PAPAKURA.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 7, Issue 415, 4 October 1918, Page 4

PAPAKURA.

PAPAKURA TOWN BOARD

The first meeting of the newlyelected Papakura Town Board was held on Wednesday last. Present: Messrs S. Evans, E. D. McLennan, R. M. Gillespie, W. Jones, W. Mcintosh. T. D. Campbell, Dr A. W. P. Brookfield and the clerk (Mr Harold Wilson).

ELECTION' OF CHAIRMAN The Clerk occupied the chair and nailed for nominations for the position of chairman. Mr W. Jones moved and Mr 8. Evans seconded that Mr E. D. McLennan be appointed for the ensuing two years There were no further nominations and Mr McLennan was elected unoppossed. Mr McLennan thanked members for conferring the honour on him. They had, he said, fought an election with different platforms but he urged members to pull together, to work amicably and in the best interests of the ratepayers.

The late chairman Mr R. M. Gillespie congratulated Mr McLennan on being elected to the position of chairman and assured him he would give him loyal support and assist him in every possible way. The Chairman acknowledged the sentiments voiced by Mr Gillespie and trusted he would receive his loyal support.

DAY OR EVENING MEETINGS Lengthy discussion ensued as to the time at which meetings should be held, the late Board having assembled in the day time instead of in the evenings as in the case of previous Boards.

Mr Evans argued from a democratic point of view in favour of evening meetings and he proposed and Mr Campbell seconded that the Board should meet at 7.30 p.m. on the second Monday in each month. Mr Gillespie moved, as an amendment, that the Board should meet at 2.30 p.m on the second Wednesday in the month, claiming that with Wednesday being the half-holiday such would meet the convenience of all parties. The amendment was lost by four votes to three, Messrs Gillespie, Mcintosh and Brookfield voting "for," and the Chairman, Messrs Campbell, Evans and Jones voting "against." The motion was then agreed to, Mr Gillespie dissenting.

FINANCE COMMITTEE Ihe Chairman and Messrs Jones and Evans were appointed a Finance and Legal Committee, and were empowered to sign cheques. NEST MEETING The next meeting of the Board was fixed to take place on Monday, October 14th, at 7.30 p.m.

NEW SALE YARDS OPENED

Tuesday last - the occasion of the monthly stock sale—saw the formal opening of the N.Z. Loan and Mercantile Agency Company's new sale yards, which have been constructed in place of the old yards situated in the centre of the township. For health reasous and with a view of improving the town by the site being made available for the future erection of business premises endeavours have been made for some considerable time past to induce the N.Z. Loan Coy, whose lease from the owners of the property, the Methodist Church Trustees, is nearing termination, to agree to a removal of the yards and the credit of having at last arranged for the same is due to the persistent energy of Mr R. M. Gillespie, the late chairman of the Town Board.

The new yards are situated in Cook street within easy distance of the business part of the town. The pens are of Australian red wood (jarrah), the floors thereof and of the races being of reinforced concrete. The drafting yards have a covering of scoria over a layer of metal. The usual overhead footbridges have been erected together with raised platforms between each row of pens for the convenience of persona desiring to closely inspect stock, With the ground from the western side of the yards sloping towards the Parahurehure stream excellent drainage facilities are obtainable. The public in attendance at Tuesday's sale were unanimous in congratulating the Company upon their possession of such up-to-date and commodious yards and the fact that the Company had unselfishly played a part in assisting Papakura's development by not only voluntarily relinquishing a site, the continued use of which militated against the town's progress but had placed the district in pos--Besssion of modern saleyard equipments was the subject of much favourable comment.

interesting reminiscence

Papakura is one of the oldest centres in the Auckland Province at which stock sales have been regularly held and at one time the Papakura sales ranked amongst the most important in the Dominion, as many as 4000 head of cattle having been yarded there on one occasion. Sales took place at Papakura prior to the commencement of the Maori war in 1801 in the vicinity of what is now known as Cole's Crescent, small enclosures without pens being used. Subsequently the lato Mr William Hunter, founder of the firm of Messrs Hunter and No!an, built sale yards on the property on the Great South Road next to the English Church where lie and the lato Mr Alfred Bucklaad alternately conducted monthly gales. The pens, ton in number, wero composed of a strong stamp of posts with split rails, strength being the important item since the cattle were brought in from runs and were more or less in a wild state, the feat of roping them in tho yards producing plenty of excitement. About the time of the FrancoGerman war in 1870-71 the yards wore removed to the site just vacated in the centro of tho township, tho lato Messrs G. L. Colo and John

Dlow executing the work in connection therewith and building '2O odd

pens with various enclosures. Heavy split posts and rails were utilised as previously and the selling shed, which still stands and timber of which is still sound, was adapted from part of the building that formed the first Wesleyan Church built in the district. Bome few years after tins the late Mr Nolan went into partnership with Mr Hunter, and although the business of the firm of Hunter and Nolan was subsequently taken over by the N.Z. Loan and M.A. Coy, the name of Nolan has been associated with the yards ever since, Mr H. 0. Nolan, the present stock manager of the Company, being a son of the former co-proprietor.