PATEA.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 9 December 1925, Page 7

PATEA.

(From .Our Own Correspondent.)

BOROUGH COUNCIL

The monthly meeting of the Paten Borough Council was- held on Monday evening last, the Mayor (Mr P. S. Finlayson) presiding. Three months’ leave of absence were granted to Cr Jones. Mr IP M. Willis was granted permission to cut and remove grass from certain streets in the borough. Some residents of Stafford street wrote drawing the attention of the council to the state of the road adjacent to their properties, and offering to supply, free of _ all charges, horse and dray to cart clay with which to cover the' sandy parts of this road, and so prevent any further drifts. Cr Thomson moved that the offer of the residents be accepted. In seconding the motion. Cr Bamsbottom said the offer was a very fine one, and the council should certainly take advantage of it. The resolution was carried. Mr Stewart, contractor for new artesian bore now being put down in connection with the town’s water supply. attended the meeting, and reported fully on the position, stating that the bore was now down 430 feet and the flow of water was 30 gallons per minute. He was inclined to think that the main water bed was further down, and would like to know the wish of the council ns to whether operations should now cease or continue to a depth of about 600 feet. Cr Thomson said he would favour the extra depth if there were any certainty of getting an increased supply. Mr Stewart : “There is a risk, hut the prospects are favourable.” Tf no water-hearing strata were reached at 600 feet, he would not recommend going any further down. Cr Christensen said he thought the contractor should bore to 600 feet, and this was decided on.

Permission was granted the manager of the "World’s Pictures to screen the picture “The Creation, or After Six Da vs.” on Christmas night.

It was resolved to re-enter on a section in Egmont street south. Authority was given the manager of the pictures to purchase two fire spool boxes for attachment to the Town Hall picture machine at a cost of £5 each. The town clerk was granted three weeks’ holiday during the month of January.

DEPUTATION

A deputation, from the Pate a Domain Board waited on the Council with a view to seeing if some arrangement could be come to to enable a man to be kept on, permanently. Mr. C. Fairweather, chairman of tile board, stated that the finances of the board were not elastic enough to permit of a good man being kept on permanently, which was necessary if the domain was to be kept in order. Mr. Fairweather explained the great difficulty experienced by the board in .securing .the services of a man who could do the work in a satisfactory manner, when employing as it now lvad to. AjS soOii as the meat works started operations off went the men from other jobs. The hoard Could not pay more than £SO per annum towards the salary of a permanent man. but by linking up the cemetery work -and finding employment on the borough .staff, sufficient could be found to make it worth while for a good mail to take over the job.

Mr Hemingway thought that the best way out, of the trouble was for the board to resign, and the council to take over the duties.

After further discussion the matter was held over until the meeting of tl;e council to be held on the ‘2l st ilist.

The engineer reported that the hydro pliant had run very satisfactorily throughout the month, generating 15,327 electrical units; the water level in the dam has been exceptionally high for this time of the year. The high tension lines had been, inspected. The installation of the new Nurses’ Home had been completed, which required 50 lighting and 4 heating-points. On two occasions the water had to be .shut off from the tower to enable a leak in the 9in. main in lower Bedford Street to be repaired, and also to allow of the fitting of a new hydrant valve ball at the comer of Egmont and Bedford Streets. For the period 1.294,000 gallons of water were pumped, with a consumption of 3306 electrical units.