FEILDING

Manawatu Standard, Volume LI, Issue 116, 17 April 1931, Page 8

FEILDING

BOROUGH COUNCIL. The Feilding Borough Council met last night, there being present tlie Mayor (Mr Tavlor) and C'rs Fair, Pearce, Collins, AlcCorkindale, liill, Pryde, Corpc, Guy and Stewart. The Prime Minister acknowledged with thanks receipt of tho Feilding carthquako relief fund. Tho application of Air R. Bailey for a light fo ho installed on the corner of West and Harford Streets was referred to tho street lighting committee. The matter of a remission of water charges for the organ blower at St. John's Church was referred to tho water committee for report. GENERAL. The council referred tlie matter of trimming back hedges at street intersections to the incoming council to deal with. During March, 12 cows, 7 oxen, 54 heifers, 193 ewes, 301 wethers, 7 lambs, 1405 pigs and 2 voalers were dealt with at the municipal abattoir. Fees amounted to £264 2s 4d as compared with £2lO 17s lid, an increase of £53 4s sd. For the year ended March 31, the revenue from tho abattoir increased by £197 6s 7d from £2068 3s 7d in 1929-30 to £2265 10s 2d in 1930-31. There were 245 subscribers to the municipal library during March and 1370 books were changed, while 12 now ones were purchased. Six building permits to a value of £1049 were issued during Alarch. Last month the borough enjoyed a clean bill of health, no cases of infectious diseases being reported. Since the last meeting the numbers of men employed by tho council on relief works have been as follow: —Alarch 14, 77, March 21, 84, March 28, 82, April 4, 82, April 11, 87. The council adopted tho recommendation of the works committee that_ to the position caused by the cessation of No. 5 unemployment scheme, concrete paths be laid down in Alontaguo and Alarlborough streets at a cost of ibOO and that married men with two or more children bo engaged on tho work for two days per week. Regarding tho request of tho Vestry of St. John’s Church that billard rooms m the town bo not kept open on Good Friday. Anzac Day and Christmas Day it was dccidul to communicate tho letter to the billiard room proprietors and to advise them that the council favours amending the present by-law to prohibit billiard saloons being kept open on the days mentioned. The council decided to hold over consideration of a letter from the Bank of New Zealand regarding a lost debenture for £IOOO, destroyed in the Napier earthquake until an opinion had boon obtained from the Alunicipal Associations’ solicitor. The Alayor said the law was very strict on the matter and the council could not pay interest on a debenture that was not in existonce. This was one of the matters that the present earthquake legislation before the House would undoubtedly deal with. In accordance with notice given by Cr Fair, the council rescinded the resolution carried in December last agreeing to pay the interest and principal on its loans from an insurance company in Wellington instead of Sydney.

Alentioning that ttic present meeting was tho last one of tho present council, the Mayor expressed liis thanks to councillors for’the loyal support and help they had given him during the past two years and also tho pleasure it had given him to work wih them. To the members of tho stall and tho Press the Alayor also expressed liis thanks for their help and interest in council matters. Cr Fair replied on behalf of the council, paving a tribute to the leadership and work of tlie Mayor and expressing the hope that tho incoming council would enjoy tho same happy meetings as they had. SALARY REDUCTIONS.

The Mayor reported that certain wage and salary reductions in the council had been made that would result in a saving of nearly £4OO per year, ihe town clerk tho engineer and other salaried officers had been reduced 10 per cent., but lie employees whose wages were governed by awards had lo remain until tlie decision of the Arbitration Court on the matter was made known. The council had thrashed the matter out in committee at the previous meeting and the decisions arrivod at were now before the open council for review and adoption. Nobody liked reducing salaries, but the position had to bo faced and it was suggested that tho reduction in the higher paid officers take effect immediately while tho reduction on tho others could tako effect when thoso men working under awards had been dealt with. (Jr Guy ditl not agree to this. He claimed that if tho brains of the council stall had had their salaries reduced the rank and file should receive similar treatment, but his motion to this effect failed to find support. The Alayor then moved that the salaried officers meet the reduction from April 1, Cr Pearce seconding the motion, which was carried. Dealing with tho lower-paid employees, the Alayor moved that they be reduced from 14s per day to 13s, the coming into operation of this to be left to the incoming council to decide. This motion was seconded by Cr AlcCorkindale and carried, Cr Collins asking that his opposition to this move as recorded at tho committee meeting be passed on to the incoming council. Cr Fair moved that, should tho Government restore salaries either wholly or in part, the council should take similar action.

