FOXTON

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6885, 15 April 1929, Page 8

FOXTON

From Our Own Correspondent MAIN HIGHWAYS BOARD. The Main Highways board, consisting of Messrs C. J. McKenzie (acting chairman), J. J. Gibson, M. 11. Wynvard, J. Wood, accompanied by Mr. A. Tyndall (engineer) and W. A. Sutherland (secretary) arrived in Foxton on Friday and in company with members of the Foxton Borough council and Manawatu County council, partook of lunch at Whyte’s hotel. The visitors were accorded a hearty welcome to the district by the Mayor ot Foxton (Mr. M. E. Perreau) and Cr. E. J. Thompson who said that the problems in connection with main highways were very serious ones, and had become a. matter of great concern to the ratepayers of various local bodies which could not possibly* stand any increased taxation. He then asked the Town clerk (Mr. W. Trueman) to place before the board the matters of immediate importance to Foxton. The Town dork said that a year or so ago the Borough council had raised a loan to reconstruct certain streets among them being two of the main highways, at that time treated by the Highways board as being continuations of main highways. The policy of the board at the time was to grant subsidy on these roads at the same rate per mile as the highways proper in the adjacent counties and it had been made quite clear to the Borough council that irrespective of the money spent on these highways continuations the board would still continue to pay subsidy at the county highway rate. Instead of doing so, the Highways board, had turned round and declared these highway continuations to be main highways within the meaning of the Act, with the immediate result that assessed subsidies immediately ceased and . the borough from that date received subsidy on the actual cost of maintenance while the ratepayers were left to meet all tho»interest charges on the loan. for reconstruction. The position was similar in many other boroughs and the point was not laboured. In the case of Foxton, however, a stronger argument existed, inasmuch as there were still portions of the highway still requiring to be reconstructed. These highways, however, were previously boundary roads between the Manawatu county and the Foxton borough, towards which the county at present contributed a share of the maintenance cost although the roads were under borough control. As the financial position of the borough was such that further capital expenditure ; was out of the question, they had no hesitation whatever in asking that the Highways board should sjand the borough’s share of the capital cost of reconstructing these boundary highways in return for its failure to continue its assessed maintenance subsidy on the roads already constructed. Various questions were asked by the members of. the board and they were then thanked for the patient hearing they had given the deputation. After lunch the board proceeded on its way to Feildiug and Palmerston North. Social Afternoon. A very enjoyable social afternoon was given by Mrs J. G. Honore at her •residence in the Avenue on Friday for the purpose of saying farewell to Mrs Barr who with her husband, Mr. J. M. Barr, is shortly leaving Foxton to enter into business at Napier.

An interesting indoor competition in which the competitors had to guess words commencing with the syllable “bar” was won by the guest of honour, and an equally so outdoor competition was won by Mrs G. A. Tyer. A delightful afternoon tea was served by the hostess and her sister, Mrs L. Bullard, on the porch overlooking the lovely grounds of the homestead. Personal. Mrs M. Griffin, a former resident for many years, was here on a short visit last week. The sincere sympathy of a large circle of friends is extended to Mrs J. M.cColl, whose brother Mr. Alexander Candlish, was fatally injured in the accident in Christchurch in which a motor cycle on which Mr Candlish was riding as a passenger crashed into a moving tramcar on the Opawa road, Christchurch, last Wednesday night. Slipping. The m.v, Kotiti left on Friday night for Wellington.