BOROUGH COUNCIL

Waipa Post, Volume 49, Issue 3556, 11 December 1934, Page 5

BOROUGH COUNCIL

FORTNIGHTLY MEETING. ' : GENERAL BUSINESS DEALT ■WITH. The ordinary fortnightly meeting of the Te Awamutu. Borough Council was held on Monday evening* his Worship the Mayor (Mr C. G. Downes) occupying the chair. Also present -were Crs. H. C. Rainey, F. 'J. Gilbert, A. Brown, W. C. Savill, W. McCready, W. J. Craik, J. Langmuir, and J. A. Maxwell. The town clerk (Mr D. Bockett), works foreman (Mr R.H. Close) and consulting engineer (Mr J. W. Campbell) wore in attendance. . The''Mayor regretted that the Finance Committee and Works Committee had not been able to meet together last Wednesday to consider several matters arising out of the consulting engineer's comprehensive report on.the waterworks improvement scheme. Both were vitally concerned. The Finance Committee had, therefore, considered the report and made recommendations. The Mayor reported that the Finance Committee had no recommendation to make regarding the request of the N.Z. Co-op. Dairy Co. to be allowed a concession in the charges for extraordinary water supply during a period of adjustment.—Approved. The town clerk was' congratulated upon the very thorough and concise statement of the position of the borough finances for the eight months from April Ist to November 30th. Cr Rainey,,chairman of the Legal and Finance Committee, added his congratulations, and remarked that the figures conformed very closely to the estimates prepared earlier in the yea?. > . The trustees for the South British Staff Provident Fund Trust Boar.] forwarded receipt for £l6B 14s 9d, plus 4s 3d exchange together with cancelled debenture' No. 1 for £326 13s.—The Mayor commented that the Council has thus commenced repaying its loan for the waterworks improvement Mr V. Miller, registered surveyor, submitted amended plan of subdivl. sion of section 87, Teasdale Settlement, for Mr D. Bockett, providing for eight sections ranging from slightly over 1 acre down to 1 rood 20 perches. A 10ft private righUof-\va> leading from College Street gives access to all the sections.— Approved. Another plan for subdivision of Mrs Hunter's property, in Teasdale Street was also tabled by Mr Miller, and referred,, to. the Works Committee for a recommendation. The district engineer. N.Z. Railways, Ohakuhe, drew attention to the unsatisfactory state of portion of the approach road to the Te Awamutu railway station, which was recently sealed. He added: "I shall be glad to know what action you propose taking in the matter."—lt was stated that the Council undertook to lay down the road, but not to maintain it. A reply is to be forwarded to this effect. An application for remission of the rates penalty of 10 per cent, amounting to £3 4s lid, was received from Mr J. Oliphant in respect to section 64, Teasdale' Settlement.—Referred to Mayor and town- clerk. . Mr Frank Taylor wrote quoting terms for sale of an area adjoining the borough sand pit.—Offer declined. Messrs Miller Bros., Pirongia, wrote re the suggested exchange of. 35 acres of their land on the upper side oi Sainsbury's Road (Pirongia Mountain), adjoining Mr .Hulton's property, asking that the matter be determined as soon as possible.—Offer declined. The Hawera Borough Council's clerk wrote directing attention to the method of allocation of petrol tax to boroughs. , He wrote: "Under the Motor Spirits Taxation Act of 1927 . it was provided that 92 per cent of the net petrol tax should be paid into the revenue fund of the Main Highways account, and that the balance of 8 per cent should be apportioned amongst those borough councils in whose district there is a population of 6000 or mdre, in amounts bearing to. each other approximately the same proportions as exist for the time being between the population of the several boroughs. In operation this scheme

has, he claimed, worked out very unfairly to the boroughs containing •populations of less than 6000, which receive subsidies on maintenance and construction of that portion of the main highway which passes through their area only, and do not participate in the 8 per cent which is received by the larger boroughs. The experience of the Hawera Borough Council is a good illustration of the unfairness ot the present system. In the last three years Hawera has received £75 7s 9d from the Main Highways Board as under: 1931-32, £2B 7s Id; 1932-33, nil;' 1933-34, £47 0s Bd. Greymouth, with a population of 6100, has in the same three years received over £2BOO, being its proportion of the 8 per cent of the petrol tax. Last year Greymouth received £924 7s 9d, and if Hawera were treated on the same basis it would have, received £7OO. Oamaru last year received £ll2O, Whangarei £ll3O 6s, and New Plymouth £2395 3s lid. Hawera Borough Council has forwarded a remit for the coming Municipal Conference as fol--1 lows: "That section 9, clause (b) of the Motor Spirits Taxation Act, 1927, 'be altered by' substituting for the words .'those borough councils in whose district there is a population of ~ eOOO or upwards/- the words 'all bor- . rough councils.'--" Te Awamutu /was asked to'support the remit. To a query,-the town clerk explained the position of Te Awamutu borough. '.. It was suggested that each borough should be treated on its merits. Cr Gilbert thought Te Awamutu receiveda very small sum by comparison with Greymouth and Whangarei. He favoured supporting the remit. Other councillors expressed similar views, and it was agreed accordingly. •The secretary, Te Awamutu Beauti-

fying Society, applied for permission to erect some seats under the shade tj trees in Alexandra Street.—Granted.