MANAIA.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XXXXI, Issue XXXXI, 15 June 1920, Page 4

MANAIA.

(From Pur Own Correspondent.)

TOWN BOARD.

A special meeting of the Manaia Town Board was held on Friday a ght in connection with the housing loan proposal. Present: Messrs A. H. Christie, J. Christie,. N. Q, Innis, J. G. Craig and L. G. Nielson. In'the absence of the chairman, Mr A. H. Christie presided. The following enquiry seiat. to the Minister oi Labor was read from the Prime Minister: "Town Boards have power to let workers' dwellings, see sec 33 of Town Boards Act, 1908. and sec 325 Manicipal Corporation 'Aot, 1908; secoadly, they have no power to sell,.''The chariman said it would be tg> membered that the chairmani asad town clerk had been appointed to teie--graph to the Minister of Labor asloing if town boards had power to sell houses erected, and the reply as read was received. The members o*& the board had been unanimous iri the opinion that homes should be built to sell on terms, but not for letting pur>poses. Power to do this had been granted to bo-sough arid county councls, and he thought probably that town boards had been left out through; an oversight: Other town boards had had applications for loans approved, but, nnforfcunately on. this occasion. Manaia had been first in the field. Mr Nielson said they could probably hold the matter in abeyance andendeavor to have the Act amended to bring town districts into line with boroughs, Mr Craig said it was probable the Act would be' amended this session. Mr Danis said'it would be better to hold the matter over, as apparently there was a flaw in the Act. • The chairman said that in the meantime the applications for workers' dwellings through the Department should not be, pressed, and the Labor Departmfent should be urged to build for applicants under the Workers' BweUi'ngs Act. Mr Innes moved, and it was second* ed by Mr J. Christie, that the taking of the loan proposal poll be abandoned in the meantime. The resolution was carried unanimously. 'The chairman moved that the Minister of Labor and Messrs O. Hawken and W.D. Powdrell, M.P.'s, be written to pointing out that town boards had evidently been omitted from the provisions of the Act, and asking them to urge upon Parliament the necessity for amendmg_tl^ Act during the coming session. The chairman said the vances Department should be notified that the loan of £10,000 would not be reqairred at the present time. The meeting then adjourned. HD3ERNIAN SOCIETY, * '." At a special meeting of the Manaia Hibernian Society last Thursday night it was decided to hold the annual social and dance on Wednesday, July 21, and to spare no expejise to make the function a great success. An advertisement will appear in the Hawera Star later on. '