NEW COUNTY CHAMBERS

Taranaki Daily News, 20 December 1924, Page 7

NEW COUNTY CHAMBERS

PROGRESS AT INGLEWOOD.

OFFICIAL OPENING CEREMONY. INTERESTING REMINISCENCES. Another important epoch in the history of Inglewood was marked yesterday, the occasion being the official opening of the substantial new offices recently erected for the Inglewood County Council. At the invitation of the councillors a representative gathering assembled in the spacious council chambers.

Mr. R. Stuart (chairman of the Inglewood County Council) presided. Others present included the members of the council, with the clerk and engineer, Alessrs. J. R. Sutherland (Mayor of Inglewood), H. Peters, J. Brown, H. Trimble (ex-chairman of the Moa Road Board). C. 8. List (president of the Inglewood Chamber of Commerce), V. Griffiths (architect), F. C. Cooper (builder), and others who have been connected with the road board or council. Apologies for absence were received from Messrs. R. Masters, AI.P., A. Corkill (ex-chairman of the Inglewood County Council), Crs. Harding and E. A. Lawrence, Messrs. J. B. Simpson. W. S. Cameron. T. M. Ball, D. P. Porteous and C. H. Weston.

The office was first inspected by the gathering, the complete nature of its appointments evoking much favourable comment. It is a splendid building, and reflects credit on the work of the architect and the builder. The building, which is situated at the corner of Rata and Cut field Streets on the main road from New Plymouth, is of pleasing design, being on plain Grecian lines. It is built throughout in concrete, finished with Atlas cement and silver sand. Entrance is by a flight of steps, swing doors opening into a public lobby with a central office fitted with counter, etc. Off the main office is a commodious room for the clerk, with a separate entrance from the main office, While there :s also a commodious strongroom. On the opposite side of the lobby there is an engineer’s room, replete with tables, etc.

Entering by a glass door, the rear of the building comprises a spacious council chamber, 25 feet by 18 feet. This is well lighted and ventilated on three sides. The ceilings throughout are of fibrous plaster, the building thus being practically fire-proof. The walls are finished in cement plaster, the council chamber being, kalsomined to door height.. It is fitted throughout with electric heating and electric I’ght, and the floors are covered in cork linos, the council chamber having inlaid lino. ROAD BOARD TO COUNTY. A dainty afternoon tea was dispensed by a committee of ladies comprising Mesdames Stewart, Harding, O’Sullivan, Young, Brown and Larsen, and Misses Frewin and Young. Afterwards a lengthy toast list was discussed, opening with the loyal toast, proposed by the chairman and enthusiastically honoured. ‘The Parliament of New Zealand” was proposed by Mr. H. R. Billing and responded to by Mr. H. Trimble, who. I in the course of his address, expressed I regret at the illness of Mr. R. Masters. J M.P., and the Hon. O. Samuel, and exi pressed the wish that they would be j soon restored to health. He paid it tribute to the work of both these gen- • tlemen for the help they had always willingly given to all public matters brought before their notice.

Tn proposing the principal toast, that' of the Inglewood County Council, Mr Sutherland stated that he had been associated with Inglewood for the past forty years and had always taken a very keen interest in the district, even before he became associated with its local politics. He recognised the splendid. work done on the road board by men of the type of Messrs. Peters, Brown and Trimble, and others, and considered that the district had been fortunate in finding such men to give their time in the face of the trials and difficulties met in the early da vs.

From the road board had * emerged the county council, with its increased responsibilities in the added mileage of roads. The first council consisted of leading farmers of the district with experience of public body work. He congratulated them on having erected such magnificent offices, which would house the council for all time. He was particularly pleased that they had decided to erect the offices in the main street, as they were a distinct acquisition to the town.

Continuing, Mr. Sutherland said the greatest difficulty local bodies had had to contend with during the past few years had been the reading problem, in order to cope with the altered traffic conditions, and he -was pleased to see that the council was adopting.a’permanent class of road. The speaker congratulated the County Council on having attained the dignity of securing its own offices within seven years of its establishment, while it had taken the Borough Council eighteen years to do so. RAISING OF THE LOAN. Tn responding, the chairman expressed thanks to the speakers for their congratulations, and endorsed the remarks regarding Air. Masters, to whom he tendered his thanks. He also expressed thanks for the assistance rendered by Mr. C.. 11. Weston and Mr. T. Al. Ball, district engineer of the Public Works Department. It was, he said, seven years since he took his seat on the road board, and this was the fourth office he had shifted to. Alembers of the old road board had been unanimous in the decision that as soon as they foimed the county they would endeavour to-raise a loan for new offices and read construction. Unfortunately, the council was not unanimous, and it was nearly three years before the proposals were placed 'before the ratepayers, who rejected them.

However, six months laterthe council put the proposals forward again, and they were carried. The council had led ratepayers to believe that the offices would be erected at the council’s yards, and that was their honest intention, but owing to the additions to the plant, etc., there was not room there. The majority of the council decided on the present site, and after delays due to the tenders exceeding the money available, the present offices had been built. He thought all would agree that the contractor had carried out the work very satisfactorily.

