NOT STANDING

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 53, Issue 32422, 24 April 1944, Page 5

NOT STANDING

MR W. MARSHALL RETIRING DECISION ANNOUNCED WHOLE TERM AS CHAIRMAN That he would not be seeking reelection as a county councillor at the forthcoming poll was intimated by the chairman, Mr W. Marshall, at Wednesday’s meeting of the Ohinemuri County. Council. # Mr Marshall said he had now been a member of the council for 12 years, during the whole period of which he had been chairman. His impending retirement from council work would terminate for him a long" term of local body service, covering in all a period of about 25 years. He would be very scorry to sever his connection with the county council, but he felt that, the growing burden of public life in other directions made it necessory for him to relinquish some of his duties.

Councillor J. J. Shallue expressed deep regret at Mr Marshall’s decision to retire from local body work, and stated that the position of the Ohinemuri County had greatly improved during Mr Marshall’s membership and especially during his chairmanship of the council. His policy, with the support of his fellow councillors, had contributed largely to the present sound condition of affairs. Whatever difficulties might loom ahead in these difficult times the council had been well and truly forti-

fied, during Mr Marshall’s tenure of office, for any emergency it would have a face and they owed a great debt of gratitude to the retiring chairman. He ventured to say there was not another public man in New Zealand, doing more publib work than he was doing, and it seemed a great pity that his splendid efforts in war conditions had not met with more appreciation by the farmers in the community, whose interests Mr Marshall had done so much to serve. The dairy industry was especially indebted to the efforts of a man of Mr Marshall’s calibre.

He was sure he voiced the feelings of his fellow councillors in hoping that Mr Marshall’s health would permit of his continuing to serve the community for a long time to come outside local body activities.

Councillor T. Barrett endorsed; the remarks of the preceding speaker and referred to the cordial relations that had always existed between Mr Marshall and his fellow councillors. He mentioned that during Mr Marshall’s membership of the council 90 miles of metalled road had been formed in the county without any increase whatever in rates.

In acknowledging the appreciation of his fellow councillors, Mr Marshall expressed the hope that difficult as the days were and might be in the future there would be no lack of men offering for public service and that his present colleagues would be found willing to come forward again as candidates for county council membership. The next and last meeting "of the present council was fixed for May 17.