ONCE PATEA MAYOR

Taranaki Daily News, 7 December 1934, Page 8

ONCE PATEA MAYOR

SERVICES OF MR. P. S. FINLAYSON PRESENTATION AT DEPARTURE. Mr. P. S. Finlayson, formerly Mayor of Patea, and a man prominent in public affairs, was farewelled by the members and staff of the Patea Borough Council on Tuesday before his departure from the district. The Mayor, Mr. F. Ramsbottom, presided and said they could not let the occasion pass without availing themselves of the opportunity of showing some appreciation of the services rendered to the town by Mr. Finlayson, who possessed a record of stewardship that was hard to beat and had probably done more for the town than any other mayor. He had studied and qualified as a civil engineer in order that his job as streets supervisor could be more efficiently done in the ratepayers’ interest. . \ A review of the figures during Mr. Finlayson’s term of office was a revelation. For example, an overdraft of £705 had become a credit of £783, assets had increased from £42,266 to £49,632, and electricity sales climbed from £1742 to £3632. Mr. Finlayson was responsible for the concrete channelling of many streets and the installation of the Diesel engine, one of the best investments ever made by the council, which ranked among the pioneers of Diesel plants for power generation in New Zealand. AU this was achieved by Mr. Finlayson, in addition to his work for other Patea organisations and the handling of his own business. Mr. Ramsbottom presented to Mr. Finlayson a wallet as a small token of the esteem in which he was held. All wished him long life and good health. The Mayor’s remarks were endorsed by Cr. T. J. Scott, who said that as a councillor during Mr. Finlayson’s- mayoralty he could say that the business was always transacted in a workmanlike manner, and every courtesy had always been extended to those at the council table. On behalf of the Patea Seaside Improvement, Society he thanked Mr. Finlayson for the co-operation he had shown from the first in support of the society’s plans to develop the beach area. His departure from the district would mean a distinct loss. Although not associated with Mr. Finlayson as mayor, Cr. J. Haworth said that he was in constant contact with him in business and he had found him an upright citizen. Cr. F. S. McKenna said it was in business associations that he had known Mr. Finlayson best, and in that he had nothing but admiration for him. Mr. L. W. Austin, town clerk, said his opinion of Mr. Finlayson’s work as mayor was gained from the figures, which conveyed more than any words he could employ. He had proved a long-headed business man and left the mayoral chair with a greater volume of profits than there had been losses when he took over. Mr. J. O. Cunningham, electrical engineer, referred to the excellent investment in the Diesel plant, and Mr. E. F. Hemingway mentioned the support Mr. Finlayson had given the domain board. Mr. Finlayson in reply said what had been done had been the result of the support of the council and the co-opera-tion of the staff, and without them he could have achieved nothing. He looked back on his period of office with a certain amount of pride, a period of battles and hard debates, with no bad feeling. The Diesel had proved a useful adjunct to the local power undertaking. He had been of the same opinion as the small band of enthusiasts who believed a resort could be made of the then inaccessible beach. His work with them to help Patea was a duty and a labour of love. He'had been in the background of .public affairs lately, Mr. Finlayson continued, and he was pleased to notice that younger members were stepping into the shoes of the older men. Had Mrs. Finlayson not looked after his business he could not have given public affairs the time he had, and much of the credit was due to her. Mr. Finlayson was afterwards the guest of the Patea Municipal Band and the Patea volunteer fire brigade. PERSONAL ITEMS. Mr. J. W. Harding, clerk to the Hawera County, Council, was at yesterday’s meeting granted extended leave. With Mrs. Harding he will leave Hawera on December 12 for Wellington, taking the Monowai for a trip to Sydney and Melbourne. The Rev. Canon J. H. Sykes, vicar of All Saints’ Church, Kilbimie, Wellington, has been appointed vicar of Manaia in succession to .the Rev. C. W. Solomon, who has been appointed vicar of St. Peter’s, Gonville, Wanganui. GENERAL ITEMS. Duke of Gloucester’s Visit. i An invitation to the Hawera county councillors to take part in the official reception to the Duke of Gloucester on January 3 was received from the Hawera Borough Council at the monthly meeting yesterday. Nolantown’s Cricket Win. Nolantown had an easy win over Hawera in a mid-week cricket competition game at Hawera, the scores being 151 to 41 and 68. In Hawera’s first innings Fraser took four wickets for 8 runs and Kennedy three for 8, and in Nolantown’s innings the chief scorers were Fleet 38, Kennedy 28, Fraser 25 and Gould 22. Pritchard took four for 48 and Stevens three for 27. In Hawera’s second innings Gray and Campbell scored 12 each. Red Cross Donation. The South Taranaki centre of the Red Cross Society at a meeting at Hawera on Wednesday decided to make a donation of £3 to a fund established by the New Zealand Red Cross Society for the purpose of sending a New Zealand nurse to England for training under the Florence Nightingale Memorial scheme. Training will take place at Bedford College, and , the New Zealand Red Cross Society is aiming to raise £2OO. Boy’s Leg Injured. While playing in the Manaia school grounds recently Trevor Bennett, son of Mr. and Mrs. E. S. Bennett, fell and injured his shin bone. He was admitted to the Hawera hospital and it was discovered the shin bone was split between the ankle and the calf. He is progressing favourably. ADVERTISERS’ ANNOUNCEMENTS. The election of the most popular man is one of the competitions to be held at the Auroa Methodist Christmas fete tonight. There will be competitions, various stalls and musical items, and the prices of admission are very reasonable. Full particulars are advertised in this issue.