STRATFORD.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 May 1919, Page 3

STRATFORD.

(From Our Own Correspondent, f (All eMauiuntatfioos. letters, sic, lift with Mr a J. Hopkins, fceoiisoiler, will rec«iv< prompt attention.) MKEllKtt OP MHiOUGH COUNCIL.

| Tl:e montW* meeUug- of the Stratford ' Borough Couneis was held on Monday iewniajs. l-Tsweut: Mr. C> Jackson ■ id.-puty-umver, k the chair), Crs. A. pUwart, W ii. :':. Swing, -R. H. Cam'eron, T. Lawsao, W. J. Newton, 0. B | YVaish, &, B. Huittw, and J. tl. Xhouip- [ »im. i A copy 91 a ses«iution from the Mili t«t Kerougb Cenutcrii fa-voring a ■Statejowwd ioßr«sm:ii9 fleet was received • witfcoui 4i»9ji"3'.-.fcs. i Keuolu&jms wcr* received from tlie 5 PalicersteE NoWih Chaaiber of Commerce t-ur.gwg that »jfc«--Government Mcadd take ! fver ami s\--.'&H>.':i: «!' artariai reads in j the &>avnio».--J?hp Mayor said the ■ r,iw-.?rk,i. csj. <>s.* 'xt wjis;i-J«rabi'! importJ ance. fin rvJoTred to portions of the ; WAV?. roed ws-»w v/ery mi s. bad state, on \aee?»Bt& af excess', ve traffic and inade- ! quite ■itMvt.H.m by the controlling i authority- life hoped tlie council would j not. pass over the resolutions without : doing something.—-(.v. Hunter moved ; that they endorse Uie resolutions.—Cr ; Ni-wton ?ai-i the resolutions were in the ■ right direction. The maintenance of ; main roads, generally used, should not ! (all upon !-:<i\'.i Nxliiw, and the Govern- ': ment should either do the work or provide local authorities with the funds.— Cr. Cnr?oyi,n 'Vr.r-.hrnd, that they would only be wasting time by adopting the resoi'iiioti-i y;.,-. natter was one which i should be dealt .with by the whole of j tue local bodies concerned.—Cr, Young j said the -proposa I had already been ! threshed out at municipal conferences. If ths Government did the work the property tow? ii the different districts would be rated to pay the cost. —The motion was carried. Tlie appointment of a representative on the Egmoiit National Park Hoard j was deferred till the'next meeting of the 'council. '?:,:•. Kunanga Porous'' Council wrote asking for support in nn endeavor to impros;: upon the •rJo v ernment the necessity for proceeding expeditiously with the development of the new coal scam, lately discovered, near Runanga.—Cr. Hunter said they had been given to understand •by the Minister of Minns that men for opening up new coal mines were not available. By supporting Runanga they would he only complicating further the labor difficulties.—Cr. Thompson said they would soon 1* urging the Government to open up the Taranaki coalfields, and did not want to "barrack" for any other community.—The letter was received. Mr. T. White wrote drawing attention to the overgrown and unsightly chimp of I bushes on the council's property in front ! of Mr. E. Masters' section. The growth. it. was stated, would soon reach the electric wires.—On the motion of Cr Thompson it was decided to have the fence cut. Mr. T!. P. Baker wrote stating that his wife had broken her ankle through stepping into a hole in the footpath in front of Barker's confectionery shop in Broadway. He held the council responsible for the accident. He had no desire to elaim special damages, and asked if the council would accept a settlement without, prejudice by paying imedicnl expenses, failing which he would take action for damages.—On tlie. motion or Cr. Cameron it was left with Cr. Thompson and the deputy-Mayor to deal with the matter, and, if necessary, take legal advice. Mr. J. H- Ford wrote calling attention to the crving need for a salvage brigade as an adjunct to the fire brrade. "One reason." his letter stated, "why so little was salved from the recant fire in Broadway was the attitude of the firemen, who, doubtless standing upon their rights, informed 'would-be' salvers in the early stages of the fire that only firemen in uniform were allowed there." After this salving was not attempted. Mr. Ford asked the council to use its influence in having such a brigade formed, thus bringing Stratford' into line with other up-to-date towns. —Cr. Thompson "aid there was, no doubt, a great deal of truth in what Mr. Ford said, and he would move that Superintendent Grnbb be asked to report to the council on the matter.—Cr. Newton considered that the council should act quite apart from • Superintendent Grubb.—The motion was carried. It. was decided to consign to the waste-paper basket unread an anonymous letter addressed to the Mayor complaining about a certain footpath The borough workmen. 14 in number, petitioned the council for an increase in wages of Is per day, making" 13s per day wet or dry, with the following overtime allowances: Time and a quarter for the first hour, time and a half after! the first hour, and double time for Sun-1 days.—Cr. Cameron moved that the petition be dealt with at the next meeting., —Cr. Thompson suggested that the town clerk prepare a report showing the in-' creases in \vages over a term of years.— I The motion was carried. An application was received from the Farmers' Co-operative Company for a permit to erect additions to skin and hide , buildings in iron.—The deputyMayor said he did not like departing from the by-laws, which stipulated that any new buildings in the area for which the permit was asked should be in brick or concrete, but the circumstances in this case were such that tliey might make an exception.— f,y. Cameron, who said he was not prepared to set aside the by-law, moved that:,the matter be referred to the engineer'for a renort. — Cr. Thompson seconded.—Tlie deputyMayor said that what he objected to was •the plan, which provided for a mere shed. He did riot tjiir.k a, building of this character should ba allowed so near the main 'Street—The motion was carried, and it was further decided that the whole council inspect the site. Formal resolutions authorising the elcetri'.' lighting extension loan of .67W0 and the striking of a special rate were passed. The engineer reported' that +22 vards of tar macadam had been placed on Broadway during the month. Mr. Riddle had made a start with the painting of the roof of the town hall about two months ago, hut the work was now at a standstill. Mr. Riddle had informed him that he could not get men to do the work.—After a long all-rounil discussion H wa? decided to inform Mr. Riddle that ihe council expected him to finish his work—Cr. Cameron pointed out that the. council had no agreement with Mr. Kiddle apart from his tender, and an agreement, to be valid must lie signed bv two members of the council. He moved that in future no contract he let for a irai of over .£•" without an agreement. This was agreed to. After further discussion the motion was withdrawn.. Cr. Hunter urged that the electrical engineer should visit Wellington and

