TOWN IMPROVEMENTS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 4 April 1925, Page 4

TOWN IMPROVEMENTS.

CHAAIBER- OF COMERAICE ACTIVE.

MEETING OF COUNCIL

In furtherance of their policy to advance the interests of Hawera in every way possible, the council of the Chamber ol Commerce met last night and dealt with several important matter* affecting the progress of the town. . • There were present at the meeting Messrs E. Dixon (chair), Douglas, Murdoch, Bennett, Fletcher, Sellar, Burdekin .and Horner. Apologies for absence were received from Afessrs Taylor, McCarthy and Gillanders. WELCOME HOME.

Before the business of the meeting was commenced, the chairman extended to Mr B. C. Bennett a hearty welcome back to the council table of the chamber. Mr Bennett, he said, had been one of the most regular attendees in the past, and he hoped that his trip abroad would benefit both Mr Bennett and the Chamebr of Commerce. THE TOLL-GATES.

The chairman said that as a chamber of commerce they wished to express their appreciation of the abolition of the toll gates. Although the gates had not been an unmixed blessing as far as the Hawera County roads were concerned, he thought they had not been a good thing from the viewpoint of commercial activity in the town. He had often thought that it would have been a good thing it Hawera people could have subsidised the County Council so that- people from the Plains coming into this town, would not be penalised. /

Mr Murdoch: T take ,it that you expect business in Hawera to grow now that the toll-gates have gone? The chairman: I hope so WEEK-END TICKETS.

In reply to the chamber’s request that the issue of week-end excursion tickets to or from any station be considered by the Department, the district railway traffic manager, Wanganui, wrote stating that the matter had been referred to the Board of Management at Wellington. The chairman said he understood that the Department were making, experiments in issuing week-end tickets, and if such proved successful the scheme would be extended. ACCESS TO HAWERA.

In' reply to the chamber’s request that the time-table for the To BotiOpunake line should he so arranged that passengers, especially secondary school children, could be brought into Hnw'era early in the day before the arrival of the mail train, the Minister for Railways advised that the suggestion would have careful consideration. DUSTY RAILWAY STATION.

Mr Sell nr said he had noticed that every time during the dry weather that the mail" train came into the Hawera station the platform was simply smothered in dust. He thought it would be a good thing il the line could lie watered just prior to the arrival of the exoress. ft was decided to make the suggestion to the stationmaster.

Mr Murdoch said 'that in the Old* Country the track wrs oiled, and, consequently no dirt was raised. , FREIGHT ON BENZINE.

The chairman reported that when Mr McNeill was in Hawera the other day he had stated that the freight on benzine had been leduoed from 82s 6d per ton to 26s per ton. Members stated that the new rate was already in operation.