MEETING HELD IN COMMITTEE

Press, Volume LXXV, Issue 22656, 10 March 1939, Page 8

MEETING HELD IN COMMITTEE

“Newspapers Made A Song” GERALDINE COUNCIL’S DISCUSSION “The newspapers made a song about I that meeting being held in commit- I tee,” said Cr. A. J. Bell at the monthly I meeting of the Geraldine Borough I Council on Wednesday evening, when [ the minutes of the special meeting held j an Tuesday, February 21, were pre- | sented for adoption. That meeting had been held to receive the report of the Hall Committee, but. on the motion of Cr. P. H. I Davis and Cr. E. N. J. Hannah, it was I decided to take the business in com- I mittce. To this decision the Mayor tMr D. C. McKechnie), had been the Lone dissentient, giving as his reason that the ratepayers were entitled to | know how the council arrived at its I decisions. I When the Town Clerk (Mr C. L. Kirby) tabled the minutes. Cr. Bell I said that quite a lot had been said I about the special meeting that had j aeon held in committee. It had been I really a meeting of the Hall Commit- I Leo, and as far as he was concerned j rothing had been held “behind closed I doors." Ho had heard the chairman of I he hall committee say, “Go into com- { nittee,” and by six to one this was J carried. He considered that if any I handing committee desired to go into I .•ommiltee it was only courteous for I til to fall into line. Ail had been fair I tad above board, and it was only fair | o let ratepayers know that. He could I rot see why the papers made such a I :ong about it. I Cr. P. H. Davis said that if he had not [ nade the move other councillors would I lave done so. Anyhow ratepayers I .vould know in due course what they j ,vere going to do; they would see the j ob in progress, and would know how | nuch had been spent. The total amount I nvolved was only a “flea bite,” and I vhen the balance-sheet was I Irawn up ratepayers would know the I otal cost. I Cr. H. Russell said that the meeting C lad been a special one. In the past ! he reports of special meetings had I leen handed to the reporters. Yet ( ast week two reporters turned up, I md Cr. Russell wanted to know at I vhose invitation they had come. I The Mayor (Mr D. C. McKechnic) I ;aid he wished to correct one or two I joints raised by Cr. Bell. The meet- I ng had not been a committee meeting >f the hall committee, but a special I neeting of the council, and the sub- I ect for discussion was the report of J he committee to the council. He had I jpposed the principle of taking any I msiness of the council in committee I inless necessary, as it was absolutely I issential to educate the public to take I in interest in borough affairs. As for I he reporters coming to the meeting I le took the responsibility of having I nformed them. I Cr. Hannah (chairman of the Hall I Committee) said that the reason why I le had asked that the matter be taken I n committee was that the more or I ess private business of persona outside ! he council would be brought into pub- I ic‘ discussion. At that stage the com- I nittee had nothing concrete to place I >efore the council. B The Mayor: We must not forget that I ve live in a democratic country and I icople went to now why things are I icing done. I know that a great num- I ier of Geraldine people want to know I hings about the borough business for I . great number of ratepayers have told I ne that I had taken the right stand. I After further discussion the minutes I if the special meeting were adopted. I

GERALDINE DOMAIN BOARD I 1

MONTHLY MEETING HELD I After its meeting on Wednesday 8 ‘veiling, the Geraldine Borough Coun:il sat as the Geraldine Domain Board, he chairman (Mr D. C. McKechnie) iresiding. The Under-Secretary of Lands ad>lsed that the Minister (the Hon. F. ..angstone) had approved the pro)osais of the Domain Board that his ;rant of £SO should be spent on im-u-ovements in the form of new vomen’s dressing sheds, and the erecion of a safety rail around the swimning pool. The board decided to ask he Geraldine Swimming Club to subnit plans for the sheds, I’ermlssion to use the oval lor a Ticket match was granted the Coralline District High School for March i L 6. I The secretary of the Geraldine I notor camp committee (Mr K. Wool- | louse) wrote expressing their appre- I nation of the council’s assistance in I die recent installation of a septic tank | n the motor camp. The committee also ! •ecommended that a privet hedge be 1 Ranted to replace the old gorse hedge S recently removed from the south-west ( 4de of the camp. It was agreed to I plant the hedge, I FEBRUARY WEATHER figures for waimate ■ On the dry bulb thermometer at Waimate for February, the average ( reading for the month was 61.34 degrees, and on the wet bulb 55.0 degrees. The maximum thermometer average was 70.73 degrees, the highest reading being 84.2 degrees on February 18. I’he screen minimum average was 50.89 uegrees, with the lowest reading (on February 7) Of 39 degrees. The grass minimum average was J4.49 degrees, the lowest reading being m February 7 of 29.0 degrees, A frost of 3 degrees was recorded on ( February 7. The miles run on the anemometer :otalled 2634, a daily average of 94-05 niles, and the longest daily run was 106 miles. There were 14 observations of clear sky and nine of overcast sky. , The rainfall was 143 inches, the highest fall of .70 inches being on Feb- f ruary 6. Rain fell on five days. < Bright sunshine totalled 208.5" hours, j an average of 7.45 hours a day. , i i FIGURES FOR LAKE TEKAPO . i i The sun shone on 28 days at Lake 1 Tekapo in February. The sunshine < for the month was 261.6 hours ana - the daily average 9.4 hours. The sunshine for the year to date is , 546.7 hours, the daily average for the ; year being P-4 hours- . , ~ ; Rain fell on two days, the rainfall for -the month being ,35 inches, and for ] the year to date, 40 inches. j

