SHANNON BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Shannon News, 14 June 1929, Page 3

SHANNON BOROUGH COUNCIL.

FORTNIGHTLY MEETING.

The above meeting was held in the Council Chambers on Tuesday evening. Present: 'The ■Mayor (Mr E. Butt) and Crs. A. E. Hyde, E. Downes, T. C. ThwaiteSj E. Hook, Jas. Curran jun., ;S. Anderson, D. Laurvig, Jas. Curran, sen. MAIN HIGHWAYS ESTIMATES. The Public Works Department wrote asking the Council for the Main Highways estimates 1929-30. Th 6 Town Clerk stated lie had placed this matter before as many of the members of the Eoad Committee as he was able to and as a result it was decided to recommend the following: Levin-Palmerston North via Shannon, maintenance £403.; Foxton Shannon highway, maintenance £150; FoxtonShannon highway, widening and improving £285 10s. Cr. Hyde was of opinion that an estimate should be put in for the permanent surfacing of the main highway through the borough. Cr. Thwaites said this estimate should be included as an alternative one.

Cr. Curran, jun., contended that one of the first things for the Council to do was to .make provision for widening and improving Sheehan Street as this street had now become a main highway and a lot of traffic passed over it since the opening of the new bridge, Cr. Downes strongly objected to forwarding an estimate for work which they had no reasonable chance of carrying out this year. Continuing, he said, that if the Board could give an adjoining County a £3 to £1 subsidy he would never agree- to the Council doing the work with a £2 to £1 subsidy, seeing that the Council’s streets had to' carry the same traffic. Apart from this he did not think the Borough could stand it.

In reply to a question the Town Clerk stated that the estimate received for permanent surfacing through the borough was approximately. £B2OO. Cr. Curran, jun., then moved that an estimate be forwarded to the Department -for reconstruction work on the Main .Highway through the borough, conditionally that the Board give a £3 to £1 subsidy and alsd undertake to carry out the work. Cr. ,B. Hook seconded the motion.

In speaking to the motion Cr. Hyde said that it had to be remembered that although the Board had granted the Horowhenua County Council a £3 to £1 subsidy, the latter had given hun dreds of pounds for which they had not the subsidy. He did not think it was a question of whether they got a £3 to £1 subsidy, but what the borough could carry.

The Town Clerk stated that it had been reported in a newspaper that the District Engineer had written 1o the Manawatu .Automobile Association stating that the permanent surfacing of the Main Highway would be carried out for the- Shannon borough. He had written to the Engineer asking for his. confirmation of the repoit.

After further discussion as to whether the portion of road from the Police Station to the Albion Hotel should be bilumenised the full width, Or. Curran’s motion was put to the meeting and carried, it also being decided to point out that the widening and improving of Sheehan Street was urgent work. TRAFFIC SIGNS. A circular was received from the Transport Department, Wellington, regarding traffic signs in the motor vehicle regulations and asking the Council to co-operate with them in the direction of having all such signs erected without avoidable delay, to comply with the regulations.—The traffic signs in the borough complying with the regulations, the letter was received. INFLUENZA PRECAUTIONS.

A leaflet was received from the De partment of Health setting out pie cautions and warnings for public in formation re influenza. —Received. HOSPITAL SUBSIDIES.

A notice was received from the Kairanga County Council calling a conference of the contributing local bodies to the Palmerston North Hospital Board to be held on the 4th July at 1 p.m. with the object of bringing pressure to bear upon the Government to increase its subsidies to hospitals. Or. Downes said that the hospital expenses were getting heavy ami lie was of opinion that the Government should increase the subsidies. He would like to see patients’ fees reduced, rather than the rate reduced. It was awfulthe fees charged for treatment; a working man with a family had, no chance of paying them Or. Curran jun.: If the fees were more reasonable people might be able to pay. It was pointed out that the fee had been raised to 12s per day. Or. Hyde said lie agreed with -the man in Taranaki who advocated legalising a national sweepstake, the revenue to be used for hospitals. At present thousands of pounds left the Dominion every year for sweepstakes in other- parts.

Finally Crs Hyde and Thwaites were appointed to represent the Council at the conference. They are to support an increased subsidy from the Government and a reduction iie hospital fees. EXTENSION OF TELEPHONE

The local postmaster (Mr H. Clifford Jones) wrote stating that the Council’s request Jf or extension of telephone hours'had been referred to the Chief Postmaster for consideration.

POUNDKEEPER. Applications for the position of poun'dkeepor were received from E. Spring and A. Simes. —The latter was appointed. WILKINSON’S BRIDGE. Regarding the re-erection of the bridge over Stansell’s drain leading ,to Mr Wilkinson’s property, Or. Downes Informed, the Council that the Road Committee had discussed the

matter and decided to obtain the Municipal Association Solicitor’s opinion as to whether the Qovneil is compelled to reconstruct and maintain the bridge, and to abide by his decision. RESERVOIR MYSTERY. The Chairman of the Waterworks Committee reported that the committee had inspected the wtaerworks to try and solve the mystery regarding the failing of the borough water supply at the latter end of last week. A meeting of the Works Committee is to be called shortly and a report will be brought down at the next Council meeting. STREET LIGHTING.

Cr. Downes complained that the street lights were turned off in early morning at a very inconvenient time for workers who had to leave for work early. It was decided tc draw the attention of the Power House authorities to the complaint. Cr. Curran, jun., ' thought it was time there was a reduction in the charges for lighting, contending that they had to pay a higher rate than other districts. Hd hoped the borough’s representative on the Ilorowhenua Power Board would see what could be done in this direction.

The Borough representative, Cr. Hyde,- said that the Board’s contract with the Government for the supply of power expired this year and if the Board got a reduction under the new contract from the Government he was sure the Consumer would get- the benefit.

GENERAL,

In reply to Cr. Curran, jun., as to whether any word had been received from the local bodies interested r-3 the official opening of the new bridge the Town Clerk said that no reply had been received officially.

The Mayor recomffiended that an additional light should be erected half way down Sheehan Street, which is now a main highway and another at the corner of Margaret and Vance Streets. —This was agreed to.