GERALDINE.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXV, Issue 19008, 16 October 1931, Page 10

GERALDINE.

GERALDINE BOROUGH COUNCIL. Monthly Meeting. The monthly meeting of the Geraldine Borough Council was held on Wednesday night, the Mayor (Mr 3. R. Macdonald), occupying the chair. There were also present—The DeputyMayor (Mr J. R. Lack), and Councillors E. H. Logan, G. H. Patrick, M. Campbell, J. W. Miller and W. McClure. Before proceeding with the business the Mayor referred to the recent death of Mr J. Steven. Although Mr Steven had been a resident of Geraldine for a comparatively short period, he had done everything possible to carry out his duties regarding the amenities of the town. Mr Steven had spent but a few years in Geraldine, and yet the Mayor did not know of anyone who was so highly respected in the district. A motion of sympathy to the relatives was earned, the Council standing in silence. Finance Committee’s Report. On behalf of the Finance Committee, Councillor W. McClure reported that the receipts for the month amounted to £315/19/10, including rates £127/14/3, sanitary fees £9/5/3, rent £l4/7/6, licenses £2l/5/1, town hall rent £lO, library receipts £5/4/3, refund Unemployment Board Wages Scheme No. 5, £127/13/6, and sundries 10/-. The debit balance at the bank was £llOB/17/11, and accounts for payment amounted to £323/10/6, making a total deficit of £1432/8/5. The report was adopted. Pipes Across Street. Mr T. B. tyteKinlay, Geraldine, who wrote stating that he had completed arrangements with the Geraldine County Council for their water supply, and asked the permission of the Council to put a pipe line across the street at the rear of his residence. In connection with the pipe line through his property connecting the water supply to Mr M. Campbell’s residence, he offered it to the Council at replacement cost, 6id per foot, a total cost of £5/14/3*. The permission desired was granted, and it was decided to purchase the pipe-line at the price quoted, subject to Mr McKinlay agreeing to have a clause inserted in the Borough’s lease to the effect that the pipes were the property of the Council. Municipal Association’s Conference. The acting-secretary of the Municipal Association of New Zealand wrote recalling the fact that owing to the economic depression and the earthquake disaster in Hawke’s Bay, the 1931 conference of the Association which was to have been held in Rotorua early in March last has been postponed. It was now proposed to hold the conference in Wellington on March 2, 1932, instead of at Rotorua. The opinion of Councils was desired on that points as to which location was preferred. The Council was also invited to forward remits for the conference. The Town Clerk, Borough of Rotorua, wrote repeating the Borough’s invitation to hold the Municipal Association’s conference at Rotorua. He urged the advantages of Rotorua as a locale for the conference. It was decided to recommend that the conference be held in Wellington. The matter of forwarding remits was held over till the next meeting. Highways Maintenance. Mr F. Langbein, District Highways Council, Christchurch, wrote asking for a statement showing the rates levied by the Council for the year 1930-1931, and also the rates struck for the year 1931-1932. The Town Clerk (Mr B. Hayes), was instructed to forward the information required. The Main Highways Board advised that all sign-posting carried out on main highways, which was in accordance with the standards laid down by the Board, would carry the same rate of subsidy as that for general maintenance for the time being in force. Centre line marking would be subsidised at the same rate as that for the time being in force for ordinary general maintenance. The approval group schemes for which a £1 for £1 subsidy had already been granted would now carry a subsidy of £2 for £l. In connection with traffic inspection generally, local authorities which had not joined a group scheme should be informed that the Board was very disappointed at the poor response to its previous offer under which an approved group received a subsidy of £1 for £1 on the salary and expenses of a traffic inspector, and the above increase was evidence of the Board’s desire to assist in extending traffic control. It would appear that quite a number of local authorities did not

