EVANS BAY SCHEME.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 264, 31 July 1908, Page 8

EVANS BAY SCHEME.

QUESTION OF URCE.NCY. BETTERMENT SYSTEM DISCUSSED. Considerable discussion took place at last night's meeting of the City Council with respect to the' following motion, which wai proposed by Councillor Luke. — ".That this Council- is of the ;• .opinion-that''the .suggested dropping . of tho' Evans ' Bay Reclamation Bill ' • ;® r . " le ses sion is inimical to the best - interests of the city, and that, liav- - ( , in'g regard-to-the importance of the ' proposed: work to the industrial and commercial development of the. district, the Harbour Board be invited ' ' ' to! convene a meeting of the Joint . • . Committee -to - discuss the present ■ position." ~ .'•!--. Cr. -Luke pointed- out that ■ tho - schema originated .with; tho Council. Statements h'aa appeared ,iii tlio Press'to the effect'that the. Bill" was likely to.be jeopardised 'this . session, arid that' the Harbour Eoard was not -pressing the. matter. ' With regard tothe proposed'betterment clause tho ,Oity. Council had as much right to be consulted , as the' Harbour Board.' Ho hoped that if, the Board'did'not go on with the' scheme the Council would do so. Gr. Cohen seconded the motion.. . 'Gr. Fletcher' regretted he could not support the motion, which, ho thought, hadbeen brought down prematurely. If tho Bill, failed'to go through, then the Council - would have an opportunity to do.something iii'the matter.' ln : liis opinion tho Bill would ' be passed this session, even if in a modified form. Ho could assure Cr. Luko that the' Harbour Board .had no intention to back down in the matter. Particular facilities should hot be given to one industry as against others.' The Harbour. - Board ought-, liej. thought, to have acquired the Patent Slip. Where large sums of,-public money, wero spent in-a locality, the betterment system . ought to be applied. The Mayor said that the Harbour Board' had evolved a betterment, system in' connection'with the scheme .which would bo unworkable: He did not know how it was going '.' to be applied, nor how'any court was going to decido what' betterment had arisen from harbour works, etc. There was going to be infinite difficulty "in the matter of assessment much as .the increase in valuation. The-. clause would bo ; ,a clog upon every, title in the"'.-district.,. -' '. Councillor; Shirtcliffe thought there wiis no great' urgency : about - the matter. He. felt certain that-the'Board-was doing its ■ ufc-.- - most to-get the Bill through, and it seemed. an 'insinuation, to say that the Board was going 'to abandon ■ the betterment "scheme. . Ho did not:understand it altogether. • . ;- j The Mayor: T'don't thinkianyone docs! Councillor. Shirtcliffe continued that, they should not'assume that Bill-would not pass. He/suggested that it would' meet tho' case if'tho niotion was^postponed. Tho Mayor:(Too late then. Councillor Shirtcliffe:' Not too late for next session.' ■*' Councillor Luke-was, surprised at . tho . antagonism to the motion/ The proposal was adopted by five votes to 4.! Councillors ■ Ballinger, Cohen, Hales, Luke, • and tho Mayor voting for it; and ,! Councillors Carmichael, Fletcher, Morrah, ( and Shirtcliffe against.. ;