PROPOSED TOWN HALL

Taranaki Daily News, 7 June 1930, Page 6

PROPOSED TOWN HALL

SUPPORT OF RATEPAYERS. MOTION. . UNANIMOUSLY PASSED.. Without a dissentient voice a representative attendance of ratepayers recommended to the Hawera Borough Council at a public meeting last night that it should take the earliest opportunity to find the opinion of ratepayers on the question of providing Hawera with a town hall. There were about 50 present, the deputy-Mayor, Mr. E. Morrissey, presiding. • The need for a town hall, municipal building, library, rest room and museum was stressed by Mr, E. Dixon, who stated that the present council chambers were a disgrace to the municipality. ■ He deplored the lack of office accommodation and mentioned the difficulties which .beset various organisations in Hawera. in obtaining a suitable hall at a suitable rental. Owing to the installation of the “talkies” it had been necessary to increase the rental for the Opera House, and with such the case organisations' were experiencing difficulty in making ends meet. Mr. Dixon considered the time was opportune for the council to discuss a comprehensive scheme for the erection of municipal bpildings; The council could raise' a loan of, say, £15,000. This could be procured at the present time at. 5' per cent.,, with 2 per cent, sinking fund. Spread, over 36 years it would cost the borough about £lOOO annually. A revenue of about £5OO a year could be expected from the .various organisations of Hawera. With, a' revenue approaching £3OOO a year from reserves the council should easily be able to make up the deficit. Support was also given by Messrs. H. N. Lester (Municipal Band and Orchestral Society), D. McCormick (Scottish Society), J. Higham and L. A. Taylor. • . The motion, carried.unanimously, was as follows: “Considering that Hawera has grown to such proportions that there should be some' centre for the expression of civic sentiment, for the reason that the town loses the visits of many travelling artists because of their, inability to hire a\ suitable . hall, and ’for the further reason that social organisations in the town are cramped in their activities because of the same lack, this meeting recommends tlie council at the- earliest opportunity to take the opinion of the ratepayers on ■ the proposition of building a town hall, and if such an opinion be favourable to proceed with such erection.”

PERSONAL ITEMS Mr. A. Cout'ts is an ihmato of the Hawera Hospital. He is progressing favourably. Dr. W. F. Buist and Mt. H. G. Dickie, M.P, left last evening for Wellington to represent the Hawera Aero Club at the conference of New Zealand Aero Clu'bs. A motion of condolence with the relatives of the la to Mrs. E. R. Batten, Tokaora, was passed at Thursday’s meeting of tlie Women’s Division of the Farmers’ Union at Hawera. It was stated that Ithe late Mrs. Batten had been a member of the Hawera branch.