COUNTY AFFAIRS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 5 April 1941, Page 7

COUNTY AFFAIRS

EKETAHUNA COUNCIL MONTHLY MEETING YESTERDAY. COLLECTION OF RATES. (“Times-Age"' special.) The monthly meeting of the Eketahuna County Council was held yesterday, there being present Crs. J. B. Carruthers (chairman), C. T. Richardson, P. Davies, S. Davie, G. Houlbrooke, F. Goggin, H. N. Kebbell. R. W. Kebbell, J. J. Dougherty, A. J. Perry, the Clerk, Mr. W. N. Richardson, and the engineer, Mr. W. C. Duffill. Leave of absence was granted Councillor G. Bailey. The County Clerk’s financial statement is as follows:—County Fund account, Dr. balance, £Bl5 13s. 6d.; less Imprest Account, credit balance, £500; nett debit balance. £315 13s. 6d. Bridge Fund account, credit balance, £349 19s. 5d.; Bridges Loan £BOOO, credit balance, £3790 9s. 3d.; Worker’s Dwelling Loan, £1550 Account, credit balance, £8 2s. 3d. The collection of rates for the year 1940-41 are as set out below:—East, struck. £2476 6s. 2d.; collected, £2474 9s. 4d.: west. £4768 os. 6d.; £4553 15s. Bd.; Alfredton, £6471 7s. Id.; £6262 ss. 4d. The collection of 96.9 per cent is above the standard of previous years, a very pleasing feature indeed. Accounts amounting to £2290 14s. lOd. were passed for payment. The Board of Trustees of the National Art Gallery wrote soliciting a grant. The letter was received. The Counties Association wrote asking the Council’s opinion as to whether it was in favour of the biennial conference being held this year. The council favoured the holding of the Conference. .

The chairman reported that he had been approached by the Medical Controller of the E.P.S. organisation as to the advisability of having first-aid outfits placed in a central position in the various districts. Mr. Carruthers went on to say that the Wairarapa Hospital Board were supplying such outfits free of charge. The outfits, he Understood, were sealed in a wooden cabinet, the key of which could only be obtained by breaking the glass. The outfits could be used in any emergency. He moved that the Council make application to the Hospital Board for nine outfits —one for each district. The motion was carried.

It was decided that when the outfits come to hand that they be placed in the respective meeting places in the districts concerned. The engineer, Mr. W. Duffill, reported on the month’s work, inter alia, as follows: —Main Highway Re-con-struction. The metalling work is now completed. The section from Tyler’s bridge to Mr. Taylor’s house is completed. Masterton-Weber Road: The section from Saunder’s bridge to Alfredton was graded. A large culvert at Napier’s East, which has been failing for some time has been replaced with pipes. Main Highway. The Rongomai Gorge section was patched with crushed metal. The work of cutting back the corner at the eastern end of the gorge has been completed, and the curve banked and metalled. The highway was graded from Eketahuna to Alfredton. Norlings Road. A gang was put on to this road with the grader and the edges were cleaned of turf and the road graded throughout. The Mangaone Central East Road was becoming heavily over-grown, and the grader and gang worked throughout its length.