HOKITIKA NOTES

Grey River Argus, 11 July 1927, Page 2

HOKITIKA NOTES

(Our Own Correspondent.) HOKITIKA, July 10. The telephone line between here and Kumara is being renewed, a party of men having on Thursday started the work of taking out along the route new iron bark poles, which are to be erected in place of the old silver pine ones, which are now becoming very brittle. The Rimu Flat dredge is reported to be still gaining good gold returns, and new ground is now being prospected. The dredge has ahead of it some years of work. There was an attendance of about seventy at the Soldiers’ Hall weekly euchre competition conducted by the R.S.A. The following were the prizetakers:—Mrs Fitzgerald, Mr W. Parker, Miss Allen, Mrs Morgan. Mrs Lynch was runner-up. An important meeting of the Kokatahi and Koiterangi Farmers’ Union takes place at the Public Hall, Kokatahi, to-morrow at 7 p.m. At the local abattoir last week the stock examined comprised 24 cows, 24 heifers, 51 bullocks, 203 sheep, 69 lambs, 21 pigs, 36 calves, there being condemned 2 cows and 1 pig. The sum of £6B 5s 6d in fees was received, compared with £74 Is in June of last year. In his report to the Borough Council the Borough Foreman stated that last month the Livingstone Street drain was cleared and banked up where the flood waters overflow to Mr Caliari’s property in Stafford Street. Weld Street drain at Mr N. Wilson’s, between Sale and Rolleston Streets, was cleaned out, a portion of the North Belt drain leading on to the beach was cleaned out. The water tables on North Revell Street were also cleaned out. The footpath in front of the Bank of New Zealand residence was gravelled and also a portion in Bealey Street. A crossing was also put in at this place. A section of footpath in Fitzherbert Street between Park and Tudor Streets was gravelled, the path leading to Gibson’s Quay on the south side of Fitzherbert Street alongside the railway was cleared and gravelled and six fourinch earthenware pipes put in to take off the surface water. The side footpath. leading into Mr J. Burns’ property in Rolleston Street was gravelled. Park Street was raised nine inches for a distance of about four chains, the culvert removed from the corner of Park and Bealey Streets, and 36 feet ' of one-foot concrete pipes put in its place. Weld Street was cleared of growth between Tancred and kitzlier-. bort Streets ami gravelled, the grader being used with the County lorry to do the work. Seven six-inch pipes were put in Stafford Street footpath connecting the drain from the Gasworks. A down pipe was put in at the Pioneer Hotel corner, one at Mr Morris’s in Hall Street, and one at the corner of Stafford and. Brittan Streets. A new six-inch pipe was put in the water main near McKay’s Creek on the Lake Road. A water connection was put in at Mrs Appleton’s in Livingstone Street, while th ret* service connections were repaired. Eight 2ft. 3in. concrete pipes were made ■ his month. The water in the Reser- | \oir averaged seven feet for the month. I Mr T. E. Y. Scddon, M.P., has re- . ceived from the Minister of Public I Works an unfavourable reply to the re quest for protective work in connection with, the erosion of the Little Wan--1 ganui River, below Ross, which stream threatens to take a course through I Spring Creek, ami possibly the overflow from that may run through into the La Fontaine stream. In order to obI viate this difficulty, it will be necessary to erect a groyne near Burnside’s house. The Minister stated in reply: —”1 would point out that the whole of the properties concerned arc freehold, ami that there is in existence a properly constituted River Board, whose duty it should be to attend to these matters. It is stated that the River Board has no intention of doing any work, as they cannot afford to do so* and they ask that the Government should fiml the whole cost of the protectice work. I would like to state that this is quite opposed to the policy of the Government touching river erosion, and that as the settlers who are directly financially concerned apparently are not prepared to do anything towards the protection of their own property, I cannot recommend the Government providing any funds.” At the fortnightly meeting of the Druids’ Lodge, J.P.A., Bro. Ferguson presided in the absence through illness of A.D. Bro. R. Furness, the Bards reported a good number on the sick list. Sick pay to the amount of £l2 3s 4d and acounts to the amount of £2 6s 6d were passed for payment. A ballot was taken for three new members, who proved successful, and two new members were initiated. Complimentary tickets were received from the Hibernian Society for their ball to be held on Wednesday next, July 13th, and Bro. Bell distributed tickets for the Druids’ ball and reminded brothers to do their best to make the ball a bigger success than last year. The A.D. and V.A. were appointed to represent the Druids at the Hibernian installation of officers. At the usual meeting of the Borough Council there were present: —His Worship the Mayor (G. D. Perry, Esq.), Crs. E. Teichelmann, J. King, G. Heenan, G. Heinz, W. J. Jeffries, A. C. Armstrong, D. J. Evans, A. R. Elcock, and T. W. Duff. Cr. Evans moved that the resolution adopted on June Sth reducing the retaining fee to the Borough Solicitor from £2O to £lO per annum be rescinded. The motion was seconded by the Mayor and carried. The Treasurer reported as follows: — Receipts, £144 7s 6d; payments, £520 3s lid; credit balance, £383 15s Id; loan account credit, £ll7 17s 4d. The estimate of receipts and expenditure for the year as drawn up and approved by the Finance Committee were agreed to' on the motion of Dr Teichelmann and the Mayor. Accounts amounting to I •£521 2s 7d were passed for payment, j The Acting Town. Clerk reported on

procedure in connection with Explo-1 sives Act and necessary amendment to the bye-laws. It was resolved to approve of the proposed amendment as prepared by the Department, which would bring the amended bye-law into force by means of an Order-in-Council in the Gazette. A letter was received from Messrs A. and T. Burt, Christchurch, expressing desire to submit quotations for pipes if required. Cr. Heinz suggested that enquiries should be nu de from John Duthrie and Co. He •Also handed in a letter from Mr Co*Vs, engineer to Hamilton Borough Council, supplying particulars of pipes used there. After discussion it was resolved to make further enquiries. Newman’s Motors, Ltd., were granted permission to erect a petrol bowser in Weld Street. Correspondence was received as follows: —From John Burns land Co., Christchurch, quoting prices for metal water pipes; from Spiral and Lock-bar Steel Pipe Coy., Wanganui, supplying particulars of metal water mains; from W. Gaylor, thanking the Council for bonus; from F. W. Chesterman, thanking Council for increase in salary; from Grey County Council, forwarding cheque for motor license fees; from W. Weeblitz, drawing attention to condition of footpath at Upper Gibson Quay (referred to Public Works Committee); from J. W. Haile, drawing attention to state of approach near his residence, Sale Street (referred to Foreman for attention); from Valuer-General, Wellington, asking for copy of balance-sheet (referred to Town Clerk for attention); from Government Statistician, asking for returns (to be attended to) ; from J. IT. Wilson, asking for attention to footpath, Gibson Quay (referred to Foreman). The local observer for the Meteorological Department, Mr A. Chesney, in his statistics for the first six months of this year and last year, shows there has been in 1927 an increase in sunshine and a decrease in rain, the figures (with last year’s in parenthesis) being as follows: —January, sunshine 224 hours 54 minutes (204.14), rain 10.30 inches (12.40); February, 226.54 (161.46), 3.05 (10.12); March, 184.30 (190.44), 15.56 (12.90); April, 160.42 (90.58), 9.80 (10.04); May, 156.30 1119.24), 13.30 (15.04)); June, 137.26 (110.12), 4.32 (7.44)—totals for six months, sunshine 1090.34 (877.18), rain 57.02 (67.94).