GENERAL NEWS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCIII, Issue 14349, 15 November 1910, Page 4

GENERAL NEWS.

THE LOANS BILL. Speaking on the New Zealand Loans Act Amendment Bill on Friday "nigiir, Mr Massey gave tlie details of the authorisations for borrowing this ssssion. Tliey .were as follows: — £ Public "Works ... ... 1,750,000 Hutt railway ... ... 35,000 Working railways ... 225,000 "Water power ... ... 500.000 Advances to settlers ... 1,500-000 Advances to -workers ... 500,000 Mining advances 20,000 Loans to local authorities 1,000,000 Land settlement ... ... 500,000 Native land settlpmenfc 500,000 Total ... ...£6.530,000 INEBRIATES' HOME. Tile now home for inebriates whisli has been established by the Salvation Army on Buthe's Island, in the Hauraki Gulf, will be brought into use about December 1, when the men now at Pakatoa will-be transferred to their new quarters. The Army having bought Pakatoa (of whieh. they previously Leld a lease), the home there will be ie- ! taiued as a separate institution for women. Certain repairs will be effected i there after the men axe .transferred to Ruthe's Island. The latter home, which will probably be known as "Roto-roa. ' will be formally opened by Commissioner Hay, on January 17 next, and Paka-. toa will be reopened on the same date. The new home will provide accommodation. for about 100 men, whilst there will be room for about 50 women at Pakatoa. THE DRAINAGE WORKS. At the meeting of the Borough Council last night, Sir' Marehant, drainage engineer, reported as follows on the present contract:—"Excellent progress is being made with the'last section of this by Messrs Fibbes and Cly-ma. All the intricate, difficult and slow work, tunnels, old storm culvert, crossings, etc., about the thickly built "business part of the town, have been completed, and 1 expect the whole thing as far as the original borough area is concerned, to be finished before the end of next year. The only really difficult work sJiead of cs now is the laying of the sted mam across the whole of the railway station yard, in running shingla, uftweeu George street and Hayes rtreat. Jl>i3 will be a very awkward piece of w< rk to execute. It can only on dme m short sections, and when there is no railway traffic. We propose to cciamence it immediately after the N r ;iv Year holidays are over, and I ji-übt if it can be executed in any othr-r im ener than by employing •. iro shirks ■ f men on every Sunday until it IP j finished." j I EFFECT OF AN OLD CROWN CRANT. A serious position has arisen in regard to the public access to the bank 9 of the river Matai, Kelson, whieh the people hare enjoyed ever since Nelson was founded. The legatees of the Richardson estate, who hold an old grant of practically the whole vallev, intend fencing off along the whole length of road except where the road ( crosses the river, which the County Council will not permit. The result is that picnic and camping and fishing resorts, used by thousands every holiday.; will be practically closed to the public. The City Council carried an urgent resolution asking Messrs Graham and Roderick McKenzie. the local Members of Parliament, to induce the Government either to resume the Richardson estate for closer settlement, reserving; a chain on each bank of the river, the river itself to be declared a public recreation reserve, or to acquire the whole area as a scenio ' reserve. Much public money in loading and m building foot and cart bridges lias been spent in the course of years in the Matai Valley, and the city has a waterworks reserve at the other end of the estate, which might cause riparian complications, as bv tlie old grant the whole riverbed belongs to the estate. There is strong public feeling, and great unanimity with regard to the State acouirinc the area for public purposes.