MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXXI, Issue 4953, 9 February 1937, Page 5

MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS

BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETING. The monthly meeting of the Te Kuiti Borough Council was held last evening, the Mayor, Mr. T. Carroll, presiding over Crs. H. C. Douglas, G. B. Johnson, W. Rundle, F. Sparks, E. M. Mackersey, and K. W. Low. The Institute of Town Clerks wrote that their annual conference would be held at Timaru preceding the Municipal Conference. The Town Clerk had been appointed to represent the Council at the latter conference, and it was decided that he should also attend the Clerks’ Conference. Housing Survey. The Minister of Housing wrote that the application for the exemption of the Borough Council from the housing survey could not be granted. It was gratifying to note the Council’s views on the satisfactory state of ' the houses in Te Kuiti. However, he would agree to only those houses being included which it was possible fell below the standard of fitness as set out in the regulations—if there was any doubt, the houses should be included in the survey.

Mr. Mackersey commented that this would be an easier task than the survey of the whole of the Borough, as the Government had at first intended. The Town Clerk said that it had been suggested that a defined area be surveyed, but, though this might be applicable to a slum area in a city, there was no such defined area in Te Kuiti. Measurement of rooms of houses, the number of inhabitants and other such data would be required —it was quite a large return and much work would be necessary. Cr. Low said that £3,000,000 had been spent in houses in Wellington, so that it did not look as if the housing scheme would apply to this area. He admitted there was a shortage of houses in Te Kuiti, and people, were living in dwellings that they did not like, but was the Government going to provide extra accommodation? If this was going to cause hardship, he was not going to be a party to it. Cr. Mackersey pointed out that all the Council could do was to obtain the figures and details set out in the Act —the Government would not act on this recommendation —probably the report would be pigeon-holed. It was suggested that the Town Planning Committee deal with the matter, but after further discussion it was decided that the full Council should undertake the responsibility. The engineer was appointed to make the inspection. Hospital Board Representation. As a result of representations made by Cr. Issac and the clerk while in Wellington on Council business recently, advice was received from the Health Department that the Waikato Hospital Board would receive a deputation on the subject of representation on the Board from the Te Kuiti Borough at the February meeting. The Mayor and Mr. S. Craig were appointed as the delegation. Te Kuiti 2B Reserve. A letter was received offering £5 a year rental for 4% acres of the Te Kuiti 2B area recently granted by the Crown to the Borough as a reserve. Cr. Douglas was against splitting up the area into separate leases —it would not be possible if this were done to find tenants for the poorer portions. Cr. Mackersey suggested that the whole area be leased for a term sufficient to induce the tenant to clean up the area, reserving to the Council the right to plant trees. The Council had no money to develop the area at the present time. The question of leasing the area was relegated to the Works Committee, and the 4% acres was offered to the applicant at a weekly rental of 2s 6d in the meantime. Mayor’s Honorarium. A motion restoring the full cut to the Mayor’s honorarium was moved by Cr. Mackersey and carried. The second cut had been restored to the staff during the year, but the law did not permit at that time the varying of an honorarium during the year. However, since then legislation had been enacted making it permissible to restore the cut, making the total honorarium £75.