HOKITIKA NOTES

Grey River Argus, 18 July 1940, Page 2

HOKITIKA NOTES

lOur Own Correspondent]

HOKITIKA, July 17.

Messrs Batt and Reid, who are promoting the movement to collect waste materials, will address a public meeting here on Friday at 7.30 p.m. The m.v. Hokitika is making two trips from Wellington to Patea and back with sheep. She leaves Wellington on Monday next for Greymouth and Hokitika. The Ross Patriotic Committee has contributed a further £94 Ils 9d to the Westland Provincial Fund bringing the total contribution to £176 19s lOd.

Hokitika Badminton Club defeated St. John’s Club (Greymouth) last evening by 7 sets (211 games) to 5 sets (194 games), regaining the Gunn Casket.

Considerable improvement has been made in the new road to Mahinapua, and this route, via Ruatapu, is nov/ popular with motorists travelling to Ross. In South Westland, bridge work is progressing. Three piers of the Turnbull bridge are completed, and five more remain to be done. Steel for the new bridges is now arriving, and construction can be hastened. On the Okuru bridge the superstructure is well advanced, but two spans await the long steel girders from Australia due on the ground this month. Bridges going up remove four or five dangerous crossings, and avoid delay during tidal action. The road likewise is making fair progress, and when opened, timber trade will develop from J’ackson Bay, which will then serve the Haast-Okuru district as well as the Cascade, and permit of stock and other supplies being sent away at regular intervals by shipping. At its annual meeting, Ross Fire Brigade elected officers as follows: Captain, J. K. McKey; lieutenant, A. Parker; foreman, R. Parker; hose officer, H. Phillips;’ secretary and treasurer, A. W. Peebles; auditor R. S. Richards. The balance sheet showed a credit of £6l. Reference was made to the death of Lieutenant W. E. Clarke, who had been a prominent member for 38 years. Three new members were appointed during the year, Thomas Vincent, H. A. Kenning and R. Donaldson, and thejarigade now consists of twenty members and one probationer.

At the Westland Hospital Board's monthly meeting, the treasurer reported 'receipts at £lOOB 17s 2d, payments £2045 18s sd, debit balance £2004 Is 2d. The medical superintendent reported: In hospital on May 30, 72 patients;- admitted, 74; total treated, 146; remaining June 30, 63.

The Matron (Miss M. E. Anderson) reported the highest number of occupied beds for June was 76, lowest 63, average 71.3; operations 48, Xrays 57, electrical and massage treatments 294.

The Borough Foreman reported to the Borough Council that the following work had been done during the past month: With Mr J. Johnstone and Mr Parry he spent seven days putting down a test pipe and making alterations at the Pumping Station. The rest of the month was devoted to work at the State Houses, extending from Weld Street towards Hoffman Street. They continued grading and gravelling to a point where the sections stop for the Housing Scheme, and removed and replaced the concrete pipes across the intersection of Davie* Street on the east side for the Jollie and Weld Streets and graded lowering of the watermain, and put in 30 feet of 9-inch concrete pipes extending at the intersection of Stafford Street. The section of Jollie Street leading off Gobsons Quay was repaired and gravelled. Sixty yards of line gravel was put on the crown of Jollie Street between Stafford and Weld Streets and one day was spent on Constitution Flat replacing a pipe in the watermain which was broken by

the Kanieri Dredge tractor. Mr Cropp (on maintenance) carried out the following works: —Spoil ironi grading and chipping was carted from various streets and footpaths and deposited on the section leading to the swimming baths and on depressions in Sale Street, alongside the pit road. The water table and footpath on Gibson Quay from Jollie Street to Livingstone Street was cleaned. The growtn on the Cemetery Hili cieared and the water table cleaned ,out. The dram near the Marqui s of Lome Hotel in Hampden Street and the blocked drain near Mr Howat's butchery were cleaned out, and also the crossing in front of No. 1 Fire Station. The fence around Macandrew Square was removed and carted to the rear of ths Town Hall. Screened grave! was ptu on the following footpaths: —Sale Street, between Weld St. and Gibson Quap; Weld Street, between Sale and Davie Streets; Brittan Street, between Park and Hampden Streets; Hoffman Street, south of Stacord Street, live chains.- Screenings and rough gravel were put on Brittan Street, Hall Street continuing north from Park Street, and Jollie Street, between Park and Hampden Streets. 16 feet of 9-inch concrete pipes were laid at the intersection of Hall and Park Streets and repaired Sale Street into the pit. Water services were renewed at Mr Bassett’s in Hail Street and Mrs Thompson’s in Gibson Quay. The average depth of water in the Reservoir for the month Was 6ft Bin. The Town Clerk submitted to th? Borough Council a report on unco!.lectable rates for the year 1935-36, totalling £422 gross which was 71 per cent, of the total rates leviect for that year including special and harbour rates and sanitary fees. The total I loss of collectable rates was actually 44 per cent. The Mayor said he considered this was a highly favourable result, and th e Town Clerk was to be complimented. He moved that the amount stated be written off as un collectable. This was seconded by Cr. Caliari and carried. A Committee ap pointed by the Council on tne 17th of June, 1940, consisting of His Worship the Mayor. Crs. Stopiorth, Fox, Elcock and Stewart, to consider an application of the Hokitika Public { Library Committee to increase thei subsidy to the Library to a total of I £285 per annum in order to obtain the benefits of th e Country Library Service, reported that after fully considering the matter in all its aspects, it recommended the Council not to undertake any increased f, financial obligations. The recommendation was adopted.

At the R.S.A, branch executivemeeting there were present: Dr. T. W. J. Childs (President), Messrs R. i Paterson (secretary), G. A. King, G. Wilson, W. M. Fraser, H. W. G. Park, H. Wells, J. N. Robinson, C. Hart, T. Stuart, W. Eastgat"- F. McGregor and J. S. Bain. . The President extended a welcome to new members. Mr H. Wells reported on the progress of the ex-Servicemen in the Westland Hospital, The Karangarua representative (Mr J. G. McMillan) forwarded the name of one new member. Headquarters forwarded particulars of the Canteen fund national allocation. The amount of the grant was £l5OO. Hokitika appeared on the list as having no unemployed and therefore did not receive a grant. It was decided to order headstones to erect over the graves of the late A. Dowell and A Wilmott, buried in the Hokitika cemci.>ry. Th e secretary and Mr F, McGregor were appointed to arrange weekly dances. It was decided to donate £2 2s towards the Patriotic Fund. A vote of thanks was accorded to Mr W. H. Littl e for the presentation of a framed photograph of the N.Z. Soldiers sons who visited I Sydney,in April, 1939. The secretary i was instructed to draw the attention ot the Borough Colncil' to the need l for some attention being given to 1 the cleaning of the Cenotaph.