TO-MORROW'S POLL.

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 206, 30 August 1921, Page 5

TO- MORROW'S POLL.

'market site improvement. DRAINAGE AND PAVING. THE MAYOR'S COGEXT ARGUMENTS KATES WILL NOT i:\CREASE. The City Council's loan proposals of . £212,500, grouped under three, headings —£120,000 for market endowment development; £72,500 for drainage; and £20,000 for paving in concrete the city's share of the Great South Road—will be placed before the ratepayers to-morrow. _ The poll will be taken between the hours of !) a.m. and 7 p.m.. and twentythroe polling places will be provided throughout the city are-.t for the convenience of the 16,000 ratepayers on the roll. Discussing the proposals this morni ing the Mayor, Mr. J. H. Gunson, remarked that they had been already very , fully explained on several occasions, I the matter had 'been under eonsiderai tion for the past three years, and exj amined exhaustively. "The chief points to bear in mind," he said, "are, lirst, ; I that the leases on the market area fall ; I due in 1923, and something must be ( j done with the property. If the present j i improvement scheme is not carried a 1 j large amount will have to be expended 1 lon the buildings, and this the council ] desires to avoid. The total rentals i which will 'be obtained and the general i finance of the scheme are such that no ■ increase in the present rates is in- 1 volved, while the surplus is sufficient to i meet all possible commitments. Again, 1 ■ the widening of Queen Street is extremely desirable. It will provide in- i creased tramway facilities. and the : remodelling of the site will enable ; modern .buildings to be erected upon it, j with the result that the council will be i in receipt of adequate rentals. The i i ground rentals alone, are estimated to I produce £10,1(39 in addition to the departmental rentals. The demolition of the old market building is. in short, longoverdue, as it is past any condition of usefulness. The other proposals, such as the providing for the concreting of the Great South Road are, I am sure, clearly understood, and the council trusts all three proposals will commend themselves to the ratepayers." PROPOSALS. The Mayor went on to explain that ' the council wished to consolidate all its loans, and to issue a consolidated loan in several issues, as might be required, say, in the next two or three years. The old. authorities which had not yet been used included £130,000 for streets improvement, among which was provision for paving the Remuera Road, Manukau Road, Epsom, Albert Street, and Federal Street. Then there is £50,000 for Anzac Avenue, to adjust the finances and save overdrafts until the properties are sold. There is also a small balance '. of the tramway loan, and the crematorium loan. So that if the three loan items being placed 'before the ratepayers to-morrow were approved there would ■be a total consolidated loan of £520,000, which would be dealt with in the council's 'bill for the coming session of Parliament. The whole of the proposals were reproductive, and were !ot permanent works, and would greatly contribute towards further advancing the city interests under the improvement scheme designed during the past few years. I The One Tree Hill Road Board's loan proposal for paving the district's portion of the Great South Road will also be submitted to the ratepayers toj morrow. i