BETTERMENT SCHEME.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 311, 25 September 1908, Page 2

BETTERMENT SCHEME.

WHO WAS THE ORIGINATOR? A SATISFACTORY COMPROMISE. Tho agreement between the Wellington Harbour Board and the ' Miramar Borough Council in connection with the Evans Bay reclamation was referred to at the meeting of the Harbour Board yesterday afternoon by the chairman (Mr. T. M. Wilford), who said that the result of the negotiations had been embodied in tho" Bill now before Parliament. . " Mr. R. Fletcher said that great credit was duo to the committee for carrying out the agreement in the way they had done, although ho personally thought that the board might have got a littlo more than they did. Under the circumstances, the committee had done the best possible, and had made a fair compromise. He believed that as to the betterment—or subsidy, or whatever it was called —they had succeeded in establishing the precedent in that respect, and those benefiting in such a work should bo called to contribute something towards the cost. He wished to refer to a matter which was a huge joke. One of the local newspapers had _ spoken of Mr. F. G. Bolton as the originator of the betterment soheme; all the members, he said, would know that this was absurd. Twelve months ago last July'the committee* decided to ask Mr. Ferguson, tho board's engineer at the time, and Mr. \V. H. Morton, city engineer, to report on the subject, and they accordingly handed the board a voluminous report, which was acted.upon. The last clause of the report suggested tho •betterment. Mr. Bolton was only electod in February of this year. Mr._ J. G. Harkness, a member of the. committee, took the opportunity of. saying that the thanks of tho board were due to the acting-secretary, the acting-engineer, and the solicitors for .their arduous work in connection with the agreement. The Hon. T. K. Macdonald said that everyone in the community would be benefited. All opposition to tho Bill had been withdrawn, and no doubt it would be passed by Parliament. ' -

The chairman, on behalf of the committee, expressed his pleasure at the board's appreciation of the committee's work, which had been very arduous, for sometimes four meetings wore held weekly. They had used the element of tact, and he always knew that a- compromise would be effected. They had had stermy meetings—many of them—but they were to be congratulated 011 the result. The Miramar Borough Council, he added, was going to reap a lasting and substantial benefit as well. - •