Province and Suburb

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 234, 22 December 1927, Page 14

Province and Suburb

THAMES HARBOUR BOARD FINANCIAL POSITION The balance sheet of the Thames Harbour Board shows a credit balance for last year of £2,232 13s 9d, and for the first time the general account has been able to pay total interest and sinking fund charges on all the board’s loans. The estimated expenditure for the year 1928 was £7,620, and the revenue £ 6,150. The debit balance of £1,470 will probably be met by striking a rate. BOWLERS’ PRESENTATION POPULAR THAMES MEMBER Mr. Robt. Woods, who has been a member of the Thames Bowling Club for the past 27 years, anu a member of the committee for the same peniod, and also filled the position of president, was presented with a life member’s gold medal. The president of the club, Mr. C. Palmer, made the presentation at a gathering of the bowlers on the green last evening, and in doing so wished Mr. and Mrs. Palmer good health for many years to come and trusted that they would enjoy their holiday.

DEVONPORT WORRY RECLAMATION COST Mr. J. Hislop, North Shore representative on the Auckland Harbour Board, informed the Devonport Borough Council last evening that the board had not yet finalised its claim on the borough for the cost of pumping filling behind the reclamation along Queen’s Parade. At Tuesday’s meeting of the board the engineer reported that the cost was £3,200, and that he did not see that the board should bear any of the cost. The chairman of the board intimated that as members wished to go to the wharf to say farewell to the Right. Hon. L. S. Amery, he did not desire to take any contentious matter, and moved that the. question of whether the whole of the £3,200 should be pressed for be referred to the works committee, to report about the end of January.

BRITISH BARLEY IMPORTS GOVERNMENT REFUSES DUTY British Wireless—Press Assn.— Copyright RUGBY, Tuesday. In a White Paper memorandum, the Government gives reasons for rejecting the proposal to place a customs duty on imported malting barley. The view is taken that a duty would be difficult to administer; it would be open to the possibility of evasion, and would Impose irritating restrictions on all traders in barley and malt, and would be of doubtful advantage.—A. and N.Z. NEW SOUTH WALES LOAN By Cable. —Press Association. — Copyright. LONDON, Tuesday. The underwriters will receive 62 per cent, of the New South Wales loan of £7,000,000. —A. and N.Z. SYDNEY BUTTER PRICE By Cable.—Press Association. — Copyright. SYDNEY, Wednesday. The wholesale price of butter has been increased by a halfpenny to Is 7ld a lb.—A. and N.Z. COMPANY REGISTRATIONS,* Yesterday two public companies were registered in Auckland. Details are:— The Majestic Theatre (Wellington), Limited, theatre proprietors. Capital, £BO,OOO in £1 shares. Subscribers: Henry Hayward, William Kemball, Phil Hayward, Hector Cameron. William Barclay, John Coleman, and Kenneth Elie, one share each.

Laird’s Battery Switch Company, Ltd., motor dealers. Capital, £2,000 in 10s shares. Subscribers: Robert Laird, 500 shares; George Thorburn, Herbert Kissling, William Miller, George Hutchison, Trentham Webster and Kenneth Rosser, 10 shares each. REID AND GRAY, LTD. A decision to go into voluntary liquidation was ai*rived at at a meeting of shareholders in the old-established firm of Reid and Gray, Ltd., held in Dunedin last week. The firm will not cease operations, but has been reorganised and is establishing new works at Burnside. Mr. George Gray, managing director of the old company, will be in control of the new concern.

(From THE SUN’S Correspondents.)

BIRKENHEAD BOROUGH THE SMOKE NUISANCE The smoke nuisance was again before the Birkenhead Borough Council last evening, when the manager of the Sugar Company wrote stating that a device was being tried out to reduce the formation of smoke in the furnaces. If it proved successful, all boilers would be fitted. Three building permits were granted. Ratepayers are to be notified that the 10 per cent, penalty will be charged on all rates unpaid on February 3, 1928. It was decided, after discussion, that omnibus licences must be taken out for the three taxis plying for hire in the borough, and their routes and timetables approved by January 4. Permanent hands will be allowed seven days’ holiday from December 24 to January 5, and the next meeting of the council will take place on February 1.

