HOKITIKA NOTES

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 January 1926, Page 2

HOKITIKA NOTES

BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETING (Our Own Correspondent.) At the meeting of the Hokitika Borough Council last evening there were present Crs, H. M. Coulson puty Mayor), Jas. king, 0> F. Dfi‘; CL Heins, H, 1\ Parry, H. Biaiik. Apologies were made for the abserice of the Mayor and Crs. W. Jeffries, Elcock and Lloyd. A letter was received from Air. D. J. Evans, explaining that he was resigning the Council as a protest against the letting of Cass Square to Circuses. He considered the work done by the Beautifying Association should be protected.—The Mayor said it was not within the province of the Council to accept the resignation. They could formally receive the letter as an explanation of Mr. Evans’s action. All regretted Mr. Evans’s action in resigning. He has done exceptionally good work in connection with the Beautifying Society, but he deprecated Mr. Evans resigning because the Council disagreed with him. During the speaker’s 19 years oh the council he had not met a more energetic and conscientious worker than Mr. Evans. He could not always see eye to eye with him, but at the same time he believed that Mr. Evans always did what he considered was right. He regretted Mr. Evans’' resignation, and moved that the Council record on its minutes its appreciation of the good work done by Mr. Evans when Councillor. —Seconded by Or. Parry, who said that he understood Cr. Evans, as chairman of the Reserves Committee was not first consulted on the matter of letting the Square to the circus. He would like to know if that was correct. This was not the first time, he said, that such had happened. This probably had something to do with Mr. Evans’ action. Mr. Evans was one of the foremost men of the town and was too good a man for the Council to lose. He was an indefatigable worker fer the town’s welfare. He understood also that there was a resolution on the Council’s books against letting the Square. rPVvri atnbarl flinva Tira a

The Town Clerk stated there was no resolution respecting the letting of the Square and that he had first consulted Cr. Evans on the matter, and had also informed every councillor as he rung them up or saw them personally that Cr. Evans was opposed to letting the circus on the Square. Cr. Parry said he must have been wrongly informed. Cr. Blank said Mr.- Evans showed rather school boy taste in resigning because the Square was let to the circus. Nine councillors were in favour of letting the Square. The resolution was carried. The same question came up again later when the Town Clerk stated that of the £lO deposited by Wirths’ as a guarantee against damage £3 had been estreated and £7 refunded to the circus. No damage would have been done at all if the circus people had not gone out the Weld Street gate against instructions. The amount was assessed by the caretaker. Cr. Heinz said that to avoid any friction in the future, he would move that if any committee objects to any action a special meeting of the committee be held to consider the question. He said a chairman of a com-

mittee should be respected as much as the Mayor, and the business should not be dope on the telephone. Seconded by Cr. Parry. The Deputy-Mayor reminded Cr. Heinz that the Mayor* was the first person in the Council. Cr. King could not see why so much fuss was being made. Personally he was pleased to see the Square was let. He visited it the day after the circus had been on it and was pleased to see they had done no damage. He contended it was inconvenient to call a meeting of .the committee at that time. Cr. Orr considered that some definite ruling should be. formulated. He understood that another circus had requested the use of Cass Square but the chairman of the Reserves Committee had refused without consulting his committee, of which he (Cr. Orr) was a member. The Committee which should have been consulted knew nothing of it. The resolution was carried on a division, Crs. King and Blank dissenting. i

A letter was received by the . Council from Wm. Carter, Hamilton (formerly custodian Government Buildings, Hokitika) enquiring as to what terms he could lease Howatt Square (10 acres) North Jollie Street. He explained that he contemplated returning to Qokitika in- the near future and making a model farm on the reserve mentioned and after 15 years hand it over to the people as a park. The application was referred- to the Reserves Committee for consideration. The Town Clerk read licensing revenue returns from Kumara Borough as £320, and the Westland County Council £565/11/-. The sum of £l4 was received from the Hokitika Beautifying Society towards the caretaker’s salary. In reply to a request from the Council that an effort should be made to stamp out the long standing typhoid danger at the Mental Hospital where there have been cases, several fatal, for many years, the Minister in Charge stated that everything was being done in this direction. The Secretary of the Kumara Jubi-

