THE WOODWARD STREET WALL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 228, 19 June 1908, Page 8

THE WOODWARD STREET WALL.

o COUNCILLOR FISHER AND THE MAYOR. DISCUSSION AT CITY COUNCIL. A "breeze" occurred at the meeting of tho City Council last ovening between Councillor Fisher and tho Mayor, the point at issue being tho wail at the top of AYcodward Street.. Councillor Fisher asked a question regarding, the cost of tho. work and the Council's sharo iu it. . Tho Mayor replied that tho tptal cost was £428. Tho Counciljhad intended to build the wholo wall, but it was afterwards arranged that tho Hon. T. K. Macdonald should join in tho work. Councillor Fisher said that Mr. Macdonald was to transfer four parches on. the corner of Woodward Street, hut upon looking up tho agreement he found that Ah Monald was only to transfor .47. of-', porch. Ho had seen tho plan, and as soon as the House met he proposed to move that it bo laid on tho tablo. Tho plan 'lie referred to was a Lands Department plan, and tho consideration was that Mr. Macdonald was to receive tho titlo of 6.55 perches. The difference oi- tbo, equivalent, in cash, ho said, should be obtainod. There was a notico up that tho wall had cost £1000. Tho Mayor: No. It has been taken down. Councillor Fisher: It was thero a week ago. Die Council'had lost £350 on the deal between tho actual cost of tho wall and' the £275 contributed by Mr. Macdonald. The i transaction was not a satisfactory one. J The Mayor said that Councillor Fisher had made a•' glaring omission of the fact tnat Mr. Macdonahl had paid £650. It would appear that Mr., Macdonald was a philanthropist, or an idiot, if ho would gi\'e four perches on a corner with £675 for half a porch. Councillor Fisher ns present a' tho meeting of tho Finance Committee when it was arranged, and everybody knew that th'o arrangement made by Mr. Macdonald was . a 'generous' one. It would havo cost tho Council £280 to put up a retaining wall on its own ground, but tho cost was £153 with the advantage that it was on Mr.. Macdonald's. ground instead of the Councils. Ho gave the Council tho korner, .45, of . a perch, to enable tho work to be done, and without .this; it could not have been done. The Council had an offer from the Government of that pieco of ground, and- Mr. Macdonald fairly made an offer of exchango, and it was accepted; Had the Council' gone into the Compensation Court it would have cost £250, whereas they had got it for nothing, and : they also got a contribution towards tho retaining wall. The Finance Committee, :was very well treated by Mr: Macdonald, and ho was perfectly friondly. There had been a lot of talk about this transaction, and noon© who looked at it could say it was an improper one. •• ■ ' ' ' , Councillor Luke'said he was present at the arrangoment, .which he considered a very fair one. • Councillor Fisher rose to' make a personal explanation.< Tho plan showing the proposed transfer of four perches,\ho ■ said, was not before tho Finance Committee. Tho Mayor said that this' was not a personal explanation. Thero was no such plan. Councillor Fisher: I will show it to you later on. . . • 7 ' Councillor Fisher informs'us that, upon returning home _ from the. Council meeting, he found awaiting him' the following telegram, sent by the Hon.. R. M'Nab, Minister for Lands, from Fortroso:—. _ " You may say that, in aiiswer to a question from you,.J stated that four perches of ground wcro to be given by tho owner of the corner section to the cit.v in connection with the exchange.—-ROBERT M'NAB.