PROVINCIAL TENNIS THAMES V. TE AROHA A representative tennis match played between Te Aroha and Thames at the latter place, resulted in a win for the home team. The scores were: Thames, 9 matches, 92 games; Te Aroha, 4 matches, 58 games. Details, Te Aroha players mentioned first: Wright lost to Dr. Gray, 6 —9; James lost to S. Danby. 3 —9; Merrington lost to Garland, o—9; Mackay lost to Poulgrain, 2—9. Wright and James beat Dr. Gray and Poulgrain, 9—7; Merrington and Mackay loet to S. Danby and Garland, 2 —9; Bush and Bradley lost to Dodd and Marshall, 4—9.

Mrs. Waters beat Mrs. Glover, 7 —l; Miss Biggs beat Miss Payne, 7—6. Mrs. Waters and Miss Biggs beat Mrs. Gloyer and Miss Payne, 7—3; Miss Mathieson and Miss McGeahan lost to Mrs. Danby and Miss Hedley, 3—7. Bush and Miss McGeahan lost to Dodd and Mrs. Danby, 6—7; Bradley and Miss Mathieson lost to Marshall and Miss Hedley, 2—7. MANGAPU DRAINAGE GOVERNMENT SUBSIDIES At the meeting of the Mangapu Drainage Board held at Te Kuiti on Monday it was reported in respect to the board’s application for Government subsidies for necessary work that the estimated cost was £14,000, and that £5,250 had been granted. This includes the sum of £SOO promised recently by the Main Highways Board, £4,000 from the Lands Department and £750 from the Railways Department. The engineer had intimated that the total cost would be expended over a period of three years, or over £4,000 per annum.

The following resolution was carried: “That the clerk prepare an estimate of the special rate necessary to provide interest and sinking fund upon the loan that would be required to complete the work over and above the promised grants.” It was decided that a revised roll be obtained on account of the county revaluation, as it might affect in the future the area proposed to be drained, over which a general rate had already been struck.

Regarding Te Kuiti Borough’s share of the cost of the work, members o£ the board will meet a committee from the council in due course. The council was sympathetically disposed towards the Mangapu project which included a large area under the council’s jurisdiction.

HENDERSON TOWN BOARD BUILDING PROGRESS At the meeting of the Henderson Town Board on Tuesday it was reported that for the two months ending December 17, building permits to the value of £2,545 had been granted, three being for dwellings and one for a tea room. The total value of permits granted during the last 12 months was £14,315. New buildings erected were 16 dwellings, five shops and one factory.

The foreman reported that 24 yards of scoria had been put on Garelja Road, the formation of the footpath at McLeod’s corner had been completed, and the Valley Road was being rolled and scarified. The footpaths on Station Road had been repaired. Fourteen water services had been connected during the month, also one ljin connection and meter to supply the residents on Tirimoana Road. The Te Atatu Road had been rolled and scarified and metal and blinding had been put on where required. DEVONPORT BOROUGH WIND UP MEETING The Devonport Borough Council held its last meeting of the year last evening and was attended by Messrs. Aldridge (Mayor), Hislop, Browne, Campbell, Massey, Enright, Lyon, Ellisdon and Walsh. The question as to whether work on footpaths and a storm water drain In old Lake Road could be charged to unemployment relief funds or would be charged to general account was raised by Cr. * Massey. On the motion of

