SUMNER AMALGAMATION

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24769, 9 January 1946, Page 2

SUMNER AMALGAMATION

Sir, —Mr Machin seems cock-a-hoop at the City Council’s beginnings. As a large ratepayer, I too voted for joining the city—not so my wife, who was against it always. It is now a real bone of contention in our house. She points to a 60-year-old tree replaced by an ugly lavatory; vandalism, she calls it. I feel that the officers of the council have been told to spend as little as possible of the £5OOO granted to the borough for war damage. Certainly the esplanade sealing is a poor exhibition of covering an uneven and bumpy surface, as left by the Army. It is shoddy for these modern times. Nothing has been done so far that our Borough Council could not have done as efficiently; and there is little evidence of the use of modern plant and machinery, or the finance, and technical skill mentioned in Mr Machin’s letter.— Yours, etc., A. DOr*ALD PATERSON. January 8, 1946.

Sir, —Mr Machin is to be commended for thanking the city of Christchurch and our city officers for the energy and skill with which they have improved our electricity, gas, water, and other services. As the old council had £5600 in hand to spend on the foreshore, it is high time that this work was started, and the replacing of the war memorials from the last war, flower plots, and sunken lawns should be the first job started. After nine months these are just the same as when Christchurch took over; and the approach to Sumner is certainly far from inviting—Yours, etc., OBSERVER. January 8, 1946.