WESTPORT NOTES

Grey River Argus, 27 May 1938, Page 3

WESTPORT NOTES

(Our Own Correspondent.] Tides for May: Friday, May 27, 08.09 a.m.; 08.36 p.m. Saturday, May 28. 08.57 a.m.; 09 25 p.m. Sunday, May 29, 09.46 a.m.; 10.14 Monday, May 30, 10.35 a.m.; 11.02 Tuesday, May 31, 11.25 a.m.; 11.50 p.m. Shipping: WESTPORT. May 26. The Wingatui arrived from Wellington at 8 o’clock this morning, and is discharging general cargo before loading coal for Wellington, for which port she is expected to be despatched to-morrow night. The Totara is due from New Plymouth at 3.30 p.m. to-dav and after discharging cargo, sails for . Greymouth at 6 o’clock this evening to load for Miramar. The Kartigi is due to arrive from Napier to-morrow to load coal for Napier, Auckland and Kioreroa. The Karepo, from Auckland, also loads cargo at Wellington to-morrow and Lyttelton on Saturday, and is due to arrive here on Monday. The Rata arrived from Wanganui at 10 o’clock this morning and is loading coal for New Plymouth and Wanganui, expecting to sail at 10 o’clock to-night. The Rata is to return from Wanganui next Tuesday to load coal for Nelson and New Plymouth.

The Waimea >s to sail from Wellington this afternoon with general cargo for Westport and Greymouth.

The Titoki is expected to arrive from Nelson next Tuesday *o toad coal for Tarakohe and Picton. The a.s. Hokitika is scheduled to sail from Wellington to-morrow with general cargo for Westport and Coast ports. The Te Aroha is expected to arrive from Wellington to-day with cargo for Westport and Little Wanganui. Personal:

Hon. W. H. Mclntyre, left yesterday on a visit to Wellington.

Mr. Ramsey Reid, of Greymouth, is paying a business visit to Westport. Mr. Gibbard, of Dannevirke, is visiting his mother, Mrs. Gibbard, Romilly Street.

Messrs A. C. Cotterell, H. Lovell. A. A. Wilson and M. B. Scully, visited Karamea for the sitting of the Farm Adjustment Commission. Mr. and Mrs. P. Knight, of Wellington, who have been visiting Westport, left to-day on return. Mrs. Flannagan, of Millerton, leaves to-day for Melbourne on a visit to her daughter.

Miss Amy Evans, a student of Nelson Girls’ College, who has been spending holidays with her parents al Stockton, has returned to resume her studies.

Mr. A. A. Wilson, has returned from a visit to Wellington. Mr. J. Sutton, Fields Inspector, and Mr. H. Hulm, Chief Clerk at Nelson Lands Office, who visited Karamea for the sitting of the Farm Adjustment Commission, return to Nelson to-day The death occurred at 1 o’clock this morning at the residence of her daughter, Mrs. Tredennick, Palmerston Street, Westport, of one of the old pioneers of the Buller in the person of Mrs. Ellen Guerin. The late Mrs. Guerin, who was 8G years of age, was born in County Tipperary, Ireland, and came to New Zealand 56 years ago, settling in Cha-leslon, and for the past 32 years had re sided in Westport. Her passing will be widely regretted by a large circle of friends in the Buller district. She leaves a family of two daughters. Mrs. D. Reedy and Mrs. L. Tredennick, and two sons, John (Greymouth« and Patrick (Wanganui). One son, Edward, made the supreme sacrifice in the Great War and her husoand predeceased her 19 years ago.

Acclimatisation Society Criticised: That the sawmilling industry was being persecuted by the Acclimatisation Society was a statement made by Cr. Powell, at the County meet-i ing yesterday. The sawmillers were accused of polluting the streams, and were being fined heavily for allowing sawdust to get into the streams. It was a crying shame that the industry should be hunted out of existence for the sake of a few trout. The sawmillers had put thousands of pounds into their work. There should be a lifting of the fines. Sawmillers were stopping work. The protest applied down the Coast as well as in the Buller. He asked the Council to make some sort of proposition for the noncontinuation of charges. The sawmilling industry was of much greater importance than trout fishing. It was very wrong that the men should be fined for allowing sawdust in the rivers. He appealed to the Council to uphold his motion, and that representations should be made to the right place for the stoppage of such charges. Cr. Simpson, on seconding the motion, said that he had seen wonderful defence put up by sawmillers whe.i faced with the charges, but they had been of no avail. It was a difficult matter to get rid of the sawdust, and if the miller was put to further expense, it naturally reacted on the buying public. The Acclimatisation Society was too petty altogether. The sawdust did not do the amount of harm it was alleged to do. The trout would take precedence over the milling industry and works would have to close down (as is the case in several instances).