apprehend the enormous damage which was done to roads by non-compliance with the regulations, and that they had a splendid opportunity whereby road maintenance costs could definitely be reduced if the use of roads was kept within the limits allowed by the regulations. The Mayor remarked that Geraldine was already included in one of the traffic groups, and had recently appointed a traffic inspector, one of whose duties would be to check the weight of heavy vehicles which were responsible for much of the wear and tear on the roads. The letter was deceived. The Main Highways Board advised that £lO7, with a £2 for £1 subsidy, had been allocated for the Geraldine Borough section of the ChristchurchDunedin main highway (£67), and the Kakahu Road-Geraidine Borough Boundary (£3O > on the GeraldineFairlie, via Cattle Valley route.—Received. Traffic Control. The County Engineer, Mackenzie County Council, wrote asking the Council to execute ■ a further warrant for Mr W. R. Ashwell (the recently appointed joint traffic inspector), under Section 15 of the Motor Lorry Regulations, 1927.—1 t was decided to execute the warrant. The Commissioner of Transport, Wellington, who wrote in reference to the request of the Council to have Messrs H. C. Bennett and E. Undrill, garage proprietors, Geraldine, appointed testing officers under the Motor - drivers’ Regulations, advised that it was preferable that the testing officers appointed should be local body officers and the appointment in future of garage proprietors and others similarly in private business as testing officers was not likely to be approved save in exceptional circumstances. He would, therefore, be obliged if the Council could see its way to appoint local body officers as testing officers. If they desired to press the appointment of Messrs Bennett and Undrill, the Council should forward their reasons for so doing. The Council decided to appoint Mr H. Lord of the Council’s staff as testing officer. District Unemployment Committee. The Town Clerk, Timaru, wrote advising that the Unemployment Board visited Timaru on October 9th, and met members of the Local Unemployment Committee and of the District Council of Unemployment. The deputy-chair-man of the Board pointed out that it was the Board’s proposal to establish in each district a small representative committee more particularly of the rural district to work in 'conjunction with the district Government officers such as the Commissioners of Crown Lands and deal on the spot with certain matters which could be better dealt with locally than by reference to the Board in Wellington. The following resolution passed at the meeting was acceptable to the Board: —“That one member each, selected by (1) the Waimate Borough and County (2), Geraldine Borough and County (3), Mackenzie County (4), Levels County, Pleasant Point Town Board and Temuka Borough, (5) Timaru Borough be the local body representatives on a South Canterbury Executive of the Unemployment Board to exercise powers delegated from time to time by the Board. He asked to be notified of the Geraldine Borough and County’s representative. It was decided to recommend that the Geraldine Unemployment Committee appoint a representative. Motor Lorry Tenders. As the hour was late, the Council decided, on the motion of Councillors Campbell and Logan, that the Mayor and Councillors Lack, Miller and McClure, be appointed a committee to examine and classify the tenders received for the supply of a motor-lorry, and that the matter be finalised at a special meeting of the Council this evening. Borough Reports. The Health Inspector (Mr J. Menzies) reported that he had made eight sanitary inspections during September. No cases of infectious diseases had been reported during the month. The borough engineer (Mr F. Gaby), reported that 11 head of cattle and one horse had been impounded during September. The Librarian (Mrs E. Pierce), reported that 982 books had been issued during the month. Two subscribers had rejoined for a year. The subscribers were asking for new books. One of the vases had been stolen from the rest room. * Subscriptions totalled £5/3/- and extras 1/3 during the month. The Overseer (Mr B. Hayes), reported that the usual sanitary service and house to house collecting of rubbish and garbage has been carried out, and street scavenging attended to, water channels being cleaned and drains in various parts of the borough repaired. The generator of the acetylene gas plant was dismantled and removed from the gas house to the Council yard. A quantity of binding material had been spread over shingle at the lower end of Wright Street, to make a better approach into the park from this street. The water race and overflow had received attention, the reservoir being cleaned out and adequate supply of water maintained. The unemployed were engaged cutting and grubbing gorse and blackberry through the bush, and along the water race. An extension was made to the pipe drain on Peel Street, and sundry jobs attended to in the yard, also an extension made of the proposed rubbish tip. The reports were adopted. PROPOSED JUVENILE LIBRARY. At the meeting of the Geraldine Borough Council on Wednesday evening, Councillor E. H. Logan, chairman of the Library Committee, reported that Mr A. F. Barrell, headmaster of the Geraldine District High School, had waited on him in regard to the proposal to inaugurate a children’s library at the Town Hall. A number of books had been given, and it was hoped that the Council would grant the use of a small room at the Town Hall which would be quite suitable for a children’s library. Councillor Logan moved, and Councillor J. W. Miller seconded, that the Council grant the use of a room. The Deputy-Mayor (Councillor J. R. Lack), opposed the use of a room unless there was proper supervision. It would not do to have a lot of children scrambling about the Town Hall. Councillor Logan explained that the juvenile library would only be open when a teacher was present and the children would be under his supervision. The motion was carried. CARD MATCH. The following is the result of the card match played between Victoria Lodge No. 18. Geraldine, and Alexandrovna Lodge, Temuka, for the “Mug’s Spoon” (Geraldine hames given first): —G. Johnson and R. Tagg 4 v. J. Preddy and J. Young 6; J. Webb and H. Maister 4 v. L. Preddy and V. O’Connor 6; H. Smith and P. Russell 5 v. M. Swap and I. Schrader 4; L. Mitchell and B. Richardson 9 v. W. Berry and B. McLaughlan 5; G. Waller and G. Patrick 4 v. J. Ritchie and A. Young 4; E. Allen and F. Demus 6 v. G. Harris and B. Harrison 5; S. Stonehouse, Jas. Waller and Jno. Walle:- 2 v. W. Galbraith, E. Miles and B. Da /is 7.