FEILDING

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIII, Issue 263, 4 October 1933, Page 4

FEILDING

BOROUGH AFFAIRS, DEPUTATION TO WELLINGTON. Yesterday the Mayor (Mr C. E. Taylor) and Cr. E. Fair and the town clerk, Mr N. C. Harding, visited Wellington to make representations to the authorities regarding several matters of importance in connection with the internal administration of the Feilding borough. Among the matters discussed by Mr Taylor and his colleagues were those of the borough valuations and adjustments, the conversion of debenture loans and the payment of the Power Board rate by Feilding out of the general revenue of the council. BOROUGH VALUATIONS. The question of the borough valuation adjustments .was put before the Valuer-General (Mr T. Brook), by the deputation, and it will be recalled that at the- last meeting- of the council it was 'decided that, as a general revaluation was not desirable or likely to be . obtained, it should ask the Valuer-General to either act under Section 12 of the Valuation of Lands Act, which enabled the Valuer-Gen-eral of his own motion to; make adjustments . by way of revaluations, or recommend that the property owners avail themselves of Sections 40 and 45 of the Act. The Mayor placed the case before Mr Brook, who; concurred that 'a general revaluation of the borough at the present time was not desirable. Mr Brook explained that Section 12 of the Act could only be used with the permission of the Minister, and it was very rarely brought into action. The Valuer-General thought that the Feilding proposals were to be commended, and expressed his sympathy with the : suggestions that had been brought forward in a desire to make rating more equitable in Feilding. Mr Brook informed the deputation that the department had amending legislation in preparation which would give effect to the, wishes of the Feilding Council. It was hoped to get this legislation through this session, but in the event of delay, Mr Brook assured the Mayor, something would be done in time to enable valuation adjustments to : be effected in Feilding before the start of the next financial year. Seen later, Mr Taylor stated his pleasure at the value of the interview, and announced that the council would avail itself of a further interview, if necessary, to push the issue further. LOAN CONVERSIONS. The conversion of the borough debenture loans, which total approximately £IOO,OOO, was taken up by the deputation with the Local Government Loans Board and the Treasury arid after a complete airing of the views of both sides, the Treasury agreed to draw . up 1 a conversion scheme suitable for Feild-! ing and submit it to the council for consideration. It is understood that the proposal will provide for the liquidation of the whole of the borough debenture debt within 25 years, and also for the repayment of a certain portion of the debt each year by way of redemption and debentures. It is expected that another provision will be that the borough’s annual charge will not, in the first year, be greater than the existing annual charge and will reduce thereafter yearly. A benefit that is expected to be derived from the proposal is the utilisation of approximately £20,000 in loans at present standing to the credit of the council and from which it is not at the moment able to receive any. benefit. POWER RATE. The proposal made by the Mayor at a recent meeting of the council to pay the uniform rate of about £l2O. which the council is due ho find for the Manawatu-Oroua Power Board, out of the genera] account of the council, I was placed before the Audit Depart-

ment by the members of the deputation. It was explained that the council had arrived at this decision in a desire to help the ratepayers, and also to avoid the cost of sending out special rate demands. The officials of. the Audit Department agreed that the rate should be on the same basis as hospital levies, which permitted the local body to either strike a rate or pay a levy out of revenue. It is understood, however, that an amendment to the existing legislation in regard to the rate is required before the council’s request can be made operative, and the council is to take the matter up further with the Audit Department and the Minister of Internal Affairs. PIGEON FLIGHT. On Saturday, the Feilding Homing Pigeon Club held a flight from Frankton Junction, the results being as follows: R. Mackintosh’s Lonesome, velocity 1081.2 yards per minute, -1; R. Peterson’s Felix, 877.5 yards, 2; P. Spooner’s black pied cock, 802.02 yards, 3. The winner was in the loft an hour before any of the others. One of the birds did not get home until Monday morning. A heavy wind had prevailed. Next Saturday’s race will be from Auckland, a distance of 235 miles as the pigeons fly. 'NOTES. The Manchester Street School Committee lias decided to grant a holiday on Friday, November 3, to allow the teachers and children to visit the Manawatu A. and P. Association’s Spring Show at Palmerston North. Messrs J. Barltop, H. Downer, A. Williamson and H. Williamson (skip) represented the Feilding Bowling Club at the opening of the Mart-on Bowling Club to-day. Following the conclusion of tire official business of the Feilding Borough Council deputation which visited Wellington yesterday, the town clerk (Mr N. C. Harding) returned to Feilding last night. The Mayor (Mr C. E. Taylor) remained in Wellington for a meeting of the Municipal Association’s executive to-day, while Mr E. Fair was also detained in the city. Mr Martin, secretary of the Municipal Association and solicitor to the New Zealand Counties’ Association, will be visiting Feilding on Friday on business in connection with the Mortgagors Relief Commission.