THE MAYOR'S ROADS SCHEME.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 14099, 19 July 1911, Page 10

THE MAYOR'S ROADS SCHEME.

PUBLIO MEETING AT LIN-

WOOD,

The second public meeting, called to discuss the Mayor's roaus scheme, was hold in the Rolleston street hall, Linwood, last night, Mr W. R. Smith, one of the local representatives on the City Council, presiding over an attendance of about fifty persons.

The Mayor said he had been rather amused the last three months to read the statements in tho newspapers that Christchurch had the best roads in Australasia. A rather astonishing statement that, but for the purposes of his argument he would agree with that statement and argue that Christchurch possessed the best roads in Australasia. But if it were possible to improve the roads of Christchurch to the extent of forty miles, and instead of drawing £24,000 a year from the rates to spend only £17,000 and save £7000 for other purposes, was not that a good thing? Tho Mayor went largely over the grounds covered in his speech of tho previous evening. Some people aud Sapors in Christchurch, ho said, wore emanding that before tho city raised"* a loan of £100,000 it should get au expert who would perhaps get some tar an„d some asphalt, look at it, charge a £10U0 fee, and go away again. A prophet was without honour in his own oountry and some people wore so biased in feeling that they would impeach the greatest authority te- serve their own party ends and would see the city loaded with debt. Thoy had an engineer here, howovor, in Mr Dobson, who was second to none, and yet these people would have the city bring an expert engineering authority here who would laugh at the citizens, pocket his fee, and go away again. Continuing, the Mayor said that rubber-tyred vehicles had come to Btay and consideration must be given them in providing roads for them. Perhaps if tho city could afford it the Neuchatel asphalt would bo tho best. But it cost £22,000 a mile and the city had 125 miles to deal with, so that it would cost far too much. Tho question was: Could they deoide on a form of streot construction which was within their means? Neuchatel would coot two or tnree million pounds, and wood-blocking would cost about the same. Christchurch had moro than double the mileage of streets of any other city in New Zealand. They would have, however, to proceed cautiously, and it was proposed to borrow £100.000 for 40 miles of streets. Auckland authorised a loan of £420,000 last Thursday, and £225,000 of that was for improving the roads. The policy before the Christchurch ratepayers was a cautious one; they proposed to put down tarred macadam. Ho quoted i Aitken and other authorities in support of his soheme. He quoted Christchurch examples of tarred macadam. Cathedral square had not a tarred macadamised road, it had only a tarred surface road; yet it gave good results. Though it bad only a thin foundation, it had a good contour, and shed tho rain-water into the channels. A fine sample of tarred macadam, however, was to be found in Armagh street. He saw no reason why, because they had good samples or macadamised road in the city, they should hesitate to have forty miles of it. He looked on it as a reliable guide. Some of the newspaper f*eoplo did not. Those people never iked anything, and when they got to Heaven they would be sharing the same fate as his Satanic Majesty; they would be cast out for never agreeing with anybody. With regard to the argument that the money for the 6cheme should come out of tho rates, instead of out of loan money, say they waited to erect modern houses till they could pay for them, the majority would be still waiting. If his friend "The Press" newspaper-—and he believed it' was one of the best friends he had ever had—had waited te put u-*-* its palatial building in Cathedral square out of orofit«, it wonk. still be in that dirty old hutch in Cashel street. Why should not tho peon a of twentv-iive years' time who would be benefiting by these roads not pay something towaids their upkeep? But the citizens should, according to the city treasurer's scheme, be paying off the loan every year. With regard to the tram lines, he would ask Mr Dobson, the city surveyor, to answer that question. He (Mr Taylor) was not an engineering expert, he was only a business man. He had said in reply to a friend, a well-known business man. that day, that it would take a lot off vis mind if the scheme were not carried, because, .if carried, he would have to watch its progress, and if it were not, he would have much more leisure time. His friend had told him that even if the city engineer and the city treasurer were ICO per cent, "out in their calculations, and it cost £200,000, he would still support the scheme, as it would cost less than the present system. y ; The Mayor then dealt with the quarry question reported in yesterday's 'Tress.'* The Halswell Quarry Co., he said, feared that the Council were going to quarry the bulk of their own stone, and they feared it was going to be to their detriment, so they offered a higher price for the quarry than the Council offered. He (Mr Taylor) had accused tho owner of sharp practice, and the owner had replied: "Well, air Taylor, we are all after the best for ourselves." The Halswell, Company might think they had now a monopoly, and charge what they liked, but the Council had a quarry at Kaituna, and ho believed they woiild be able to work that quarry at sixpence a. yard saving on what they paid at present. He hoped tho company would find it had bitten off more than it could swallow, and that it would get nothing v from the Council. Ono of the leading members of the Halswell Quarry Company jwas the chairman of tho Citizens' Association, presiding at a meeting of that body which he (Mr Taylor) had addressed the previous week. This gentleman had said to him: "Of course we have to look after our own interests." Quite right;" but it was rather amusing when ono considered the Association's claims to study the in-, terests of the city. These were the facts-in the matter briefly and simply. A - number of c-uestions followed the completion of the address. The first was: If Linwood [ voted the money required, would Lini wood get its equal share of it? The Mayor, in reply, said it was not easy 'to answer the question just "Yes" or "No." The monoy would certainly not be divided into equal shares for each ward. That would never do, because tho central ward contributed the bulk of the city's revenue, fully 60 per cent., and it deserved its corresponding portion of the loan money.