The motion, that the Minister of Internal Affairs be written to, asking for reconsideration of the law affecting pollution of rivers by sawdust, was carried unanimously.

Borough Revaluation: Stating that the capital value of the Borough of Westport was absurdly low (a little over half a million pounds), and that a revaluation of the Borough should be made in the name of justice to the County, especially in regard to the Hospital Board grants, the Hon. Mclntyre moved a motion* at the County Council meeting yesterday that, the Council should make application to the Valuation Board for a revaluation. The only way, he stated, for the County to get relief from the Hospital levies i was for a revaluation of the Borough. Cr. Ward said that if a revaluation was going to be of any use, application should be made at once.

The Chairman: If the County Council met the Borough Council before representation was made to the Valuation Board. It was hardly fair to go over the Borough Council’s head.

Hon. Mclntyre: They would not want a revaluation. At the present time the state of affairs .was not right. The County ratepayers have to pay through their noses. Cr. Ward: It is our duty to do the best for the County ratepayers.

Mr. Schadick: If one local body is not satisfied with the valuation of the other, it is quite entitled to ask for a revaluation.

Hon. Mclntyre: We are aggrieved. We should ask for a revaluation of the Borough. It would even be of benefit to the Borough. It would even be of benefit to them. The motion was carried, and the Borough Council is to be informed of the resolution.

County Engineer’s Salary Increased: Stating that the Engineer-Clerk of the County Council (Mr. C. F. Schadick) was underpaid,' the Chairman, Mr. D. Archer (at the meeting yesterday), moved a resolution that his salary be increased. He statea that unless the increase was made the Council would lose his services. _ It would be a tribute by the Council to Mr. Schadick, if the increase was made without application. The motion was seconded by Cr, Roberts, who stated that he was firmly in favour of the increase. Besides work rendered to the Council, Mr. Schadick did an immense work for the community. His report on the iron and steel works could not have been framed by anyone else in Westport. It clearly showed the advantages that Westport had In relation to the proposed scheme. Cr. Roberts stated that the increase in salary be to £6OO per annum. Cr. Simpson said that since Mr. Schadick had taken over the dual position, his work had been considerably increased. He was also definitely of the opinion that a rise in salary should be granted. He was underpaid for a man of his calibre. His services were sought elsewhere, and unless the Council showed some sort of appreciation they would lose him. With all the work that is forthcoming, the Council required a man who 1 was capable of doing the work. Cr. Powell, as an ex-Chairman of the Council, stated that Mr. Schadick had done an immense amount for the Council, and had worked overtime on more than one occasion. He was an outstanding officer, nnd he (Mr. Powell) quite approved of the rise. Cr. Kerr was favourably impressed with the motion. There was no question that could not be answered by the Engineer, on all subjects. Cr. Ward stated that, in his opinion, Mr. Schadick was an asset to the County Council. There would be, great difficulty in getting such another man to fill his position should he resign. A man should be paid according to the services he renders. The Chairman (Cr. Archer), said that the Engineer had done much in the collecting of back debts —arrears in rates and sanitation (he quoted figures) without harrassing the people concerned.

Cr. Simpson • The Government seems to have explicit faith in Mr, Schadick. A successor to Mr. Schadick may not have the knack of extracting the wherewithal from the powers that be. The Chairman: We will no doubt be the subjects of a good deal of criticism, but what’s that? The motion, that the salary of the Engineer-Clerk be raised to £6OO per annum, was unanimously passed, and Mr. Schadick was later informed of the fact by the Chairman.

In thanking the Council for the step it had taken, Mr. Schadick stated that he had been with the County for 20 years. The salary he had received then had, strangely enough, been more than he had been receiving of late, and the increase was very welcome. He assured the Councillors that it was not his good work that pulled things through—it was the good work of the staff under him. Soccer Match: A match that is creating great interest among Soccer fans will be play, ed at Ngakawau on Sunday between teams representative of Scotland and New Zealand. The teams are:—

Blair’s Team (Scotland): —Goal, O. Henderson; full-backs, O. Stevenson, S. McArthur; halves, Robertson, Blair, O. Harley; forwards, D. Theobald, G. Gennon, S. Renwick, R. McKay, S. McDonald, J. Hill, W. R. Armstrong. New Zealand: —Goal, G. Gear; fullbacks, J. Stack, Snr., J. Walls, Snr.; halves. A. Able, F. Barns; forwards, R. Black, J. Merritt, G. Campbell, i. McDonald, W. Munson, Ewing, D. Thompson, L. McKendry.

