FEILDING NEWS

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVI, Issue 163, 11 June 1926, Page 8

FEILDING NEWS

BOROUGH COUNCIL.

MONTHLY MEETING. [From Otir Own. Correspondent.] His Worship tho Mayor (Mr W. E. Carthow) presided over tho usual monthly meeting of the Feilding Council Jaab evening, others present ~ being ‘ Crs. Pandilands, Elliott, Sutton, McCorkindale, Fair, Pry do, Corpe, Burrell and Stowart. CORRESPONDENCE. Tho Manawatu Gorgo Board of Control wrote regarding the deputation to wait upon the Prime Minister in connection with proclaiming tho Gorge Roard a main \ highway.—Left in the hands of the Mayor and town clerk. Pormisison was granted the Plunket Society to hold a street stall. Tho Department of Health wrote informing the council of its arrangements for a. olean-up day regarding epidemics.—Received. From tho Feilding Chamber of Commerce regarding an ambulance for Feilding.—The Mayor moved that tho council confer with chairmen of tho Kiwitea and Oroua County Councils and Mr J. ,W. Bramwell, Foilding representative on the Hospital Board, in this matter. —This was oarriod. In connection with tho leasing of the railway reeervo at tho Foilding station, Mr J. G. Eliott, M.P., wrote informing tho council that tho department required this land for building purposes and tlierejore they could not agree to lease it. Mr fcUiott also enclosed a letter from the Minister of Railways to this effect. —The Mayor hold that tho letter was very, unsatisfactory and that if Mr Coates could bo induced to inspect the site, permission would no doubt bo given. The Mayor added that at the first opportunity ho would approach tho Prime Minister in this matter again. The letter was rooeived. The Old Boys’ Football Club asked permission to hold a street stall, but owing to permission for a similar stall being previously granted to the Plunket Society, permission was held over until July. The Mayor, Crs. Eliott and McCorkindale were appointed tho council’s representatives to the heavy traffic licenso fees’ conference to be held shortly. _ Mrs Belfit was given permission to connect her property with tho borough water supply subject to the usual borough charges for water. ESTIMATED EXPENDITURE.

A statement of tho estimated expenditure for 1926-27 was tabled showing that £14,314 had been assessed to meet tno demands of the borough this year. This amount included approximately £SOO allowed for extraordinary expenditure, tho wholo making a very slight increase, last year’s expenses being £.14,251 13s 2d. The general account showed an allowance of nearly £6OO set iwsido for new works deemed imperative to proceed with immediately, and maintenance estimates were £3750. The re-valuation of tho bor-, ough, which had resulted in the value being raised to £535,000, had allowed of a total reduction in rates of 2]d in tho £l. The rates struck this year are as follow, last year’s rates being shown in parentheses: Goneral rates, 2]d in the £1 (2 23-32 d), reduction 15-32 d; hospital rate, 19-64 d in the £1 (45-128 d), reduction 7-128 d; special - rates, 3 53-64 d in tho £1 (4 71-128 d), reduction 93-128 d. In addition to the above reduction of l£d in the £l. water rates havo been reduced from 5 per cent, to 3Jj per cent, of tho rateable value. Tho total rate necessary for tho foregoing estimates based on tho old valuation would have been BAd in the £l. The actual reduction of the amount in the £1 due to tho new valuation is therefore 2Ad in the £l. The amount required for intorost and sinking fund in 1926-27 is £8464 9s lid (1925-26 £7154 4s), an increase of £l3lO 5s lid. The general rates in 1926-27 will be £5015 (1925-26 £4276), an increase of £739, a total increase of £2049 5s lid. On tho motion of the Mayor, tho following motion was carried: “That a flat rato of £1 all round bo charged for taxis, motor lorries and horse vehicles as a fee for a license to ply for hire and that tho existing by-law bo amended accordingly.” The finanoe committee’s report, which was adopted, recommended that tho salary of tho engineer be increased to £450 per annum, that of the cashier to £169, and that of the typist to £ll7. TRAFFIC LICENSE FEES. Some comment was made at last night’s Feilding Borough Council meeting when a chequo for £152 0s Id was rooeived from the Kairanga County Council, being tho local borough’B share of tho heavy traffic licenso foes collected in the No. 10 area. Tho amount actually collected by tho borough treasurer was £746 17s 9d, and the council was unanimous in the opinion that tho present basis of allocation, namely, on the capital value and miles of metalled roads, is unfair and operates very unfavourably against municipalities. A fresh conference is to bo callod at which tho Feilding Borough Council’s delegates will ask for what is considered a more equitablo distribution. It will be remembered that at Wednesday’s meeting of the Oroua County Council, the chairman, Mr A. Campbell, commented very favourably upon the allocations, remarking that they should climin’ate all dissatisfaction. BOROUGH WATERWORKS.

A special meeting of the Feildtng Borough Council was held recently to discuss the financial position in connectbn v>:th the borough’s new waterworks scheme. At the request of the council Mr Dudley Holmes, consulting engineer to the council, was in attendance. A statement was tabled showing the amount spent, the amount of commitments and tho estimated cost of completing tho work already in hand in connection with tho waterworks extension echeme. The Mayor (Mr W. E. Carthew) who presided, dealt fully with the question and explained tnat some portion of tho proposed work would have lo be deleted from the programme as there was an estimated deficit in the loan of £3404. Mr Holmes further explained the position and it was decided that the. tendor of £5522 5s for the construction of the weir, intake, heodworks and pipo trench from the new weir to tho sito of tho settling basin be accepted and that the construction of tho settling basin bo deleted. Representatives of the tendering company waited upon the council and tho Mayor explained tho alterod contract to thorn and inquired if tho company would undertake the work on the new basis. The representative of the company stated that a sum to cover camp equipment, overhead charges, cartage, eto., would have to bo added to their tendered figure, making an increase of £lB5, and it was finally decided to tho contract from the company on these figures.

PERSONAL. Mr T S Tomlinson leaves Feilding today for Inveroargill, where he has been appointed manager of that branch of the Bank of Now Zealand, and Mr 1. S. assumes the ofhee vacated by Mr Tomlinson.