CITY COUNCIL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9521, 20 April 1909, Page 3

CITY COUNCIL.

LAST EVENING'S MEETING. The Christchurch City Council met last evening; present — the Mayor (Mr C. Allison), and Councillors W. HCooper, T. Gapes, J. D. Hall, H. .J. Otley, T. N. Horstey, J. Forrester, 0. Taylor, Q, W. J. Parsons, G. Hyde, A. Williams, C. D. Morris and H. H. Loughnan. • i FINANCIAL. The financial statement for the two weeks ended April 15 showed that general rates to the value of £45,749 lls 6d had been levied, and £41,403 6s 9d <rf this amount had been collected. Ihe receipts since the previous meeting naa v been £12,821 lls, and accounts for £7568 10s 8d Had been authorised for payment by the Finance Committee. MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS. A petition, signed by fifty-cm© residents of Sydenham, wae forwarded, asking the Council to call a meeting at which candidates for seats on frne, Council might address the electors. The Mayor suggested that as councillors were not- paid for their services, candidates should not be asked to pay the cost of addressing the electors, and that the request should therefore be granted. . . . ' , After some discussion it was deemed not to 'accede to the request,, on the ground that it would not be fair to pay the expenses of a meeting for Sydenham candidates and not for candidates in other wards. . THE ELECTORS' ROLLS. Mr G. Franklin wrote, asking that, in view of the decision of the Btipendiary Magistrate in the case of A. H. Anderson, the Council should reinstate his eon's name on the electoral' roll. .- It was decided to reply that the Council regretted it was unable to alter the roll, as the roll was closed on Apru , THE TEPID BATH. - , . x The Baths Committee reported that by way of a special attraction on the anniversary or the opening of tho baths, on May 14. the custodian proposed to have a display given by his lady pupils, and it wae also proposed to invite the children of the fifth and sixth standards of the city schools to attend the baths in the afternoon, when an exhibition of swimming would be given. It was hoped that this would stimulate the desire on the part of the non-swim-mers amongst them to learn the art. The report wae adopted. | THE SANITATION BY-LAW. » ! Councillor Cooper i moved that the City Surveyor should be asked to call for" tenders for certain sanitary neces 1 caries with a view to retailing them at cost price. „,,-, -i The motion, was seconded by Councillor Loughnan. Councillor Morris said that he would oppose the motion on (the ground that if the Council opposed private enterprise on this occasion, there was no knowing where it might end. me Council might buy gas-fittings and other house necessaries, and in other ways conflict with the businesses of its own ratepayers. Councillor Otley said that he would oppose the motion. The Council could. 1 not afford to keep a large stock of breakable materials and- pay a man to look after it. Every householder would have to employ a plumber to instal these conveniences, and tho retail price was very reasonable. Councillor Taylor said that he took a similar view of the matter. Councillor Hyde said that he "would also oppose the motion. The Mayor said that he thought it would hardly be fair for the iCouncil to enter into a contract which would conflict witjr a contract already entered into, particularly as the difference between the contract price and that at 1 which the Council could retail the conveniences was very small, Councillor Cooper said that he had no desire to enter into competition with tradespeople as a general rule.; The Council had entered • into a conr tract for 200. connections, to be supplied to those persons who required sistance, at a very reasonable price, and if he had an assurance that any householder .could have the work done at this price, he would be quite satisfied. The motion was lost. A QUESTION OF LEASE TENURE Councillor Cooper inovod that thd \Council's Geraldine reserve should *-c let for no longer term than ten years. Councillor Hall, in seconding the motion, said that he thought it was really too late to bring the motion forward, »«= the conditions of lease had been already printed and circulated, but he thought those conditions were wrong, as there was every prospect of an increase in the value of land within ten years. Councillor Morris said that the Reserves -Committee had acted upon the advice of agricultural experts in framing the conditions. After further discussion, the motion was lost. MISCELLANEOUS. A petition, signed by thirty-four residents of Barbadoes Street North and the, vicinity, was forwarded, asking that gas lamps should be placed in Barbadoes Street North, one between Edgeware Road and Edward Avenue, and one at the corner of Barbadoes Street and Edward Avenue. The petition was referred to the Lighting -Committee. Mr Herbert Brett wrote, asking for the transfer of the contracts" betweon Messrs Brett and Jenkins and the Council Tor the completion and maintenance qf the city organ to himself, Mr Jenkins having Tetired from tho partnership. The matter was referred to the Organ Committee. Messrs C. A. Lees and Co. wrote, applying for permission ,^to erect a building on the corner of M'Fadden's Road and Rutland Street, St Albans, within 33ft of the middle of Rutland Street, a half-chain road. The matter was referred to the Bylaws Committee. . The Works Committee reported that the case brought , by the Tramway Board . against P. Ruddy, one of the Council's employees, for a breach \of the by-laws in driving the Council's steajn wageon on the tramway hear Burwood, had been heard, and Ruddy was fined £1 and 28s costs. As Ruddy was quite ignorant that he was breaking the by-laws, the committee recommended that the fine and costs should be paid by the Council. The recommendation was adopted. The Mayor thanked the councillors for the courtesy extended by them to him during the past year, andoorigrar tulated them upon the. manner in which the Council's business had been trailsacted. He said that he believed he r»ad made councillors adhere more closely than some of his predecessors to the standing orders, and the result of this had been that there had latterly been no attempt to infringe those orders. He would cherish kindly recollections of Ms term in the office or Mayor. (Applause.)