REVIEW OF COUNTY NASSELLA GRANTS

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30983, 12 February 1966, Page 19

REVIEW OF COUNTY NASSELLA GRANTS

When the North Canterbury Nassella Tussock Board was told on Thursday that Kowai County Council had asked for a review of county contributions, the secretarymanager (Mr F. J. Foley) produced figures to show how county grants and Government subsidy had been spent since 1959.

The board deferred a decision until it considers its estimates the chairman (Mr T. G. Maxwell) saying that the review of the board’s policy, to be made in March, could have an effect, and, in any case, the councils affected, Kowai, Waipara, Amuri, and Cheviot, would have to consider any proposals. Mr Foley said that from 1959 to last year, expenditure, less capital items, was £37,886 in Kowai; £217,969 in Waipara, £85,289 in Amuri and £61,765 in Cheviot, a total tft £402,909. County contributions were £5642 from Kowai at the rate of £BO6 a year, £22,862 from Waipara at £3266 a year, £14,679 from Amuri at £2097 a year and £6132 from Cheviot, at £876 a year. With Government subsidy added, the county contributions had totalled £46,643 for Kowai, £189,846 for Waipara, £121,927 for Amuri and £50,734 for Cheviot, a total of £409,150. Kowai had, in consequence, been under-spent by £8757. Waipara over-spent by £28,123 Amuri underspent by £36,638 and Cheviot over-spent by £11.031.

The percentages on which the counties contributed had been worked out by an adjudicator after a Court hearing in 1958 to determine the amounts to be contributed by the counties, said Mr Fbtey. Mr J. A. Courage said that money over-spent to the north of Kowai county had been of inestimable value to Kowai ratepayers.

When Mr F. J. Bain said that he did not think Waipara

county would be happy at the prospect of paying more, Mr C. H. T. Morrison pointed out that by its nature, nassella work probably would fluctuate in different areas. Returned

After a long discussion, the board decided to return to their owners four nucleus areas in the Waipara district, and to return a fifth when oversowing and contouring has been completed. The properties were taken over by the board in 1958 and 1959.

Mr Maxwell said it was the first occasion on which the board had returned control of any of these blocks to the owners.

The board had before it a report on nucleus areas on 10 properties. Decisions on the other five were held over for inspections. Mr Maxwell mentioned that the board has spent £50,000 on one 700-acre block, which last year had 3552 hours of grubbing by the board, and 2932 hours of grubbing by the owner on the rest of the property.

Research. The appointment of Mr F. C. Allen to succeed Mr W. F. Leonard as pesticide research officer for the South Island was notified by the Department of Agriculture, which said that the board should make its wishes known to Mr Allen at his headquarters at Lincoln. Subsidy.—Only seven pro* perries had accepted the 10s an acre subsidy for seedling control spraying, said Mr Fdey.