MOTUEKA

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 20 December 1933, Page 9

MOTUEKA

RIVER BOARD AFFAIRS SPECIAL MEETING HELD REFERENDUM REQUEST At a special meeting of the Motueka River Board there were present, Messrs A. E. Fry (chairman), R, Atkins, B. T. Rowling, T. Stevens and li. B. McGlashen. The mooting was called to deal with a request, signed by 173 ratepayers, for the Board to take a referendum as to whether the Board should be abolished or otherwise. A legal opinion from the Board’s solicitor, Mr C. W. Thorp, was read as follows:—“At the last meeting of your Board a written request was submitted that the Board arrange for the taking of a referendum for the purpose of deciding whether the existing river district should be abolished or not. The request bears some 173 signatures, and 1 have been instructed to advise as to what action the Board should take in reference to it. The procedure to be followed before the question of the abolition of a river district can be considered is laid down in section 3, sub-section 2 of ‘The River Boards Amendment Act, 1913,’ which reads as follows: ,r lhe Governor General may by Proclamation on a petition, signed by a majority of the ratepayers of a district, abolish the district. 1 can find no statutory or other provision enabling the Board to arrange for the taking of a referendum to decide such a matter, so I have to advise that your Board has no power to accede to the lequest.” The chairman remarked that the letter made it quite plain that the request could not be acceded to by the Board. The request was not in correct form. Had d been in order, he would have moved that the petition be sent forward to the proper authority for consideration, and under tho circumstances it was difficult to know with whom to communicate in regard to the request. It was pointed out by the clerk that he was not in tho office at the time the request was handed in; but was led to understand that Mr York was the party concerned. Mr Fry said that if the proper procedure had been followed the ratepayer., would have signed a petition and forwarded it to tho Governor-General, through the Minister of Internal Affairs. t Tlie chairman expressed : egret i n.i, the ratepayers had been put to unnecessary trouble in drawing up a request and forwarding it to the Board in such a form that the Board was unable to act. Mr Rowling: “I take it that the ratepayers who signed the request have been ill-advised.” The chairman: “That is the position Mr Fry said the Board should press for a Public Works report on the Motueka, River. It might be possible ,he said, for one of the local bodies to take over the river affairs, but at the present time there was no one to say, in the absence of a report, to what extent the Motueka river was a menace to the borough. He was convinced that- a comprehensive scheme must be drawn up, ioi the liver was too large a proposition for the Board or anyone else to be pottering about, with. The chairman moved that; Mr York be informed that the Board had been advised that it had no power to accedeto tho request as handed in by him on behalf of ratepayers in the River Board area. The motion lapsed for the want of a seconder. Finally it was resolved, on the motion of Messrs Rowling and McGlashen, that the clerk be instructed to notify by advertisement the signatories to the request that the Board has no power to accede to their request for a referendum. wqmen’slnstitute BUSINESS AT MONTHLY MEETING At the monthly meeting of tlie Motueka Women’s Institute, held in the Oddfellows’ Hall, Mrs 11. Hodgson (president) presided over 45 members. Four new members were enrolled. Arrangements in connection with the picnic which is to take the place of the January meeting were finalised. Mrs Berry gave arx interesting talk on home-nursing and first aid. Mrs Morrison won the competition best article made from one yard of material. Mrs Morrison’s article was a giant elephant. The singing circle contributed two Christmas carols, after which afternoon tea was served by the hostesses —Mesdames Morrison, Robinson, J. Hunt, Jackson and Tweedy and Miss F. Herrick. The singing of the National Anthem concluded a very happy afternoon. CRICKET ASSOCIATION A JUNIOR MATCH The match, Motueka versus Tui, played at Motueka on Saturday, resulted in a win for Motueka by five wickets and 13 runs. In the first innings Tui scored 25 (R. York 11). IL Lunn took two wickets for 4 runs, R. Talbot three for 6, Garnboni one for 2, B. Fry three for 2 and C. Crayford one for 1. Motueka scored 110 for nine wickets (0. Lunn 38, F. Rowling not out 26, A. Lines 10). The bowling was: L. Wise one for 15, B. Smith six for 28, 11. Eginton one for 17, M. Moffatt one for 16. In the second innings Tui compiled 129 runs (IT. Eginton 31, L. Wise 29, R. York 16. G. Eginton 13). Gamboni took four wickets for 23, B. Fry two for 28, O. Lunn two for 19, F. Rowling two for Motueka on returning closed for 57 with five wickets down (0. Lunn not out 47). Wickets were taken by L. Wise four for 9, B. Smith one for 44.