, all between April 1 and December I—a period of only eight months. EXPANSION OF THE CITY. During the year the Opawa Riding of the Ilealhcote County has been added to the city, while it is anticipated that St. Martin's will also come in during the present financial year. A petition is in circulation for the inclusion of Riccarton, and possibly /Vvonside will also become part of the. city. j The progress of (he city is indicated by the recent census returns,J which gave the increase of population in Greater Christ church since 1911 as 9100, while the increase for (he past 10 years is 21,421. This must be regarded as satisfactory when it is remembered that large numbers of citizens have responded to the Empire's call. In conclusion, the Mayor says:— "I desire to express my thanks to the council's staff, from the town clerk down to the office boy, who, I can say, have devoted their best energies to the interest of the city, and without whose loyal assistance it would have been almost impossible for me to carry out my duties. I appeal to the citizens to unite to end

the war by rendering the State and Empire all the assistance in their power. With a united people we can face the future with confidence, notwithstanding occasional dark spots on the horizon caused by the war cloud."