NORTH OTAGO NEWS

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22518, 28 September 1938, Page 6

NORTH OTAGO NEWS

HOUSING SCHEME Questionnaire To Be Issued WAITAKI ELECTRIC POWER BOARD A questionnaire will be sent to employees of the Waitaki Electric Power Board to obtain information for a possible housing scheme proposed by the board. This decision was made at a recent meeting of the board’s town committee, and confirmed at the monthly meeting yesterday. The chairman, Mr James McDiarmid, presided. The purpose of the questionnaire is to obtain information about employees' requirements and their willingness tc take advantage of financial assistance for acquiring houses if the board should decide to make such grants. Xiic meeting of the town committee considered a report by the secretary (Mr C. F. Jones) about the steps necessary to raise a housing loan *" per cent., through the State Advances Corporation. After a full discussion, in which it was suggested that it might be cheaper for Ihe board to build houses with its own funds, or to grant financial assistance to employees whc desired to build or purchase houses, it was decided to issue a questionboard had some surplus cash amounting to several thousandl jpounds from its trading funds, said the secretary. The assistance for the housing scheme would come from that fund. The board considered that by building the houses with its own .money it would be able to build as cheaply or even cheaper than the Governmen scheme, said Mr McDiarmid. They could also buy houses already completed or could renovate other houses. The rents would be cheaper than what the men were paying at present, and would be less than the rents for the Government houses. "The board’s employees did not wish to have a communal settlement,” said Mr J. C. Kirkness. "Under the Government scheme ithey would live in such settlements.” Health Camp Fund A request was received for contributions to the Dr. Ada Paterson Memorial Fund for founding an endowment to provide some special feature of children’s health camps and some memorial in marble or bronze, . The board should confine its contributions to local health camps only, said Mr James Newlands, supporting a motion by Mr A. Mclnnes that the request be refused. . It was stated that the matter did not concern the board, and on the motion of the chairman the letter was received . and ho action for' financial assistance towards the Otago Provincial court pavilion at the Centennial Exhibition was declined, it being said that the board had already made a grant of £6C through the Power Boards’ Association. . The secretary reported on the Secretaries’ Conference and the Electric Power Boards and Supply Authorities Association’s Conference, held recentlyin Wellington. Reports on the Supply Authorities’ Engineers’ Conference, and on the Supply Authorities’ Association’s Conference were also made by the board’s engineer, Mr I. Dalmer. A further report on the conference was. presented by Mr McDiarmid. 1 . The financial statement) showed Hhat' the cash receipts' for, August for-'the sale of current ." amounted to £S2€jOcompared with £2742 for the same month last year. The recorded sales of electricity for the month amounted tc £3529, compared with £3287 the previous August. Accounts amounting to £9222, consisting of power fund £8261, and loan account £960, were passed for payment. - ATHLETICS INCREASED INTEREST SHOWN REPORT OF NORTH OTAGO ASSOCIATION ’ An increased interest in amateur athletics during the. last season is mentioned in the annual report of the North Otago Amateur 'Athletic Association. , The active, membership had Increased and prospects for the coming season Were bright, both for membership and meetings. Appearances were expected during the next season of G. H. Matthews and V. P. ■ Boot and two of the Australian Empire Games team, G. Backhouse and Wi Best. Two open meetings and the first North Otago championships were held during the season, and these were well supported by visiting ' athletes. The championship : meeting was an -instant success, and the certificate adopted by the association had been well received in all quarters. The association was entrusted with the staging of the secondary schools’ championships, many records, being broken at the meeting. At the Otago championships, the North Otago team performed creditably in tleing with Civil Service for the List Shield. The women’s team was also prominent in the. Otago women’s championships, when Miss 1 Forbes raised the New Zealand high jump record, The formation of the women’s club had met with good support, and the standard of performance in the first season was particularly high. The club had some young athletes of great promise. The association had a satisfactory credit balance, and the equipment, was in good order. ROTARY LUNCHEON China in -war days was the subject of an address by the Rev. H, Davies. M.A., at the weekly luncheon of the Oamaru Rotary Club on Monday, when the. president (Mr E. F. Armstrong) presided over a good attendance. SHIPPING PORT OF OAMARU [THE PRESS Special Service.] OAMARU. September 27. The Waipahl' is expected on Friday, October 7 to load out the same day for Wellington, Nelson, and’ New Plymouth, via ports. The Waipiata will load here for Wellington and Auckland, via ports, on Saturday, October 8. . The. Walnut will. load to-morrow for Wellington, Napier, and . Gisborne, via ports. ’ The Karetu Is due to sail from Sydney to-morrow • for Bluff, Dunedin, Oamaru. Timaru, and Lyttelton. The New Zealand Shipping Company advises that the • Middlesex will load at Oamaru on October 17 refrigerated and general cargo for London and West Coast' United Kingdom ports.

