CIVIC AFFAIRS.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume IV, Issue 963, 13 March 1917, Page 2

CIVIC AFFAIRS.

THE CSTY COUNCIL. LAST NIGHT'S MEETING. The Christchurch City Council met last evening. Present—The Mayor (Mr 11. Holland), Councillors G. Scott, 11. J. Olley, J. 0. Jameson, A. Williams, J. W. Beanland, A. S. Taylor, F. Burgovne, 11. Hunter, J. McCullough, E. Peek, J. McCombs, M.P., 1). (i. Sullivan, 11. F. Herbert, J. Reynolds, J. P«. Wayward and W. 11. Cooper. The Mayor welcomed Cr Hunter, who has been elected as a representative of the Sydenham ward in place of the late Cr W. Millar. Cr Hunter was appointed a member of the Works Committee and ihe Water Supply Committee, of which the late Cr Millar was a member. AN ALLEGED NUISANCE. The Drainage Hoard secretary and engineer, Mr E. Cuthbert, replied to the council's correspondence concerning a septic tank at Malcolm Avenue. Mr Cuthbert stated that a recent analysis of the diluent showed jl to be satisfactory, and the board therefore could not see its way to lake any further action in the matter. Cr Burgoyne said it was now for this council to take action. The council should seek to obtain an injunction against the tank being kept in its present position. There were occasions on which the tank was anything but satisfactory. As there was a requisition being prepared in connection with the. matter he would not move anything now, but might do so later. Cr Otley considered that if there was anything wrong with the tank it was the duty of the District Health Officer to take action. Cr Burgoyne: He's useless. He's disinclined to move. Cr. Otley: I disagree with Cr Burgoyne altogether. Dr Chesson is a really good man. The Mayor said a deputation intended to wait on him (the Mayor) on Friday night in connection with the matter. The letter was received. THE TECHNICAL COLLEGE. The director of the Technical College (Mr J. H. Howell), asked if the council could see its way to contribute, as in former years, towards the maintenance of the Technical College. The contribution made by. the. council since the inception of the. college had been £3OO. The letter added that though the progress of the college had received a serious check through the war, nevertheless the numbers attending last year showed' an increase over those for 1915, while the present session had opened, with a record enrolment in the Technical High School, and a further increase in the attendance of the evening school. The council granted £3OO, after a brief discussion, in which Cr Taylor said he did not wish to strike a discordant note, but he wished to point out that it was quite a wrong principle for technical education to depend upon local bodies', grants. The whole charge of education should be paid out of the Consolidated Fund, But while the law was as it was.the council was pleased to make a grant. ENCOURAGING ART. The Canterbury Society of Arts invited the nomination of two members of the City Council to confer with the sub-committee of the Art Society in compliance with the conditions of the City Council grant and .arrange a time for a meeting. The Mayor said he believed the Council should economise when it could, and this was a matter that the council could very well consider in that connection. Personally, he thought it belter to give alternately and get larger and better pictures than.in the past. He thought it was time to consider the whole matter. Cries of "Cut it out." Mi - Hunter was beginning to speak when the Mayor said that the Town Clerk had drawn his attention to the fact that the Society of Arts had made it public that, as an inducement to artists lo compete the prize had been offered by the Christchurch City Council, and it might be that if the council withdrew its offer Ihe artists might have been induced lo compete under practically false pretences. * Cr Hunter said that under those circumstances it would be wrong to withdraw the grant this year, it was an understood thing that the grant .should go on from year to year, but he realised now that it did not go far enough. What was wanted was something in the nature of a national scholarship, in which the Societies of Arts throughout the Dominion should co-operate, and which would really give some encouragement to the struggling artist. He moved that a grant of t'so be made. The council decided lo grant the £SO, with an intimation that it was not to be taken for granted that the vole would be made next year. The Mayor and Cr McCuHough were deputed to meet the Society of Arts' representatives. A SEA-WALL AND FLOOD-GATE. The Woolslon Borough. Council wrote that it was proposed to ask the Christchurch Drainage Board to construct a sea-wall and flood gate at the mouth of the outfall drain for the protection of property-holders on both sides of the Canal Reserve, the cost to be borne equally by the City Council, the Ileathcole County Council and the Woolslon Borough Council. The letter also asked that the council should appoint a delegate to act with representatives of the other bodies interested, lo place the matter before Ihe Drainage Board. Cr Otley: ll'm! Thai's a pretty big job. The Mayor: Well, the question is: j Does it concern us? Cr Otley: No. I move lhal the matter be referred to the Drainage Board. li is Ihe Drainage Board's j drain. It's nothing lo do with us.

Cr Jameson: Refer it to Hie Harbour Board. The Mayor (smiling): Yes. Why shouldn't the Harbour Board bd brought in? Cr Hunter commented that the matter was another demonstration of the fact that there are too many public bodies operating in and around Christ church. The council decided to refer the iWoolston Council to the Drainage ! Board. DISTRICT ELECTORS LIST. The Town Clerk (Mr 11. R. Smith) laid the district electors list for the year on the table. There were no objections lodged concerning it. The Mayor and Crs Cooper and I lay-ward were authorised to sign ithe list, certifying as to its correet'ness and to sign all supplementary lists made prior to the election of councillors. ALTERING TRAMLINES. The Works and Sanitary Committee reported that attention had been drawn lo a notice published by the Cbristchurch Tramway Board slating that it intended to apply for an Order-in-Council authorising it, with the consent of the Minister' of Public Works, to alter or vary the position of any tramway in the Cbristchurch tramway district within a limit of deviation of twenty feet on cither side of the positions shown on the deposited plans. The committee recommended the council to object to the authority being granted, so far as it affected the city si reels, without the council having been first consulted and having agreed to the proposed alteration. A total of 21,061 cubic yds. of metal had been delivered during the current financial year, 4CI chains of water bound and 105 chains or tarred macadam streets had been metalled during the same period, and 8048 chains of paths and 574 chains of streets had been tarred. The report was adopted. A DANGEROUS CORNER. The Works Committee also reported "that it had considered the petition from H. Robinson and others with reference to the dangerous corner at the junction of Rastrick and Tonbridge Streets, and recommended that the offer of Mr Rastrick to give 10 feet of land for the purpose of lessening the danger at this pointy be accepted. ■' The report was adopted.