LOCAL AND GENERAL

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 53, Issue 3822, 16 October 1936, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Waipa County Council will hold its monthly meeting in Te Awamutu next Monday.

Accounts passed for payment at to-day’s meeting of Te Awamutu Electric Power Board totalled £4323 5s lid.

A statutory first offender for drunkenness, arrested last evening and brought before Mr W. Swain, J.P. at the local Court this morning, was convicted and fined ss.

We learn that at the sitting in Hamilton on Wednesday of the No. 1 Transport Authority the applications for service licenses between Ellicott’s Block and Te Awamutu and from Ellicott’s Block to Hamilton via Cambridge, were withdrawn.

It was shown at to-day's meeting of the Te Awamutu Power Board that the staff has been exceedingly busy during the past month, and the total installations and extensions constituted a record month, there having been a total of 36 connected, including 15 lighting plants, 13 cow plant motors, and 14 separator motors. The grand total of connections in the Board’s area now stands at 4538.

The Mayor and several councillors, on Wednesday, acted on Cr Monteficre’s suggestion, made at Monday evening’s meeting of the Council, and made an inspection of the municipal reserves in the borough, with the objective of preparing at least some of them for lease as residential sites. The subject will probably come before the Borough Council at its next meeting.

A tribute was paid at Tuesday evening’s meeting of the local Chamber of Commerce to the interest in the Chamber’s work shown by officers of State Departments, notably the postmaster and the stationmaster, who at meetings of the Chamber are able to inform other members on matters which are their special concern. One speaker said the Chamber was very grateful for their sustained interest, help, and advice.

Chatting yesterday to a Waipa county official, our representative gathered that there had been a very satisfactory demand by (ratepayers for supplies of sodium chlorate which the County Council is supplying at cost price. Some months ago, in anticipation of the demand, five tons of sodium were ordered, in expectation that this would be adequate for the present season; but the demand quite exceeded expectations, and a further five tons since ordered have already almost all been disposed of.

“ The local Chamber of Commerce is the greatest tie between town and country interests that I have ever visualised,” said a member at the meeting of the Te Awamutu Chamber on Tuesday evening, when referring to the good work already accomplished, and of the endeavours to be of yet more service to the whole community. He contended that there should, therefore, be a greater membership. and suggested that an intensive campaign should be launched to enrol members, especially among the retailers of the town.

Following the expression of a wish some six years ago when he was opening the Putiki Church bazaar to make a donation to be used to encourage Maori art, a cheque for £25 has been received by Canon W. G. Williams from Viscount Bledisloe. This sum will be used to provide a carved pray er desk for the new church which is nearing completion, and the gift will form a memorial to the Rev. Arona Te Hana, who carried on the work of the church from 1876 to 1882. The desk will be carved by members of the Whanganui tribe who have learnt the art.

A new aspect of the deleterious effect of ragwort was referred to with concern at a meeting of the South Auckland branch of the Beekeepers’ Association at Hamilton yesterday. It was stated that ragwort not only did great damage to farm lands, but it affected the quality of honey. Districts which were formerly free of ragwort used to produce clear white honey, but now produced dark, inferior honey, owing to the incidence of ragwort. The weed, it was stated, had become very prevalent in several honey-producing districts and was a serious menace to the industry.

Applause and not a little laughter greeted Mr A. S. Richards, M.P. for Roskill, when he replied to a point concerning finance which Mr P. E. Tingey made in his address at the public meeting at Wanganui last Tuesday night. “Labour is definitely out for the reduction and ultimate abolition of interest and usury,” said Mr Richards, but the only difference, as he saw it, between what the Government was doing and what Douglas credit supporters wanted, was that Mr Tingey was in a V 8 car travelling in top gear, and the Government, knowing there was a precipice ahead, was in second gear and travelling safely.

“ Some of the retailers in Te Awamutu —in fact, too many of them for the good of the town—seem content to take all the benefits deriving from community action,” said a speaker at the Chamber of Commerce meeting on Tuesday evening, when advocating an intensive campaign to enrol more members. He added: “ They stick within the four walls of their business premises and of their homes, quite prepared to look on at the efforts of others to advance the town as a popular trading centre; but they will do absolutely nothing collectively. I call it ‘Te Awamutuitis I’ ” The comment was very timely.

At to-day’s meeting of the Te Awamutu Power Board, a letter was received from the Director, Ministry of Housing, Wellington stating that although the Government’s plans have not yet been finalised, it is the intention of the Ministry of Housing to proceed with the construction of houses for renting. In the meantime it is proposed to concentrate on the .main centres where the problem is most acute, but as early as possible housing schemes for the smaller centres will be instituted. In regard tn local body housing schemes, the details have not been finalised, but as the Government’s plans materialise statements will he released to the Press, and these will keep the Te Awamutu Power Board informed of the Government’s intentions in the matter.

Revenue earned from sales of current during August, according to figures represented at the meeting of Te Awamutu Electric Power Board today, totalled £2510 14s 3d, made up of: Lighting, heating, and cooking, £1453 15s lid; power, £lOO6 Is 8d; penalties and sundries, £2O 16s 8d; street lighting, £3O. For August last year the revenue from the same sources totalled £2203 18s Bd.

Parents throughout the district who are interested in the proposed schools consolidation scheme will be interested to learn that the Auckland Board of Education’s secretary, Mr Dunlop, proceeded south last evening to confer with the Department of Education on several matters, including the one of so much concern "to Te Awamutu district. Further, the Board’s architect was on an official visit to Te Awamutu school yesterday.

The financial statement tabled at to-day’s meeting of Te Awamutu Electric Power Board showed the power fund account in credit £2437 3s 4d, the consumers’ finance account in credit £Bl9 8s Bd, and the loan account in debit £5698 2s lOd. The total debit in all accounts is £2441 10s lOd. The amount due by the loan account to the power fund account, for amounts advanced up to 31st of March, pending the raising of loan money, is £4848 10s 3d.

How actions can be completely misunderstood was evidenced on the Great South Road just south of Kihikihi yesterday. Workmen engaged on the reconstruction task noticed a lot of noise coming from a bus that was trying to negotiate the worst portions pf the road (instead of taking the detour), and one remarked, knowingly: “ It is easy to see where they are going ! ” Obviously he had in mind a certain large institution a mile or two further along. But he was wrong, notwithstanding the yells and snatches of song that “ made the welkin ring,” for a little investigation showed that it was a gay party of ladies en route to attend a function at Kip Kio, and that they were in high good spirits.