CROWN FARMS

New Zealand Herald, Volume 79, Issue 24378, 14 September 1942, Page 4

CROWN FARMS

THE HATING SYSTEM

COUNTY COUNCIL'S PROTEST (0.c.) WAIROA, Saturday Strong exception to the attitude of the Department of Lands and Survey regarding the payment of rates was expressed at a meeting of the W'airoa County Council when a letter from the Commissioner of Crown Lands, Napier, was received, stating that a new method of paying rates had been operative from April 1, 1911, in connection with all blocks of land being farmed by the department throughout New Zealand '"The position is, briefly, that the question of the payments of rates is reviewed after the end of each trading year," advised the Commissioner, "and rates can be paid only if the block has been able to earn a profit on the year s operations. The trading year for blocks ends on June 30. As far as your county is concerned, you have already received a grant for the year ended March <3l, 1942, which would cover the period of farming operations up to June JO, 1942. The question of further rates, therefore, cannot be considered until after June HO, 1943." The clerk, Mr. 13. G. Signall, said the council could not recover rates from the Crown unless it made a protest to the Minister. Mr. S. A. Dickie said there were many cases of people not making profits on farms. The Crown should pay rates in the same way. It was decided to protest to the Minister of Lands, pointing out that where the Crown was carrying on farming operations in the same manner as a private ratepayer it should not expect to escape the rating responsibilities as borne by other ratepayers. ROADS DETERIORATING SHORTAGE OF METAL (0.C.) HAMILTON, Sunday Concern at the deterioration of the county roads owing to lack of maintenance was expressed at a meeting of the Raglan County Council. It was stated that the Army had placed orders for all available supplies of metal, and that the position with respect to the county roads was becoming desperate. The engineer, Mr. K. M. Wright, was instructed to place the position before the Government with a view to securing a greater proportion of quarry output for road maintenance. E.P.S. DEMONSTRATION RESCUE WORK PERFORMED A demonstration of rescue work from high buildings was held yesterday at Victoria Park by members of the Works Unit of the Auckland Emergency Precautions Service. Six members of the team were lowered from the pavilion by means of stretchers and breeches buoys. They were tlifen treated by members of the medical section of the unit. The parade was attended by visitors from other E.P.S. posts, and addressed by Colonel J. Hardie Neil, D.5.0., who aiso inspected the patients with Lieutenant J. C. Henley. The unit was congratulated on its good performance of a type of E.P.S. work that had not so far been done in Auckland. PUBLIC AND BUSES UNNECESSARY TRAVELLING "One of our main troubles is that the public will not reduce unnecessary travelling to and from the city, as they have been asked to do," stated Mr. J. A. S. Keys, manager of L. J. Keys, Limited, when a correspondent's complaint regarding overloading of buses was referred to him. "On a few trips our buses are undoubtedly heavily overloaded, sometimes by as much as 100 per cent, but it is tfiere that the public could cooperate more than it is doing." said Mr. Keys. "On an average, we are; effecting a good margin of saving bv our restricted services. In fact, it is true that we are actually _ giving a greater service to our public by our new routing than if we kept to our old routes, this being so because the reduced mileage has allowed more trips." The correspondent complained also that the fare for the Remuera-Mission Bay trip was the same as that to St. Heliers. Mr. Keys said the purpose of this was to discourage unnecessary week-end travel. Week-day fares_ had not been altered from those obtaining before the restrictions. "In 27 years' service," added Mr. Keys, "we have had nothing but satisfaction from the people of the bays, but now we are compelled to cut- down through the national crisis, and we must ask full co-operation and consideration from the public." HUGE DEFENCE PROJECT j 3000 MEN IN QUEENSLAND ! MELBOURNE, Sept, 5 ■ To carry out a huge urgent defence project, about 3000 men from Victoria and New South Wales are being transferred to Queensland. This is the largest organised migration of tradesmen and labourers yet undertaken in Australia. The men, who are members of the Civil Construction Corps of the Allied Works Council, are travelling to Queensland in batches of 300 a day. Special trains have been chartered to transport the men and their equipment. Each batch will be a complete working unit, designed to do a particular part of the project. The project is so big that Allied Works Council engin-\ eers and executives will use aeroplanes: to move from one part of the area to another. ROTORUA BLUEGUM TREES (0.C.) ROTORUA, Sunday ; A decision by the Rotorua Borough Council to cut down the bluegum trees in Whakarewarewa Road was referred to by the Minister of Internal Affairs, the Hon. W. E. Parry, in reply to a; deputation yesterday. The trees had for many years by their stntelinesss, well marked out and added grace and beauty to the road to the pa and thermal region, said the Minister. He did not dispute the right of the council to make its own decisions on matters within its province and the fate of the gums was its responsibility. However, lie felt that all visitors to whom the Whakarewarewa Road and its gums were well known would express profound regret at the council's action and hope that the trees would yet be spared.