STATEMENT REFUTED

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 6, Issue 58, 23 March 1943, Page 5

STATEMENT REFUTED

ALLEGED COUNTY APATHY CHAIRMAN CORRECTS IMPRESSION Advantage was taken at. the combined meeting of delegates convened by the County Council to refute the allegation recently made by the Mayor of Whakatane, to the effect that the Borough Council in the past had been left more or less to shoulder the whole of the aerodrome question, receiving no co-operation from the County. Mr J. L. Burnett, who presided, said that the County file indicated that on the 29th June 1938. the Borough Council was "advised of this Council's resolution which reads as follows:— "That Borough Council) be advised that County Council approves of the principle of a district aerodrome—that County Council is prepared l to proceed with this matter after Borough Council has obtained the Borough ratepayers' sanction." This resolution was. acknowledged by the Borough Council on the 20th July 1938 when the; Borough Counr cil advised that it had been decided to take a poll of the ratepayers in connection with its, the Borough's, 40 per cent proportion of the initial cost. The Borough Council also advised at this time that it was taking immediate steps to place the necessary loan proposals before the Borough ratepayers. In reply Mr Barry said the report in the Beacon was substantially correct. and he repeated that it was refreshing to see the County taking an interest in the aerodrome proposal. Up till the time of. Mr GMT McCulloeh's chairmanship he had to say again that County support had not been in evidence in the early stages.