NEW PLYMOUTH BOROUGH

Taranaki Daily News, 19 June 1934, Page 3

NEW PLYMOUTH BOROUGH

MEETING OF THE COUNCIL DEVON STREET WEST BUS SERVICE. MAYOR OF PALMERSTON’S REPLY. The New Plymouth Borough Council met last night. There were present the Mayor (Mr. E. R. C. Gilmour), Councillors S. J. Smith, J. W. Darby, J. Brown, F. J. Hill, P. E. Stainton, T. P. Anderson, F. Amoore and F. S. Grayling. His attention had been drawn to the report of the discussion which took place at the last New Plymouth Borough Council meeting, wrote the Mayor of Palmerston North (Mr. A. E. Mansford). He left it to the council as to whether it thought some correction should be made, as a .wrong impression might be gained from Cr. P. E. Stainton’s remarks at that meeting. Mr. Mansford proceeded that he readily admitted that his letter of May 18 to the Taranaki Hospital Board might very easily convey a wrong impression, owing to a stenographer’s error in transposing. The particular paragraph should have read: “At the same time the council, by having its rates reduced, has of course had its financial resources limited, etc.” He frankly admitted, Mr. Mansford continued, that he noticed the transposition but the significance of the error did not occur to him until he read Cr. Stainton’s remarks at the council meeting. Owing to pressure of business his (Mr. Mansford’s) attention and attitude were governed by being too familiar with the local position and not appreciating the construction likely to be put on this statement by others. He had had in mind when dictating the letter the Urban Farm Lands Rating Act of 1932, whereby the court reduced the council’s rates by £BOO. ATTITUDE NOT UNDERSTOOD. Mr. Mansford said he thought Cr. Stainton must have known that such prominent citizens of Palmerston North as . Mr. J. K. Hornblow, chairman of the Hospital Board, Mr. A. J. Graham, a past Mayor and chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, Mr. B. J. Jacobs, president of the R.S.A., the Rev. H. L. Richards, representing the Council of Christian Churches, the Rev. Monsignor McManus, priest in charge of St. Patrick’s parish, and Cr. W. B. Tennett, who were so prominently connected with the public meeting held, would not have allowed themselves to be sponsors of an unworthy cause, as was suggested by Mr. Stainton’s remark that the “Palmerston North City Council had not done its duty.” Under the circumstances he failed to understand Cr. Stainton’s attitude because, as chairman of the Taranaki Hospital Board, he would have received his (Mr. Mansford’s) letter of May 18 . . . the least he might have done would have been to write and get the exact facta. There was plenty of time for that to have been done before the meeting of the New Plymouth Borough Council on May 31. Mr. Mansford assured the council and the citizens of New Plymouth that Palmerston North had done its duty, seeing the council had spent well over £9OOO annually in assisting the unemployed in the city.

Cr. Stainton explained that as chairman of the Taranaki Hospital Board he had replied to Mr. Mansford. This reply would clear up the misunderstanding. It was decided to take no action in view of Cr. Stainton’s letter to Mr. Mansford. .

Co-operation in the observance of Arbor Day on the first Wednesday in August was requested by the Minister of Internal Affairs.

The West End School Committee asked that a street light be placed at the corner of Belt Road and Davis Lane. The engineer (Mr. W. H. Huggett) recommended that if the light at present opposite Gaine Street in Belt Road were moved one pole nearer Devon Street it would serve both Belt Road and Davis Lane. This was referred to the electric light committee with power to act. The borough engineer was authorised to purchase a two and a-half-ton commercial truck chassis with equipment at £422 10s, less allowance on a trade-in car £l5O. EFFECTS OF CYCLONE. During the late afternoon of May 17, stated the electrical engineer (Mr. W. H. Huggett), in his report, a severe cyclone was responsible for interruptions to the supply at various parts of the system. The cyclone swept inland from Ngamotu beach, breaking poles and lines and uprooting trees in its course. Repair gangs had most of the service restored by 9 p.m., two small areas being off until the next day. The report continued that during May the number of applications received for a supply of electrical energy was seven, additions and alterations made to existing installations 80 and new consumers four. The Waiwakaiho River had been normal to high throughout the greater part of the month, the highest and lowest levels as recorded at the intake being 7ft. and Ift. 9in. respectively. The Mangamahoe lake levels had been maintained between full and 6in. over the spilway. Relief men had been employed about the hydro lands cleaning about the lake and plantations and preparing ground for the season’s planting. New installations, additions and alterations dealt with by the inspection department totalled 98. The maximum load recorded at the power station was 3450 k.w. and the greatest number of unite supplied in any one day was 52,550, with a total of 1,490,450 including. 298,300 supplied by the Public Works Department for the month, as against 3300 k.w., 50,900 and 1,394,850 unite for the corresponding period of last year. The revenue for May, £1219 2s 7d, showed a slight increase of £7 7s 2d on the figures for the corresponding month of 1933, and the passengers carried, 152,215, a decrease of 905 over the same period, stated the tramways engineer and manager (Mr. G. J. Wyatt) in his report. The monthly records in order of mileage: Main route, 16,536; revenue per car mile, 13.49; passengers carried, 116,870; passengers per car mile, 7.07; average fare per passenger, 1.99 d; total fares, £929 15s 3d. Westown route, 7611, 9.12, 35,345, 4.64, 1.96 d, £289 7s 4d. Combined routes, 24,147, 12.06, 152,215, 6.30, 1.91 d, £1219 2s 7d. OPERATIONS OF BUSES.