(confer with Mr. Burke, tlie Government ; electrical expert, regarding the expendiI ture of the £7OOO loan. Whatever was 'done by the borough should fit in with the Government scheme to come later. — J This was agreed to. \ Cr. Hunter moved that the resolution j passed on February 12, 1917, making the MHh day of the month the last discount [da--- for the payment of electric lighting ' accounts be rescinded, and that all ac-!-".!V'i!its -paid within ten days of the date I they are rendered be subject to discount,

11 ".ye that all accounts he rendered by the rj'lotu of etch, month.--The electrical eni ..;ri;?er explained i\v'\ "ne was adopting , :". new system, a l *! iTVjtead of having . |hi» whole staff reading 'he meters one ;tnan would do tho wor.'c. This wouV! . ! ;r,-:r.:>- fewer mistakes and less work for ■ the town clerk. . j Mr K, Rosn reported that no stock had . (been condemned sfc the abattoirs during I iih<- wort'i, and that the fees amounted ; to :Zm % fid .--Adopted. > j The librarian reported that for the I ' month. 1020 hooki had been issued. I ! Fifteen new books !-.sd bce-i Vidcd and j j 12 new subscriber l ! enrolled. The sub- , ' sw'ptwns received Amounted i" .£!) 14a ,'■6d.--T ,, !> town clerh ■??mmer>.tir.g upon , I ilie. growing popularity of the Übrary, ' \ said that last year the subscriptions ■ amounted to £IOO, a few years ( ; ago f,Vy iraro only £4fi. r' Tro caretaker of the cemetery reTiorted . : that two new gates were needed for the ' ! ;-.>c,- T v H 5n 4 the fences required repairi ing. It was further necessary to have , \ a new ground stumped—O. Cameron ■ j said that be and the Mayor had visited . the cemetery and had hew s.urprised at ' j the improvement's made by the carej taker. The survey of new plots was j necessary. Only four plots were left in " | the Presbyterian ground. As their own t j engineer was too busy to undertake the work they had decided to employ an . j outside engineer. A few seats were rc- , j inired. and steps should be taken to j provide water for the making of cement 1 The engineer was authorised to have ] the approaches to the new suspension bridge put in order. | An offer of SflOO or 4000 yards of soil for filling the depression in Hamlet Street, at 9d per yard, was received from ! the Avon Bowling Club.—A proposal bv Cr. Cameron that the offer he accepted led to n warm discussion—-Cr. Thompson moved that the Works Committee and the engineer bring down a report before ] any further action was taken. He wanted to know that after filling up the cavity the council would be able to make the street passable for vehicles, otherwise the money may be spent and no benefit derived for some years.—The cnsineer, on being referred to, said the proposition was an absolutely good one. I They would be getting the soil for the cost of carting.—Cr. Thompson's amendment was lost and the motion was carried. FEED FOR WINTER. The severity of last winter, which caused heavy losses among stock, has brought home to farmers generally the wisdom of being prepared for such a contingency should it arise again. A man whose duties take him throughout tlie length and breadth of Stratford districts, I and who comes into close contact with I farmers, stated yesterday that during the past summer double the quantity of hay produced during normal seasons was saved, and quite double the area of root crops had been sown for winter feed. No matter how severe the winter may be, the losses of last winter could not be repeated. As an instance of what farmers suffered last winter the case of a farmer not far from Stratford was mentioned. This man paid £l2O for hay, bran and chaff for his cows, and notwithstanding this expenditure he lost 10 dairy cows. Hia actual monetary loss could be put down at £350. Losses much heavier than this were experienced by other farmers. There were farmers last winter who had hay in ample quantities to see them through, and much of their trouble arose from the laejf of green feed when spring, without its usual growth, appeared. Experience justifies the belief that it is a good policy for farmers to sow in proportion to the size of their herds such green crops as will be ready for cutting early in the spring. t NOXIOUS WEEDS. The prevalence of blackberry and ragwort in parts of Taranaki appears to be causing a good deal of anxiety in some quarters, and there is a disposition to blame the Department for its leniency in dealing with those who fail to comply with the Noxious Weeds Act. The complaints, very naturally, come chiefly from those whose properties are clean. The Department, it appears, influenced