LOCAL-BODY WORK

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 73, 18 December 1937, Page 6

LOCAL-BODY WORK

Mr. C. Lassen 's Address To Rotarians DIVERSITY 0F INTERESTS Brief sketches of his duties on four local bodies in Hawke5s Bay were given by Mr C. Lassen, chairman of the Hawke5s Bay Rivers Board, and the Hawke's Bay Hospital Board, member for the Heretaunga riding of the H.B. County Council, and a member of the Bawke's Hay Education Board, in an address to the Hastings Eotary Culb. yesterday. Mr Lassen also read, for the information of Rotarlaps, a statement concerning local-body amalgamation, but asked that it be not publisbed. Commencing with the Hawke's Bay Rivers Board, the spea^er recalled aomo of the conflicting finterests that had prevented the adoption of a coiaprehensive policy of river control in the 6 province in the past. Originally there were the Clive, Pukahu, and Taradale Rivers Boards, now merged into the Hawke 5s Bay Board, which controlled the Tukituki, Ngaruroro and Tutaekuri rivers and several drains and streams. The Tutaekuri diversion echeme, which had occupied the attention of the board of recent years, had now been completed, but a good flood was awaited to test the worx and to make the new mouth function efficiently. Tbe board members and the engineer were confident*' that, when the flood camo, the seheme would work with 100 per cent. efficiency. The work had led to the lowering of the bed and JmpTOveJd drainage of the- Maraenui and Papakura areas. The object of control was to obtain an even grade to tho sea so that shingie might be carried freely to the mouth. Banks had been constructed to keep the river within bounds and to ensure a volume of water sufficient to carry the shingie freely. The board was now satisfled that the Tutaekuri was functioning efficiently and that the shinglo was being carried to Waitangi. The same principle had been followed in the control of the Ngaruroro, except that an overflow for floods of major proportiohs had been provided at Pakowhai, and the beds of the river cleared of trees and growth— a most important aspect of river control. '-'We have not by an^r means got our hospitals rebuilt yet," uadd Mr Lassen in reference to his Hospital Board dutie3. He instanced the case of the X-ray department at the Napier Publie Hospital, where patients had to be carried by two porters, dowhstair# to an X-ray room, the passage including a right-hand turn. On two ocea* tions, the porters had slipped whilo oarrying a patient, and the problem had worried the speaker ever since ho became chairman of the board. It was very desirable . that thero should be a new X-ray block constructed.

The accommodation for nurseB .at both Hastings^ and Napier was also being considered. At Napier there was no> sufficient- accommodation ■ for the trained staff, and as it was impOssible to, add to the present nurses5 home extra accommodation was being built at Six-ty-fifth street. In Hastings three nurses were sleeping in , a shack; in * one double-bedroom there were three nurses eharing a single .bedroom. It was also contemplated building another (ioaen bedrooms at Hastings. } "You all know that we are gettiug a swimming bath for the nurses at Hastings, 55 ' he continued, "and when 2 was talking to a Rotarian the other day he said that he had heard that a swimming bath was nor necessary as there were only 14 or 15 nurses on the staff. It must he remembered that all our trainees for both hospitals are here und, without counting the domestie staff, the trained staff at Hastings Mimbers 46. 5 5 Relative to his representation of th# Heretaunga riding on the Hawke 5s Bay County Council, Mr Lassen mentioned a plan he had advanced for the sealing of suburban roads in the vicinity of Hastings, linking with the town system. When the rating was chang-ed from capital to unimproved value, the plan had to be shelved. He considered tbat it was a wrong step when the rrultgrowers changed from improved to unimproved value, and felt that the best rating was on the capital value, foi lands and buildings, excluding the fruit trees, which should never have been included. The roading systen j could probably have been completed ou the improvpd value rating, and the ji>cidence of rates gradually reduced. Aj> it was, the debit for the riding last5 year was £400, and he expected it to be greater this year. Brief mention was also made of the work of the Hawke 5s Bay Education Board.