INGLEWOOD BOROUGH

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXXIII, Issue 57, 2 September 1924, Page 5

INGLEWOOD BOROUGH

A MILESTONE IN HISTORY.

NEW BUILDING OPENED.

Lust night at Inglewood a smoko concert was hold to celebrate the opening of the splendid n-w Municipal and Library building and the connecting up of the town with the New Plymouth hydro-electric scheme. There was a good attendance and many representative citizens were present from various parts of the district, amongst these being Mr R. Masters, M.P., the Mayor and Councillors of New Plymouth, and representatives of the local bodies. The chair was taken by His Worshop the Mayor of Inglewood, Mr J. R. Sutherland. and a lengthy toast list was honored.

The building itself is an imposing one, and is constructed in concrete. The front is taken up by shops, whicn are being let at a satisfactory rental and in the interior are situated the Town Clerk’s office, the Council Chamber, and a splendid library and reading room. The cost was 515000, and the work was carried out by Mr F. Cooper, the architects being Messrs Messenger, Griffiths and Taylor, of New Plymouth. ' NEW ZEALAND PARLIAMENT.

In proposing the toast of the Parliament of New Zealand, coupled with the name of Mr Robert Masters, M.P., Mr J. W. Winfield paid a tribute to the high standard of the past and present members, and stated that in New Zealand some splendid statesmen had held the office of Prime .Minister. The legislation that had been enacted would compare very favorably with that of any colonial Parliament. The member of Parliament had generally a hard time, as he was at the beck and call of his constituents continually. The man whom he liked to see in Parliament was the man who went to Wellington filled with the sense of patriotic duty. The men wanted were those who worked for the general welfare of the country as a whole and not for any one section or district. Mr R. Masters, who, on rising to reply, was received with applause, said that when he heard the toast of “Parliament” proposed and “They are Jolly Good Fellows” sung so enthusiastically, he thought that people in the country were more unanimous in regard to tire many virtues of members of Parliament than were the members themselves. In proposing the toast, Mr Winfield had set an ideal which it would be difficult for the ordinary member to live up to. The speaker thought that individual members of Parliament - in New Zealand compared favorably with the individual members in other parts of the world. The proposer of the toast had referred to the many difficulties with which members had to contend but be that as it may, it was a significant fact that the said members all “broke their necks” to get back again. It had been said that members should endeavor to do the best for the Dominion and not pay too much attention to the wants of any particular district, but he thought that if, as member for the district, he came back and announced that he had not obtained any money for the wants of the district it would possibly tell against him, (Laughter.) It was necessary that he should do his best for his district He congratulated the Mayor and the Council on the progress of the town and on the splendid building which was being officially opened that night. He paid a tribute to the far sight of the ALP. and public men of Inglewood in the early days. As a result of the farsighted policy of those gentlemen, Inglewood Borough Council was in the position of having a fine piece of land and a magnificent building. He expressed congratulations on the sound financial position of the borough, which was probably somewhat unique. The fact that there was a credit balance of £I7OO to £IBOO was a tribute to the work of the City Fathers. Inglewood was fortunate in its Mayor, in its Council, and in its Town Clerk. After all, councils and municipalities had to a great extent to depend upon the clerk in matters of administration. Mr Masters regretted that amongst local bodies there was a tendency to run into debt and towards borrowing. Local body debts had grown enormously. In 20 years the local body debt in New Zealand had grown from £9.240,000 to £37,000,000, while the population had only increased from 789,000 to 1,248,000. The interest paid per head twelve years ago was 12/7, as against 34/7 to-day which was a heavy charge upon local bodies. The National Debt was creeping up, but often those people who criticised most severely were those who were increasing the local body debt in a greater proportion than the national debt was being increased. He thought that the manner of taking polls for the raising of loans was too easy. It should be necessary that a certain proportion of ratepayers should vote in favor of a loan before it could be carried. I In conclusion, Mr Masters voiced the opinion that there was a good future betore Inglewood and the time would come when the settlors would receive the full benefit of their hard work. INGLEWOOD BOROUGH

Mr H. Wilson, the Mayor of New Plymouth, in proposing the toast of the Inglewood Borough Council, said that he had for a long time been intimately connected with Inglewood, and had observed the growth of that, town. They had everything a large borough could boast of, including a Town Hall, which New Plymouth had not. The tramways manager had come through with him, and had spoken in glowing terms of the roads, no doubt thinking of how good they would be for trams. Mr Wilson went on to say that he had been impressed with Dr. Clapp’s report on the oil prospects. Dr. Clapp was a gentleman who reported as he saw fit, and who had the reputation of never having been wrong. He had

not been brought out to report on Taranaki, but on an Australian project which he had condemned. The fact of his reporting favorably on the oil prospects in Taranaki was very promising, and if the prediction of the Doctor eventuated, the prosperity of the district would be unmeasured. In that event it would be no idle dream t 0 say that one day there might be trams running between New Plymouth and Inglewood. , , , In responding, Mayor Sutherland thanked Mr Masters, M.P., and Mr Wilson fob their kind remarks which they had passed. .Inglewood had beefa a borough for about 21 years, an ( f during that time its destinies had been guided by many splendid men. and the satisfactory result of the borough to-day was due in a great measure to their foresight and business capabilities.

He paid a tribute to the past mayors and councillors, and expressed his thanks for the loyal support be was receiving from the present council, the town clerk and the staff. The present council were endeavoring to follow,in the footsteps of their predecessors. He spoke of the necessity for the new building and detailed the various steps taken in procuring it. Councillor Fawcett also responded, and spoke on similar lines to the Mayor, and spoke highly of the town clerk, caretaker and the fire brigade.

Mr H. Trimble proposed the toast of the Inglewood Library, and said it gave him pleasure to do so because his father had been one of the first to be connected with it. That had been in the days of the Provincial Council. It had been called the Inglewood Institute; he traced the progress of the Library from then to the present day. Of those who established the first Libraray there were only a few' now living. The Mayor, in responding, paid a tribute to the early work done by Mr Trimble, for the foresight which had resulted in the splendid position the Library was in. The function that night was to celebrate the opening of the building and also to celebrate the turning on of the light from New Plymouth. His Worship spoke at length on the subject of the electrical supply, and expressed gratification that the scheme ha,d at last eventuated. Other toasts honored were: The New Plymouth Borough Council, Banking and Commerce, The Visitors. the Architects and Contractors, The Staff, The Ladies, and the Press. During the evening a splendid musical and elocutionary programme was provided by the following: Messrs N. Roberts (song), D. Porteons (song), J. W. Smith (song), and Roberts and Porteous Mr R. J. Frewin gave a recitation, and Mr J. R. Sutherland presided at the piano.