Or. J. Hunter stated that he had been associated with the district prior to the foi mation of the road board. When he

joined the latter about eight years ago he recognised that there was not room for two local bodies to control the same area, and that the Aloa Road Board would either have to go or a new county be formed. He joined in advocating the latter idea, which later proved successful. He touched on the difficulties that were met with in obtaining the ratepayers’ consent to the road loan, stating that he had opposed the loan not 'because lie was opposed to the reading proposals, but because he wanted to wait until such time as the Alain Highways Board came into existence, when they would get a subsidy. He was proud of his action, he said, because the mile of road laid down before the Act came into force had cost £3200, and had this been delayed a few months it would have carried a subsidy of £l6OO. What would the ratepayers have lost, he asked, had the loan been carried earlier and five or six miles been laid down? He favoured building roads to suit Hie traffic.

Air. J. Grieve considered that in the, new buildings they had a good office. He expressed confidence in the future, considering that with their engineer and staff the roads, when completed, would be regarded as model roads in Taranaki. Cr. J. F. Young expressed regret that Mr. Gorki 11, who was practically the founder of the county, was not present. In proposing “Ex-Councillors and Aloa Road Board Members,” Cr. Jones expressed pleasure at seeing present so many of the pioneers in local politics in the district. It was largely due to their self-sacrificing efforts that the district was so progressive. EARLY HISTORY. Air. H. Peters, <f the grand old man of Kaimiro,” who was chairman of the road board as far back as 1878, expressed himself as astonished at the progress that had been made. He contrasted the offices that he first occupied, a sleigh or hen-house, at the back of the old Government buildings, with the magnificent offices they were opening that day. The old office in whicji he had spent many a cold night, for the . meetings were nights, had since been converted into a library.

.The first Moa Road Board, he said, was elected In 1876 by . a show; of hands, the boundaries 'being defined as from Mt Egmont to the Waiwakaiho River, about two miles from Egmont Village,, thence across country, to the Mountain Road at the Waiongona River, thence across country to the Alanganui River and to Aft. Egmont, thus taking in a good deal of the present Stratford county. The newly-elected members hardly knew what to do, how to collect the rates, or how to expend them when they were collected —the rates were so small.

In 1878, when he was elected to the board, the revenue at |d on the capital value was £3OO, and this had to be spent over 60 miles of track, so each road received very little. Their office expenses, however, were very light, there being no clerk to pay and no rent or office furniture. The settlers found it difficult to pay their rates, and used

to work them out, in many cases, on the roads. In 1886 the Loans to Local Bodies Act was introduced, and the Aloa Road Board was the first to take advantage of it, borrowing £6OOO, which meant an additional £3OO in rates. This was spent in metalling various roads in proportion to the rates collected. He pointed out that in those days ratepayers were dissatisfied with their local body members, and at Tariki he himself was burnt in effigy. ROADS CRITICISED. ATr. J. Brown said that he could congratulate the district on its offices, hut not on its roads. He arrived in the district in 1881 and in 1885 complained to the Road Board about his road. In consequence he was elected to the board and had been -connected with local politics ever since. He pointed out that In those -days as much work was carried out for £6OOO as would be done for many times that sum to-day. In concluding, he expressed the opinion that they had not yet arrived at the solution of the reading problem. The roads of to-day cost too much for maintenance, and it was for the engineering experts to discover the reason. Personally he did not believe in tar-sealing the roads, as he thought that was beginning at the wrong end. They should begin at the foundation.

Air. H. Trimble also brieflly replied,

“The Inglewood Borough Council” was proposed by Cr. J. Hunter, who congratulated the Borough Council on the proJgress that had been made since the town was constituted a borough. He considered that an injustice was being inflicted upon borough councils by the Highways Board in not subsidising th® construction of main roads where they passed through boroughs. The Alayor of Inglewood, in returning thanks, agreed with the proposer of the toast that it was decidedly unfair that small boroughs, which had to carry so much through traffic,- had to construct their main roads, and only received £1 in £3 subsidy on maintenance. “Commercial Interests” was proposed by Mr. Trimble. Mr. C. S. List (president of the Chamber of Commerce) responded. IMPORTANCE OF DISTRICT. Mr. A. T. Kenrick, who also replied, gave some interesting figures of the importance of the district, showing that last year the value .of its products amounted to nearly £300,000, viz., butte.’ £166,000, cheese £63,000, and bacon, etc., £36,000. In addition there was wool, and soon, he hoped, oil. He stressed the need for co-operation between town and country, and referrerl to the splendid work done by the. Inglewood Chamber of Commerce since its resuscitation eighteen months ago. “The Architects an d Contractors,” was proposed by Mr. j. Sutherland and responded to by Air. Griffiths and Air, F. C. Cooper. In responding to the toast of the 'staff, the clerk (Air. Larsen) 'stated that it was a very regrettable fact that in the majority of local bodies the rate.payers always showed ingratitude to those whom they elected to- carry out.

their local body work, and generally the latter had to carry out their programme in face of opposition. In Inglewood, however, he found that the council possessed the confidence of the ratepayers, and he was satisfied that the council’s policy would prove very satisfactory to ratepayers. When the main road was completed, the result, he expected, would b 3 a reduction in rates. He paid a tribute to the work of the late clerk (Mr. S. E. Neilsen) and to his assistant (Aliss Frewin), who was given an enthusiastic greeting.

Air. C. A. Clarke (engineer) also touched ou the difficulties of loading in a county which had to carry such a length of main highway. “The Ladies” was proposed by Cr. D. A. Brown and responded to by Me»* dames Stuart and Harding. “The Press” was proposed by Mr. Armstrong and responded to by the Press representatives present.

Three cheers for the ladies and the singing of “Auld Syne” concluded a pleasant gathering.