BRUCE COUNTY COUNCIL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25552, 3 June 1944, Page 2

BRUCE COUNTY COUNCIL

ANNUAL MEETING The annual meeting of Bruce County Council was held at Milton on Thursday morning, and was attended by Crs J. W. Sheat, A. Renton, A. Higgs, H. M. Driver, G. F. Galloway, K. Clark, A. Craig, J. Allison, N. Drinnan, W. C. Smaill, and A. King. The clerk (Mr U. Walker) presided end extended a welcome to the two new councillors (Messrs N. Drinnan and W. C. Smaill), and also congratulated those councillors who had contested elections and been returned. He then called for nominations for chairman for the ensuing year, and Cr Renton, who was the only nominee, was elected. Cr A. Higgs was appointed deputy chairman, and Cr Sheat (the retiring chairman) was voted an honorarium of £SO for last year s services. Ordinary Meeting The ordinary monthly meeting was held in the afternoon, Cr Renton presiding. A welcome was extended the new councillors and. the hope was expressed that their term of office would be pleasant. Crs Smaill and Drinnan replied. . The finance report showed receipts totalling £3B 2s 7d and expenditure £2148 js 7d (hospital levy £4Ol Is 3d purchase of property £1053 4s 9d, works £176). Credit balance at date, £4949 8s 4d. The county inspector reported that during the month 23 cows and two horses had been found wandering on the roads. The secretary of the Lower Clutlia River Trust wrote stating that the matter of granting permission to drag gravel at btirling was being held over pending a reply from the Works Department as to the position..—Councillors were of the opinion that important road works were being held up by the action of the trust, and that the trust was losing revenue through refusing to grant a licence. It was decided to transfer the county drag to a site lower down and carry on with dragging gravel. The River Trust also notified that owing 1o a machine not being available it could not carry out the work of cleaning the 'Clarksville-Moneymore drains. —Left to the members for the riding and the engineer to go into the matter. Cr Driver and the engineer were appointed to a deputation arranged by the Taieri River Trust to wait on the Minister of Works (Mr Semple) in Dunedin to discuss the matter of widening the Taieri River in the gorge above Taieri Mouth with a View to eliminating flood damage. Cr Allison was appointed the council s representative on the District Highways Council. The council decided to support a resolution from the Whakatane County Council urging that as the Government had now imposed on the counties an electors universal franchise, county councils be requested to petition the Government to enact legislation which will provide that all local body funds be subscribed from sources other than rates on land, so that all electors will shoulder the financial responsibility for providing the funds which all electors under a universal franchise will administer; also that a Royal Commission be set up to report and investigate on local body administration in 311 its phases and not a parliamentary commission, which' would not be free from political bias. The Riding System

Notices of motion were tabled that the rates for the current year be the same as last year, and that the riding system be abolished and the general account system adopted by the council. It was decided to place on record minutes appreciative of the services rendered by Cr D. McGregor (who had retired after 21 years’ service) and Cr T. Gage, who had also retired. It was further decided to send a letter of congratulation to Mr and Mrs McGregor on the occasion of their golden wedding at the week-end. At the conclusion of business the chairman referred to the departure of the clerk (Mr U. Walker), who after 11 years service was removing to Patea to a similar position. On behalf of the council, he asked Mr' Walker to accept a substantial cheque, and as a personal gift from the members he handed him a pair of blankets. He congratulated the recipient on his new position and wished him all success in the future. Other members also paid tribute to Mr Walker’s worth, and the latter replied.