On the reading of the motion the AJayor queried whether the motion had been taken down rightly by the town clerk. The speaker thought the motion should read thut tlio wages and salaries be reviewed. Cr Fair said he meant the wording of the motion to read “restore the salaries.” Ho was extremely averse to reducing wages, for to him it seemed that a start was being made at tho wrong end. The wage-earners were receiving a 10 per cent, cut and they were the very ones least able to bear a reduction, while those with capital invested wore not suffering a reduction. The Mayor stated also that lie was opposed to reducing wages, but he council had its duty to do, however unpleasant, and he would bo pleased to be able to restore them if the Government should in the future make this more.

Cr Fair pointed out that in making tho reductions, the council had not touched any wage lower than £2OO per year. Cr Fair’s motion was then carried unanimously. PRESENTATION TO CR, PRYDE. As a mark of recognition of the splendid services lie had rendered the reserves committee during his long term of oflice on the council, Cr. Prydo was presented, by the Mayor on behalf of himself and the council with a large framed photo of Kowhai Park. In making the presentation tho Mayor referred to Cr. Pryde’s great interest in the borough reserves and as this was the last meeting of the pesent council it was fitting that those services should bo recognised and rewarded. Cr. Pryio suitably replied. THE BALANCE-SHEET.

Giving a summary of the balance-sheet the Mayor said the credit shown made pleasant reading and he desired to pay a tribute to tiie work of the town clerk (Mr Harding) for the expeditious manner in which ho had handled the borough accounts. Apart from ordinary borough revenue of £25,046, there had been other receipts which had brought the total up to about £35,000 and despite the additional work imposed on him as the result of the relief work schemes, Mr Harding had kept his accounts quite up-to-date and tho bal-ance-sheet was now complete and to Mr Harding and his two assistants the Mayor extended his personal congratulations at the clearness of the figures produced and also the promptitude with which they had. been obtained.

Referring then to the estimated and actual receipts for the year, the Mayor said lie was pleased to state that there had been a net increase in the revenuo of £9lB 8s 6d, largely brought about by an increase of £279 in sales and sundries, £425 in the abattoir account, £217 in Highways Board subsidies and £lls in the hire of the road roller. The credit to tlie borough in its general account was about £2400, a figure which -was well in excess of that anticipated and which had been brought about by a studious regard on the part of the council for all items of expenditure. On the expense side of tho balance-sheet

the Mayor found that the chief items for comment was tho £287 which tho engineer, Air Hay, had saved in the maintenance account. This reflected great credit on Millay and his stall’ for the care of the. borough li m been maintained at a high standard and to show such a credit showed that tlie engineer had tlie interests of the council and the ratepayers at heart. Ratepayers could also find no ’ room for complaint in the fact that out of £SO unauthorised expenditure on last year’s estimates, the council had only spent £7 7s and this was mainly for wreaths in respect of departed late servants and officers of the borough.

Summarising tho expenditure figures, Mr Taylor said there hud been a net increase of £llls in on the estimates, but tho council had made capital expenditure of £555 on the Jubilee building, £341 on now works at the abattoir, £509 on new works (new motor truck) and £414 on unemployment relief. All this money had. been found out of ordinary revenuo and the council had yet finished the year with a credit ot £2046.

Continuing, the Ala.yor dealt with the rate position generally and, having regard to tho miscellaneous revenue that the council had, the speaker gave it as his personal opinion that there would be no need to levy more than £17,000 this year by way of rates instead of tho £17,800 levied last year. Tho council would effect a saving of £4OO on the salaries and wages through the reductions it had made and although the Mayor was aware that there would probably be a further reduction of about £SOO or £6OO in the revaluations of tho borough when the Assessment Court sat in Feilding again, he still thought the position could be / met without increasing tho rates, although the incoming council would have to review the whole position of the rates. A way would bo found perhaps to give relief to those ratepayers who were over-burdened without creating a hardship to others. DRAUGHTS. The match between the president’s and the secretary’s teams of the Feilding Draughts Club resulted in a win for the latter by 11 games to nine, the following being tho details:—Johnston 2 v. Ansford 2; Watt 3—2 v. Funnell, 1 —3 —2—; Ale Gill i v. Mills 34; B. Guy 2v. Dyke 2; Cooper 3 v. Christian 1. HOCKEY. The following are the referees for tomorrow’s hockey matches: At Victoria Park. —Hinekoa B v. H.5.0.G., F. Poole und T. Tricklebank; Stanway v. Wanderers, O. Sporle and S. Chesterfield . at Colyton—Carnarvon v. Colyton Ladies, J. V. Wallace and L. Knight: Carnarvon v. Colyton, J. F. Cockroft and E. A. Garlick.