SOUTH OTAGO.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20833, 27 September 1929, Page 14

SOUTH OTAGO.

BALCLUTHA DISTRICT NEWS

(From Our Own Correspondent.) BALCLTJTHA, September 25. BOROUGH COUNCIL. The monthly meeting of the Balclutha Borough Council, held last night, was attended by the Mayor (Mr S. V. White), and Ob Wall, Wright, Nalsh, Sinclair. Gormack. Kean, Copland, and M'Lintoek. An apology was received from Cr Hunter. The Mayor, m welcoming Cr Copland back to the council table, congratulated him on his recent marriage, and asked him to con vey t° Mrs Copland the council’s best wishes for their long life and prosperity. J. j M. Doggart, secretary of the brass band, made application for the usual" annual grant in aid.—lt was decided to make a grant of £2O. ’ a j e , clcr3r . Dunedin City'Council, notified that a conference of delegates from local authorities would be held in Dunedin on September 27 to consider the appointment of heavy traffic inspectors, in order to -regulate heavy motor traffic. This was being done on the advice of the chairman of the Main Highways District Council.—Cr Kean said the idea of the conference was to try to check the practice of overloading lorries. He had given a lot of attention to the matter, and so far as_ his observation went lorry owners were in the habit of taking out licenses m excess of the rating capacity of the vehicle’s load, in. order to allow for a little overloading. In liis Opinion any local body that purchased a machine for the purpose of weighing vehicles on the road would be undertaking an expense that would not be justified. The revenue derived from fines would be so small, and tho damage done to roads through the little overloading that took place so vert slight, that the whole-thing was not worth bothering about.—Received. Hugh Nelson, Waikaia, wrote asking for a long lease of a section at North Balclutha, for which he had been paying rates for 40 years on a year to year basis.the clerk said applicant was paying £2 a year rent and £3 13s a year :a rates on the section. To give a £l-year lease it would need to be put up to auction. —It was decided that the lease be advertised for sale by auction, Mr Nelson to be notified.

'l'- M. Ball, district engiuoor. Public Works Department, wrote stating that the council’s request that the department should be charged with the cost of repairing the fence at the protective embankment was an extraordinary one, and did not reflect any gratitude for substantialassistance already given with the capital cost'of the protective works.—The Mayor said the district engineer was quite right. Two years ago the department had spent a sum of £2OOO on the bank without cost to the council.—Received, it being understood that the council would repair the fence.

G, J. Downes, secretary Balclutha Fire Board, wrote drawing attention to the need of having the street fire plugs inspected; also asking council to consider the question of procuring a stand-by power plant at the waterworks.—Cr Kean said reasonable attention had been paid. by the borough foreman to the plugs. The brigade itself was a little careless in leav ing some of the plugs open after practice. He moved that the clerk notify the board accordingly.—Seconded by Cr Wright and carried.—ln regard to stand-by plant, the clerk said the matter wa-s being attended to, and a reply would bo forthcoming in a few days.

The secretary of the Fire Board wrote on the subject of recent chimney fires, and advised that the council should collect 5s from the delinquents.—The clerk stated that the by-laws provided for prosecutions in cases of negligence.—Eventua+ly it was agreed to enforce a charge of 5s where the brigade had to use a chemical extinguisher.

Bing, Harris, and Co., Dunedin, made application for the right to paint an ;.d-

vertisement on the borough water tank at North Balclutha.—An interesting discussion followed, after which it was decided to invite tenders through the Otago Daily Times for the right to advertise on the water tower.

William Lovie, undertaker, again wrote to the effect that the cemetery charge of 25s for the burial of an infant was too high, pressing hardly on. poor parents, and suggesting that it should be reduced to 10s in the case of infants under two years.—After considerable discussion Or Kean moved that the fee be reduced to 20s for infants' under one year where the burial was not to take place in free land and to remain at 2os for the free plots.— Seconded by Cr Watt and carried. HIGHWAY BOARD’S FUNDS. Cr Kean reported_ on the conference of delegates at Dunedin to protest against the Government’s/action in refusing to vote £200.000 from the Consolidated Fund .towards the Highways Board funds. In concluding, he said, the protest had been the result of a misunderstanding of the Prime Minister’s real intentions. He added that the Otago Motor Club had offered to defray the cost of sending delegates to Wellington—a very generous action that.hp thought, should be acknowledged.—Received. FINANCIAL.

