MATAMATA COUNTY COUNCIL

Putaruru Press, Volume XX, Issue 1209, 21 November 1946, Page 7

MATAMATA COUNTY COUNCIL

V---. - .. , NOVEMBER MEETING Items From General Business Alport from Or. GL H. Dunham, -vrho was unavoidably absent, there -was a full attendance of members at : the- November meeting of the Matanrnta Oounty Council, which was held at Tiran on Thursday. Okauia Reservje The Department of Lands and Survey, Auckland 1 , wrote stating that ; there-had- been a suggestion that the old school site at Okauia be re-trans-ferred, to the Crown, with the idea of making one acre available for a .public..hall site, and of disposing of the balance of three acres to the Presbyterian Church as a permanent camp, site for the church's youth work* in the East Waikato area. Because there seemed to be a comparative scarcity of public land available for. recreation purposes in the .locality, the views of the council were requested as to whether such £fcisposal of the area was in the ..best interests of the district. The nearest land available for recreation jr purposes under the control of the -- department was the section at the -Wairere Springs, which the council had considered should be held for

public, purposes. The chairman said that it was .. doubtful if the area was large \\ enough for a sports ground. There were springs reserves handy and. he did not think people would camp there in view of the conveniences t the other, sites. .Cr. 3. E. Davidson agroed and said that at a meeting of residents 44 out of .50 attending had supported the suggestion to allow the Presbyterian’ Church to secure the three acres as a youth camp,; leaving the one acre for a hall. The clerk said that Okauia settlers felt that as they had bought two .acres originally to makci the reserve four, that they .. should not have to . buy an area back as a hall site. On the . motion of Cr. Pohlen it ■was decided to agree to the suggcstion that one acre be given to the - Okauia settlers as a hall site.’ and > the balance sold as suggested. Wild; Horses The Transport Department advis0. ed that it had obtained a report regarding wild horses from its chief inspector and also from the Department of Internal Affai-s regarding culling tSfe horses by doer stalkers. The' latter department was reluctant to undertake the work, and the chief inspector stated that there were many straying horses in the district which were not wild, and for this reason he also hesitated to recommand extermination by deer cullers. Cr. J. E. Davidson said that the inspector was only asked to report on the menace. The chairman commented that it was a most ' unsatisfactory reply, but he doubted if it was worth pursuing the. question. The letter was received. ; Putaruru-Tapapa Road The Department of Public Works, Hamilton, acknowledged receipt of a petition from courty ratepayers urging improvements on the PutaruruTapapa main highway. It had not been possible to make provision for large reconstruction works during .the last few years. Although suffiAfcient monetary authority had been ■■voted. this year to enable a start to be made on tha reconstruction of the four miles 60 chains of road to the foot of the Kaimai Hill on the Ma-

tamata-Tauranga main highway, the WPutaruru-Ldchfield deviation on the Waitoa-Wairakei main highway had to be omitted from the 1946-47 estimates. No doubt the position ease next year and it was .suggested that if the council considered . that reconstruction of that main highway should be next on the list, or even take .priority over other ‘highway works in the county, that >plans for improvements should be prepared and forwarded- at an early ■date so that they could be examined • and approved and estimates taken out ready for inclusion in your ■ county’s applications for next year’s main highways estimates. The letter was received.