HOKITIKA NOTES

Grey River Argus, 22 June 1944, Page 2

HOKITIKA NOTES

<Our Own Correspondent? HOKITIKA, June 21. The funeral of the late Mr. J. H. Schoefield took place at Hokitika Cemetery yesterday afternoon. The service at All Saints’ Church and at the graveside were conducted by the Rev. H. A. Childs. Many floral tributes were received from friends throughout the district. • Mr. R. Guthrie who - occupied the chair at a meeting of the Hokitika Revue Society last evening, announced that the nett proceeds of the recent revue amounted to £ll4 and the sum of £9O had been handed to the Hokitika Returned Services association. The nett proceeds from the Revue Ball were £24 and a sum of £4B is now in hand. It was decided -to spend the sum of £lo on music and to obtain a draw curtain, estimated to 1 cost £lB for the stage. The following members were added to the executive: Miss V. Heenan (Ballet Mistress), Mr. Roy Stevenson (Advertising Manager), and Mr. E. Heenan (Stage Manager). Mrs. W. Preston was added to the general committee. It was decided to donate the proceeds of the next Revue to the Hokitika Beautifying Society, lhe committee considered that it was hampered by lack of funds to carry out its programme of town improvement. 'Another revue is to take place in Hokitika towards the end of September. It was agreed to hold the practices on Tuesday evenings at 730 pm. any new soloists to meet Miss A. P. Duff at 7 p.m. Mr. Heaphy presided at a meeting of the Automobile Association at Hokitika last evening, there being an attendance of thirty members. Messrs J. Eadie, M. Wallace, and H. C. Algar attended the meeting to give an explanation in connection with the supply of petrol, from lhe angle of the Dairy Company and Eadie and Co. Mr. Wallace stated that the arrangement entered into was for the whole of the supply to come to Hokitika by sea, per the Gael. This arrangement had broken down, and as a -result the bulk of the supplies had to be brought to Hokitika by motor lorry. The short supply being brought to Hokitika b v the Gael was due to the Marine Department only permitting a certain tonnage of deck cargo to be carried, and if a tanker was permitted to supply Hokitika, the price would still not be -reduced to farmers. Their quota of the supply was 40,3 per cent, and this would still have to be brought to Hokitika in drums. The amount involved to his firm was £53 per month. Mr. Algar said the freight charged by Eadie Bros was the same as that charged by rail. The Association allowed the sum of £3 per week to the Dairy Company for carrying on their share of the work, 10s was retained by the company and the remainder handed to the employees for the extra work entailed. Mr. Wallace said only 30 per cent, of the petrol required for the district came by sea to Hokitika. No other ships were available during the war period. The chairman pointed out that the question that required answering was why Hokitika people had to pay an increase of lid per gallon more than Grevmoutlrprice. The old price onlv i disclosed a difference of three farthings per gallon, but to-day there was a difference of 2 pence per gallon The Association desired the ’ price to' be cut down to the old level of three-farthings difference as between the two towns. The following motion was carried: “As the arrangements entered into in 1943 for the delivery of petrol at Hokitika by the then Minister of Transport have broken down, only a small percentage being carried by sea, it is a resolution of this association that the old service of delivery by road tankers be reinstituted at the old price of Id a gallon on the present prices ruling at Greymouth from the A depot. A suggestion to ask the Price Tribunal for a reduction in price was not accepted. The District Traffic Manager, Railwavs Department, wrote statins that the Department considered that the cost of signalling apparatus at the Hokitika combined road and rail bridge should be borne by the local bodies controlling the road facilities. It was stated that there were only 10 trains a day over the bridge, further that the intensity of road traffic showed a falling-off.— The Association decided to take a toll ■ of all road traffic using the bridge lor one week and then to resume negotiations for the installing of the signalling apparatus. It was decided to congratulate Mr. J. S. Hawkes on the completion of 21 years as general secretary of the Automobile Assn., Canterbury. It was resolved that the Hokitika R.S'.A. be advised that Hokitika members of the Association will assist in the transport of returning servicemen in the Hokitika district.