The report showed that there was a credit balance at the bank of £l5O 6s. but as against that there were deposits at call totalling £2IOO, and rates uue to the Otago Electric Power Board £IOO, the total indebtedness of the council at date being £2049 14s.—-The report an d accounts amounting to £2oh 7s 3d passed for oayment. BITUMEN FOR ROADS.

• The clerk submitted a report on the subject of bitumen as compared with tar i i j s^ree l s > and urged that the council should experiment with a small block of emulsified bitumen. One application of bitumen, he stated, should last two years, and the ultimate result would be a saving i?- It was decided that the Works Committee investigate and report to next meeting, BOROUGH RESERVES, r ?balf of the Reserves Committee, L ' r Dmtock submitted a lengthy report on the subject of,the various reserves aud endowments of the borough, including farm properties at Tuapeka Mouth and Kunwao. Arising out' of the report it as Agreed that the council procure a new lawn mower for the cemetery, that the outer fence at croquet lawn and lawn tennis courte be repaired, that stumps be removed from Wright’s section by traction, that the council as a whole, inspect the luapeka Mouth property, leased at £l7O per annum, whereas 14 yea., ago the rent had been £250; that tenders be celled lor cleaning ditch-at quarry reserve that the lessees of a large reserve at North Balclutha (Messrs Mills) be asked to clear gorsc and broom in terms of lease within three months; that a clauoe be inserted in lease of Coronation Park giving the Trotting Club a right of way through the park to get to the track. SPORTS GROUND. - -^ n interesting discussion took' place on the subject of the control of the sports ground, for which the council now holds. imte , s, - ,m n of c P u b ]i . c money in trust. Ultimately, Cr Sinclair m ed that all sports bodies m the town be. asked to aptwo delegates each to meet tire coun- • tV a K F eolal meeting to be held that night week at 8 o clock to for. a control committee.—Seconded by Cr Wright and carried. A GREATER BALCLUTHA. His Worship said he thought the time had arrived when the council should bold” a special meeting to discuss the amalgamation °f Rosebank and North Balclutha with the borough.—Cr Kean said the Finance Committee should have a comparison'made of the rating systems in' borough and county prepared for the special meeting. He would move in that direction,—Cr M'Lintock: “Add that the borough solicitor define the procedure to be followed to bring about amelgamation —The clerk: “It is as plain as daylight in the Act.’—Cr Gonnack seconded '"’■bich was carried with the addition that the borough solicitor be consulted as to procedure.—Cr Gonnack said the extension of the borough had to come. £nS n n- l d 0 ¥ of People, had been hard hit by the increased county rate, and the Power Board rate.—Cr Watf “T haven t heard of people at North Balclutlia wanting to come in. Is it Rosebank that is taking the borough in, or ter ) boro ' Ig 1 takill 8 Rosebank? (Laugh- , ; _ GENERAL. The Works Committee was dejmted to report on the subject of establishing a public convenience. - • . - fa tn l n,wk V °f ! c S a, . at Jvice R was resolved to Pay the chum of the late borough foreman (Mr John Stephens), of £8 Ss for a fortnights holiday that had not been availed of at the time. After a lot of discussion as to the impropriety of the borough workmen taknfßfn. w, f i l ' ° the, -’f i thau the chairman °f the Works Committee, it was carried, on the motion of Crs Watt and Wright, that in future all expenditure by flic Library Committee in excess of fS be first submitted to the council for approval. The Mayor and Cr M’Lintock thought' tnn l ; t | le , ca , se of Library CommitC 1 had a separate revenue, more discretion should be allowed, and that if they wished to purchase, say, £lO worth ot books, they should have the authority do s °, w| thout submission to the coun- , ■ T ' ,e motion limiting the sum to £5 However, was carrie f l without amendment’ ENTERTAINMENT. ' Mr P L Davies, of Dunedin, gave an in tbe „v° - I , 1 , ? Bt assisted by seveOwine to r IS f rom the Primary school. Uwmg to counter attractions the audience was not so large as might have been expocted, when it is considered that the school was to benefit to the extent of half the proceeds.