COUNTY COUNCILS.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16404, 26 December 1918, Page 5

COUNTY COUNCILS.

MALVERN.

The monthly meeting of the Malvern County - Council was attended by Messrs Knight (chairman), Wright, Reid, Warren, Judd, and Shand. A tender which had been accepted during the month by the reserve committee, for the reserve at Annat, was confirmed. It waa resolved to call lor fresh tenders for repairs to one of the Council's buildings, as those received were considered too high. ■Correspondence was read from the North Canterbury Hospital Board with regard to expenses and cases of' distress caused by tho recent .epidemic.—lnformation to- be supplied but clerk to state "that the only expense incurred by the Council was for ambulances for taking patients to the hospital and for a few nurses detained to assist the doctors. Foods tuffs and assistance were voluntarily given. In most cases patients were well able to pay their own expenses, and members of the Council considered that they .should not be a charge on the/county. The Navy League wrote asking for a donation from the county funds. Surprise was expressed at this application, as tho secretary of the Navy League had been furnished with the addresses, of the various patriotio committees in the county which had been set up soon after the war started. By this means .the amount collected 'for tho various war ftrnds was far greater thkn if the county nad contributed or levied a special rate for such purposes. Already' over £300 had been given during the present privately and by the county committees. The Hospital Board wrote thanking all those who had assisted in any way during the influenza period. -•

- It was resolved to add 10 per cent, to all outstanding rates and water charges after January 13th, 1919. At the postponed annual meeting Mr H. A. Knight was re-elected" chairman, and a vote -of - thanks was passed to him fox his useful services during the post year.

WAIPARA, The. monthly meeting . of the Waipara County /Council was held at Waikaii. Present—Cra. Evans, D. J. Doak/D. D. McFariane, N.-D,-Campbell, W,' MoKae, and. O. T. Evans. Mr R. Evans woe elected chairman far the coming year. . , Tiie cierk's recoct stated that work had been carried on -at the last (jrreta cutting, the men having escaped the influenza malady. .Nothing- had been done at the western end of the county, as all the men had contracted influenza. ; Throughout the whole county I residents had done' herculean work in com- j bating the disease, and. many lives had been < saved. ■ The chairman, made reference to the splen- . did .work 'accomplished; by Dr. Little in his effort to save iiis - patients, and the heroic manner in which he died... ! A -vote of ■ sympathy •. was passed to those who had loet' relatives through the epidemio. A large deputation waited on the Council to ask that steps be taken to procure a resident doctor 'tor the county, and that the subsidy be paid by the Council in accordance with tho suggestion of the Minister of Health. i Mr H. £L Holland spoke on behalf of the "Doctor's Subsidy Committee, and showed the difficulties that bis committee had encountered .in arranging for tho subsidy. Mr Holland urged the members to act at once, as the matter was of vital importance to the community. Mr G. G. Newton detailed the numerous calls the visiting doctors had received while the epidemic was at its height from accidents (some of them serious), etc. He stressed the point that, the county must have a doctor and that the proper authority to: provide it was the Council. _ 1 It was agreed that the Council subsidise the doctor if it were legal; that they advertise for a doctor in the main newspapers in New Zealand, and that a special meeting t of the Council be held on January 4th to consider applications. _ j The eum of £25 was contributed to the Navy League. It waß resolved that the clerk be granted three weeks' leave of absence. The tender of Messrs Ryan Bros, to shingle the Allandale road, and the road leading to Miss .Dodds's property, was accepted. A letter was received * from the Minister of Publio Works stating that Cabinet had decided to grant en extra Is per day war bonus, thus enabling local bodies to pay labourers 12e per day on subsidised works. , It was arranged to retain Sister Gilkes, matron of the temporary hosp if il, in tho disitrict for a period. CHEVIOT.' At the annual meeting of the Cheviot County Council, Councillor Thos. G. Gee was re-elected chairman.. On the chairman's motion, it was decided that letters of sympathy be sent to Mrs Ai W. # Rutherford, senr., Mrs A. YV. Rutherford, jun*., an*i Mr L. Gibson in their recent bereavements.

A vote of sympathy to all those who had lost relatives and friends during the influenza epidemio was passed; also to all those who had lost relations at.ths front during the. war.

Cr. Jameson sent in Ms resignation, which vrne accepted with regret. It was resolved that a letter of thanks and appreciation bo sent to .Lieut. Ford, Mr Bevan Brown, Sister Lambie, and the nurses for the work done by them during the influenza epidemic. liie cleiK was instructed to call for tenders for the right to cat cocksfoot on the county roads.