COUNTY CONTROL

Taranaki Daily News, 14 November 1934, Page 6

COUNTY CONTROL

WHANGAMOMONA COUNCIL MEETS / GATE FOR TANGARAKAU BRIDGE. General matters concerning the control and maintenance of the Whangamomona County were considered at a meeting of the County Council yesterday. There were present: Crs. N. R. Cleland (chairman), G. Gower, M. P. Ford, WJ. Rawlinson and B. Neutrowski. The Commissioner of Crown Lands at New Plymouth wrote asking why the council had allowed “fifths” to accumulate to the extent of £122 2s lOd. A firm of sawmillers, he said, had written to the State Forest Service with a view to expediting expenditure of the “fifths” which had already accrued, and the service had requested that the matter be dealt with by the land board. It was appreciated, stated the letter, that it was not economical to do small portions of metalling from time to time, and that possibly the council was withholding expenditure of the small amounts as they fell due until such time as a fair sum was in hand, which would warrant a contract for a considerable length of the road being’ let. However, the commissioner desired an explanation for the information of the board. The council was fully alive to the position, said the chairman, but there was no advantage in doing the metalling piecemeal. It was decided to write to the commissioner accordingly. Regarding the council’s request to the Public Works Department for the metalling of the Mohakau Road to give two settlers access, the district engineer, Mr. P. Keller, replied stating that the decision of the head office of the department would be duly forwarded, to the council.

A circular explaining the position of the Main Highways Board subsidy on loose tools on main highways was received from the New Zealand Counties’ Association. A communication received by the Matemata County Council from the local representative of the board, stating that the subsidy payable to any local authority for loose tools used for highway purposes was to be discontinued, had been referred to the board, it was stated, and a request had been made that the order should be modified by the board making a percentage allowance. In its reply, however, the board adhered to its first decision, declaring that the present rates of highways subsidies were very liberal and that local authorities were contributing a relatively small proportion of highways expenditure. The circular was received.

Application for permission to erect a gate on the eastern end of the Tangarakau River bridge at Tangarakau giving access to his holding was made by Mr. W. Shanks, Heao. He had had Considerable trouble with stray stock, he said, and had approached the district engineers of the Public Works Department at Stratford and Hamilton for their approval. Neither engineer had raised any objection. Permission was granted subject to compliance with the regulations.

Repairs to the county cottage at Huiakama were left in the hands of Cr. Ford, with power to act. Dissatisfaction with the chains recently bought for the grader was expressed by several councillors. A new idea for fitting cleats of an agricultural type submitted by Mr; P. R. Fougiere, Whangamomona, was explained by the county clerk, Mr. F. G. Catchpole, and by Mr. Fougiere himself. After inspecting the grader the council decided to place an order with Mr. Fougiere. GENERAL ITEMS. Eltham Schools at Tennis. A team of boys from the Eltham Convent school beat the Eltham public school at tennis. The score was five games to one in favour of the Convent school. Eltham School Cricket. Two cricket teams from Stratford school visited Eltham and played the Eltham boys. The senior visiting team won by 68 runs to 21, but the juniors tied with a total score of 25 runs each. Armistice Silence on Egmont. A unique observance of the Armistice silence was carried out on Mount Egmont’s snowy slopes on Sunday. A party of about 30 climbers gathered at Syme Hut, 6500 feet above sea level at 11 a.m. and observed the customary tribute of two minutes’ silence. Large Trout Landed. Mr. G. Richardson, Stratford, last night lifted a 71b trout from a pool in the Manganui Stream. The fish which was in perfect condition, was just 24 inches long, and put up a splendid fight for half an hour. Mr. Richardson has lifted 11 trout over 41b from the one pool lately. He has not disclosed the whereabouts of the pool. Who’s Dead? “Who’s dead?” several early risers at Whangamomona asked themselves yesterday morning. Others walking down the street later also looked curiously at the post office flagstaff, but they seemed to find cause more for amusement than sorrow in what they saw. Someone with an original idea of a joke had hoisted a decrepit pair of men’s trousers, which waved gracefully at half-mast. Revaluation of County. “The time has arrived when it is desirable that the county should be revalued,” said Cr. M. P. Ford at yesterday’s meeting of the Whangamomona County Council. The Stratford County had been promised a revaluation early next year, he said, and the council should apply to the Valuer-General for a similar measure. The Stratford borough was already undergoing a revaluation, the chairman pointed out. Revaluations by other local authorities in the Stratford hospital district would be putting an extra burden on the Whangamomona county, said Cr. Cleland. The council should ask that the new valuations of the Stratford borough should not come into force, therefore, until the counties were revalued. It was decided to write to the Valuer-General accordingly. Menace of Shags.

Convincing evidence of the depredations of shags among young trout was submitted to the Stratford Acclimatisation Society last night by the secretary, Mr. G. A. Carter, in the form of a chart showing an analysis of the stomach contents of 975 shags shot over a period of 15 years. Altogether 5171 trout were found, together with a small number of other fish, the average length being about four to six inches. The information was compiled by Mr. H. G. Williams, Dunedin. Some of the trout were as much as 19 inches long, it was stated. Mr. Richardson expressed his amazement that a fish 19 inches long could be accommodated within a shag. He had never seen a shag, he said, that looked I as though it could take a fish as big as | that. Mr. Carter said eels he had caught 'had contained portions of fish, and even an almost complete fish about 15 inches I long on one occasion.