Waimairi grants museum $5000

Press, 27 May 1978, Page 5

Waimairi grants museum $5000

In spite of a recommendation from the Metropolitan Grants Committee that councils make no grant to the Canterbury Museum, the Waimairi County finance and by-laws committee has decided to give the museum $5OOO.

Cr I. G. Clark, as the special estimates meeting of the committee, strongly advocated the granting of financial assistance to the museum. He said the museum was experiencing financial difficulties because of in-

creases in interest rates, and: every effort was being made! to keep its operating deficit I at a minimum. The motion to grant $5000 ! was opposed by the County Chairman (Mr D. B. Rich) [ and Cr W. T. Rice.

After long discussion, Cr Clark said he had been told that most other local authorities had agreed to grant funds to the museum. He noted that the museum still hoped to obtain funds through a lottery. The tables were turned, however, when it came to considering a request from the Christchurch Arts Festival. A letter from the Town Hall Board of Management was read, asking for funds to make up the loss suffered by the last festival. In the case of Waimairi County, the amount required was $1545.

On a motion by Mr Rich, the request was declined. The committee did, nevertheless, agree to the Metropolitan Grants Committee’s recommendation that the festival be granted a total of $4400 which, in Waimairi’s case, amounted to $lO5O. The City Council’s share of the grant is $2624.

Funds for additional overseas study tours were also approved oy the committee. The amount of $2500 was approved in the estimates, in contrast to the $BOOO eventually authorised last year, of which $7658 was spent on a tour of the United Kingdom and Australia by the County Chairman (Mr Rich) [and the County Clerk (Mr J. [Reid) recently. Mr Rich, who is scheduled, [to present a detailed report] later this month on the tour! and its justification, defend- • ed such tours and indicated! that he would seek even! more than the $2500 allotted! this year, to enable coun-! cillors and senior staff to j make overseas study tours. ,

Cr W. T. Rice said he felt it was a mistake to budget such funds in the light of present economic conditions and moved that the item be deleted from the estimates. The motion was defeated.

Cr Rice also questioned the provision of $12,000 for councillors’ meeting allowances but that amount, plus $20,700 for county and committee chairmen allowances, was approved by the committee.

Provision was made in the estimates for $750 to be made available for the purchase of trees in the county’s scheme to observe 1979 — the International Year of the Child — by giving a tree to the parents of each child born in the county during the year. Upon producing a birth certificate, parents in Waimairi would be presented with a $5 voucher to purchase whatever species of tree they desired.