RATEPAYERS’ MEETING

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXX, Issue 5459, 9 August 1929, Page 4

RATEPAYERS’ MEETING

WAITAKARURU-PIPIROA BODY. THE BRIDGE AND ABATTOIR. The Waitakaru’.u-Pipiroa Ratepayers’ Association held a meeting in the Pipiroa Holl on Wednesday afternoon, Mr C. A. Hayward presiding, in the absence of the president, over the following : Messrs D. McAulay, J. Porter, W. Ganley, J. Donaghy, J. Keith, F. L. Wallis, W. Candy, J. Deacon, D. J. Law, A. Otter, N. Hedges, ,H. Torr, W. Knox, V. Bower, A. Wylie, J. D. Fagan, E. Levers, G. Francis, and S. Kendall (secretary). Opening of Land. The Minister of Lands wrote in reply to the representations concerning the expediency of offering for selection certain lands along the Maukoro Canal, and advised that the responsible officers of his department were of the opinion that the lands were not yet sufficiently consolidated to permit of them being disposed of on a permanent tenure. Inspection of Meat. Mr W. T. Collins, district superintendent, Department of Agriculture, Auckland, wrote acknowledging receipt of the association’s request for the inspection by an officer of the department of the meat slaughtered at Waitakaruru. The letter stated that to comply with the request it would be necessary to station a meat inspector at Waitakaruru, and judging by the past year’s figures he would have to inspect, on an average, only about four cattle and four sheep per week. From these figures it would be realised that if an inspector was stationed at Waitakaruru he would be idle for most of the time. Then, again, if the meat at Waitakaruru was inspected, there would be no guarantee that all the meat sold in the district would be from inspected carcases, as any butcher in an outside district would be within his rights in selling meat there, as well as any farmer- who cared to do so. When an abattoir was established the department appointed an inspector to inspect the meat killed at the abattoir and sold in the abattoir area, and it was an offence to sell meat in that area from an outside slaughterhouse, but this, of course, d’d not apply to the Waitakaruru district. Under the circumstances it would be understood that the department could not station a meat inspector- in the Waitakaruru district. The chairman said that as far as he could see nothing could be done, as the County Council had defined the abattoir district

Mr Otter expressed the view that the Agricultural Department had misunderstood the position, as the desire was for the meat inspector to be stationed at Ngatea to also inspect the meat slaughtered at Waitakaruru. Mr Levers urged that a protest be made to the County Council concerning the postal referendum on the question of inclusion in the abattoir area. The voting paper only asked for an expression of opinion on whether inspected meat or non-inspected meat was desired.

Members agreed that this should be done, or that something should be done to get the district excluded from the abattoir area.

The chairman poinv?d out that two resolutions on these lines had been forwarded to the council from the last meeting of the association. Mr Fagan suggested a petition to the council. He was sure everyone in the district would sign it. Mr Wallis advocated approaching the. Agricultural Department again with the request that the Wa’takaruru slaughterhouse be brought on to the same lines, in regard to inspection, as the proposed abattoirs , It would not matter then whether the ridings were excluded from the abattoir area or not. It was decided that the Agricultural Department be written to again advocating that the meat inspector stationed at Ngatea should also inspect meat at Waitakaruru. Pipiroa Bridge. .The chairman, in introducing the discussion on the Pipiroa bridge, recalled that at the previous meeting it had been gleaned from the councillors present that the .building of a bridge was opposed by the Highways Board, which did not consider the volume of traffic was sufficient. Under these circumstances the associat’cn had recommended that the ferry .ees should be reduced as a means of increasing the volume of traffic. He was of the opinion that the association shov’d ask the Highways Board to send a representative to Pipiroa to meet the settlers or take a tally of traffic. This action was favoured, and it was suggested that a traffic tally should be taken at such points as would catch those vehicles which went round by the Ngatea bridge to escape paying the high ferry fees. Mr -Otter moved, and Mr Levers seconded, that a request be made to the Main Highways Beard that a representative meet the ratepayers of Waitakaruru, Pipiroa, and Kopvarahi ridings to discuss the erection of the Pipiroa bridge. Representation on Power Board. Mr Torr mentioned that Mr W. E. G. Willy, of Turua, had been working in the direction of securing greater representation on the Thames Valley Power Board for Hauraki Plains County. The valuation of the county and the amount of electricity consumed warranted greater representation than one member, and a resolution from the association might carry some weight. On the motion of Mr Wyllte it was decided to make representations to the Power Board on the matter. Power Board’s Plantation. Mr Torr, the county’s representative on the Thames Valley Power Board, reported that the association’s protest concerning tree planting operations had assisted thos? members who had advocated its co itinuance. The board had agreed to plant another 20 acres and review the nu tter in two years’ time. Sale of Water. Mr Donaghy raised a protest

against the action of the County Council in extending the water supply mains over the Piako River without consulting the ratepayers. He understood that a two-inch connection had been authorised, and the water would be “given away” at 2s 6d per 1000 gallons. Mr Wallis considered that the more water sold by the council the cheaper the supply would be to those in the loan area. Members expressed the view that too much water was being sold, and pointed out that a two-inch main had been connected to the Waitakaruru cheese factory and a supply had been given the Waitakaruru Canal settlers. On the motion of Messrs Wallis and Ganley the president and secretary were instructed to confer with the

County Council’s water supply committee on the question of water

charges and report to a later meeting. Scope of Association. It was decided to extend the sphere of the association to include the Kopuarahi riding. The opinion was expressed that rhis would strengthen, the representations for the Pipiroa bridge. Mr Candy agreed to canvass for members in Kopuarahi. Finance. The secretary mentioned that the ■finances of the association were running low. The entertainment of visiting Cabinet Ministers had cost a lot of money, and though the county chairman had premised that the council would bear half this cost the money had not come to hand. Several members present paid their subscriptions.