STRATFORD NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 273, 28 April 1915, Page 4

STRATFORD NEWS.

MUNICIPAL MATTERS. ('By Wire.—Own Correspondent.) .Stratford, Last Night. This evening Mr. J. i\V. Boon, a. candidal..- mi- the mayoralty], addressed the raii-nnjurs in the Town Hall on municipal matters. Or. T. B. Richards was chairman, and .briefly introduced the speaker. Mr. Boon, in his speech, referred to the terriUle war now raging, and said that with the high prices the comity was getting for its products it wa., necessary that the borough should progress, and that we should not stagnate, lie. briefly referred to the loss ol tin; municipal .buildings, and stated that the borough was losing in rents .CuS4 per year. Hence it was necessary to proceed as' quickly as possible with the n-w building. lie estimated the prola from the new building, after allowing for a sinking fund of 10 per cent., to be £OOO per annum. In addition the town would possess an up-to-date library and reading-room and council chambers second to none in this province. The (piestiou of removing the town hall hail been referred to at the council. The idea was to remove it to a site in Broadway north, but seeing the hall was too small and too costly to remove it was better to let it remain where it was until the town advanced, when an up-to-date opera house could be erected on some central site.

He briefly referred to the widening of the town bridge, and said that in his opinion the traffic did not warrant such a big expenditure, considering the bridge is in good order. When the time came to renew the present bridge he would favor making it theiul] width and building it in ferro-concrete. He advocated a footbridge over the Pa tea river in Ariel Street which would benefit school children and ratepayers residing in the southern end of the town. He referred to his action in moving in the council that a special drainage rate should he charged those using the .system, and contended that the householder without the sewer not only had to pay the. drainage rate on the' loan, but had in addition to par, IDs per yeai to the contractor for removal of* the 1 nightsoil. He wanted the people to understand that his motion included a clause that the amount collected by this special rate should be devoted to drainage extension. Cr. Morison seconded an amendment to delete that clause. Cr. Morison in. his speech last evening stressed the point that, he had saved the burgesses from paying for their hose pipes. He (Cr. Morison) moved in March that the charge for hose-pipes he Ss. This wa 3 lost, and in a further motion Cr. -Morison recorded his vote against ratepayers having free use of hose-pipes. The speaker referred to the need of kerbing and channelling and advocated a loan of £SOOO for this purpose. He contended that they could never do the work required out of ordinary) revenue. He further stated that it was' necessary to put the footpaths in Broadway to their permanent level and then asphalt tnem and make a proper job of them. He considered it necessary to raise a loan for street improvements. The time was not far distant when we should have to go in for tarred-macadam road to carry the increased motor traffic, which is very severe on our present roads. Many of the streets in the town were almost worn out and required careful; attention during the coming winter to keep them in repair. He strongly advocated the borough owning its own electric light works, and with a view to that end he suggested that the council and the company should meet together and discuss terms for acquiring the present company's plant, lie favored the council taking' over the company's plant that is suitable for bringing it up to a standard recommended by the New Zealand Ciovcrnmnet or the. council's electrical adviser. In the event of the cour/cil and the company coining to a mutual arrangement, the goodwill, if any, should date from the council's entry to September, 1919 In the event of the council and the company not agreeing, ho favored the council proceeding to erect its own works, to be ready to start on the expirvl of the company's concession.

Alter several questions had been asked and satisfactorily answered, the candidate was, on the motion of Messrs. J. 'Masters and 11. Wilson, accorded a vote of thanks for his able'address.

An error crept into your published report of the School Committee meeting. Mr. T. 11. Peun was re-elected secretary, and not Mr. Ward, as published. Further a hearty vote of thanks was passed to Mr. Penn for his past services. Despite what the man in the street might say hard-thinking ratepayers are of opinion that the new council will do good work. At anyrate there will not be the bickering that has pervaded the past councils, and although most of the councillors are new to public life there is no reason why they should not work together for the advancement of the town.

The Stratford A. and P. Association is organising another trip for its members to the Moumahaki Experimental Farm.

We have had •'beautiful weather this month. To-day is the first wet day since April 3rd. Fancy 23 days in April and no rain! Yet some people say it always rains in Stratford!