ST. JOHN'S LAKE SCHEME.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 137, 9 June 1917, Page 4

ST. JOHN'S LAKE SCHEME.

CHURCH TRUSTEE STATEMENT,

GOOD FOR CITY AND DISTRICT.

In view of the opposition raised to the scheme for the city acquiring a par* around Lake St. John, Tamaki, est Yates, who has been one of the trustees of the College Estate for many years, was waited upon this morning, "and made the following statement of his view of the position:-" I consider that it is most unfortunate that Mr. U J. Parr has approached this matter in the manner he has done, as it tends to give a wrong view of the proposals. I may state that the first steps towards draining the low-lying lands around St. John s Lake were taken in the early "eighties, hut the matter was allowed to drop owing to there being a slump about that period. The scheme was again revived some ten or fifteen months ago, when a drainage board was set up, surveys were made, and ultimately a contract was let to drive a tunnel through the intervening ridge to carry off the water from the flats around the lake proper. That contract is just about completed, at the expense of the land owners interested. That work is of value to outside places. a s it will prevent low lying lands in Ellerslie district being flooded in seasons of heavy rain. It must also be remembered that when the new railway line is opened in that vicinity, there is bound to be increased settlement, and [ the low-lying marshy lands will require to be drained in the interests of public | health, when population becomes more congested than it is at the present time.

" Now. as regard the cost of the proposed park to tbe city. 1 wish to explain that while the tunnel just approaching completion will carry off the water rfom the low lying lands, it is not large enough to ensure it all getting away quickly, and if the present scheme is finally adopted it is imperative that the park land should always be drained. It is with the object of increasing the size of the tunnel for the purpose of ensuring the rapid carrying off of the storm water that the city will be called upon to expend the £2,500. It should be clearly understood that as far as the adjoining land owners are concerned, the tunnel, for which they have paid themselves, will be quite equal to their requirements. It was the city authorities who stated that a larger tunnel would be necessary in the event of the parklands being taken over by that nod v.

" As far as Mr. R. H. Abbott is concerned. I consider his offer a generous one. He had a short lease of the lowlying lands from the Church trustees, and I understand spent some £3 per acre in having the gorse grubbed out and the area fitted for grazing. I look upon him as one of the best tenants the trustee? have had as far ns improving the land leased is concerned. When he conceived the idea of the city forming n park he asked the trustees to sell him the requisite area, and that was done at a low price on the condition that it was to be transferred to Auckland as a public reserve. It seems strange to mc that this objection has been raised to the city securing" a valuable endowment at practically little or. no cost, beyond that of enlarging the tunnel and making the road. The city- aprreed to take the land, provided the church trustees gave another thirty acres to form the road around the park. That has been agreed to because anything i n the shape of a park around St. John's Lake must, of course benefit the property as it will other adjacent properties, and in fact the whole district."