HOARDINGS.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18303, 10 February 1925, Page 9

HOARDINGS.

OBJECTIONS AND I deputations. qfci COUNCIL DISCUSSION. fliß hoarding question again came jjlto JfonunSoco at tho meeting of tho rtw ConneU last night, lie Mayor, Mr J. A. Flcsher, at the -Ming of the meeting said that depuUlioiM from the Canterbury Rugby fyagit, the Woolston Burgesses' Association, the Woolston School Commit{eej ft n<l the ex-Mayors of Woolston V vfould wait on the Council that cven.jjg regarding tho Eugby League's application for a license for a hoarding on the Ferry road frontage of Monica Park. A letter was received from the Woolston Burgesses' Association stating that j deputation from the Association would wait upon the Council with reference tO the erection of hoardings in Woolston. ' jfr John Richardson ■wrote stating that tfid ex-Mayors of Woolston would Wit upon tho Council to protost against tho erection of hoardings in Woolston. Mr George Hanmer wrote stating that ho wished to record his emphatic prt'Udt against tho proposed erection of a hoarding on tho Perry road adjoin'ifle hi« prop crt y- Se said ho had a decided objection to hoardings as being unsightly* and considered they were detrimental to the value of property, and trusted that the proposal would be qtiaahed. The Woolston Burgesses' Association wrttfl protecting against the renewal of' 4 lleenflfc for a hoarding on the Perry road opposite Manning place; also statin! th&t tho Association had almost unanimously decided to protest against the erection of any hoardings in Woolston, and, following up that question, it was decided to protest against the /renewal of tho liconses for any hoardings. Sr. Chilton'B Request. Dr. Chilton, honorary editor of the . "City Beautiful," protested against the erection of any hoardings in the city, and expressed the hope that the Council wimld not grant licensos for any additional headings or for tho renewal 6 { fitting hoardings until tho citizens la general and thoße in tho districts concerned in. particular, had had full opportunity of objecting if they so debited. : Or. E. H. Andrews moved that Dr. Cbilton'« letter be received. The letj ter, ho Said, was not written by autho- ■ rity of the Beautifying Association, ilia did not represent the views of the -* Association. .' Thfl motion was seconded by Or. C. Cafr. ' Or. H. T. Armstrong said that Dr. Chilton was asking the Council to do what it.had already decided to do. Cr. Carr said < tho decision of the Council regarding new hoardings did not apply to tho renewal of existing ' hoardings. j'.:. Cr. E. J. Howard Baid that tho citiieni had the opportunity to protest : against the renewal of hoarding t licenses. Of. W. E. Leadlcy: That is wrong. Cr. Howard: .How is it wrong? .. Cr; Leadloys Tho people don't know . when the licenses ate due for renewal. Or. Leadley moved as an amendment that Dr. Ohllton be informed that his S' 'rofaifc was noted, also that he bo inMmed of the policy of the Council - regarding hoardings. ' ; ' The amfetfdmont was seconded by Cr. •,W. H. Wiiisor. The motion, with the amendment !&• I eluded as an addition, wa» earned. ' Tho Mayor flaid the Council had de- ; cided to near the deputations in com.'"fflittec.

Cr. C. P. Agar said that was not so. Cr. J. K. Archer said the public had

ft fight to know what was said before the Council. Cr. H.'T. Armstrong, M.P., said the different parties interested certainly hid the right to hear what was said. The Mayor said it was considered that kn informal round-the-tablo talk W6al4 bfl the best procedure to follow. Ch Agar moved that.tho deputations h#irtl6lVed in open Council. Tl&fSWls agreed to, and tlio deputatiini'jienterea. < Thjpiayor said the application to be eoaiMfli'ea related only to the Monica Park fenco. ' MrMcGregof Wright asked that the deputation in support of the applicatift Ihotia be heard first. wJfayer said the applicants were 1 wire to hear what the objections were. Woolston's Protest. 'Mr Q, T. Owen, on Ifehalf of the Woolstflii Burgesses' Association, said the Association had previously objected to hoardings being erected in Woolston. /-iTho residents of Woolston also objected fc>to holdings for the reason that the quickly became unsightly, in any ovent were only built, to tip somebody else's shortcomings. i* Woolston people held strongly that the nevf Eugby League park should not M hounded by hoardings, and that any _ Wyfertlfiiug should be done within the enclosure itself. The Woolston people ? Wnjidered that the entrance to the I should be made beautiful, and s (.Should not be rendered unsightly by, * hoardings. v i McGregor Wright said the ex- ' Mayors of Woolston were all agreed ja opposing the erection of hoardings to the . former borough. The ex- ' ■Mayofa had no desiro to interfere with Sport at all, but on'{he contrary iad Bono much, and were still prepared to *kat they could in the interests of wort. A principle was at stake, and vhe question of sport did not onter into ebjoction, If the posters on the Boardings wero renewed frequently it wonld not be so bad, but th<3 experience *as that the hoardings rapidly became "'lapidated by weather and wantoness. bo that the sport's' body in ftfrn " a S reo to a garden front--111 place of the proposed hoarding, no ex-Mayors certainly objected to being permitted in ' chairman of the Wool- >. School Committee, said the comr l , ® Considered that the hoarding " . ? , Be a Bourcc of danger to tho •wool children, f OT the height of the oardlng would in winter shade the rODI the road, and so make the - slippery. Tho committee also considered it was not desirable otherwise for big hoardings to 'be erected 'war the school. *'toPji Armstrong asked if the A residents would object to the ports Association building a fenco in J out of their property, and advertise 'fh« lr ° wn operations on tho fence? - va«4. X onncll ' said, could not preu A i SOclatson Aio i n g that*s McGregor Wright said the P*°Plß appreciated the ' ttn t m Providing an ornamental ' fe Monica Park. -Andrews asked what the the old Woolston Council **• MSttding hoardings. McGiactta Wright said the Wool-