by the fact that many men have been, and still are, at the front, and that there is a great shortage of labor, has relaxed to some extent its administration of the law. The common excuse advanced by fanners who have offended against the Act is that they have not been able to get men to do the work. This is perfectly true in the great majority of cases, and to insist on a rigid enforcement of the Act would not only mean individual hardship, but would be injurious to the country as a whole. For instance, the right time to cut blackberry is Januarv, before it has fruited. January happens to be the month when farmers are particularly busy gathering their hay and sowing their root crops. If the weather is unfavorable this work may be very protracted. With the shortage of labor and the undeniable urgency of the work, the farmer has in hand, and on which , his ability to carry over the winter season depends, the question arises as to whether the departmental officers do not show sound wisdom in giving farmers a certain amount of latitude. That labor is short is abundantly clear | from the fact that the Department has the power, where a farmer fails to clear his land of noxious weeds, to put on men to do the work, and charge the cost t'p the occupier. Men in limited numbers have been available at 2s an hour, and when it has seemed necessary, and the men have been, available, the departmental officers have exercised their powers. In spite of the many complaints, about noxious weeds; sound information goes to show that the evil is being kept well in check, and the present condition | of affairs is a matter more for congratulation than complaint. It was stated at a meeting of the Stratford Countv Council on Saturday that some merchants, 1 by selling impure seeds, facilitated the spread of noxious weeds. A certain per- ; centagc of impurity is permissable in seeds offered for s,ale, but a merchant 1 who exceeds the percentage allowed by the Act risks a prosecution. Offences of this kind against the law would arise, I it may be assumed, from ignorance, ; ODDFELLOWSHIP. The monthly meeting of the Midhirst Oddfellows' lodge Was held last evening, P.O. Bro. R. Steer presiding. A visit was . j>aid by members of the Eltham lodge, and by the district secretary (Bro. G. S. Papps). Six new members were admitted into the order, and eleven candidates proposed for membership. It was decided to ask permission of the district to hold [ fortnightly meetings instead of monthly. I I Xhe district secretary complimented the

lodge on the progress made since the cessation of war activities, and expressed the appreciation of the district of the splendid services rendered in this direction by P.G. Bro. R. Steer and Bro, F. Bell. Intimation was given tfiat•' £56 hadibeen passed for sick pay« to two members of the lodge while on { active service; also that tihe sum of ;6!so was being refunded to the lodge on-behalf of contributions of soldier members. At the close of lodge business were entertained tt> a social Evening. Songs were, given by Miss Kivell- and Mrs. Hatcher, and dancing, with supper provided, brought; a most pleasant evening to a close, "the distribteS. and Bro. Phillips of the Eltham .lodge, voiced the thanks of the the most enjoyable hospitality of the "Midhirst brethren and lady friends'. ' : . GENERAL. 7-An intjiVest was. held to-day concerning j thj> death.' of the infant male .child of Margaret Close, before Mr. C. D. Sole . (acting coroner) and a. jury consisting of Messrs. L. Riera (foreman), L....T. Aylward,„W. Blafr, C. Speck, R. D.'Lewers and W.-Harris., The inquiry was con-ductedon-behalf of the police by Sergeant DalkL and evidence was given by Dr. Doris ;G: Gordon, Dr. T N. \Vatt and others.' '.Hie evidence showed that the child had been born in an outhouse, anl had died, subsequent to admission to the hospital,, as a result of exposure. A verdict was returned in accordance with the medical testimony, the jury expressing the opinion that' all that was possible had been done for the child. A rider was added to the effect that the coroner should write to the proper authorities expressing the opinion that the law should be altered so that the father of the illegitimate child would bear his share of responsibility. At a point on the Opunake Road, near Mr. J. S. Jones's property, which has been the scene of two or three accidents, a motor car driven by Mr T. King, of Eltham, this morning skidded and collided bank, causing one of the four wh.lv to buckle. There is, a feeling that this part of the road, which suffers much from uattle, should Motive