PRESENT BATHS INADEQUATE BETTER FACILITIES WANTED TEACHING ACTIVITIES RETARDED A claim that the present facilities at the Oamaru swimming baths were inadequate and retarded such activities as the “learn-to-swim” week and the teaching of primary school children is made in the thirty-first annual report of the Oamaru Amateur Swimming Club. The report added that the existing pool had served the town well for many years, but the addition of a modern filtering and heating plant would greatly increase its usefulness to the community and the schools with little addition to the running costs. “We do not ask this for the furtherance of the competitive side of swimming, but so that the pool ..may be better fitted to serve its purposes as a recreation centre and a means of healthy exercise,” the report continues The last season was one pf the most successful in the club’s history. Numerous swimming engagements, the “learn-to-swim” week in December, a greatly increased membership, and exceptionally fine weather’ enabled _ the club to make full use of the facilities available. The active membership for the season was 128 and there were also 10 honorary members. The club’s decision to admit children under 14 years of age for a reduced subscription meant an increase in the membership and a considerable improvement in the standard of swimming among the juniors. The club held its “learn-to-swim week early in December, in support of the national campaign. About 250 pupils enrolled for tuition and most of these were able to swim by the end of the week. In January, the Otago country clubs’ championships were held in Oamaru, a high standard of swimming being seen, numerous records being broken, and good finishes resulting in almost every race. The club again won the championship shield and retained the Toko Cup for the winnin/ relay team. The winners of the club’s men’s and women’s championships were as follows:—Senior, R. McLaren. Miss E. Gemmell; intermediate, O. Davies, Miss A. Ledley; junior, J. Martyn and D Hall (equal). Miss L. Downing. The club also won the McCulloch cup series during the season. Financially the last season had been satisfactory, the report concluded.. Although losges, caused by bad weather were incurred on two of the carnivals held, these wefe recovered in the profit made on the February carnival The year’s profit was chiefly made through increases in the revenue from subscriptions and donations. LITTLE DAMAGE TO LINES POWER BOARD ENGINEER’S REPORT Little dama'ge to power lines or interruptions to the service were experienced by the Waitaki Electric Power Board after the strong winds during the last month, according to the monthly report of the engineer (Mr I. Dalmer) .—presented at the board’s monthly “ meeting yesterday. Some little trouble was experienced during the windy weather, but nothing of a serious nature was encountered. - A little trouble was caused by consumers’ own lines or poles, the report added, but nothing but constant attention and overhaul could avoid major or even minor troubles. Line work had been carried out in many districts. /Many extensions were at present in hand, and a considerable amount of overhaul work had been completed. The establishment of a permanent camp on the board’s’property at Kurow was proving a great convenience. In the town district some heavy additions were being carried out, and a start had also been made with the new high tension feeder round Oamaru to supply the northern area. PERSONAL NOTES OAMARU Tribute to the service given the Oamaru Amateur Swimming Club by its former president (Mr M. K. McCulloch) is paid in the club’s annual report. Mr McCulloch had been an official of the club for about 26 years, and for the greater part of that time was its president. Reference to. Mr McCulloch’-s work is also made in the annual report of the North Otago Amateur Athletic Association, of which he was a vice-president. OAMARU GOLF CLUB In the Oamaru Golf Club’s senior championship competition played at the Awamoa course over the weekend, C. R. Cuthbertson beat R. Hedges 4 and 3. , An intermediate championship match was won by Millar, who beat T. Hedges 2 and 1. - The finalists for the Holmes Cup are J. Monteath and Edmondson, Monteath having beaten J. Orbell 1 up. MONEY STOLEN FROM HOUSE Gaining entrance through a front bedroom window on Friday night while the household was playing cards in another room, a burglar stole a purse containing several pounds belonging to Mrs Edith Broad, of 57 Tyne street, Oamaru. The theft was not discovered until late in the evening, when Mrs Broad, on going to bed, found that the electric light bulb had been removed from the light socket in the bedroom. Footprints in the garden show that the thief made his escape through the window. Im vestigation is at present being made by the police.