LOCAL AND GENERAL

Horowhenua Chronicle, 8 June 1915, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The large amount of £1014 13s 8d in the general account was passed for payment by the Borough Council last evening. Of this amount £810 vrn the interest on the waterworks loan. Other accounts, gasworks, etc., amounting to £D 3 also wero passed for payment. The fees cliadge-d Mr 11. Cole by the poundkee-per for a horse that was impounded were the subject of a pr..i«i;S by Mr Cole, ma-do per letter, to tha Levin Borough Council at its meof.v<. last evening. No action was taksu. Outstanding rates amoimtiug to £7 16s lOd were written off by .he Levi). Borough Council last evening. A letter received by the Levin Borough Council from Mrs Wilson last evening regarding the position of pouiKlkeeper was referred to the streets committeo for report. At its meeting last night the l'ark Domain Board, otherwise the Levin Borough Council, decided to call for tenders for trimming the hedge surrounding the park domain. llegarding the application of Mr G Astridgc for an increase of Kala:y, made at the Council's proaous mes:ing, the finance committee recoMmeided to the Levin Borough Council last night that Mr Astridge be gra.i.yl ail increase of 15s per month, flic Mayor stated that the committee co us id'.-red Mr Astridge's present salary {£'24.) per «nnum) was sufficient undji- ordinary circumstances, but owing to thj present • t.creased coat of living and l.o'se f<>od it was felt that the proposed would go some way towards -uf.huising Mr Astridge for the mcrc^se-i expenditure. The incroase, amounting to £9 a yean- would be permanent, and seeing that the present prices might decline they thought the addition a raasonahle one. The recommendation was adopted.

A notice as to excursion tare# on the railways appears to-day. It concerns j the Manawatu Trotting Club's meeting to be bold on Wednesday next, at AwapiifiT, Till mors to n North. Last night the Levin Borough Council granted the Levin committee of the New Zealand Patriotic Society the use of the park domain on Wednesday, Juno lGtli, with the right to charge for admission, for tlie purpose of holding a gymkhana. A most, important general meeting of the Levin committee of the Ivow Zealand Patriotic Society will be held this (Tuesday) evening in Miss SlcKeggTsT tea-rooms at 7.30 o'clock. There is much to be done ithin the next few weeks and all members of the committee should make it their .business to attend—iess important matters can be held over. The attendance of the members of the various gymkhana committees is requested specially at this meeting. After the meeting of the general committee the gymkhana committee will meet to discuss arrangements for the gymkhana.

The secretary to the Levin Chamber oi Commerce (Mr A. Grover) is in receipt of the following letter from Patea: —"At a meeting ot the Pa.tca Chamber of Commerce a resolution Mas -carried: That it is advisable in the opinion of this chamber that in contracts of local bodies for works a provision should bo inserted 'That except where expressly provided here to the contrary, all goods and material for use on this contract shall be of British or British Colonial manufacture." The Patea Chamber of Commerce suggests that every chamber of commerce should recommend the adoption of thfs provision by the local bodies in their district. "I consider that the wheat statistics are quite wrong, and that there is not so much wheat in the dominion as Mr. Massey thinks there i.s," remarked a grain merchant to a Christchui'ch reporter. "I have gone into the figures carefully, and 1 am fully convinced that there is not sufficient wheat in hand to last longer than November. It is quite probable that by that time •the price will have reached as much as 8s per bushel or more. When asked where the supplies of wheat were, he said that tliev were mostly in the hands oj merchants and a few big farmers,

who would not sell because they were anticipating a further advance. He did not. think the small farmers bad much wheat in their possession at present, as tliey had been glad to dispose of it when prices were firm. Another merchant said that he did not think the shortage was very acute, and expressed tile opinion that the supplies wede just about sufficient to see the country through until the harvest.