HOKITIKA BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Hokitika Guardian, 13 August 1921, Page 3

HOKITIKA BOROUGH COUNCIL.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12th. The Council met at 7.40 p.m. Present- -Messrs G. A. Perry (Mayor), Coufson, Wood, Perhain, King, Pilkiilgton, Parkhill, McGregor and Lloyd. An apology was made for the absence of Mr Bla«k. The minutes were confirmed and outward correspondence approved. INWARD CORRESPONDENCE .Mr Lloyd moved that action ! n taken at once to have the Royal George building demolished. Seconded by the Mayor and agreed to. From C. L. Maifdl, acknowledging letter of sympathy. -Received. From Under Secretary Internal Affairs Department .granting permission to remove two Itodies from one portion to another of the eeinetory. - Received. From Municipal Band, stating windows. of practice rooms required attention.—Received; Public Works Com- ! mittee to attend to it. From Hibernian Society asking -for use of Town Hall for ball. Receivedrequest complied with. From M. A. Murdoch, complaining of condition of Rolleston Street. Hc(•eived. 1 From W. H. Shannon and Mrs John- ' stout asking attention to upper Rcvcll Street from inroads of sand.- Received. From M. Krakowskv offering to cut 7 chain of drain at South Hokitika for 1 £4. —Received; referried to Public Works Committee to report. From Medical officer of Health, ’Wellington agreeing to date period for inspection of health services as from April Ist.—Received. From Chief Inspector of Explosives. Wellington, forwarding copy of model bye-laws. Received. From J. Cutbush asking for two weeks leave.-—Received; request granted from week to week. HOSPITAL SUBSIDY. From Westland County Council ;e----follows: 1 have the honor, bv direction of the Chairman to convey the resolution of the Council for your information and consideration namely : “That- the Council join with local bodies similarly affected in urging Government to increase the proposed sul>sidv &> Hospital Boards in regard to local contributing authorities to an amount in the region of the sum originally suggested by the Health Department- as equitable, namely MO/b in the £: and that steps be taken to communicate with Members of Parliament in the districts concerned to join the proposed request, and associate themselves when the Royal Commission report, or legislation relating thereto, ihefore the House in advocating a substantial advance in tbo amount of tbe subsidy to th<* Boards of hospital di 1 -- j tricts in the Dominion which arc pro- J judicially affected by the suggested j ] change from the original scheme of i j subsidy allocation by the Health l)e----j pnrEment.” I the position is that while the Health j ! Department was satisfied 30/<3 was an j I equitable rate of maximum subsidy for I ' the poorer Boards or districts speei- I ally circumstanced, a conference ol I Hospital Boards reduced the subsidy to g'B/-. while the Royal Commission’s re- j j port above referred to further reduced tile maximum to 2tb-. It is tnere- : j fore desired that the effort suggest- | j ed under the foregoing resolution should | I ik* in the direction to aiming to raise i tlu> maximum subsidy to a sum up- | I proximating the .'4O/5 which the Health j I Department with a full and impartial I knowledge of the circumstances first urI rived at. J it will be a distinct hardship to many ! ! districts if the measure of relief lirst I j proposed and anticipated is not grant- j ! ed. With a lon capital valuation in a J sparsely populated district, there are j .several instances where hospital dis- ' tricts are inequitably levied upon for , ' hospital and relief administration, par- ' ticularly in comparison with the more 1 - closely settled and affluent districts, j which, in any case, would not suffer mi- | duly by a wider differential Oasis for the allocation of the subsidy.

