KAPONGA TOWN BOARD

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 20 February 1935, Page 6

KAPONGA TOWN BOARD

REBATE ON FARM RATES. DISALLOWED BY ACT. (From Our Own Correspondent). CoiTespondence from the Treasury regarding the 12* per cent, rebate on rates on farm lands was discussed at last night’s (Tuesday) monthly meeting of the Kaponga Town Board. The chairman, Commissioner A. R. Bates, presided and there were also present Crs. E. L. Abbott, W. G. Cran, R. A. Law, W. Marr and J. H. Tyack. An apology was received firom Cr. J .P. Gibson, who is absent from the district.

Several communications between the board and the Treasury regarding the applications for the 12£- per cent, rebate on rates were discussed. The Treasury’s latest communication stated that the legislation applied only in respect of the following local authorities: (a) County councils, for rates levied for their own purposes,- (b) certain road boards for rates levied for their own purposes; and (c) urban districts in which a farm lands roll completed in accordance with the Urban Farm Land Rating Act, 1932, is in force. . The Treasury further advised that in view of the fact that the Kaponga Town Board does not come within either of the first two classes and as there is no provision in the Urban, Farm Lands Rating Act for a farm land roll being prepared by the board, it was regretted that the application submitted could not be accepted. The board decided to hold the matter oyer until a further reply had been received from the board’s solicitor, who had the matter under review. The secretary of the South Taranaki Automobile Association wrote asking that the board’s traffic inspector be asked to caution drivers of stock lorries where rear vision extension mirrors were not fitted to their lorries. It was decided to give what assistance lay in the board’s power. A lengthy circular was received from the Dlunici'pa,! Association of'j 'New Zealand in connection with the annual conference to be held at- Christchurch next month. Copies of remits were also forwarded. The Ivaponga Cricket Club wrote asking the board to have the light roller at Victoria Park filled with concrete, the roller at present being too light for rolling the wicket. The matter was left over meanwhile. A request was received from the secretary of the Kaponga \ohmteer Fire Brigade asking for the free iise of the town hall for picture entertainment m aid of funds for the Blenheim demonstration team. The request was 'An offer to purchase milling timber on the domain was refused, the board deciding not to cut the trees at preSG March 28 was fixed as the last day upon which rates may be paid with the imposition of the ten per cen . penalty. Some £3OO m rates are still outstanding. . Tt was decided to issue a warning to a resident who had been removing spoil from the roadside without the board’s authority, that spoil mart not be removed without approval first bein<r obtained from the hoard. Accounts totalling. £469 were passed for payment. Of this figure planes iand wages accounted for} £2l2v of which sum 30 has been refunded by the Unemployment Board for wages paid to relief workers under the board’s control. The electricity department absorbed £ll3, interest and sinking funds £7B, highways £7 and public works £23. _ * w The electrical engineer <Mr A. W. Anderson) reported as follows: Power plant and hulk supply.—Both plants performed satisfactorily during the period and a small leak that developed in No. 2 pipe-line was rectified. The stream flow was more satisfactory than during the preceding month but was still so low as to render a moderately Purchase of bulk power necessary A total of 48,190 jnits was generated in No. - powerhouse, as compared with 39,640 units last year and a bulk power purchase of 17,350 units, plus 87 kilowatts vas made at a cost of £67 5s od, as compared with £79 last year. Reticulation. —There are several major interruptions to report for the period. During a severe electrical storm on the morning of the 2nd the automatic switch on the switching tower controlling the hulk power supply, was struck by lightning and it was found necessary to shut down completely to effect repairs. On completion of the repairs it was found that bulk power was not available and power for milking was rationed out between the various circuits until 8.30 a.ill. when the load was sufficiently decreased to permit the plant to carry the load offering on the whole area. The bulk power supply was restored at 8 45 a.m. The automatic switch controlling the western area was found to have operated and disconnected this circuit at 5 a.m. on the morning of the 27tli, but no fault was discovered and the switch was reclosed without trouble. A tree fell across the hightension lines caused an interruption on this circuit during the afternoon of the ‘>6th and a structural fault developing on the switching tower during the milking period on the 31st rendered it necessary to disconnect the same circuit for 25 minutes for repairs. Reconstruction was carried out on several consumer’s service lines and one milling plant was re-connected. Dawson Falls. —Assistance was giien in repairing a breakdown in the generator armature at Dawson Falls hostel Having regard to the nature of the fault a quick repair was made,

and the period of real inconvenience from lack of light and heat in the hostel was restricted to about three hours. The foreman (Mr- A. Melville) reported that during the month work had been undertaken on sewerage jobs which wfero now practically finished. Necessary attention liad been, given to water tables. Cleaning-up work in the cemetery was now being undertaken. , » A summary of the finances of the board for the first- ten months of the year showed that the expenditure exceeded receipts by £553. The electrical change-over was mainly responsible for the excess expenditure. The total receipts for the ten. months amounted to £5601 and expenditure £6154, the figures for 1934 being £6157 and £5951 respectively. The figures for the three main accounts were as follows, last year’s figures being shown in parenthesis: General account receipts £l7lß (£2263), expenditure £3247 (£4128), electricity department receipts £3736 (£3165), expenditure £2781 (£1765). Town hall account: Receipts £146 (£128) expenditure £125 £(58). Balances of £482 in the general account and £605 in. the housing loan account were shown.