OTOROHANGA COUNTY

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 64, Issue 4560, 15 April 1942, Page 5

OTOROHANGA COUNTY

MEETING OF THE COUNCIL MONTHLY BUSINESS The monthly meeting of the Otorohanga County Council was held on Monday, when there were present: Crs V. W. Simms (chairman), Angus Jamieson, W. Thomson, J. L. Wallis, H. E. Walters, and G. D. Hall. An apology for absence was received from Cr H. C. Grierson. CANNON’S ROAD The engineer (Mr B. McKenzie) reported that the tender of Mr E. Beet at £677 13s 6d had been accepted for Cannon’s Road. The earthwork had been completed and metalling begun. The native settlers on this, road had formed over a mile of this road by voluntary labour and asked that the Council provide the necessary culverts, which would cost about £lB. The latter request was referred to Cr Wallis, the member for the riding, to investigate. CONSTRUCTION CONTROL The engineer further reported that notices had been received from the Building Controller that all construction works which could be considered defence works or essential to the Dominion’s war effort were to be prosecuted in such a manner that the work could be abandoned within seven days and left in a structurally safe condition. A return of all County machinery and plant and particulars of drivers and skilled and unskilled men employed was also required. Details of works under construction and the number of men employed on them were also asked for. The engineer was instructed to supply the necessary information. TE AWAMUTU HOSPITAL When a letter notifying a meeting of the Te Awamutu Hospital Committee was received, the chairman said that he had been unable to attend owing to a prior engagement at Westfield. He added that a meeting of the Waikato Hospital Board would be held at Hamilton on Thursday, April 23rd, when a sub-commit-tee would submit a report outlining a policy for the Board to adopt, if it, thought advisable, in regard to the requests for the erection of subsidiary hospitals at Te Awamutu and Te Aroha. GENERAL BUSINESS It was decided to oppose the holding of a Counties’ Conference in Wellington this year owing to the warsituation and also to protest against raising the annual subscription from £7 7s to £9 9s, the time for doing so being regarded as extremely inopportune. The New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Company wrote declining to contribute to the cost of constructing turn-abouts on the county roads for milk and cream lorries. The Minister of Defence wrote stating that the Council’s request for the arming of the Home Guard was at all times receiving the attention of the Government. Certain equipment had already been issued, and more would be sent out as it became available. It was unanimously agreed to support a protest by the Te Kuiti Borough Council against the present system of hospital taxation, it being contended that all hospital expenditure should come out of the Social Security funds. Cr Jamieson inquired the possibility of ratepayers in the special area for the clearing of .willows in the Mangaoronga stream’being relieved of further liability since the work had been suspended, probably for the duration of the war. It was stated by the County Clerk that it would be legally impossible to do this since the annual interest and sinking fund charges on a loan of £lOOO had to be met. The matter was , not pursued further. BENZINE WASTED Cr Jamieson referred to the wastage of benzine in the matter of the running of a school bus. The driver had to motor into Otorohanga each morning, take the bus out, then take it back to the terminus and into town in the afternoon and then motor home again. The chairman said similar conditions, if not worse, obtained on other roads. If a house were available at the country end of a run, 50 per cent of the benzine would be safe. Cr Wallis held that the school bus could be run on a more economical system, both as regards the petrol consumption and road wear. After a brief discussion, it was decided on the motion of Cr Jamieson, seconded by Cr Wallis, to take up the matter with the Education Department with a view to a more economical method of running, thus conserving petrol and tyres and reducing the road wear, could be devised. The next ordinary meeting was fixed for Monday, May 4, and the annual one for Wednesday, May 27.