RICCARTON RECORDS

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17569, 20 June 1925, Page 24 (Supplement)

RICCARTON RECORDS

COROUGH NOTES AND NEWS

By Our Special Correspondent.

THE LATE PRIME MINISTER. At Monday night’s meeting of the Ricrarton Borough Council it was decided to open a subscription list for residents’ contributions to the proposed national memorial to the late Prime Alinister, the Right lion AY. F. Alassey. A FOOTBALL FATALITY. Riccarton folks were shocked to learn that one of our local footballers had succumbed to injuries received in a recent match. Norman Glasson was one of the stalwarts of the AVharenui team, and very popular among his clubmates. Much sympathy is expressed for his widow and relatives, the latter being very well known, as Air Glasson, sen., has been a resident of the district for a great number of years. The AVharenui Club is promoting a benefit social in order to raise funds for the widow, and a liberal response is expected. BOROUGH COUNCILLORS ON | TOUR. It would have been difficult to choose a worse afternoon than that of Saturday last for the councillors’ tour of the streets. The only consolation lay in the fact that it was just as well to see the streets at their worst, in

the midst cf an exceedingly wet spell. The cold sou’-wester and the hail, however, were not so necessary, heaving the Town Hal! in three motor cars, the Mayor, councillors, town clerk, electrical engineer, borough foreman, and the “ Records ” man traversed Deans Avenue northwards, and, after visiting almost every street in the borough, returned to the starting point at the corner of Deans Avenue and Riccarton Road. Pot-holes were found to be abundant, one near Councillor Manhire's house still being remembered with smiles, but on the whole the streets were found to be in qu’te as good order as in any other district adjacent to Christchurch. Some of the councillors had to admit that it was the first time in their lives that they had known the council had a couple of acres of land of its own in Dudley Street. The trip was instructive, and full of interest. | CITIZENS’ ASSOCIATION. ' Contrary to expectations, the Citizens’ Association has not functioned frequently this winter. There has been no meeting since the municipal election, but it is understood that the thread will be picked up again on Monday evening. GYMNASTIC CLUB S CONCERT. Hail, rain and a gale interfered with the attendance at Saturday's concert. About fifty were present, and part of the programme was contributed. Then the function was postponed to a later late, the admission money being returned. Better luck, and better weather, next time! TIIE “ RECORDS ” RECOGNISED. At Monday night’s meeting of the Riccarton Borough Council, the “ Star" was made the. official newspaper of the ; orough. All of the councillors weie very complimentary to the “ Riccarton Records," and many ol' them expressed the opinion that this "olumn djd much to advertise the district tiesides providing our own residents with more news of municipal and otlie* local matters than they could gather from any other source. In future, ah official announcements by the council will be made in the Saturday “ Star " The south-west area ratepayers really mean business. They arc so desperately in earnest in their desire to have decent footpaths and channelling constructed that even the vile weather on Monday was insufficient to keep them at home. About twelve ratepayers formed a deputation that evening to the Borcugii Council to ask for improvements, and they declared their willingness to pay extra rating in order to have the work done. Messrs H. Chappel, H. Stanton and Mborheuse were the spokesmen Mr Chappell said that he had been a resident in the area for many vears, and lie himself had been active in having this area brought into the borough. Neither before it*= amalgamation to the borough nor since had anything been .one to have the channelling and foot paths brought up-to-date. For the past ten years he had kept the gutter ciean alongside '.i- place, but further down Wainui Street the channel, or

gutter, was very deep, and in summer it resembled a series of cesspools: very unhealthy. The footpaths had never been attended to, except that gas lime had been used to burn the grass off. He emphasised that the ratepayers were quite willing to pay extra rates in order to have proper footpaths and channels properlv made. Air Stanton said that on Saturday last he and another ratepayer had made a house-to-house -canvass cf the district, and all agreed that the deputation should come, and that they were prepared to pay. He h- n d been there for ton years, and so far had seen practically nothing for their rates. The gutters were filthy and insanitary- As lor footpaths—well, they could see that some of the depu-tationists had c< m in gumboots. {Smiles audible.» Mr Moorhouse expressed similar views. At the request of the Mayor, Councillor Wise, chairman of the \Y orks Committee, explained that some time ago, when the south-west area came into the borough the council had obtained from its engineer an estimate of the cost; of putting the area in order. But iz was felt that the necessary special rat.- was too high. The matter was held up pending the decision of the commission in regard to the merging of thg Metropolitan Trotting Club's property in the borough. That property was now licluded, and would bear its share of the cost of improvement-'. All ot this concrete channelling and asphalting must be done out. of io3r Again, there were some fairly expensive j --h coining in this area. Phillips S-reet part of Wainui Street, and George Street had yet to b< formed. Now th : council was in a position to go ahead, and the ratepayers would have a loan scheme sut imitte< l before long hoped they would carry it. j 1; ■ M r- >r said it was ing to see such a large deputation on such an inclement night. During the council's inspection of the borough on Saturday the councillors had taken note of the requirements, and the deputation could depend that members , were unanimously of opinion that something must be done. Mr Stanton returned thanks, and th« deputation withdrewA FILTHY ROAD. , Councillor Wise moved that a letter j be sent to the Waimairi County < oun- i c : 1 drawing attention to the fi thy state j of their portion of Princess Stre< t, a c. joining the borough, and suggesting j that immediate attention be given to it. The council might, of course, be told to mind its own business, but this was really their own business, for it affected their ratepayers. This was the road from the Addington sale yards to the bacon factory, and hundreds of pigs went wallowing along there. The roadsides were thick with mud ind slush and this stuff stretched fixe or six feet wide to the property boundaries, and people had difficulty in entering. Councillor‘Wise doubted whether any member of the Waimairi Council had any j knowledge of the place, or its filthy con- j dition, or of the fact that in summer the pigs wallowed in the mud there. Councillors had noted this place dur- ' ing Saturday’s inspection of the streets, j and the motion was carried unani- i rDOU THE METHODIST CHURCH. On Friday evening the Y T oung Men’s : Bible Class of the Clarence Street Methodist Church entertained the Young Women’s Bible Class at a r r social, which proved very enjoyable. Mr L.. Barnett directed affairs. The Minister, Rev B. J. James, was present for a while, and Mrs James was : nt a leader of th ung v Mas,- j