LOAN PROPOSALS

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 303, 18 September 1936, Page 10

LOAN PROPOSALS

♦ . Wellington City Works Required TOTAL OVER £250,000 ■ Aerodrome Extension and , Drainage Scheme j After the Mayor, Mr. T. C. A. Hislop, had announced/that it would’ , cost £200,000 to put through the proposed drainage scheme and £140,000. of which £70,000 would be required from the ratepayers, to finish Rongotai aerodrome, the Wellington City Council last night decided to . hold a special meeting next Thursday to consider what works should be placed on a loan schedule which will probably go before the ratepayers in November. Some councillor* urged that attention would have to be given to streets and footpaths and to reserves. The Mayor explained negotiations between himself and the Minister of Public Works, Hon. R. Semple, and the Minister Of Finance, Hon. W. Nash, concerning the finishing of the improvement scheme at Rongotai Aerodrome. The council had run out of money, but there was still work to . do if the aerodrome was to be brought up to the desired standard. Officers of the council and the Public Works Department had also conferred and the Public Works Department officers were strongly of the' opinion that the full scheme of construction should be finished, including the reclamation of part of Lyall Bay. This would cost £140,000. The Government was willing to provid* £70,000, on condition that the other £70,000 was found by the' ratepayers of Wellington.: The work would probably take about two years. “It is not possible for us to say yet whether we can provide that sum,” Mr. Hislop said, “because the only way we can provide it is by a loan authorised by the ratepayers. We agreed to approach the ratepayers, for that sum, agreeing to ptit the proposal to the vote as soon as possible, certainly not later than the end of November.” ' If the ratepayers approved of the loan of £70,000 Wellington would have for £70,000 an aerodrome which had cost £140,000 to finish. “Two Essential Works.” The Rongotai question brought up the whole subject of loans and whit was to be put before the ratepayers as a result of the consideration the council had given the problem. It seemed to Glm that so many proposals were : being considered for inclusion on the ’ loan schedule that the amount of ; money involved was rising to a very ' high sum indeed. After all the coun- ' cil had to consider, when framing its loan schedule, what was likely to be carried. It was no use putting up a ' lot of things which would not be ap- ' proved by the ratepayers. Into this ; consideration came the fact that the rate levy this year was higher than ever it had been and would be higher ; again next year. . . Bearing this in mind he suggested that the council*should confine its loan proposals to two essential works-—the aerodrome and drainage. I The aerodrome would cost the . £70,000 and drainage £175,000. This meant roughly £250,000, a big SUDI . for a city the size of Wellington.

There were many other desirable improvements in the city the council would like to carry out, but the council had to consider the financial aspect. If it put there two questions to the ratepayers it was going as far as it could wisely go at present. Other subjects could be deferred, possibly ' to 1938. He suggested that the officers should be empowered to take steps to seek the authority of the Local Government Loans Board to take a poll on loans for the drainage scheme and improvements to Rongotai. Cr. P. M. Butler suggested that the council might consider street works. There was much that needed to be done and the ratepayers were expecting something. The Mayor: We would all like to see a lot of things done, but can you see the ratepayers voting for it all? Mr. K. Luke (city engineer) mentioned that the drainage scheme would cost £200,000. "Cannot Ask for Much More.” The Mayor: That makes £270,000 for drainage and Rongotai. We can’t ask for much more. Or. Butler: There are a lot of other things the ratepayers are crying out for. The Mayor: X know, but if you put these things all up will the ratepayers vote for them? Cr. W. Appleton suggested that the council might include several works on the loan schedule. The ratepayers could then vote for which they wanted. The works committee could do with money for street work. Cr. L. McKenzie: A lot needs to be done on reserves, too. If people are going to have extra leisure, and they are, you must have somewhere for them to spend it in. The Mayor: Yes. and you must make some extra money to provide it for them. The Mayor suggested that the works committee and the reserves committee should have special meetings as soon as possible to see what wprks they would like to have included on a loan schedule and also if the Plans could be ready by the middle of October so that the proposals could be submitted to the Local Government Loans Board. The council could then have a special meeting to consider the whole subject next Thursday. This suggestion was adopted. 1 government grant Work For Displaced Men An announcement that men who were recently put off from work at Rongotai Aerodrome would be employed again in a few days through a grant . of £1509 by the Government was made last night at the meeting of the Wellington City Council by the Mayor. Mr. T. C. A. Hislop. He said the men would be found other work, probably in improving the site of the Art Gallery. This would carry them on to the end of November, by which time the ratepayers would have voted on the proposal to finish Rongotai Aerodrome. (