Malvern to ask for double police force

Press, 14 April 1980, Page 4

Malvern to ask for double police force

Malvern County councillors want two policemen in their district instead of one.

! Apparently, a burglar was icaugnt in the act by Sheffield residents while Malivern County’s only police- | man was on leave. "By pure I good luck” the local constable arrived at the scene on his wav back from a visit to the West Coast, "when the locals were getting tired,” according to Cr G. E. J. Hutton, and the hapless burglar was duly transferred into the arms of the police. Cr Hutton said that in the past .there did not seem to be'a heed for two policemen in the county,. but. it was “a sad thing the way people are living today” that more than one policeman was now needed. Some years ago, when the policeman at Coalgate retired, the Police Department had. premised the county two policemen at Darfield, several councillors recalled, but the second policeman had never materialised. “Fortunately in this situation the people were able to cope,’,’ said Cr C. R. Clucas. “But it could lead to a very dangerous situation,” Several people .in the, district were worried about it, she said. , The- council decided to 'write to the Minister of. Policy (Mr Gill) requesting a second policeman for Darfield. , ■ Postal complaints The council is annoyed with the Post Office on two counts. The council had written to the Po'stniasterGeneral (Mr Couch) complaining about the extra Post Office charges for rural box holders which came into effect on April 1. His long reply was read to the meeting, but councillors were not impressed. Cr Clucas said that the Minister “had missed the point completely” in his letter, which asserted that increased costs and a better service were responsible for the increased charges.

She said it was “a load of rubbish” to suggest that the boxes were serviced several

times daily. Rural people had to now pay $2O a year for the privilege of collecting their own mail from the Post Office, she said.

Mr Couch’s letter was received.

The council will not give !up so easily on its second jbone of contention with the Post Office, however. It concerns the distribution of the county newspaper, the “Malvern Record.” which Cr Clucas described as a “vital link” in the county. I The weekly newspaper, which -is „produced, in Darfield. has been distributed in the district for 25 years. Now the Post Office says it will not accept it as a circular for distribution . because of its policy decision to give preferential distribution to circulars of national or regional Origin.

Cr Clucas said the record was much more important to people in the, district than most of the. “unsolicited rubbish” that came through the mail. The council decided to pursue the matter with the Post Office. The chairman reported that the . Malvern’ Squash Racquets Club wanted a 25year lease for the $300,000 worth yof extra facilities which are being added to the existing buildings. However, the club agreed to the five-year lease which the council wanted. Mr Wright said the club had given a verbal assurance that it could come up with ifs share of the ’ building costs — about $25,000. The extra facilities include showers, meeting rooms, and a community hall. They are expected to be completed by October. Intersection safety The chief engineer (Mr A. C. Watson)’ outlined his proposal for making the Cardale Street’Telegraph Road intersection in Darfield safer for pedestrians, especially school children, He said there was very little traffic in Telegraph Road, but significant traffic ’in Cardale Road. 1 Y : . \

i His proposals for the corner included taking the stop I signs, now on Cardale iStreet, to Telegraph Rose, I widening and straightening I Cardale Street, and extend|ing the culvert at the intersection.

The condition of the Ardjlui Road, south of Hororata. was described as [“shocking" by Cr Clucas. Cr J. R. Inch said the main I problem was that the verge iof the shingle road was ■holding water, causing the iroad to deteriorate. Cr E. j\l. iFrew said that he also had 'had complaints about the road. Its condition was aggravated by the log truck 'traffic it had carried'Ycr the [last vear.

j The County Clerk (Mr B. W. Perrin) said that the contractor who drove children to school . was also upset about the road, because ;it had slowed him down sso much recently that the children had been half an hour late for school, and he was being blamed for it. Mr Watson said that the council "shouldn’t rush in there and metal it” as the road metalling programme was not in that area at the moment. Ardlui Road should be considered for the metalling list for the next year and the next works committee meeting; he said. He would put a grader on the road in the. meantime. Bealev ford

Cr B. E. Jarman said he was “not happy” with the repairs done to the Bealey ford. The engineer, Mr Watson, said that the council had just done a “patch job” on the ford and that it would take $3OOO to put a concrete ramp in, if approval from the Roads Board was forthcoming. Cr Clucas said she thought that enough money had been spent on the ford — it was silly to keep patching and patching it. The volume of traffic across it suggested that a bridge was necessary. ■ -

The council decided to wait for the outcome of thq Roads Board vote.