ston Council had no by-laws regarding hoardings. Cr. E. J. Howard, M.P., said the l* u gby League could put up a fence' as high as it. liked, and could paint it as thoy liked, and advertise its own Operations without being required to obtain a permit. Mr G. T. Owen said the Woolston Burgesses' Association were aware of that. The' Mayor: And yon would sooner havo that than control by the Council? A voice: The Council do not in practice control the matter on the hoardings.

The MqyOr: The Town Clerk has the right to censure the posters.

The Leagued intentions. Mr E. L. McKeon, on behalf of the Rugby League, Baid the fence to be erected on the Ferry road frontage to Monica Park would be of a nature Hot to give oft'enco to anybody. An ornamental entrance was to be provided and on tho fence it was intended that the pictorial advertisements, if authorised, should bo painted, and should not be stuck on with paste. There was, therefore, no risk of the fence becoming unsightly. The League had Undertaken a big obligation in the purchase of the Park area of 33 acres, and proposed to make the Park one ol' the iineßt in the Dominion. The League badly wanted all the financial assistance it. could get. It was hoped that the fence would be removed to a 3icw pusition near the grandstand within three or four years, and the Ferry road frontage would be left clear. It might happen that even if the Council granted permission the League would not let the fence for advertising. The League quito' appreciated the idea of an ornamental frontage. In any event, tho fence for the greater part of its length would be placed forty feet from the road, and even with a height of ten feet no shadow would be thrown on the footpath. No danger would thereby be caused to school children. Tho League was not a commercial concern; it was a sports body, and should not be* denied the right to obtain revenue, if required, from the fence for the few years it was intended it should remain on tho Ferry road frontage of the property. Mr B. J. McKcnna, also on behalf of the Eugby League, said the park when prepared for use was going to be a great recreational asset for WoolstOll. In reply to Cr. J. K. Archer, Mr McKcnna said/ho admitted that tho proposed alternative to the fence offered by the Woohtton Burgesses' Association was a very fine One, but would have to be considered by tlio Tveaguo Ivxecutrvo. To Cr. C. P. Agar, Mr McKenna said it wob not intended that the fenco should remain for a longer period than four years. Cr, AgaT: Isn't that an admission that tho fenco is undesirable? The deputations then left.

Decision Elld Over. Cr. W. H. Winsor moved that permission bo granted to uso tho fence aB a hoarding. . Tho Mayor: That has already boon agreed to. Cr. Winsor: Then I move that tho previous decision of the Council bo affirmed. Cr. W. E. Leadley moved an amendment that consideration of the application should be deferred pending a conference between the two parties. There was, he said, a possibility of an agreement being arrived at regarding the Ferry road frontago of Monica Park. Cr. J. K. Archer, who seconded tho amendment, said the case was one where tactful negotiation by both sides would lead to a solution of tho problem. Cr. G. Carr said it was tho duty of tho Council to decide one way or tho other, according to the interpretation placed upon tho policy of the Council in regard to tho particular application .under review.