Cr. Ellisdon the town clerk was instructed to find out the legal position and if the work was to be charged to general account to have it stopped. The engineer Reported that after consulting with the Waiteraata Power Board officials he had drawn up a scheme for rearranging the flood lights on Windsor Reserve beaches. The present 70-watt lamps would be replaced by 250-watt ones. The extra cost would be £6 a year. The seaward footpath in King’s Parade, near the yacht club pavilion is to be formed out of the Watson bequest. This will make about £6OO available for relief of unemployed. The big storage drain at Stanley Park is almost completed. It reduces the original area of the park by one-tenth of an acre. About 30 per cent, of the reThe Mayor reported receiving another The Moyar reported receiving another donation of £2O toward the cost of cleaning up O’Neill’s Point cemetery—approximately £6OO has been raised by subscriptioiis and Government subsidies, and the cemetery has been made very tidy. The amount has been over expended by £2O. A demand from the Power Board for payment for lights in the cricket pavilion was referred to the cricket blub; previously when the borough owned the electric power station current was supplied the sports bodies at nominal rates. The dog tax was fixed at 10s.

The usual 10 per cent, penalty on rates outstanding after January 21, 1928, was authorised.

The provision of 900 yards of topsoil for Stanley Park is proving something of a problem. The engineer reported that he had secured from the vicinity of the work all the spoil that could be economically lifted. He advised taking the required amount from soil stacked in the quarry, which would be relatively free from weeds. The alternative was to partly re-form Jubilee Avenue and Takarunga Road and cart the spoil to Stanley Bay. Mr. Walsh stated that if the road work was put in hand it would provide employment for some of the men now being discharged from other relief works. The town clerk reported that about £l,lOO was available from Stanley Park funds for this work. The Mayor, Mr. Aldridge, and Cr. Ellisdon, considered the road work scheme the better one. The engineer was instructed to carry it out as far as it was economical. A motorlorry is to be purchased for the work. When the Devonport Borough Council was considering last evening the wisdom of making a donation to the special constable at Narrow Neck Beach to cover out-of-pocket expenses, Mr. Massey said he had never seen a beach on which there was so much broken glass. The beach special spent hours every week picking it up. Mr. Aldridge: Narrow Neck seems to be a good place for bottles, all right. The beach special will be reimbursed his expenses.

INELASTIC BY-LAWS PERMITS FOR TENTS At last evening’s meeting of the Devonport Borough Council, Mr. Lyon remarked that a friend of his proposed to erect a tent in his yard, and was informed that a fee of 5s had to be paid. He considered that there ought to be elasticity in the by-laws. In reply to the building inspector, he admitted that the tent would very likely be used for sleeping accommodation.

The inspector said that where a tent was erected merely for use in the daytime no notice was taken of it, but where people slept in the tents it was different. There had been some trouble

over tents in past years because people used them as dwellings, but evaded the bylaws regarding sanitation. The Mayor, Mr. Aldridge, said that boarding house keepers and others had to be controlled, otherwise the yards would bo full of tents. A tent in which people had beds was part of a dwelling, and the fee of 5s was not too much. FIREMEN BUSY AVONDALE CALLS The Avondale Fire Brigade had a busy time yesterday responding to calls. The first, on St. George’s Road at about 1 p.m., was to a burning tank of tar and this was quickly subdued. The pther. at 4 p.m., threatened to be of a more serious character, and alarmed not a few of the residents In the vicinity. It was the burning of a paddock of gorse, and was too close to Mr. Penman Clarke’s residence on the Great North Road to be pleasant. Again the brigade arrested the outbreak before serious damage was done. Southah

STREET IMPROVEMENTS WORK IN HAMILTON At the Hamilton Borough CouscS meeting last night the Waikato Sat yards Company advised that it wis to join up with the trade effluent ** and contribute £252 as its share the cost. The offer was taken in co® mittee. Repair work to Victoria trect way crossing was authorised, a was decided to eliminate all motor _ fic in Victoria Street, from Ward S to Hood Street, from 7 to 10 P-®- c Christmas Eve. Maintenance and bitumen v-or' Victoria Street, from Bryce street < . t j. Hood Street, was approved, at an eS mated cost of £ 600. A programme for the Ha borough jubilee celebrations a 3 cussed, and it was proposed other things to hold a big carniv March. The council approved of a to provide community lighting business portion of Victoria - subject to satisfactory agre e with those concerned.