GERALDINE BOROUGH AFFAIRS

MONTHLY MEETING OF COUNCIL HELD :OST OF LIBRARY LIGHTING DISCUSSED Whether or not the Geraldine Boough Council should pay the balance if a lighting account which had Iropped from 30s to less than 15s hrough other lights being disconnected rom the library meter caused discussion >y councillors when a letter was ra:e\ved from the Geraldine Public Libary Management Committee, at the nonthly meeting of the council. The secretary (Mr J. J, McGuigan) ippUed for the balance of the £4{ granted by the council for the mam; enance of the reading room. He saw ie believed that the council wouic lebit the cost of lighting from the £4l ?rant. Until * recently four or ftv£ jther lights had been connected wul he library meter and when this wai •eetifled the account fell from 30s U ess than 15s a reading. They woulc jjre this matter taken into aecouni when the council were assessing thi 3(dance Of the £4O due to the com' nittee.

I It was agreed that the balance of the grant be paid to the library management committee, and to advise them that the council could not increase the grant of £4O and the matter of tire switch-board was under review. Replying to tire council's request foi the extension of the State Housing scheme to Geraldine, the Minister for Housing (the Hon- H. T. Armstrong) advised that investigation showed that not one single official application for „ a State rents! house in Geraldine had J yet been received by the State Advances Corporation, Councillors considered that further information should be brought before them, particularly about the probable - rentals for the houses, and it was left e for the Mayor (Mr P- C, McKechnie), d the Town Clerk (Mr C. U Kirby), and S Cr. E, N, G, Hannah to make inquiries, d Cr, H, Bussell, chairman of the flnq ance committee, reported that after the ir meeting there would be a debit of I- £llO4 12s 3d at the bank. Receipts dur--9 ing the month totalled £ 1497 14s 3d, including £1044 4s 4d in rates and £35 .) in arrears. 0 Cr- Russell added that the rate pay. i- ments had been good and also that d the year would probably end with a d debit balance of about £740, In view ■0 of the difficulties that had arisen dure ins- the year, this position was good, hj The secretary of the Geraldine Pisis trict Nurse Committee (Mr t. hj. Ran. o nehr) wrote seeking a grant, The coum d cil made a grant of £lO. it As he said he was doing his best tc ie add to the attractiveness and beauH I- of the town, the Rev. Father , M. J Fogarty, parish priest, drew the coum

cil’s attention to the unsightly appearance of the footpaths near the Catholic Church and presbytery. The chairman of the works committee said that the staff had been doing some work of improvement, but there was no chance of tar-sealing at the moment. The honorary secretary of the New Zealand; Union of Townswomen’s Guild (Mrs P.i H- Kinsman) wrote suggest ing that a branch of the guild might be established at Geraldine. The Mayor said that he had conferred with the president of the Women’s Institute, and with her he considered that all the work that the guild contemplated was already covered by the two women’s organisations ip the town. Cp. Bell was appointed to represent the council on the Geraldine County River Board. , • ' The Minister for Internal Affairs (the Hon, W. E- Parry) wrote thanking the council fop the care and effioi* ency they had displayed in making preparations for fitness week and for the valuable work during the period of the celebrations. He hoped that fitness week would be but the beginning of a campaign in which the councillors’ services would be available both by advice and example, The council’s attention to hooding in Huffey street was placed before the council in ft petition signed by Mrs JBrown, Messrs T. M, Hutt, G, Davies, and Mrs Shaw. The works committee through its chairman (Cr- P. H- Davis) recommended that a water-table be formed opposite Mrs Brown’s property, and

PLUNKET DAY AT GERALDINE

SATISFACTORY SUM RAISED In spite of the rain on WedJrsday, Plunket Day at Geraldine was a cess, and £BS I6s lid was raised. Many willing helpers, under direction of the president (Mrs J, Wyn Davison), controlled the stalls. Stallholders were; Variety, Mrs . • M. H. Tripp, G. Dennistoun, Miss Johnston and Miss Dennistoun; hbme dainties; Mesdames J. Wyn Davfs° n ; C. J. Kerr, and Miss P. Davison, jumble, Mesdames Sinclair Thomson. G. N. Fcilden, Percy Barker, _ an “ Misses Ford, May, and T. Williams, flower, Mrs K. H. Hargreaves; produce, Mrs G. A. M. Macdonald ana Mrs J. P. Cliff; mothers’, Mesdames E. R. Guinness, W. Webb, and J. D, WiUcoeks; refreshments, Mesdem| 3 A. Priddle, J, Reid, R, P. Nolan, i-' South, E, Undr ill, J. 3. Robinson, Crotty, A. H. Norris, 3. Ambler, e nd