TOWN AFFAIRS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 22 November 1939, Page 9

TOWN AFFAIRS

MEETING OF MASTERTON BOROUGH COUNCIL POSITION OF AERO CLUB. PAYMENT FOR METAL ROYALTIES The monthly meeting of the Masterton Borough Council was held in the I council chambers last night. There were present the Mayor, Mr T. Jordan, and Councillors W. White, G. W. Morice. Trevor Beetham. J. Ninnes, A. T. Jackson, H. E. Gardner, R. Russell. W. H. Judd, A. D. Low. W. Kemp and G. D. Wilson. The president of the Wairarapa and Ruahine Aero Club wrote thanking the council for its donation of £lOO and stated that the grant would be used for the reduction of mortgage. Flying activities of the club would be resumed after cessation of hostilities. Councillor Kemp pointed out that the Aero Club would have been used as a training centre but for the grounds being too narrow in width. An endeavour was being made to obtain the extra land to give the width desired. The secretary of the Eketahuna County Council wrote offering £l5 as final settlement in connection with royalties due amounting to £4O to the Masterton Borough Council for gravel removed from the council’s pit at Mangaone. The offer was accepted. Councillor Gardner recorded his vote against the motion, considering that the council would be giving away £25 of the ratepayers’ money which could be put to a useful purpose, such as by a donation to the patriotic fund. The Mayor stated that he would like to see local bodies in the position of being able to remove gravel from each other’s pits free of charge. An invitation from the Anglican Boys’ Home Society, Wellington Diocese, for councillors to attend the official opening of the Masterton Sedgley Boys' Home by the Governor-General, Lord Galway, on Monday, November 27, was accepted. The Principal of Wairarapa College. Mr G. G. Hancox, was granted permission for College girl pupils to use the Park tennis courts, subject to the same conditions as last year. The Wairarapa Sub-centre, N.Z. A.A.A., wrote requesting the council to take over the balance amounting to £7O of the original loan advanced the Sub-centre by the Wellington Centre to erect a concrete kerbing around the Park Oval. While appreciating that the primary purpose of the kerbing was the improvement of the running track, the Sub-centre considered the kerbing a betterment. It was decided that no action be taken, but that as in the past, ground rents received from athletic sports be remitted to the Wellington Centre A.A.A., to be applied in reduction of their advance when the kerbing was laid.

The original cost of the curbing was in the vicinity of £220, £l5O of which had been repaid in ground rents received from amounts contributed by the Masterton Amateur Athletic Club. The Masterton Amateur Athletic Club requested permission to take up a collection at one Wednesday evening meeting a month, and to donate the proceeds to the Mayor's Patriotic Fund. The club also requested the use of the oval for training purposes as in the past, and that permission be granted to hold Wednesday meetings during the athletic season. Permission was granted for the collection of patriotic funds, subject to the Club being an approved collecting body, and for the use of the Oval. A request from the Wairarapa Amateur Cycling Club, applying to use the Park Oval for training purposes was granted, subject to the usual conditions. Permission was granted the Wairarapa Caledonian Society on the usual terms, to use the Park Oval on January 1 for the annual gathering of the society. The Christmas Fair Committee wrote applying for the free use of the Municipal and Social halls on November 30 and December 1, and a meeting room for meetings held during this month in connection with the fair to raisefunds for the Wellington Provincial Patriotic Fund. The request was granted. A request from the Masterton Amateur Swimming and Life Saving Club, applying for the use of the public baths. Dixon street, during the ensuing season and asking that the baths be opened to the public at, the earliest possible date, was received. It was resolved that the club’s request for the use of the baths be acceded to under the usual conditions and that the opening date be left in the hands of the Mayor. A grant of £lO was made towards the re-building fund of the Maori meeting house at Te Ore Ore. The general secretary, Centennial branch, Department of Internal Affairs wrote stating that Centennial memorials must be identified as such by some inscribed stone or tablet and requested that action be carried out in connection with the local memorial. The letter was received and the engineer was instructed to bring down a report as to a suitable form of tablet and inscription. The Borough solicitor, Mr H. Mackenzie Douglas. wrote enclosing a memorandum of transfer from the Williams family to the Council of Lansdowne lands and certified that the document was in order for execution by the Corporation. It. was resolved that the Common Seal of the Borough be affixed to the document. It was decided to close the borough office between the Christmas and New Year holidays, subject to provision for urgent business to be dealt, with. Councillor Gardner asked if the Municipal Association could approach unions to see if all new awards affecting local bodies could come into force on April 1 and expire on March 31. “I think the unions would agree if you 1 asked them properly,” added Councillor Gardner amid laughter. The Abattoir and Gas committee, having obtained and examined infor-

mation from other centres, recommended that as from April 1, 1940. abattoir killing be done by contract, and that the necessary specifications and conditions be prepared for submission to the council preparatory to calling tenders. The recommendation was adopted.