OTOROHANGA COUNTY

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 55, Issue 3938, 11 August 1937, Page 2

OTOROHANGA COUNTY

MEETING OF COUNCIL . GOOD RIDING BALANCES. (Our Resident Representative.) The ordinary monthly meeting of the Otorohanga County Council was held on Tuesday, when the following were in attendance: Crs W. Bluck, (chairman), F. Potts, W. Thomson, R. Dymore-Brown, P. T. Crowley, and W. Simms, with Messrs S. J. Fortescue (county clerk) and G. Jackson (county engineer) in attendance. FINANCIAL STATEMENT. Since the previous ordinary meeting of the Council rates collected indicated an increase of £279 in comparison with the same date last year. The Government subsidy of £925 on general rates has been lodged to the Council’s credit at the bank; consequently each riding has a very excellent credit balance, the financial position of each riding, in comparison with the figures of 1936 in parentheses being as follows: Honikiwi, £415 6s 5d (£475 15s Id); Mangaorongo, £2279 Is 5d (£1403); Waipa, £5ll 5s Id (£358 6s 2d); Wharepapa, £290 18s Id (£244 3s sd); and Te Rau-a-Moa, £245 0s 2d (£422 17s lid). The expenditure out of the riding accounts, with the anual limits in parentheses, is as follows: Honikiwi, £336 18s lid (£600); Mangaorongo, £427 Ils 2d (£900); Te Rau-a-Moa, £230 17s Id (£750); Waipa, £327 6s 5d (£550); and Wharepapa, £414 14s 2d (£900). NOXIOUS WEEDS INSPECTOR. Thirty applications were received for the position of- noxious weeds inspector to the Council for a period of six months, at a salary of £5 per week, with certain conditions regarding expenses, etc. The applications were from all parts of New Zealand, and some of the applicants enclosed references from prominent people, including one from the Prime Minister. One applicant enclosed his photograph, and another stated in his letter that he could demonstrate a cure for burns from sodium chlorate. After careful consideration Mr Noel Smith, of Otorohanga, was appointed to the position. KIO KIO DRAINAGE AREA. It was unanimously decided to strike rates over the Kio Kio drainage area relative to the properties of Messrs J. Cumpstone, L. R. Thompson, W. Hanna, S. M. Palmer, L. R. Alderson, G. D. Hall, T. W. Prestidge, T. P. Rogers, S. J. Sanson, and H. Cornfoot. The total A class land will be rated 2 15-16ths of a penny in the £l, B class 1 7-12 d, and C class 11-12 d on the valuation roll. The total rate thus levied will amount to £B4. First year’s maintafiance of drains is estimated to co>£72 (at 9s per chain

for 160 chains) and £l2 (for 8 chains at 30s per chain). PURCHASE OF SODIUM CHLORATE. The county clerk reported regarding the purchase of sodium chlorate and its availability to settlers for the eradication of ragwort.—The Council decided to retail it to farmers at £2 10s per ton, mixed, and provide transport, or at 35s in drums of 112 lbs. Those requiring sodium were advised to get in touch at once with the county clerk. NOXIOUS WEEDS PROSECUTIONS. The engineer reported that as a result of failure to clear their lands of noxious weeds seven prosecutions would be conducted against flagrant offenders at next sitting of the Magistrate’s Court at Otorohanga. He added that many other warnings had l been issued to careless landowners throughout the county area. DANGEROUS CORNERS. Or Dymore-Brown again brought up the question of menace to school buses and other traffic by the many dangerous comers on the back roads of his riding, and more particularly in the Ngahape area. “ Something must be done straight away,” said the councillor, “ otherwise serious accidents are almost certain to occur. Then, as councillors, we will wake up ! ” Other councillors considered that the work was imperative, but suitable men for that class of work were exceedingly hard to procure. All efforts would be made to have the work put in hand as soon as possible. ROUTINE BUSINESS. A large amount of routine business was transacted and a long list of accounts passed for payment.