lee Celebrations Committee wrote thanking the Councli for its generous donation and good wishes. A smile went round the Council table when a letter was received from an O.A.P. stating that he is unable to pay his rates now that they have been increased but if the Council would accept the original amount he would pay, if not, then he could not pay at all. An application from A. Appleton to lease some reserves fronting Ross Street, was granted. M. Lynch wrote applying to have amount refunded, contending she had pair her rates twice. —The Town Clerk said Mrs. Lynch was labouring under

a mistake. An application from the Blackball Excursion Committee for the use of Cass Square was granted, likewise was an application from W. White to erect a stall outside the gate of Cass Square on January 23, on payment of 10/-. A breeze sprung up when a letter from Inglis and Fahey was read demanding compensation tor damages to a Leyland lorry that went through a bridge, in Park Street some days ago, and for loss of time caused .thereby. The letter was referred to the Finance Committee. Cr. Blank said the planks on the bridge were quite sound and had been sheered off by the impact caused by the speed the

lorry was gbing. He was surprised to hear that a Councillor had practically put the suggestion to the lorry proprlelore. Cf; 1-iehiih hotly defiled ll|lo< He ffithl he find stilted the Couiicil tihofild have HfinOvfed tile lifidgfl long ago. it was part Of the Kw, CbininitteO'fi plart but the Couiicil took (he miltter diii of the Commit!cd’s hands and the latter lost heart and did not bother. The Eeiilby Street drain was not yet completed; Tiibi'C Were other bridges about the town he fiiOiitiOfiOd that were recommended to bo dispefised with but nothing had been done. Before making such a slanderous statement Cr. Blank should have got the facts, said Cr. Heinz. Cr. Blunk denied making a glanderous statement. The Borough employees Were present when Ur. Heinz made the remarks. The report of the Abattoir Manager showed that last month the following cuttie, etc., were slaughtered:—l6 cows, 35 heifers, 55 bullocks, 270 sheep, 242 lambs, 21 pigs, 6 calves; condemned, 2 pigs. Fees £Bl 6s, compared with £B3 6s for the same month last year. It was resolved to have the slaughterman's cottage painted and renovated. The registration ot dugs was fixed at 10s, cattle dogs 2s 6d. On tlie motion of Cr Blank, Cr Orr was elected Chairman of the Reserves Committee, and Crs Lloyd and Blank (Chairman P.W. Committee) were also added. The Foreman’s report covering work done by th© staff was read and adopted. The Treasurer reported receipts £345 Ils lid, payments £4BB Is 6d, Cr Loan Account £394 18s 6d. The sum of £B5l 8s in accounts was passed for payment. An application from Wild and Basset to instal a Bowser pump with standpipe at the kerbing and tank inside of their garage, was granted, subject to the approval of the authorities. Cr Blank again raised the question of people keeping the frontages of their sections clean, and contended it was time the Council did something to make them do so. It was pointed out that the Westport Borough Council had overcome this difficulty by declaring blackberry and gorse noxious weeds. One councillor said the council

would have a big contract to clean ’ up all its reserves. The Deputy Mayor raised the ques- ’ tion of bridging the smaller streams on the South Westland road. He 1 moved that the matter be brought be--1 fore the Highways Board, which, he said, were making a “harum scaruni” 1 run through the district next* week. Another local body was approaching I them on this matter, and he thought : the Borough Council should also do so.

He knew that the state of some of the streams was preventing would-be visitors from making the trip to the Glaciers. He referred to an unenvit*ible experience he witnessed in McDonald’s Creek only a few days ago, when a couple of aged people were rescued with difficulty from a car which was swamped. Accounts of such incidents soon spread, and people became frightened to make the trip. He had met a friend a few days ago, who had travelled the world, but he states there is nothing to compare with the South Westland scenery and .Glaciers. The motion was seconded by Cr Perry and carried.