It i.s worthy of note that Hie present position has been met temporarily by tbe Health Department with a special Parliamentary vote, as under the Consolidated appropriations, Vote No 28, Item 3, there is provision for “grants to Hospital Boards in special districts to supplement subsidies” of 20,000. ■ This is in the nature of ;y> uncertain • oft, Imt its provision [shuts to the need for a more adequate subsidy which it is desired, now should be made a permuti- , cut appropriation through the cutoniaI tie action of the subsidy rate, increased i as i.s now desired to the Health Department’s original estimate, j In Parliamentary Paper 1-—Public i Health, the annual departmental re | ports sets out inter alia particulars j of contributions to Hospital Boards by j Local Bodies (pages 3G et. sq.) In approximating the local rate per 2 on rateable capital value for the whole hospital district, the following are the local bodies in tb Dominion contributing : the largest amount for hospital admini- • stration: : Waihi Borough (sole district) 1.23-Id. | lnangahua County (sole district) I 1.153 d. ! Westland. comprising County _ of ; Westland and Boroughs Hokitika, Kwinara, Boss 0.919 d. Grey, comprising County of Grey, and Boroughs Greymouth. Brunner and Runanga ().(>] 4d. I Wairau, comprising Awateic Co., ; Blenheim Bor., Belong, Havelock. Spring Creek. Omaka. and Wairau Districts 0.55)6d. Bullor, comprising County of Buller and Westport Borough 0.486 d. I Bay of Islands, comprising Counties ' of Hokinnga, Mongonui, 1 and Bay of Islands 0.‘158d. | At the other end of the vale, embracing the smallest rate contribution, are Wail nl; i .054: Pa ton .070 d; Bay of Plenty ,077 d : Palmerston North j .098; Wallace . 100 d; Waikato ,107 d. Those comparative figures indicate liov inequitably tln> rating system works over different communities, and : line itdji slnnml could be made through the subsidy as proposed, which it is intended should not be increased iri the , aggregate sum, but only in the differential scheme of allocation. Racoived: The Mayor said ho fully endorsed the I contonts of the letter. He moved that ' the Council co-operate to its utmost j extent in the agitation. ..Seconded by

Mr Wood who said it was a matter that vitally affected the Borough as well as the County Council. The motion was agreed to. REPORTS. Fi'om Treasurer reporting receipts .£287 Is. lid. ; payments £474 ?>s. 8d; debit balance £571 14s !)d. - Received. Ffrom Finance Committee recommending that accounts amounting -to £l7O 12s Id lie passed for payment; that the Free Public Library Committee be granted an increase of £•'> jut quarter, subject to arranging or cleaning of the library.—Received and adopted. * PUBLIC works. From Public Works Commute,, as follows; Re W. Linklnter’s letter in reference to condition of North Revell Street Somes of the members of the Cornmil tec visited the locality and after inspection are oF the opinion that it would be a never-ending work ►to endeavour to prevent the sand being driven on to the street as tlie same conditions prevailing in North Revell Street also prevail along the whole length nf Revel] Street. However your Committee beg to recommend as follows; “That the Borough Overseer prepare specifications, with estimate of cost per ehain of a barricade to keep the sand from blowing over on to the street, and that the ratepayers of North Revell Street be given the right to erect the barricade as per the Borough Overseer’s specifications and subject to the work being completed to the Overseer’s satisfaction, the Council to refund half the ocst.” Your Committee also beg to report that the work of repairing different streets in the town is being delayed through the inability to get bays. Mr W. .1 ell l ies waited on the Council at the desire, of North Revell street ratepayers to ask for the street to ho put in order. At present the condition ot the street, was a scandal. The ratepayers were prepared to put up barricades if the Council lound the material. If this were done the whole of North Revolt street from Ha'mpden street to the boundary could be protected, and then marram glass and lupin* could bo planted to help protect tlit* area. After some discussion, the report was adopted as a whole. ABATTOIR REPORT. From Manager of Abattoirs (Mr -I--Inrmau) reporting for the month of .Inly there were examined 14 cows, (>() bullocks, 291 slice]), 89 lambs, 17 pigs. (i calves; condemned I cow. 1 heifer, l sheep; fees for period £O9 1 (is.—Received. OERSEER’S RETORT. From overseer (M'r ,T. Millnor) afollows : “ I bog to submit the following report on work during the past month: “ Owing to the unfavourable weather for the past two weeks we have been unable to start gravelling the streets, if the weather is favourable arraiigoni.Mils have been made for two horses and drays to s tnrt on Monday next repairing streets -that requirotSSst most. During the montTf we gravelled about ten chains of Sale street between Park and Hampden streets, about six chains of footpath in Brittan street and repairs to Hampden and Rolleston street. On Almost 2nd. C. Gibbons and myself went over a portion of the pipe line between the Lake road and Tucker Elat, and repaired a bad leak*tliat liad been reported bv T. Brown; seeeral small leaks have been attended to about the town. “ A section of Rolleston street drain collapsed this week, and has been repaired. “ The dav-mnn, .). Cutbusb, has been off work since August Ist, through illness. “ The usual street cleaning has been attended to. During the month we made about one chain of 18 inch pipes.” Received. Mi- Pilkington asked what progress was living made with the report asked for some meetings ago in connection with a comprehensive report of necessary town improvements. • Mr Lloyd said it was being kept steadily in view. The overseer was to report as soon as possible, but at present bis hands were pretty full. The meeting terminated at 8,40 p.m. 1