Borough Matters

Manawatu Times, Volume 70, Issue 45, 22 February 1945, Page 2

Borough Matters

Two matters of interest came before the Pahiatua Borough Council at its meeting last Monday night. The first was a notification from the Town Clerk that the owner of tl house which he was renting was returned from active service and was in need of his house in May next for himself and his own family. The Council was fully aware of th. 6 extreme shortage of houses in the borough and a committee was set up comprising Crs. Carthew, Crewe, Biddells, Gardner and Mills, to bring down a report to the next meeting of the Council as to whether the Council should build a house for the permanent use of its chief executive officer.

The Town Clerk tabled a report on the administration of the Pahiatua Public Library since it had come into the scheme of the Government Freo Library system. The numbers now using the library were 575 of which only .48 were from the country district, and the actual cost to the borough per reader was 9s Id. Before the free library system was introduced, the number of subscribers only totalled 105, and the cost to the borough worked out at £1 15s per head. The total receipts under the present scheme from reservations, fines etc. totalled £147 6s Sd, whereas under the cash subscription basis the old income was only £123 Bs. It is pleasing to note that the present free library scheme is providing a better service to au increased number of peoplo at less cost to the borough ratepayers than it did under the old scheme.