The bus department revenue earned during May, £222 15s, showed an increase of £5 3s 5d on the figures for the corresponding month of 1933, and the passengers carried, 24,860, an increase of over the same period. The monthly records in order of mileage, revenue per bus mile, passengers carried, passengers per bus mile, average fares per passenger and total fares, were: 5985, 8.93, 24,860, 4.15, 2.15 d and £222 15s. The monthly comparison of passengers and revenue for May from 1924 to 1934 was as follows: 1924, passengers 199,087, revenue £1759; 1925, 220,166, £1872; 1926, 223,698, £1890; 1927, 218,061, £1826; 1928, 212,874, £1760; 1929, 209,807 £1762; 1930, 171,787, £1704; 1931, 158,611, £1389; 1932, 153.215, £1174; 1933, 151,310, £1211; 1934, 152.215, £1219. Building permits to the total value of £8215 were issued in May, reported the inspector (Mr. .R. Day). Fees totalled £744, the principal items being: Building permits £2l, water rates £ll, drainage permits £lO, drainlayers’ licenses £7, vehicle licenses £l5, dangerous goods £35, air and petrol pump £34, dog tax £22, -water connections £B, sewer

tions £27, heavy traffic fees £235, eatinghouse licenses £B, motor drivers licenses £279. • Six cases of infectious diseases had been inquired into and reported upqa during May: One each of scarlet fever and diphtheria and four o± tuberculosis. The engineer’s reports stated that an extension of 240 feet of 2-inch main had been laid in Ngamotu Road. On the works committee’s recommendation it was decided that the Taranaki Local Bodies’ Association be informed that the council would require approximately 75 tons of penetration bitumen next season and was willing to join in the association’s scheme for a bulk purchase subject to the right of the council of withdrawal under certain conditions. FRANKLEIGH PARK NEEDS.

It was decided that the following replies be given to questions raised by the Frankleigh Park Progressive Association: (a) Regarding planting flowering gums in Govett Avenue: The council authorised the tree planting subject to the position of the trees being approved by the borough engineer. As desired, the council would request the beautifying committee to undertake this Work, but that committee had little or no funds; (b) notice board defining stock route: That the borough engineer . would be authorised to erect suitable signs at the intersection of Frankley Road and the stock route, also at the comer of Brois Road and Govett Avenue.

The Vogeltown Progressive Association will be replied to as follows: (a) Brooklands Road: Consideration of this matter would be given by the council after the end of next month; (b) street light Carrington Road, near Mr. Butler’s: That the electrical engineer would be authorised to give effect to his recommendation that this light be moved one pole northwards. The following replies will be sent to the Moturoa Ratepayers’ Association: (a) Footpath in Parris Street authorised but not done: This work was in hand; (b) footpath Pioneer Road authorised but not done: The borough engineer would give attention to this as soon as possible; (c) footpath in Upper Pioneer Road: The engineer would be authorised to effect repairs as soon as possible; (d) request that heap of metal in Breakwater Road be placed in Upper Pioneer Road; This metal belonged to the Tramway Department and the quantity was so small that it would be almost useless in Pioneer Road; (a) sandslip, Ngamotu Road: The engineer had this work in hand; (f) noxious weeds on footpaths Breakwater Road, Pioneer Road, Weston Street and Mission Hill: The matter would be referred to Inspector R. Day to attend to. The borough engineer was instructed to fence off with pig-netting the cliff in Woolcombe Terrace from Eliot Street to Little Gover Street and to complete the surface sealing from kerb to kerb in Vivian Street from Robe Street to Brougham Street. The recommendation of the electrical engineer that the 2009-volt area, which included a portion of Vogeltown, be changed over to 1100 volts, thus making the system standard throughout, was approved. The electrical engineer was authorised to give effect to the recommendation contained in his report of November 15 to remove, re-erect and extend the existing electric lines about the aerodrome area, and later when the position of the hangars had been definitely settled to lay the underground cable from the new line in Mr. McDonald’s property to supply the aerodrome, the work to be treated as a standby job and to be effected as time permitted. The following time-table for a Devon Street west service was recommended by the tramways engineer (Mr. G. J. Wyatt): Depart Brougham Street: 9.45 а. 1.3 pan., 2.30, 4.30. Late shop night, б. 10.5. Depart terminus: 10 a.m., 1.15 p.m., 2.45, 4.45, 6.50, 10.20.

These fares and sections were recommended: Brougham Street to Morley Street, cash 2d, concession 10 for Is; Brougham Street to Veale's Estate, cash 3d, concession 11 for 2s; Brougham Street to terminus, cash 4d, concession 12 for 2s 6d.

It was recommended that in regard to the days when the bus runs to Barrett Road an extra 2d cash each way be added to the above fares to those persons wishing to travel past the borough boundary. Taking the estimated revenue at lOd per mile and the working expenses at 11.57 d per mile, the result would be: Estimated revenue, £286 per annum; estimated working expenses, £331 per annufn; loss £45. In fact, however, owing to the working in of the time-table, the wages saved would reduce this loss considerably. The department would also be operating with more economical vehicles. The above figures were those of the last financial year. The report was adopted, Cr. P. E. Stainton pointing out that the residents’ request had been for a service to Barrett Road, but it was proposed to run it to the borough boundary only. The action of the finance committee ' in accepting the offer of £lBO for the Brooklands residence for removal was confirmed. The council’s reserve was £2OO.