OTOROHANGA COUNTY

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 59, Issue 4185, 13 September 1939, Page 8

OTOROHANGA COUNTY

MONTHLY MEETING OF COUNCIL. GENERAL BUSINESS. (Our Resident Reporter.) The Otorohanga County Council met on Tuesday, when the following were in attendance:—Crs P. T. Crowley (chairman), W. Bluck, J. L. Wallis, W. A. Thomson, A. Jamieson, W. V. Simms and H. G. Grierson, with Messrs S. J. Fortescue (county clerk) and Gerald Jackson (County engineer). WELCOME TO NEW COUNCILLOR. The chairman, Mr P. T. Crowley, on behalf of the Council, extended a welcome to the recently-elected Councillor for the Te Rau-a-Moa Riding, Mr J. L. Wallis, who fills the vacancy caused by Mr F. Potts leaving the district. Cr Wallis thanked the Council for the warm welcome, and stated that whether his stay as a councillor was long or short, he trusted that he would leave the Council table with something approaching the splendid record of his predecessor in office. In any case, he would do his utmost in the interest of the ratepayers who returned him to office, and for the County generally. FINANCIAL STATEMENT. The rates collected since last meeting have shdwn a slight improvement, the adverse sum of £715 being reduced to £632, in comparing the figures with the same period last year. Since the last meeting of the Council the Government inspectors have audited the accounts to date, and the printed balance sheet for the year ending 31/3/39 will be available at the next meeting of the Council. After five months’ expenditure, all the Ridings still show credit balances. The following are the balances of the respective Ridings:— Credits. Honikiwi £B2 0s Id, Mangaorongo £1075 9s 7d, Te Rau-a-Moa £665 Ils sd, Waipa £326 6s 9d, Wharepapa £403 0s sd. The expenditure out of Ridings Funds are as follows:—Honikiwi £154 19s lid, Mangaorongo £587 17s 6d, Te Rau-a-Moa £246 13s 2d, Wharepapa £437 Ils lOd.

NOXIOUS WEEDS. Mr Noel Smith, noxious weeds inspector to the County, reported that since last meeting he had started another gang of workers and now has 27 men operating in the County area. Many properties are booked up for' assistance, but he cannot establish camps at Korakonui and Maihiihi until the man-power will be available. CENTENNIAL MEMORIAL. The question of support to a Centennial Memorial was fully considered. Crs Simms and Wallis considered that owing to the World War, all moneys should be rigidly conserved and nothing spent that was not imperative. Crs Bluck, Jamieson and Grierson considered that the planting of trees was a cheap and satisfactory way out of the matter, and it was decided to adopt this method. SUBDIVISION ROAD. The matter of taking over a proposed road in a subdivision of a residential block fronting on to Kakamutu Road, Otorohanga, was considered and left in abeyance in the meantime. TRUCKS PURCHASED. The clerk reported that two Chevrolet 3-ton trucks had been ordered, and he would endeavour to have the vehicles delivered as soon as possible. A purchaser of the old truck was available. The half-ton truck had been purchased. THE COUNTY RANGER. It was decided to instruct the County ranger, Mr Meredith, to make regular tours of the back country roads, as many complaints were received of straying stock in out-back localities. SHEEP WORRYING. Owing to complaints of sheep worrying (in the Honikiwi Riding), Cr Simms wanted to know whether the dog tax ranger carried a rifle with him in order to destroy killer dogs ? He was assured that the ranger, with the consent of the dog owners, shot any dogs that worried sheep. SODIUM CHLORATE. The clerk was authorised to purchase a further twenty tons of sodium chlorate to supplement the eight tons the County has now on hand. The price has increased to 37s 6d per ton. DRIVERS’ LICENSES. The Council were concerned regarding the Government proposal that all drivers’ license fees for the future would be collected by the post office. Cr Simms was of the opinion that if this method of collection is given effect to, the ratepayers would have to find something between £3OO and £4OO in increased rating for the future. DRAINAGE. Two applications were received from farmers requiring culverts to be lowered for the purpose of draining their lands. The work proposed would be done partly or wholly at the public expense. There was, it was stated, no legal obligation on the Council to spend any public money on these culverts. The Council has no definite rule as to whether or not it will contribute to the cost of such lowering or provision of culverts.—Left in abeyance. BENZINE INCREASE. The truck hirers to the County asked for an increase of 4d per gallon on the benzine used to compensate for the recent State tax. —On the

motion of Cr Simms, seconded by Cr Thomson, no action will be taken. Owing to change in ownership of sections adjoining the Public Pound, it was found necessary to re-organisc the Pound fences to exclude the public road, and thus give the owner of an adjoining property (Mr Sowerby) legal access to his property. This was decided upon. It was disclosed that the benzine restrictions caused a councillor of Wharepapa Riding to ride 30 miles (there and back) to attend the meeting, his mode of transport being a bicycle.

Messrs Grierson and Simms were appointed the County delegates on the Otorohanga branch of the Defence League. Owing to the war, which prolongs marriage engagements, two lady members of the office staff who had tendered their resignations, have agreed to remain in office in the meantime.—Approved. A communication from the Te Awamutu Physical Welfare and Recreation Committee was fully considered.—On the motion of Cr Wallis, seconded by Cr Simms, it was unanimously decided to have nothing to do with the suggestions proposed.

Several councillors were strongly of the opinion that the organisation had nothing to do with County blatters. TRANSPORT OF WORKERS. A communicatiaon from Messrs M. J. Hilder and Sons, and A. B. Carter (two Otorohanga carrying firms) regarding the transport to and from their work of ragwort workers, was considered. They asked for a larger share of the Council’s business in this respect as they claimed that another 1 carrying firm, Mesrs Whittington and Perry, got the bulk of the County transport.—lt was considered that the request was a reasonable one, and provided that the applicant firms gave as good service as Messrs Whittington and Perry had rendered in the past, the clerk will distribute the transport work in a more equitable manner. An application from a Honikitvi Riding ratepayer for a reduction of his rate, now £163 overdue, to £lll provided payment is made within a month, was carefully considered. It was thought that the ratepayer should pay the full amount due, and a tesolvt" tion was carried to this effect.