WANGANUI NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2335, 17 December 1914, Page 8

WANGANUI NOTES.

The proposed loan for general purposes was disouesed last evening by the .Borough Council, , the " principal question being whether tho present was an opportune time to ask ratepayers' for their sanction. ■ A 'considerable difference of opinion existed, but -the Mayor, who pointed out the healthy state of the borough finances, and who has all along urged that money would probably bo more difficult to obtain at 'the end of the war,, succeeded in carrying a resolution recommending tie ratepayers to sanction tho loan. _; The question of a loan for extending the. tramway power plant was also discussed. Tho council lias been contemplating installing a steam plant in place of the present producer' gas engines, but the chairman of the Tramway Committee stated ho had good roason for saying that the Government would have the North Island hydroelectric scheme, completed in about three years time, and Waugamii would be'ono of tho towns that would bo supHe thought, therefore, it would be wiser to fill the gap with another gas engine. ' It.was resolved that the ratepayers bo advised, that the loan is necessary for increasing the plant, but that meanwhile the Government be written to 'asking whether its scheme is likely to go through, and asking for details. • '. • . 0

j A matter of considerable' interest to shopkeepers has been; exercising the i attention, of the Wahgailui Borough Council for some ; time ; past. The council, received .a requisition from the local •chemists in! favour of the alteration of their, closing,hours,;but one of the signatories^,stated that:he had signed under'a misapprehension, and asked his name to be-deleted, which would convert a majority of one to a similar minority, The- council certified to the signatures, but referred the point raisedto- the Labour Department. Last evening a reply was received from the Department, wherein it was stated that the matter was one for the council to settle, but it was suggested that if anyone had signed under a misapprehension it was desirable ho should be allowed to, withdraw . his , name. The object of.the-Act, said the Department, was to fix tie closing hours according to the wish of the majority, but in the circumstances it could not be said theywould bo doing that if the closing hours wero' altered. 'The council, acting on the Department's letter, rescinded the previous resolution certifying to tho signatures and formally referred the matter back to tho finance committee for a further, report. Yestorday was a good day for the local patriotic funds. The Mayor, reporting to the Borougu Council last evening, stated that the-donations received during the day totalled between £300 and £400. His Worship also endorsed tlio generosity of tho local Chinese gardeners for their liberal do'nations of vegetables for the use of the troops at Trentnam, and commended their example to others. The matter of recruiting for the Expeditionary Force was brought, before the' Borough Council's attention last night by tho Mayoi", who satdthat at the previous oveniiig's send-off to the local reinforcements it was stated that the response to the call for recruits in this district had been second to none in. the Dominion. 3S the same time he thought still more encouragement | should bo given te young men to come forward, and therefore he proposed holding a public meeting shortly after the New Year. The council unanimously supported tho Mayor's suggestion, and in the bourse of a brief discussion Councillor Dustin, referring to the alleged shortage of good officers, expressed the opinion that the reason why young men in some districts wore j not coming forward freely as tliey might was that tho Defence Department were discouraging experienced men who wore capable of filling officers' positions. In Otago recently ho had met two ex-Impertal Army captains with activo servico to their credit. One was an ex-Coldetreani Guardsman and the other an ex-Guardsman or Highlander. Both had offered their services to tho New Zealand Government only to be turned down. A somowhat similar case , liad occurred in Wanganui during the'last few days. Ex-captains could not bo expected to take sergeants' positions, and when in spite of the shortage of officers experienced men wero thus put aside there was no doubt it deterred recruits from coming forward.