Manawatu Herald SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1927. RING OUT THE OLD—RING IN THE NEW!

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3736, 31 December 1927, Page 2

Manawatu Herald SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1927. RING OUT THE OLD—RING IN THE NEW!

ERE another issue of the Herald reaches our readers the’, old year, with its clouds and sunshine, will will have departed. Were it. not for the clouds our appreciation of the sunshine would become- commonplace. May the clouds bf disappointment and other obstacles which crossed the pathway of 1927, help us to tackle the every day problems of the coming year with renewed hope and greater confidence. After all, we have much to be, thankful for —and the door of happiness still stands wide open to all who have the' vision* to enter. The fullness of individual life does r.ot consist in material wealth. Why, the most miserable beings on God’s earth are those whose sole aim is money-grubbing. Speaking broadly, the Dominion is emerging from a period of depression which has reacted through all avenues of trade. But the tide has turned and optimism for 1928 is justified by the upward tendencies of our staple products, and the spectre of unemployment is vanishing. Under such favourable auspices the new year should be brighter and better for the Dominion as a whole 1 than the year just closing. Animated by this spirit of optimism we wish our readers a Happy and Prosperous New Year.

■ MUNICIPAL ACTIVITIES. THE year just ending, so far as municipal administration is concerned, has been marked chiefly by the erection and equipment of the public swimming baths, the duties of the various departments of the Council’s activities principally consisting of maintenance arid routine work. We acknowledge from the Town Clerk, the following brief summary of the various works carried out:—

Formerly highways occupied a secondary position in municipal work, but nowadays the subject is a very important one in view of increasing motor traffic. The surfacing of several of the principal streets in the borough has ensured good roads and a relief from constant patching. Estimates have been prepared foi® surfacing the various boundary roads,’.dni jpygimi-. lar manner and negotiations with the Highways Board are still in progress.

The Council will shortly be faced with the necessity of raising a sum, approximately £BSO, as its share of the cost of the new Shannon bridge, the construction of which is proceeding apace. The residence for the accommodation of the Town Hall caretaker has been re-built and presents a very pleasing appearance. During the year a new Council was elected, His Worship the Mayor (Mr. M. E. Perreau), having been re-elected unopposed for a second term. Memorial tablets have been placed at the entrances to Easton Park and Ihakara Gardens, and the work of erecting the dwarf wall around the Triangle is rapidly nearing completion. Parking stands have been provided in the Main Street for motorists while town water has been laid on to Victoria Park, which has been allocated for camping purposes if desired.

A conference with the Director of Town Planning was held in June last, and' this subject will receive consideration in due course. A new water trough to replace that re-

moved from the Triangle has been erected at the lower end of Wharf Street. Mr. J. H. Downes resigned his appointment as gasworks manager in September last, and Mr. W. S.'Heyes was appointed in his stead. The roadway leading into Easton Park has been formed and tar sealed.

Generally speaking, in spite of pessimists, the town seems to have made fair progress quite commensurate with that of other towns similarly situated. Building operations are fairly quiet, however, out of 13 permits issued, three were for dwellings, while three were for motor car garages. Undoubtedly the winter months were very lean, but with the warmer weather and the advent of a new year a much brighter outlook can no doubt be confidehtly anticipated.