FOXTON NOTES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIV, Issue 744, 28 June 1923, Page 6

FOXTON NOTES.

BOROUGH COUNCIL. SPECIAL MEETING. (From Our Own Correspondent.) A special meeting of the Foxton Borough Council was convened by the Mayor on Tuesday night. Present: llis Worship the Mayor (Dir J. Chrystall). and Crs. Bryant, Smith, Thorpe, Adams, W aJkcr, Parkin, McMurray and Coley. The Foxton Fire Board wrote, asking that an approach be concreted in front or the fire station to n width of the station and a culvert bo erected over the footway ; (2) that the waterworks engineer’s residence bo connected up with the telephone; (3) that the lire plugs indicators bo erected immediately. It was decided to refer the first matter to the Public Works Committee; that the second was not the council’s; and that the third work bo proceeded with. It was decided that the Mayor represent the council at the conference of municipal bodies to be held at Christchurch in July. TOWN CLERK’S SALARY. A lengthy discussion ensued on the question of raising the town clerk’s salary. It was pointed out by the Mayor that he was receiving £390 per annum and was allowed to do insurance work. The Mayor advocated a rise of £SO per annum, and moved in this direction, the motion being seconded by Cr. McMurray. Cr. Smith moved an amendment, seconded pro forma by Cr. Walker, that the town clerk bo paid £390 per annum, including the management of the Town Hall, that insurance work bo discontinued, and that applications be called for the position of assistant at £65 per annum. On being put to the vote, both the amendment and the motion were lost, and Cr. Smith then gave notice of motion to move that the town clerk be an increase of £l9 10a per annum, to be 1 paid from July 1, 1923. The matter was then dropped MAYOR AND FIRE BOARD. The producing of the Fire Board estimates for the coming year was responsible ■ for a lengthy discussion. The Mayor, who left the recent annual meeting of the board on a new chairman being appointed to the position, which lie hud filled for the past year, adversely criticised the estimates and said that they were in excess of what Inspector Hugo estimated as a fair annual expenditure at the inaugural meeting to form a Fire Board locally. lie moved that a letter be written to the Minister of Internal Affairs to ask him to reduce the estimates by £.130. Cr. Smith, also a member of the Fire Board, took strong exception to the Mayor’s remarks, and questioned his right to criticise business done at the Fire Board meeting when lie left the meeting and did not near the business transacted. Pie said the annual expenditure shoidd be averaged over five years and they would then find that the expenditure would not exceed the estimates. The first two years were naturally the heaviest. Cr. Bryant, the other council representative on the Fire Board, pointed out that they had carefully chocked every item in the estimates, which he considered could not be reduced by much. A great deal, however, was unroeurring expenditure. Cr. McMurray moved as an amendment: That the Fire Board bo asked to reduce the estimates if possible. He pointed out that it- would be foolish for the council to refer the matter to the Minister of Internal Affairs if Inspector Hugo had passed the estimates. He also asked the Alayor why ho had left Lie board meeting when ho had been elected a representative of the council on that body. The Mayor, by way of explanation, said that ho could not sit under the present chairman. After a great deal of discussion and heated talk, both the motion and amendment were put and lost At this stage the Mayor tendered his resignation as a representative of the council on the Firo Board. It was moved by Cr. Walker that the Mayor’s resignation be accepted and his action endorsed, the latter part of the motion being suggested by the Mavor.

On the motion being put it was defeated. It is probable that at the next meeting a new member will be elected MO CTO A NOTES.

On Thursday evening last the Moutoa schoolroom, which had been transformed into a veritable fairyland by festoons of red, yellow and green with greenery, balloons and Chinese lanterns, presented a gay and animated scene; children dressed as fairies, bonbons, Dutch girls, follies and fisherwives, to say nothing of cowboys, footballers, princes, naval dicers and cigars, not forgetting the redoubtable Charlie Chaplin, danced polkas, barn-dances, Highland schottisclies, waltzes, lancers and valutagavottes with each other. The children really had the time of their lives, their happy faces showing plainly the thoroughness of tlioir enjoyment. After supper the last dance was announced, and the adults throw coloured streamers as the excited children danced round the hall in a network of tangled papers, which created a very pretty effect. On behalf of the School Committee, Mr Green congratulated the promoters of the ball for their work in connection with the function, and called for applause for Mrs Hall and Mrs Davoy. Prizes, accorded by vote, were given for' the best dressed girl, won by Dimpy Campbell (“Bon-bon”); the most original girl, won by Phyllis Halley (“Knitting Craze”); the best dressed boy, by Jim Campbell (“Prince Charming”); and the most original boy,; by’Colin Campbell (“Paper Bag”).