STREET WIDENING.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 763, 11 March 1910, Page 3

STREET WIDENING.

Followirig'.out their policy to widen.the 'congested.'thoroughfares of the city as opportunity offers,. the City Council de-cided-last, evening to undertake the setting back'of Goodall's building in .Willis Street,, the property of the' council. , A.recommendation was brought.forward by the Finance Committee.that the pro-posals-of .'the city engineer in regard to the shops':in.question be carried■ out. The Mayor explained that the engineer had drawn up plans for the setting back Of the buildings, and the estimated cost of the work was .£1250. 'The buildings were in a.dilapidated condition at, present and the proposed alterations would mean. a - great. improvement. For; the, expenditure of.',£l2so,'the shops would.be .put back to their proper frontage, and they, would be' thoroughly; cleaned,' and made habitable at the rear. The top stories would form small, and cheap offices. The first ' year's : rental would go in improving the properties,-and making them more valuable. The council would get their money back in a year or two, because, although city offices were not easily lettable now, these offices .would •be handy, and there Would bo a good number of them, in addition to the shops, so that the revenue would be considerable. The Mayor, replying to Councillor Cohen, said that negotiations were being conducted *in regard to the setting back of Messrs. Jones and Ashdown's building as a- part ;of the Willis Street widening scheme, and ho would report to the next meeting of the Finance Committee. The-question of sotting back tho corner of .Cuba, and Manners Streets, at the Union Clothing C'o.'s shop, was mentioned by Councillor Fletcher, : who suggested that, the negotiations having failed, the land'required should be taken under the •Public AVorks Act. The Mayor said he would ask 'the City Valuer to prepare a ■report on tho proposal for the next meeting of the! Finance Committee.