LIVELY MEETING

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 25051, 15 November 1944, Page 6

LIVELY MEETING

"" * BOROUGH'S FINANCES position at onehunca:

COUNCIL AND RATEPAYERS Lively scones were witnessed at public meeting in the Te Papan* Theatre last night when the -Mayor of Onehunga, Mr A. Garside, and th members of the Onehunga Boroueh Council addressed ratepayers on the finances of the borough. The meeting lasted two and a-half hours, and toward tho end there were sharp exchanges between the .Mayor and the mover of a motion, while simultaneously other members of the audience of about 80 carried on heated discussions amou e themselves. b Mr B. McLennan, who presided, said the Mayor and members were meetine the ratepayers in accordance with their"' election promise to make six-monthlv reports on their stewardship. The chairman of the various committees of the council reported on their activities, all stating that .the prosper tive expenditure for the year would exceed the allocations. Two members of the former council, Messrs F, Qji. Christ and A. C. W. Cole, also spoke* The former said that part of the finanl ciai difficulties was due to the uiiunl proved rating system. Mr Cole said there had been references to white elephants, but the parks and reserves mentioned would be future assets. "Position Very Serious" "We have had to budget for a dp. ficit of £11,000," said the Mayor in r e ] viewing tho finances. "What are we to do? Borrow more money or put up the rates? This year we had a record rate collection, and in spite of that we had three weeks ago less than 1:3000 in the bank to carry us through the next six months." He said the position, which was Very sorious. was due to the increased cost of labour and materials coupled with excessive borrowing, The amount of overdraft the council could ' get was limited by the extent of the rate arrears, which were only £I7OO. "During the last nine years £68,000 in loans had been raised, but not one halfpenny had been collected in rates to meet the interest and principal pay. ments," said the Mayor. "It is imperative that we now collect the rates which should have been collected in the past two years. We shall have to strike i rate of 1 11-12 d to meet the £68,000 loan charges. A loan of £42,500 wag also raised for waterworks extensions and all but £I2OO has been spent already and it will require another loan of £40,000 to complete the work started. I do not know what is going to be done in the future to meet the progress payments on the construction of the new reservoir now proceeding. If we pay the contractor. out of general revenue we shall have no money to pay wages to our staff." A Motion Lost The Mayor said £II,OOO had been spent by the previous council during the national emergency in purchasing auxiliary generating plant for the pump, ing station. "That will never be used as this council intends to sell it as soon as possible," he said in reply to several questions. Mr F. Hankins moved that the council be /recommended to obtain the serj vices of a skilled accountant to report ; on the borough finances. Several members of the audience resented this as a reflection on the town clerk, and a lively ensued, in which several councillors vigorously stated that the reports were made on the clerk's figures. Mr Hankins altered his motion to call for a report direct from.the clerk, stating that the Mayor had not given satis- v factory figures. A motion was carried thanking the council members for coming before the ratepayers. As the meeting dispersed a man at the back called upon'the audi-. 1 ence to attend the two other meetmes to be held this week and support the council. COMMISSIONS WON Advice has been received that Sergeant Frank Trevor Watts, son of Mr and Mrs F. B. Watts, of 49 Harlston Road, Mount Albert, has been appointed to a commission in the Second N.Z.E.F/ in Italy. Second-Lieutenant Watts is 24 and previously held the rank of captain in the 2nd Battalion, Auckland Regiment. He resigned his commission and went overseas last March. He was educated at the Owairaka School and Mount Albert Grammar School. A younger brother is also serving with the Second N.Z.E.F. Warrant-Officer' Gilbert Clotworthy, youngest son of Mr and Mrs C. Clotworthy, of Hikutaia, has been granted a commission in the R.N.Z.A.F. in Britain. Pilot-Officer Clotworthy enlisted in 1939, went to Canada in 1940, and after completing his training wai retained in Canada as an instructor. After a year of this service he went to Britain aftd since then has been attached to bomber squadrons. AUDIENCE WITH POPE (0.C.) HAMILTON, Tuesday _ In a letter written from Italy, Private E. H. Quill, a Hamilton member of the Kiwi Concert Party, stated that he had attended an audience given by Pope Pius XII. in the Pope's Chapel at the Vatican, which he would never forget. "His Holiness addressed us fluently in three or four languages," Private Quill wrote. "He welcomed us to Rome, wished us a safe return, and then blessed all present and their waiting folk at home." BUILDERS' ASSOCIATION The following officers were elected at the annual meeting of the Auckland Master Builders' Association this week: President, Mr A. Stephen; vice-presi-dents, Messrs N. Carlton and R. v. Savory; auditor, Mr R. G. Knox: man-, agement committee, Messrs A. B. Beamish. V. A. Coyle, A. G. Grmter, H. J. Hulse, R, McCracken, P. JPatten, G. H. Pearce, F. G. Rabone and J. Whittaker. THANKSGIVING DAY Because the past year has seen _so many millions freed from_ tyrannical rule. President Roosevelt, in proclaiming Thursday, November 23. Thanksgiving Day, has called upon the people or the Unite! States to observe it bending every effort to hasten the day of -final victory. For some Americans this will be the third Thanksgiving IX spent in the Dominion. SYDNEY FLYING-BOAT ' The following passengers arrived from Sydney by a Tasman Empire Airwavs flying-boat yesterday:—Mesdames £• Alleman and child, it. M. Chambers, Gravson, W. M. Hilgendorf and . Misses M. G. McMiken,- M. F. Bond, Messrs L. A. Bell, A. Berger, A. JBrown, J. Glenwright, I. I. Owens, *->• S. Rolfe. PERSONAL ITEMS Mr J. A. C. Allum, Mayor of Auckland. will leave for Wellington by ai today. He will return to the city t0 " morrow. I Mr Sidney Greenbie, chief of the Office of War Information in Isew Zealand and assistant at the A me J lC j,, Legation at Wellington, arrived Auckland yesterday. Mr I. J. Goldstine left for Welling- . ton yesterday to attend the DomiPio Patriotic Conference and to give ® " 3ence before the Parliamentary mittee on the Milk Bill.