CONTROL OF COUNTY

Taranaki Daily News, 21 December 1931, Page 6

CONTROL OF COUNTY

MEETING OF STRATFORD COUNCIL. RATES OF INTEREST ON LOAN'S. The monthly meeting of the Stratford County Council was held on Saturday, when those present were: Messrs. T. R. Anderson (chairman). S. Pitt. W. Vickers, T. T. Murray, W. H. Were, R. Mounsey, J. T. Belcner, L. Bunn and J. C. Best. The Treasury Department acknowledged receipt of the council’s request to increase the interest payable on certain loans to 6 per cent. The Government had effected an all-round reduction in rates of interest of i per cent, and every effort was being made to stabilise rates on the lower basis. Therefore the department suggested that further efforts be made to raise the loans at the rates now authorised. If such efforts proved unsuccessful no objection would be taken to the obtaining of authority to pay interest at 5J per cent. The Department of Health, further ■to its request that the council should agree to the Stratford Borough Council’s being given control of the Patea River in order to prevent pollution of its water supply, stated that the streams which the Borough Council desired to control were those of the Patea and its tributaries above the intake of the town water supply.—The council agreed. Congratulations to'the council on the success of its efforts regarding the tunnelling of the Strathmore Saddle were forwarded by the Strathmore-Te Wera branch of the Farmers’ Union, which noted that the survey of the proposed route had been completed. Messrs. S. Lawrence and F. J. Jones, Upper Hastings Road, waited on the council asking that steps be taken to repair the road, which was in deplorable condition. The road was one of the most thickly populated in the county and gave access to 1100 acres of farms which sent out 100 tons of milk per year. The engineer and the riding members were appointed to deal with the matter. Mr. R. Belk, Tuna, will be advised that the council will not sell to him that piece of land a,t the corner of the Kaiapoi and Salisbury Roads. RADNOR SCHOOL AFTERNOON. CONCERT AND PRIZE-GIVING. An enjoyable afternoon w’as Spent in the Radnor school on the occasion of the breaking-up ceremony and visit of Fatheer Christmas. Mr. Vickers, chairman of the school committee, presented the prizes, and the toys from the Christmas tree were distributed among the children by Father Christmas. The concert programme consisted of: Nursery rhyme, school pupils; recitation, Melville Askew; recitation, Mervyn Vickers; song, school pupils; recitation, Percy Vickers; recitation, Willie Rookes; drill squad, school pupils; recitation, Margaret Hunt; recitation, Five Little Bunnies (Norma Mapp, Margaret Hunt, Mervyn Vickers, Lance Askew, Willie Rookes); recitation, Claude Vickers; song, Gladys Piper; recitation, Jean Rookes; recitation, Norma Mapp; recitation, Isabel Hunt; nursery rhyme, school pupils. During the afternoon Miss Day (teacher) was the recipient of a Christmas box presented by Melville Askew on behalf of the pupils, and afternoon tea was prepared and served .by the ladies. Among those present were Mesdames W. Vickers, J. Vickers, Piper, Hunt, Mapp, M. Davis, C. Davis, Young (Hastings), Askew, Rookes and Read, Misses Day, Piper (2), Vickers and Hunt. GENERAL ITEMS. Mr. E. Pickles, produce manager of the Stratford branch of the .Farmers’ Co-operative Organisation Society Ltd. for five years, was presented last Saturday with a gold fountain pen and pencil by members of the staff. The manager, Mr. W. E. Williams, expressed regret at his departure and extended good wishes, for his welfare in his new home in England. The Stratford County Council received from farmers on Saturday several applications for men under No. 5 unemployment scheme and referred them to the Stratford unemployment committee. “The committee has an officer to attend to aIL this unemployment business and our staff has enough to do without attending to unemployment,” said Cr. S. Pitt. At the annual breaking-up ceremony of the Croydon school, the chairman said the school had been in existence six years and two months and during that period Master L. Crosby had not missed a day. 1 “Motorists are careless sometimes in the way in which they throw lighted material about and cause fires on the roadsides,” said Cr. J. T. Belcher at the Stratford County Council meeting on Saturday. “I know of one case recently where such carelessness resulted in a fire that burned two chains of live hedge on a farmer’s frontage.” The sanitary inspector (Mr. A. E. Sayers) reported to the Stratford County Council on Saturday that during the quarter three cases of scarlet fever, three of pneumonic influenza and eight of diphtheria had been attended to. The Eltham Ladies’ Croquet Club held an honorary members’ day last week, when Mrs. Harro won the honorary members’ competition and Miss McDonald won that for playing members. Competitions for a cake and a rabbit were won respectively by Mesdames R. Harrison and R. Gover. F. Messana was the winner of a competition for half a lamb conducted by the Eltham plunket Society. Opposition to the activities of itinerant traders was expressed at the Eltham Borough Council meeting on Friday. Cr. O’Hagan said that there was a premium of about £lO on such traders in other towns, and he moved that the matter be referred: to the finance committee with a view to framing a by-law to impose a premium. This was agreed to. The Mahoe school had its school break-up and prize-giving on Friday night. Folk songs and dances were given by the children in • most creditable manner, and the demeanour of the, children and their healthy appearance was commented upon by Mr. C. A. Wilkinson, M.P., who presented the prizes. Mr. Wilkinson complimented the teaching staff upon the conclusion of a successful, year’s work.