DEVONPORT PROGRESS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 45, 23 February 1926, Page 6

DEVONPORT PROGRESS.

The ratepayers of Devonport are asked i to sanction to-morrow loans for various! improvements in the borougii. The total j that is proposed to be spent on road and park works is £202,000, which may seem rather alarming to some residents. It must be borne in mind, however, that this money will not be raised and spent all at once. It will be raised in instalments as the various works are considered necessary, and it is reasonable to suppose that in the meantime the ratable value or* the borough will rise. I Good roads are accepted as part of modern progress, and so is park provision. The second proposal is for a loan; to erect a building that will contain a town hall, municipal offices, and a library. Whether Devonport needs a, ' town hall may be arguable; but we . should be surprised if many residents would contend that it does not need new; municipal office-. The present premises' are plainly inadequate. As lor the i library, it is possible, of course, that: ; there are persons who take the view of I . the American legislator quoted in "Americana," who held that libraries' were not required for the reason that the ' L Bible, the hymn book, and the almanac! . were all that man needed in the way of I books: but we hope that the majority of j Devonport people wish to see their i borough come into line with other parts , of Greater Auckland. The city is rightly t proud of its chain of public libraries, and Devonport should extend the chain. I • The proposals to instal a fire alarm ! - system and to complete the fire brigade j . buildings should be acceptable to all. The . programme is frameel in a progressive spirit in keeping with the needs of this 1 beautiful and popular district.