BIRKENHEAD AFFAIRS.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 171, 21 July 1928, Page 7

BIRKENHEAD AFFAIRS.

TOWN HAIX PROPOSAL.

CRITICISM OF COUNCIL.

Mr. P. C. Furlev writes to explain his action in seeking to give notice of motion that the Borough Council abandon the proposed purchase of Shepherd's corner for a town hall site, notice of which was not accepted by the Mayor. Mr. Furley maintains that there is no necessity for a town hall at Birkenhead, and never will be. "Amalgamtion with Northcote is bound to take place during the next few years, and, later on, the whole of the North Shore will amalgamate and form one large borough. At present Birkenhead has a population of 3000, and Devon port 15,000; yet even Devonport has not a town hall, and there is no talk of one. It may be argued that the site will be suitable for a library or municipal offices. It would not be very economical to erect a library on a valuable shop site, such as the one under discussion. There is plenty of room for municipal offices on the present site without interfering with the beautified corner. Town halls generally throughout New Zealand are white elephants, as paying propositions. I feel the council, because the property is cheap, has not weighed fully the utility to be derived." Mr. Furley advances figures to show that there would be a loss on the enterprise. "Indulgent" writes: "Only recently the ratepayers had .the good sense to defeat at the poll the Mayor's efforts to encumber them with an area of waste land at Beach Haven. Mr. Skeates now wishes to acquire a site at Highbury, not by following the customary course of a poll of ratepayers, but by the "backdoor* method of negotiation with the Minister of Internal Affairs. The council has already a fine area, of ground right alongside the alleged 'snip,' and one more than large enough to provide all the civic accommodation likely to be required in Birkenhead until long after Mr. Skeates and I have ceased to take interest in: mundane affairs." A member of the Birkenhead Ratepayers and Residents' Association says the Mayor suggests that if the Birkenhead Ratepayers and Residents' Association had their way they would never make improvements in the way of parks, etc. He wishes to correct the Mayor in this matter. The B.R.R.A. is desirous of seeing parks and swimming baths, but absolutely objects to good money being frittered away on such matters when more desirable improvements are necesary—drainage and fire brigade. These our correspondent feels sure, would prove the best advertisement for the district, and would do more to attract residents to the borough than would a green patch on every corner or an orange grove in every street.