RUNANGA NOTES

Grey River Argus, 5 December 1940, Page 11

RUNANGA NOTES

[Our Own Correspondent! The Mayor, Mr R. McTaggart, presided at the monthly meeting of the Borough Council on Tuesday, there being also present Councillors F. Oakley, E. Kennedy, J. McTigue, S. Morris and Y. Rutherford. Mr PJamieson wrote regarding a vacant section adjoining his property in Ross Street, which was so overgrown with gorse and blackberries as to endanger his property. It was decided to advise Mr Coates, the owner, and the Inspector of Noxious Weeds, to . have the growth removed. An apl plication was received from Mr L. Sadler for permission to concrete the i footpath at the front of his shop, and [ for th e use of the concrete mixer. The application was granted on the usual' conditions, and under the supervision of the foreman. . A letter i wa s received from Mr W. Duggan stating that the water supply to Mr S. Manderson’s property had been . connected with the supply to his house, instead of being taken direct from the main supply. This had re- • suited in a loud, noise whenever the water was turned on at Mr Manderson’s house. The Mayor stated the Council wished to conserve money, and if two lines were in the same 1 direction they should, if possible, be connected. He suggested that those connected be asked to procure high pressure , taps, and to he careful not to tur*i; the water off too quickly. Mr Duggan also referred to the fact that the Council had made a road into the property of Mr Manderson, whereas over a period of years only two loads of gravel had been carted to the road leading to his property. The Mayor stated Mr Duggan had built the road for his own convenience and had asked the Council to supply two loads of gravel towards the work. The Council had removed two stumne and supplied the gravel, thus doing more than had been asked. It was agreed to finish the road to Mr Duggan’s property, as had been done to Mr Manderson. An application from the Picture Committee of the Miners’ Union for permission to screen pictures on December 25 was granted. An application from the Anglican Church Committee for water to be. supplied to the church propertv waq granted. Mr A. Stewart applied to have the drain in from of his property deepened. The foreman reported this had been attended to. A letter was received from ( Messrs Keir and Thompson in regard to the water supply, suggesting December 23rd or 24th for their visit. The Mayor stated he had received a report from Mr Fairmaid, and that a sample of cement had been sent to Wellington to he tested, but the report had not yet come to hand. He suggested that Mr Fairmaid’s report be held /z over until the other report was received, when a special meeting could be arranged, at which Messrs Keir and Thompson could be represented. Messrs Andrews and Beaver wrote offering the Council another dumn wagon. After some > discussion on'the effectiveness of the gravel crusher and the site of same, it was decided to reply that the present dump wagon had not been fully tried out, and the Council were not yet in a position to procure another one, but that the matter would be reconsidered after the trial of the present wagon. In reply to a letter regarding the making of a by-law with reference to wandering cattle, the Commissioner advised that owners of cattle wandering unattended were liable to prosecution. Advice was received from the Hon. P. C. Webb, Minister of Mines, that the Superintendent of the State Mi v nes could allow the Council to hire, for a short period only, a motor for driving the stone crusher. The Town Clerk was instructed to write for particulars re extra rate of hire, and if satisfactory to procure the use of th e motor. It was decided that a letter be sent to Hop. P. C. Webb, regarding the swimming in connection with which a deputation had met the Minister on, his last visit. ■)

Building permits totalling £25 were passed. The foreman reported that 118 loads of gravel and six of ashes had been carted during sixteen days. T,he gradter had been working in Seddon and McGowan Streets, on the Dunol'lie Road and McDougal' Avenue. Drains had been deepened in, Carroll St., and cleaned out in Hall, Jones, Duncan, Walker and Herd Streets and in Dunollie. The water had been laid on to the property of Mr W. Glynn on the Seven Mile Road. Leaks in the main at Elerd and Inverness Streets had been repaired, and at the Raleigh Creek bridge a Soncrete culvert was being installed. The sides required protective -work, and the boxing wa s almost completed. The bridge was to be 24 ft by 7ft 3in by Bft approximately, and should be open before Christmas. Th e tractor and mower had been working on the domain cutting grass and stumping and grubbing had been carried out. The number of men working on the domain had been increased to 7, and four were at present working in the Borough. It was left to the foreman to repair the culvert at Pitt Street, and to erect a fence in the Borough Pound. The Mayor reported on a complaint re maternity.,, appliances having to be supplied at the Grey Hospital by patients. He stated he had referred the matter to Mr McKeefry, who had written to the DirectorGeneral of Health for a ruling. The reply was to the effect that patients were expected to supply the articles mentioned on the list with the exception of cotton wool, and dettol, which should be supplied by the Hospital. All the other articles were supplied by patients generally throughout New Zealand. It was pointed out that before Social Security was instituted the patient had supplied all the aifiidles nectessary. Councylor Morris stated he did not think maternity patients should be subject to possible exploitation, the Elospital Board should be asked to purchase in bulk, and issue to patient s according to requirements, articles immediately required such as gauze, olive oil, etc., which could then be charged to the patients if the Board could not supply them free of charge. It was suggested the Board might at times find difficulty in receiving payment, but it was pointed out, that th e material had to be supplied in any case, even if the patient failed to provide it. Cr. Oakley thought the people of the district would appreciate the Mayor’s efforts, and be pleased with the headway made, but he agreed with Or. Morris that the Mayor should go further in the matter of olive oil. gauze, etc and ask the Hospital Board to buy’ these in bulk. The Mayor agreed to put the matter before the Hospi-'-tal Board. The Mayor reported that since the

Committee had been.set up by the Council with representatives of industrial organisations for the relief of those concerned in th e recent mine disaster at the Ten Mile, it had come to his notice that outside persons without authority were collecting for this purpose. He said th e Committee was working authoritatively in the best interests of the persons concerned to give them relief and that the other people collecting, even with the best of motives, were oniy undermining the efforts of the Committee, and that all efforts made should be made through the Committee, which was the proper body to deal with them.

Accounts amounting to £4l 7s 10d were passed for payment. It was decided to let the January meeting lapse as usual, and that the next ordinary meeting of the Council be held on the first Tuesday in February, the holidays to be the same as usual. Fifteen iambs, are now readv to be disposed of locally at £1 per head.

The Mayor closed the meeting by extending to' th e Council, staff and members of the Press, the Season’s greetings, wishing them a happy Christmas and fine weather for the holidays. Cr Oakley replied. A large number of friends met together in the Presbyterian Hall -on Tuesday evening, in view of the approaching marriages of four of the members of the congregation. The evening took the form of a “gift evening” to Mr R. E. Williams and Miss J. Tyson, who received many beautiful and useful presents. On behalf of the people present, Rev. F. H. Robertson wished the young couple every happiness in their married life, and called upon them to open the parcels. Mr Williams replied. Mr Robertson also made presentations to Mr H. Southward, and to Mr A. Airns, who are both to be married ’in the near future. Mr Southward was the recipient of a pyrex dish in a silver server, and Mr Airns received a beautiful mantle clock. Both gifts were suitably acknowledged!