GREY LYNN LOAN PROPOSALS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIII, Issue 182, 2 August 1902, Page 6

GREY LYNN LOAN PROPOSALS.

A meeting of residents in Grey Lynn was held last evening in St. George's Hall for the purpose of considering the proposal of the Borough Council to raise a loan oi £3000 to do certain works on the boundary roads. There was a large attendance. The Mayor (Mr. R. T. Warnock) presided, and explained that the meeting was a statutory one. to consider the question of raising £3000, to be allocated as follows: Great North Road, formation and filling, £ 1100; do. kerbing to Elgin-street, £200; do. making up footpaths, £340; do. trimming side roads, £150; total, £1950. Ponsonby Road. Formation and footpath,

£300; Cox's Creek bridg-e and approaches, £400; Richmond Road, cutting at junction with Ponsonby Road. £130; Surrey Crescent to Richmond Road, £ 150; preliminary payments, £50; interest, first year, £120; total, £3000. The Mayor explained that it was proposed to raise the loan for twenty-one years, and a farthing' rate would pay the interest. Speaking as to the necessity for the loan, Mr Warnock pointed out that the tramways were now being laid on Great North Road, and it must be cut to the permanent level, as any alterations subsequently would be at the cost of the Council, whereas now the Tramway Company would pay its proportion.

Mr. J. W. Shackelford pointed out that Surrey Crescent, upon which it was proposed to spend £ 150, was not | a boundary road, but merely the divij sion road between two wards of the jborough. The Mayor explained that the City I Engineer was of opinion Cox's Creek ! bridge would not last more than 12 i months. That bridge must be re- | placed, and the Tramway Company ! was prepared to guarantee its propor- ; tion of the cost> | Mr. Rogers suggested they should | put the £3000 inside the Borough, and not on the boundary roads. (Applause.) Mr. R. Farrell considered that if £600 was to be spent in kerbing and channeling the Great North Road, the property owners fronting it should pay a considerable proportion of the cost. It v?as hardly fair to ask people in the interior of the borough and at Richmond to pay interest on £600, to make that footpath. He thought footpaths might fairly be left to ward expenditure.

The Mayor said that the people fronting the Great North Road had contributed largely towards its maintenance in years gone by. It was only a matter of about four years since the road was made a charge on the borough accounts.

Mr. W. Smith suggested that the loan should have been larger, so as to do something inside the borough as wTell.

The Mayor explained that until the question was settled whether or not the streets on Surrey Hills were dedicated as public roads, the Council could not undertake expenditure upon them. Counsel had been moving in the matter, and it was fn a critical state at present, and he could not say anything more upon the question.

Mr. Rogers: "And yet you ask us inside to pay for the work on the outside?"

Mayor: "Surely you don't think the inside can go on without the outside."

Mr Smith: Will you call a meeting of ratepayers to consider further loan, later on when the legal matter is settled?

The Mayor said he was willing to do so.

Mr A. Donald moved: "That this meet;ng of ratepayers of the Borough of Grey Lynn convened for the purpose of considering the Council's proposal to borrow the sum of £3000, to be expended on the highways along the boundaries of the Borough, hereby approves of the eaid proposal; that this meeting further desires the Mayor to cause a poll of the electors to be taken upou the said proposal." Mr R. Hall seconded the motion. Mr Shackelford moved as an amendment that only the £1,100 be raised for work on the Great North Road at present.

This was seconded by Mr Rogers, but the Mayor ruled it out of order, as they must either accept or reject the scheme submitted.

Mr Shackelford said it might be out of order, but what he proposed was what he felt sure all were willing to vote for. All admitted the expenditure upon the Great North Boad was necessary. As for Cox's Creek Bridge, the City Council was responsible for it. Mr C. McMasters said the City Council had notified the Grey Lynn Council that Cox's Creek Bridge was dangerous.

Mr Fotheringham advocated raising a loan of £9000 so as to make cross roads through the Borough.

Mr S. C. Brown said if the money was raised and s^ent on the boundary roads, it would leave more money for internal roads. Surrey Crescent, however, was not a bounday road, and that £150 should be charged toward expenditure. The expenditure on the North Boad must be done, but he thought the kerbing and channelling might be dropped for the present. The Cox's Creel*: Bridge was also another work that must be done at once. As the farthing rate would leave a balance of £ 56 after paying the interest, he advocated that surplus forming a sinking fund to pay off the loan with at the end of 2l|years. He also advocated the vote being taken for the various items.

The Mayor said he was quite willing if that could be done. He would submit the proposal to the Council on Monday night next.

Mr Hall strongly urged carrying .the loan, and said he would like to have seen a much larger one to carry out work inside the Borough.

After some further discussion the motion approving the scheme was put to the meeting. A large number voted for and against, and the Mayor declared the motion carried, At the same time he explained it did not matter what the meeting decided, as the real decision would be the poll, which must be taken lateT on.

A vote of thanks to the Chairman closed the proceedings.