BUTT BOROUGH

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2766, 9 May 1916, Page 7

BUTT BOROUGH

MEETING OF THE COUNCIL.

The usual fortnightly meeting of tbo 1 Hutt Borough Council was held last evening, when there were present: The j Mayor (Mr. H. Baldwin), and Councillors Hodgins, Meldrum, Cowan, Brasscl, Clendon, M'Dougall, Ball, Heron, and Hobbs. . Mr. G. A. Jenness's offer to renew the contract to attend to the Post Office clock, lor a further period of 12 months on the same terms as hitherto, was accepted. Permission was granted to the headmaster of the Hutt .District High School for the boys to use the Hecreation Ground for football, from 3 to 5 o'clock p.m. on school days, and occasionally on Saturday mornings. Ilic Wellington Ilugby Union applied for tho use of the Recreation Ground dur- : ill"'the coming season, and rffered a rental of £5 for same. The matter was held over until tho Rugby Union mado satisfactory arrangements in respect to their financial obligations. _ The secretary of the Wellington Hospital and Charitable Aid Board notihed that the council's share of the apportionment of the estimated expenditure of the board for the year ending March 31, 1917, would bo £1253 18s., being £170 os. Bd. in excess of the- past year's amount. The increase was noted by Councillor Clendon, and the Mayor, expressed the opinion that this would occur as long as the present jyutam was continued. In the year ]914-lo (tho Mayor continued)' tlie number of patients attended to was 4283; in 191516 the number' had risen to 4978, an increase of 700. The number of beds occupied had also increased from 311 to 352. The Government subsidy was £23,629, and the levies on local bodies was £28,775. Wellington City, with a population of 67,230, was levied to' the extent of £18,272, or ss. old. per head; Lower Hutt, with a,population cf 4699, was levied £1253 18s'. —ss. 4Jd." per. head; whereas Petone with a popular tion of 7107, was apportioned £1156, or 3s. 3d. per head.' The reason for the latter was because the valuation of tho borough was smaller than that of the Hutt, whilst the vpopulation was larger: After referring to the method of working out tho apportionments the Mayor suggested that a conference of local bodies should be held .to consider tho question of an alteration in ■ the present system upon which tho board worked. After some discussion it was resolved, upon Councillor M'Dougall's motion, that further consideration of the matter be held over, until more particulars were available. Messrs. Harcourt and Co. offered the property known as Mason's Gardens for sale for tho sum of £18,500. It was decidcd to reply stating that the council was not desirous of purchasing tho estate. A return was presented, arising from a further motion by the same councillor, showing that the amount of loan moneys was £249 9s. 3d. Tho engineer's report stated that the expenditure for the fortnight ending Ajiril 29 had been as follows;— District fund account, £146 9s. 9d.; gas account, £9 19s. Gd.; total, £15G 9s. 3d. The usual reports were received from the ranger, librarin, gas, and waterl works, etc.