County Council Meeting: ±ne first annual meeting of the County Council since me elections, was neid yesterday, witn Cr. u Aicner in tne cnair, and the lollowing were present: Councillors J. rowed, W. R. bin.pson, D. Kerr, J. Ward, W. Jordan and Roberts, ana the county Engineer, IVir. C. F. schadick. Cr. w. H. Mclntyre moved that Cr. Archer be re-appointed chairman of the County Council for the loliowing year. cr. Archer, he stated, was oniy getting nis feet in his position, and it a change was made tne same services might not be forthcoming. Cr. Archer had been responswie, to a large extent, to the successful carrying of the county loans.

Cr. Simpson, in seconding the motion, stated that, it would be an unwise policy to change the chairman. He had carried out nis work to perfection.

The motion was unanimously carried, Crs. Jordan, Roberts.. Ward and Powell endorsing the remarks of the mover and seconder.

The County Engineer, Mr. C. F. Schadick, on behalf of the staff, congratulated the chairman. The Chairman thanked the Engineer and councillors for their remarks. The following year would be a very responsible one. In carry' ing out schemes as laid down by Mr. Schadick, unforseen costs might creep in. It was possible that benefit from the works would not be seen for two or three years. Cr. Dellavedova was granted leave of absence.

Crs. Roberts and Ward were appointed from the Finance Committee to sign necessary documents for payment 'on the Ist. and 16th. of each month.

The estimates were passed, for Cr. Powell to present to the Highways Board. Cr. Simpson stated that crushed metal was a wonderful asset ana the present crusher was inadequate and it would be wise to bear in mind the possibility of purchasing a larger machine.

A committee was appointed, on the motion of Cr. Powell, for the

Mealing with cases of rate defaulters. On his motion, every councillor should be a member of the committee, and three members should constitute a quorum. The motion was seconded by Cr Simpson who also moved a motion that regarding rate defaulters, who have a Crown mortgage on their property, the Minister should be approached with a view to having something done in order to claim rates owing. At present such ratepayers could almost sit back and laugh at the council. Because a person had a Government, moitgage, he should in no way be exempt from the compulsory payment of rates.— j This motion was carried.

Correspondence was received as ( follows: — | From Karamea Branch N.Z.F.U., re electricity for Karamea district.— ' It was decided that the Engineer forward an estimate. From same, re Saturday half holiday.—lt was carried that the Council inform the Union that it cannot take any action in the matter. From N. V. Johnson, re bad state of road and cows crossing same.— The Engineer is to report. From Harris and Duncan, Ltd., re road on to South Terrace, Karamea._it was decided that five or six men be put on the work, and the Engineer interview the district employment officier with a view to naving ne men transferred to Karamea. From L. Morganty, agreeing to the transfer of interest in roan reserve.—Granted.

From Les. Ward, asking for position of surfaceman at Denniston.— Referred to Cr, Ward and Engineer with power to act. From C. Dellavedova, asking that application be made for a grant lor widening road.—Application is to be made for a grant. From Assistant Engineer, P.W.D., re Karamea flood control works. — Council cannot accede to requests.

The Engineer and Hon. W. H. McIntyre were appointed to the District Highways Council. From District Highways' Council, re appointment of a council member.'—Cr. Powell was appointed. From Under-Secretary. Mines Department, extension of subsidiary road to Wareatea extended mines.— The offer was accepted. From Commissioner of Crown Lands, re forming of Carter’s Domain Board.—The chairman and Hon. Mclntyre were appointed the council’s representatives, and the matter of a Government nominee was left to the Chairman and Engineer to arrange. From Local Government Loans Board, re county offices loan 1938, £3,800, and road improvements loan, 1938, £14,000. —Cr. Powell moved and Cr. Ward seconded that a rate of l-sth. penny be struck and collected. —Carried.

Hon. P. C. Webb, copy of letter forwarded to Hon. Mclntyre re Mears Creek bridge.—Received. From same, c6py of letter to the Buller Progress League, re Esplanade at Westport.—lt was resolved that Hon. W. H. Mclntyre look into the matter.

From N.Z. Counties' Association, memorandum re social security.—lt was moved by Cr. Jordan and seconded by Cr. Simpson, that application be made to the Valuer General for a revalution of the borough of Westnort, and the Borough Council be informed accordingly.