Cr. F. R. Cooke said the League were Spending thousands of pounds in improving an area in Woolston that was previously an eyesore. A substantial fence was to be erected find advertisements painted thereon. He saw no objection to that. Cr; E. J. Howard said it Would be bettor to postpono consideration fit the matter for a fortnight. Cr. C. P. Agar said the League deputation had themselves established a case against the hoarding, for they stated an intention to removo th 6 fence and the hoardings within four years. Why should they want to remove it after their finances improved if it was not undesirable? , Cr. E. H. Andrews said ho ha(i heard no objection put forward by the deputations against the particular hoarding in question. The Objections voiced Were against hoardings generally. If Woolston disliked hoardings so" much, why did not the Woolflton Council, while it existed, adopt a by-law prohibiting hoardings? As it was, the borough was smothered with hoardings, and nobody raised a protest. Cr E. MoCombs said the deputations had "made out a strong case against the fence-hoarding. All the same, sho considered it would be bettor to hold the matter over for a fortnight to enable the parties to confer. Cr J W. Beanlttnd said the Council must give weight to the protests made bv the Woolston people. If the matter could be Settled by the parties thomselves without friction, so much the g Anderson said that all but one of the deputations came in a snirit of public service; the other deputation had an axe to grind, and wcru animated by commercial motives. Cr. H. T. Armstrong said the fence would be erected whether the Council granted a hoarding license or not. It the Council refused the application the oniv difference would be that the fence would not bear the paintings proposed He considered the Council should grant th The PP amendment, holding the matter over for a fortnight, was earned by nine votes to eight, the division list b °Ave7"(9): Crs. Williams, Beahland, J Anderson, Beaven, Leadley, Archer, Howard, M'cCpmbS, and the Mayor. Noes (&)• Crs, McKellar, Andrews, Agar, 0. Anderson, Winsor, Carr, Cooke, and Armstrong.

«< screen for Iniquity.'' The By-laws Committoo reported that a complaint had been recorded that the hoarding erected on land at the corner Of ferry road and Catherine street, Woolston, was used as a screen by undesirables of both sexes. The Chief City Inspector, on making an inspection, reported that the complaint was" fully justified and that remedial action should bo taken by compelling the owner to fence the section The Committee therefore recommended that the owner be given 14 days' notice in which to erect a closo fenec as provided for in Section 407 of By-law No. I. The recommendation was agreed to. RENEWAL of licenses. The By-laws Committee reported that the Chief City Inspector had asked for instructions regarding the renewal of licenses for hoardings for the current year, and the committee recommended that he be instructed to issue licenses for all existing hoardings. The Mayor said that any ratepayers could raise an objection to a hoarding at any time during the year and the objection would bo noted and could bo heard when the licenses came up for renewal. The licenses expired on Dc(Continned at foot of next column.)

cembcr 31st, and objections should be lodged within a month thereafter. Cr. A. 'Williams said ho did not Understand that, otherwise ho would have brought forward a big protest againtit certain hoardings in St. Albans. Cr. J. W. Bcanland said that certain objections were in now. Cr. E. J. Howard said that where no objections had been received during year the hoarding licenses should renewed. An objection to a hoarG--in Sydenham had, however, been made by Cr. J. K. Archer, and an objection to a hoarding in St. Albanß had been lodged by Cr. Williams. Or. C. P. Agar said that councillors themselves were under the impression that objections could be lodged up to February 26tli. Cr. J. K. Archer said that tho advertising licensees treated the Council with contempt. He had on one occasion protested against a certain typo of advertisement on a hoarding near his chUfch, and after the protest tho same objectionable advertisements were renewed on tho board. Cr. O. W. B. Anderson moved an amendment: "That tho matter of the renewal of licenses be xoferred back to tho By-laws Committee, and that no licenses be gfanted in the JhOantiniC." This Was seconded by Cr. W. .E. Leadley. On a division being taken, the amendment was carried by 10 votes to 6, the voting being:— Ayes (10)—Crsi Williams, Beanland, Agar, O. Anderson, Beaven, Leadley, Archer, McCombs, Cooke, and Armstrong. Noes (6)—Crs. McKellar, Andrews, Winsor, Carr, Howard, and the Mayor. On the amendment becoming tho substantive motion the Mayor moved a further amendment: "That tho Town Clerk bo instructed to renew all licenses for hoardings to which no exception has been taken." The objections had been narrowed down to two, one in Colombo street N. and one in Sydenham. Cr. Armstrong: What about Woolstonl The Mayor: That is disposed of. Cr. Leadley: What about objections received since January 31st? The Mayor: They are out of order. Cr. Winsor: Cr. Archer only objected to one particular advertisement on a board in Sydenham. No one else objected. The Mayor: I don't want tho Council to get into a difficult situation over this matter. I can see trouble in store if the Council does not act in a proper, and judicial manner. There is good reason for reconsidering those renewals where objection has been taken. As far as the other licensees aro concerned they have made their application and the time to object has expired, and you cannot now, on any ground, justify a rofusal. Cr. Leadley: Up to what date may objections bo taken? The Mayor: Tho Council fixed the time a month after tho expiry of the lieense. It should be a month before, reallv. Cr. A. McKellar: I thoroughly agreo with what you say. The committee, when it made its report, had no objections whatever before it. Cr. Archer: Some of us were under the impression that we had a month from January 26th. The Mayor: Not so. The amendment proposed by the Mayor was carried.