OROUA COUNTY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 92, 21 April 1938, Page 5

OROUA COUNTY

BUSINESS OF THE MONTH Cr. A. Campbell (chairman) presided at the monthly meeting of the Oroua County Council, Other councillors present were W. McLennan, A. B. Shannon and T. Green. Commenting on the increase in the Highways Board subsidy on bridge construction from £2 to £3 for £1 as from April 1, the chairman remarked the information was very satisfactory and would mean a decided saving to the council on its bridge work. The Feilding Borough Council gave a statement of the estimated cost of the District Court at the Centennial Exhibition. The chairman said there was not a great deal the council could do in the matter until fuller information came to hand of the intentions of other local bodies —The letter was received without further discussion. The Feilding branch of the Plunket Society solicited a donation towards its funds.—Following a discussion it was resolved to advise that the council could not see its way to contribute. Mt. Stewart Memorial Arising from a report of a meeting of local body delegates held at Marton in connection with the Mt. Stewart Memorial, the chairman (Mr. A. Campbell) said he held one view about the matter and held it strongly, that we owed something to the pioneers of this country, and according to his ideas the erection of a memorial on Mt. Stewart was quite in accord with his views. The utility value of the memorial, he staged, should not be weighted in the scheme, but at all events the beacon light it was proposed to put at the top of the memorial would be of immense value to future aviation. Continuing Cr. Campbel! referred to the opposition

the scheme had encountered in some quarters to the erection of a stone monument, and stated it was unfortunate this criticism had arisen. Members of the council supported Cr. Campbell’s view and Crs. Campbell and Shannon were appointed to represent the council at the meeting to be held shortly in Marton. The following transfers to the county rate roll were authorised: A. R. Humphreys to Mrs. Jean Porter: Est. E. Jeffries to W. G. Tozer. Finances At the conclusion of the general business the chairman said he desired to congratulate Mr. Harding, the county clerk, and his staff on the record of having the balance-sheet out on April 1. In dealing with the financial position of the council, the chairman said the general account had come through with a credit balance of £5825 18s 9a. The position of the county was absolutely sound and although it might be said in some cases that the council was collecting too much money from the ratepayers, the position was that the council had budgeted for and authorised a certain amount of work. All this work, although well under way, had not been completed and this accounted for portion of the credit balance. Cr. Campbell said he did not intend to go fully into the balancesheet at present but he felt he would like to refer to the fact that there was a credit of over £l2OO in the heavy traffic licence account and he found the intimation from the Highways Board that there was at present no intention to interfere with the receipt of these funds by local bodies very pleasing. The council agreed to meet early in May, when full discussion would take place on the balance-sheet. FORTHCOMING ELECTIONS The biennial election for seats on all local bodies in the district takes place next month. At the meeting of the Oroua County Council Cr. A. Campbell stated he had been waited upon by a body of ratepayers with the request that he again offer his services as a councillor. This the speaker had consented to do and he had further been informed that Cr. B. McLeod had given a similar reply to a deputation which waited on him. The chairman went on to state he had learned with pleasure that Cr. T. Green was seeking re-election both for the council and as the council’s representative on the Palmerston North (Hospital Board. Cr. Campbell understood that all the other sitting mem- ] bers of the council would be offering their services to the ratepayers again.