The next question was: If the scheme were adopted, would the roads still have to be torn up for other purposes, as at present. Mr. Dobson, who was present, replied at the Mayor's request. Mr Dobson said he had been conferring with the Gas Company, tho Draihag*Board, and the Tramway Board, and if tho roads' scheme were adopted, matters connected with these othey bodiei would bo pushed on bofore the better class roads were put down. Even in the best roaded cities in the world, however, such as London, tha streets had te be continually pulled up to permit tho making of tunnels, etc.

The Mayor said that 300 sewage connections a month were now being completed in Christchurch, and it would not be very long before all these connections in "the city area would be practically completed. He had suggested to tho City Council the desirableness of regular conferences beins-j; held on the part of tho different bodies connected with the streets. The first had been held the week before, and had proved very satisfactory. Within a very few

years the Gas Company would have xo put down larger mains to ©ope with the city gas supply. The Gas Company w»» responsible for the damage to the street*, but always paid up promptly without any trouble —-and they could afford it Everything would be done in the futuro to reduce the breaking-up | of the streets to a minimum, but these difficulties were real difficulties, and they simply had to do the best thoy could as they went along. , In reply to another question, the Mayor said it was proposed to issue the debentures at par, not to give discount on them. They could raise the money at 4J per cent. He had got the City Treasurer te make enquiries m New Zealand ns to whether they could mjII 4 r>er cent, debentures at par. The City Treasurer reported that this could not be done, bnt that 4i per cent, debentures would be easily saleable. .Ho (Mr Taylor) had also received letters from one or two brokers of standing in New Zealand, and they considered they would have no trouble whatever in selling £100.000 worth of debentures at 4i per cent. He considered that uniessomethinA happened in the market there wffno doubt'whatever that they could self them at 4J per cent., without brokerage. A vote of thanks was accorded to the Mayor ''for his lucid explanation, of his scheme."

TO THE EDITOR OF "THE PUBM." Sir, —One or two points came up at the meeting of tho Citizens' Association regarding the proposal to raise a loan of £100,000 for the improvement of the streets which had not been brought home to mc before. It is stated that the cost of raising the tram lines is not taken' into account, and that it js a liability of the Tram Board. Whether it is a liability of that Board or the City Council seems te be a moot point. Be that as it may, the citizens look upon both bodies as holding rating powers, and if the oost is not provided for by the city fathers, then the other ratine body will have to provide for it, but in either case by rates on our homes.

Another item which disturbs one is the cost of tho metal, and well it may, for if the estimates for the £100.000 loan are based ui>on the cost of stone from Sumner or Halswell, .places near by, and it is afterwards found that it must be brought from Birdling's Flat, a distance of thirty miles, the calculations respecting -the proposed works will be greatly disturbed, and so will the rates.

The fact that I am not to be told whether my street is to be improved or not deckles mc to give a vote AGAINST THE LOAN. TO THE ETITOR OP "THK FFESS." Sir, —Last evening at the Choral Hall I listened with some pleasure and profit to the Mayor's advocacy of the scheme to improve the roads of the city. There was, however, one suggestion, apparently deliberately made, to which I take strong exception—the suggestion that the recently-formed Christchurch Citizens' Association is responsible for, or in some way connected with, the Halswell Quarry Company's action in preventing the City Council from securing rights oyer a stono quarry on the Sumner road. I learned from the Mayor's remarks at the meet? ing of the Citizens' Association (of which I am a member) on Friday evening last, also from his remarks last evening, that the president of the Association is a shareholder in the. company. Personally, I may explain, I know nothing of tne shareholders of the Halswett Quarry Company, and the president of" the Citizens' Association is known to mc only by sight. I' do not wish to defend the.action of the Halswell Quarry Company,' nor am I able to do so, and I would heartily support the Mayor's suggestion of retaliation, but-1 do object to the unjust and improper insinuation that the Citizens' Association has been acting against tlje interests of the city. Such conduct may be appropriate for a politician, but is unworthy of the chief citizen of our city.. -The Citizens' Association stands for the public weal, arid the.interest of no particular class or body, Among other things it aims at arousing a healthy interest in civic matters, and its members have just cause to feel indignant with the Mayor under the circumstances mentioned.

At the same time, referring to the road scheme, I hope these .ill-advised insinuations of the Mayor will not greatly militate against the success of the loan. Citizens should remember that it is not the Mayor's scheme; he is simply the advocate of it. The scheme is an outcome of suggestions by such solid and reliable men as our city engineer and city treasurer, and is worthy of every consideration and sunoort. —■ Yours, etc., *«.-,_,. - . DAVID BATES. 79 Cathedral square, July 18th.