HASTINGS CEMETERY

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXII, Issue 258, 14 October 1932, Page 13

HASTINGS CEMETERY

QUESTION OF MAINTENANCE COUNTY CONTRIBUTION CONSIDERED INADEQUATE. STRONG PROTEST MADE BY BOROUGH. “I think you will agree with me that the position is untenable, and that the time has arrived when the County Council should be requested to make provision itself for interments from the county unless it is prepared to meet an evident responsibility in the matter oi the maintenance of our cemetery for the use made by the county of it,” stated the Mayor (Mr G. E. Roach) at the meeting of the Hastings Borough Council fast evening when commenting on the offer of the Hawke’s Bay County Council to pay £l5 a year towards the maintenance costs of the Hastings cemetery. Mr Roach went on to say that tor many years the Hastings Borough Council provided a cemetery and maintained it at its own cost notwithstanding the fact that interments took place there of persons whose domicile had been in the county. Some few years ago, however, the County Council was approached and requested to make a contribution towards the upkeep of the cemetery and the request was acceded to and payment was made from time

tq time. On February 25, 1930, the Borough Council wrote to the County Council pointing out that the total interments over a period of the previous five years was 525, 388 of which were from the borough and 137, or approximately onethird of the total, from the county. “In order to extend the cemetery, which was becoming filled, it became necessary to acquire an additional area of land which cost £1,899, and of this sum the County Council contributed only £150,” explained the Mayor. “It seems to me,” he added, “that it is very unfair indeed that the borough should be required to pay practically the whole of the cost of acquiring an area of ground to be used for cemetery purposes, and then to be required to maintain it, when contiguous local districts who are entitled to make use of the cemetery do so to the extent of approximately one-third of the total interments over a period of five years. “I move that the County Council be written to along these lines,” he coneluded. Cr. F. E. Smith suggested that the master be referred to the Assessment Court. The Mayor: We can’t do that. The Minister of Internal Affairs could step in, though. Cr. Smith: Well, he might be pre. vailed upon to do so. Cr. R. Henderson seconded the motion, which was carried.