ITEMS FROM THE REPORTS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 97, 27 April 1939, Page 8

ITEMS FROM THE REPORTS

GAS TRADING SOUND TRAMWAY CREDIT BECOMES A DEBIT INCREASE OF SIXTY LIBRARY SUBSCRIBERS The gas department revenue increased by £3510. The excess of receipts over expenditure for the jear was £1023 and the department increased a credit balance al the beginning of the year of £S to a credit of £lO3l. Sales of gas increased by £1654, coic by £274, tar £335, fittings £lOl7, and | cookers £634. Expenditure on coal and fuel by the gas department increased by 13707. expenditure on cookers by £ll3, on management by £99. There was «.. decrease in expenditure on manufacture, repairs and plant of £5515. The tctai 1 expenditure of the gas department increased by £1316. THE TRAMWAYS The tramway account at the beginning of the year had a credit oi; £lO5. At the end of the year the ac- [ count was in debit to the extent of £l. Tram fares decreased by £29, but bus fares increased by £93. Tramway expenditure increased by £869, the main items being traffic expenses (trams £197 and buses £42),! £9Ol on special and private work, and I £llB on repairs to buses. The main items of tramway expend!- i ture which decreased during the year were: Repairs and maintenance ol trams £662, benzine and oils £33 and ; there was no expenditure on new plant I this year. Last year £1432 was found out of revenue for a new bus. The revenue from the tramways , was £lO6 short of the actual running costs. The Mayor has reported that I this is satisfactory, as it was estimated I that the department would show con- ; siderable deficiency this year. ALEXANDER LIBRARY An increase of £2 is shown m th'.revenue of the Alexander Public Library. This amount is considered . satisfactory in view of the larger number of lending libraries in the city. Library subscribers were increased • during the year by 60. Of these 151 were adult subscribers and 45 juvenile.[ There has been an increasing demand for books on sociology. Readers have sought the best information on international affairs and the library is keeping abreast of the times in this section. The total number of books issued decreased by 1800. In the fiction section the decrease was 2456, offset by an increase in the non-fiction section. \The librarian regards this as satisfactory, as it shows that the work done by the library is increasing on the cultural side.

f WORKS AND SERVICES More money has been spent on the I city’s works and services this year | than for five years. In 1934-35 the i amount was £33,402. In 1935-36 it I was £34.733, in 1936-37 £32,584, in 1937-38 £39,933, and in 1938-39 £42,988. I The total cost of the new reinforced ; concrete bridge an Anzac Parade was ' £lO3l. The bridge was finished in November. Strengthening work for the north 'span of the Town Bridge, provided for in the estimates, has not been proceeded with. The rainfall at Okehu during 1938 was the third highest on record. Over the past four years the fall on the watershed has been consistently high. For 29 years, up to 1934, the average annual fall was 57.20 inches. The fall in 1935 was 81.15 inches, in 1936 79.23, 1937 64.43, and 1938 76.39. 1 The Kai Iwi water pumping station I has been operated to pump 95,000,000 j gallons during the year. During the ! dry February and March the station . was operated almost continuously. By the end of March 267 feet of j main pipe line tunnelling being undertaken to relay the line over a bad section, near Bushy Park, had been finished. It is estimated that the work will be finished in 15 months. Because of the sandy nature of the soil troubles have developed in No. 1 tunnel, and heavy timbering has been necessary. CITY’S RESERVES Lighting of Cook’s Gardens under the new flood light scheme now in operation cost £1181—£536 for four steel towers, £429 for the floodlights. £B6 for underground cable, £l3O for erecting the plant and miscellaneous. I A contract for the building of a i new pavilion on Cook's Gardens, to • accommodate 250 people under cover I and 175 people outside, has been let. The accepted tender was £2380. ; The substantial new brick conI venience, at Castlecliff Beach, cost I £5lO. It was done by contract. I