COUNTY COUNCIL

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 412, 22 December 1932, Page 6

COUNTY COUNCIL

RAGWORT PESR FURTHER DISCUSSED AT MEETING CHAIRMAN'S OPTIMISM Very little business was dealt with' at the monthly meeting of the Opotiki County Council 011 Wednesday morning. Those councillors present were: J. F. Reid (chairman), C. Black, J. Bufler, N. Wilson, W. Gault, R.Hedley, J. S. Neilson, W. W. Upton (engineer), G. F. Joblin and J. L. Merry (clerk). The chairman advised that he had received apologies from Crs. A. E. Martin, G. F. Powell ,and G. O. Donovan. A request was received from Cr. Donovan as to whether two relief workers would he allowed to cut cocks- »'• »i.r -..wc»v*ac5j:''3asJUc/k^

I foot. The borough council wrote aslcing the county council's permission to lay a water main in Woodlands road from th'e foot of the' hospital hill to Sedgwick Road. Ragwort Question Discussed, ■ " The Minister of Agriculture (Hon. C. E. Macmillan) wrote stating that though the Government was anxious to assist in keeping down the ragwort pest, he regretted he could not consider the council's request for a . grant of £100. Cr. Gault advised that very little had been done at Torere as the ragwort was all in flower. The clerk said he had seen the j agriculture inspeetor. ; Cr. 'Neilson mentioned a patch of ragwort on the roadside .about two miles this side of the pa. He thought it would be advisable to put an unemployed man on to this patch in order to prevent further spreading. ■ Cr. Gault asked if the inspeetor could be urged to take action but Cr. Merry said that the inspeetor took his orders from the department. Cr. Gault thought that in the case of Crown lands where Europeans were managing and where no step had been taken to check the pest, thq department should give these people until a certain date to clear the ragwort. USe of Mixture In reply to a question by Cr. Gault, the clerk said that he thought the lime and chloride mixture was more eeonomical than the spray. Cr. Hedley said that one person had said the former method was a great success. Cr. GSTeilson considered that the greatest objection to the spray was the necessity to carry water. He thought the lime was easier to transport. The chairman thought that a reply ought to be sent to the Minister of Agriculture, drawing his attention to the condition of Mapri lands. Cr. Joblin suggested that some of the worst offenders should be prosecuted. Cr. Black consider#! that as the ragwort was so far in flower now, it was too late to use the mixture. The chairman said the spray could be used first to destroy the flower. Cr. Gault mentioned that in some cases in Torere the best thing to do would be to mow the ragwort and then burn it. Cr. Black said the trouble started further up the river. Use of Dip The chairman brought up the matter of the dip which he said was causing some dissatisfaction. He said that so long as cattle were not going out of the country it was not necessary to dip them. Cr. Black considered the council was getting no revenue out of the dip. The clerk advised that the dip produced £42 4s 6d. and the expenditure amounted to £82 4s 3d. This was a recurring expenditure each year. The chairman said he mentioned the matter only so that the council could discuss it with a view to bringing it up at the next meeting. A discussion in connection with the renewal of a contract for gravelling ollowed and the engineer was inrr.Nod to make arrangements about arrymg on clll the end of the year. B ifore the meeting closed, the chairman wished the council a Merry Christmas and a prosperous N'eV Year — as he was sure things could not get any worse. Cr. Merry: The chairman is getting optimistic. The meeting closed with a vote of thanks to the chair.