MAKARA COUNTY

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 66, 10 December 1938, Page 7

MAKARA COUNTY

Provision Of Centennial Memorial Unlikely COUNCIL'S DISCUSSION It is unlikely that Makara County will mark the centennial of New Zealand in any special .manner. The secretary of the Wellington Provincial Court committee, .Mr. E. Bardsley, in a letter read to the council yesterday, said that features of the memorials proposed in Makara County should be forwarded to the provincial court committee before December 20. The executive, the letter pointed out, could not accept responsibility for the non-inelusion of the county’s requirements if these were not supplied. Information as to historic dates and occurrences could be forwarded early in the New Year. There were present Crs. 'E. AA indley (chairman), V. Mexted. AV. I’. Hume, IL AV. Bothamley, S. G. Luxton, J. Purchase, and IL G. Mexted, and the clerk, Mr. 11. Pickford. The chairman said that the Minister of Internal Affairs favoured local bodies marking' the centennial of the Dominion by providing recreation grounds. The Government would subsidize amounts provided for this purpose out of revenue, but would not subsidize sums raised by loans. Makara County had several reserves set aside, but these were too small for recreation grounds. The difficulty was that the Makara and Hutt Counties were so close to the city that their interests were identical. He could not see how Makara County could go to the expense of providing a recreation ground. Cr. R. AA’. Bothamley asked, if the

Government would assist with labour which would be necessary to form a recreation ground. Cr. Wiudley: No.

Cr. Bothamley said that a recreation ground was required in Porirua, but the trouble was that the Porirua Mental Hospital possessed a recreation ground on the only fiat land in the district, and refused to part with this unless it was given in exchange for an area of the same value. Cr. AVindley: That would be very difficult. Cr. Bothamley: The best memorial we can provide is a good credit balance, or at least not a big overdraft for our successors. The letter was received. Payment for Councillors. On the reeomendation of the works and policy committee, it was agreed to forward a remit for consideration at the next counties' conference that councillors be paid £l/1/- a <lay for attendance at council meetings. Tlte chairman said that similar remits had come before the counties conference for .some years and had been passed, but the Government, of the day bad never carried them into effect. He considered that county councillors were as much entitled to payment for attending meetings as members, of power boards.

Cr. Bothamley: County councillors are entitled to be paid for the time they expend on the business of the ratepayers. It was decided to send the remit on. On the recommendation of the works and policy committee, it was decided to increase the salary of the foreman, Mr. J. Martin, from £312 to £375. Housing Sections. The council refused to approve of a proposal to reduce the areas of sections in the Porirua district which had been offered for ‘sale to the Government. The council’s bylaws stipulated a minimum of 32 perches a section, but the Department of Housing Coustruc-

tion proposed to reduce the areas of four sections to an average of 25.55 perches. Approval was refused, Cr. R. 'G. Mexted remarking that the Government should be the last people! to suggest reducing the areas upon which houses were to be erected.