MOUNT EDEN LOAN.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 66, 18 March 1915, Page 7

MOUNT EDEN LOAN.

THE MAYOR AGAIN EXPLAINS. A meeting of about elxty Mount Eden ratepayers attended at St. Alban'e Hal], Dominion Ro.nl. last night to hear the views of the Mayor (Mr. O. Nicholson) respecting the drainage loan proposal, which will be re-gub-nvitted to the ratepayers on April 10. In the ordinary course, stated Mr. Xicholson, the matter would have been at an end on the rejection of the proposal at the firet poll, but an influential deputation urged on the Council that another poll be taken, on the ground that the proposal waa not fully understood by the ratepayer*. Jn view of the urgency of the matter, particularly in the light of the attitude of the Health Department on the drainage of the district, the Council agreed to depart from the usual principle! of not I holding another poll until some considerable period had elapsed and to have another poll taken almost forthwith. He had explained the position of the borough respecting drainage prior to the first poll, and the object of the present meeting was to make the proposals more generally understood. Mr. Nicholson explained at length tbe arrangement between the Mount Albert Borough Council and the Mount Eden Council for the disposal of nightsoil, which would be terminated in two renrs. Had that arrangement fallen through, the Mount Eden Council would have liad to erect a flushing tank in RiiJpigh .Street, almost at the entrance of Mount Eden Park, and bad the nighteoil dumped into the main sewer there. The speaker pointed out the disabilities of several parts of the clay area of the borough in the matter of drainage, and of the rock area round Pencarrow Avenue, where the drainage was carried away to a cave on sufferance by the Epsom Road Hoard. Mr. Xicholson proceeded to outline the srtieme and its effect on the linee followed by him at a mectilirr in St. Barnabas' Hall just prior to the first, poll, and emphasised the point that even though authority was asked for the full loan, there was no intention in the Council of raising the full amount at once. The money would be borrowed only as required for the work, so that the interest and einking fund charges would be kept as low as possible. Every • £10,000 borrowed (at the present rating power) would mean an increase in the rates of Id in the £. During the firet year interest and einking fund would come out of the money borrowed, so that there would be no increase in the rates at all, in lespect to drainage, until towards the end of 101 G. He quoted figures to show that even then (assuming that £40,000 was expended in drainage in the next two years) i">00 ratepayers who now paid 267 a year for nighteoil would get the drain-age, counting increaee.l rate, for less than that sum, co that they would get an up-to-date system for lra'a than they 'had to pay for the insanitary pan system. So far ac payment lor connections with the system was concerned, the ischeme made provision to make such connections n« cheap as possible, white in cases whore it would be a hardship for ratepayers to pay for the connection the Council had power to spread the payment over three to five years. Dealing with allegation! ' made that Mount Eden was unduly ■heavily rated, he took the rates in detail to show that in tln> last three years there had- been 4}d i;i the £ increase, and that the present rate of •2/2 iin tho £ was considerably lee? than the rates in the City, in Newmarket and in Bemuera. Mr. Xicholson stated that to have submitted a proposal for tha drainage of the clay area alone, at £35,000 to 1 £40,000 would have been unfair to the rest of the borough. If they had done so. the clay area residents could have voted en bloc for it .»ml carrier! it. When thnt was done and the ilrainnse in operation, and the Council nsked fot a loan to provide the rpsl of the borough with drainage, tho clay area residents, being themselves provided for. would probably vote en Woo against the extra expenditure,, which would be unfair to the vent of " tbe borough. To make tho clay area a special rating area and put in the drainage would mean that the increase in Ihat area in JOl6. instead of .Id or 4d in the £, would bo 1/3 in the £, which would be an unfair burden to them. The present proposal, making the drainage reticulation of the borough a continuous work, was the only business-! ike way of doing the .york and at the same time making the burden equal all over the bqrough. In conclusion, Mr. Nicholson stated that the rumour that tho £10,000 requested for a loan for roads would po to the reduction of the Council's overdraft was an absolute mie-statement, bcrausp such a loan must by |.->w be applied to future road work, and any diversion as stated would make the councillors individually liable for the money.