MASTERTON COUNTY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 November 1940, Page 7

MASTERTON COUNTY

(MEETING OF FINANCE COMMITTEE PLANS FOR AFFORESTATION. CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS FIXED. A meeting of the finance committee of the Masterton County Council was held in the Council Chambers. Masterton. this afternoon. The chairman. Mr H. H. Mawley, presided. There were also present Councillors R. E. Gordon Lee. J. W. Colquhoun, W. I. Armstrong. J. Donald. G. Moore, P. R. Welch, and the County Clerk, Mr J. C. D. Mackley. The treasurer reported on the state of the accounts at the Bank of New Zealand at October 30 as follow: — County fund account, debit £2,038 7s 7d; bridge fund loan account, credit. £844 Is 7d; bridge fund loan account (1938), credit, £5,801 2s 3d, £750 of which was on fixed deposit; workers dwelling loan account, credit, £9 2s 6d; imprest account, credit, £550. The receipts since the last meeting totalled £2.704 Is 2d. of which £1.837 0s 2d represented subsidies paid by the Main Highways Board on road maintenance and construction works. The total subsidies outstanding and due by the Main Highways Board and the Public Works Department at October 30 were £1.137 ss. Accounts for £6,423 10s Id were recommended for payment.

In view of the fact that some doubt appeared to exist concerning the council’s authority to purchase land for afforestation purposes, and that Section 30 of the Finance Act was not considered sufficient authority for the council to advance, temporarily, by arrangement with the trustees, out of the county fund account money needed for the acquisition of suitable land for tree planting, or to acquire title to suitable land and at a later date plant the land from the income which would be available from the trust established by the will of the late Dr. M. Trimble the council decided to make application to Parliament for special legislation to enable it to take immediate advantage of the bequest, in anticipation of the income of all residue of the estate passing into the trustee’s hands for administration to be applied for the purposes of afforestation in the area of the present-county of Masterton.

The County Clerk reported on the result of his discussion with the county engineers concerning the use of county plant in the construction of the approaches to the several bridges about to be reconstructed under the Masterton County Bridges Loan of 1940. The secretary of the Masterton Racing Club wrote thanking the council for its assistance in repairing the road giving access to the Opaki racecourse, and requested the council to maintain the road in the future up to an amount of £5 per annum. The letter was received and the request acceded to. It was decided that all outside staff employees entitled to annual holidays under the several awards be granted their annual Christmas holidays from Monday. December 23, 1940 to Friday, January 3, 1941. both days to be inclusive.