PETONE AFFAIRS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 54, 27 November 1917, Page 7

PETONE AFFAIRS

MEETING OF BOROUGH COUNCIL,

The Mayor (Mr. J. W. M'Ewan) presided over tho regular meeting of tho Petone Borough Council, held last evening. Councillors C. P. Brocklebank, J. Churchouse, R. H. Jones, J. Foster, D. M'Kenzie, and S. Newlands were present. The council decided to grant the Gear Meat Company's employees the uso of the Recreation Ground for their annual picnic. Tho Hutt Borough Council objected to the Petone Council's reduction in tho bus faro to Wellington. It considered that Is. fare from Hutt to Wellington was a reasonable one, and did not lend itself to tho making of excessive profits. The Hutt Council was obtaining legal advice upon its powers to grant or withhold permission for the Petone Council's buses to run at Lower Hutt, and in the meantime such permission ivould not be granted. The Mayor said that tho attitude taken up by tho Hutt Council appeared to him a peculiar one. Hutt did not object to accepting cheap gas, coal, tar, and coke from Petone, but apparently objected to cheap buses. 11l effect, the Hutt Council did not approve of cheap bus fares for Hutt residents. I-Ie did not see the force of the contention put forward by the Hutt Council that the Petone Council was trying to kill competition. The Hutt Council ought to approve the Petone Council's action. i Councillor Churchouse expressed tho opinion that the Hutt Council's letter indicated a retrogressive tendency. The clerk was instructed to reply to Hutt upon tho lines of tho Mayor s remarks. Tho fare charged by thePctono Council is sixpence from Wellington to Petone, and ninepence from Wellington to Lower Ilutt. Tho council agreed, upon tho request of the Municipal Band, to pay half tho amount of an account sent to the band for gas fittings.