TE ARO RECLAMATION SCHEME. MONSTER PUBLIC MEETING.

Evening Post, Volume XXI, Issue 97, 27 April 1881, Page 2

TE ARO RECLAMATION SCHEME. MONSTER PUBLIC MEETING.

Nearly 1500 persons aß*sembldd at the Arcade, Manners-street, last night, at the invitation of his Worship the Mayof , for the purpose of considering the proposition to expend in reclaiming the foreshore at Te Aro the £25,000 expected to fall into the hands of the City Counoil in connection with the sale to the Harbor Board of the Queen's Wharf. The Mayor presided, and was supported on the platform by Connoillorß Maginnity and Fisher, Messrs. T. M'Kensie, M. Quin, T. Dwan, J. Petford, and C. F. Worth. The Chairman opened the proceedings by explaining he had convened th« meeting in consequence of having received a petition to do so, signed by a large number of respectable citizens, who stated they had been impelled to this step " having in view the present dopressed state of things in Wellington, the great laok of employment for working men, and the benefit of the health of the city to be derivpd from doing away with the present filthy and unwholesome state of the beach at the head of the bay, and also that the expenditure will conduce to the benefit, improvement, and progress of the oity as a whole." (Cheers ) After expressing the pieasumh& always* felt' in co-operating with his fellow-citizens in connection with any public undertaking, hia Worship said he was particularly gratified to be able" to oo* operate with them on the present occasion, because they had met to suggest a certain course to be adopted with a view of Carrying out what— as it had seemed to him lor a long time — would be one of the moßt important improvements that Wellington could possibly have. (Loud applause. ) The reclamation of the Te Aro foreshore would not only be the means of enlarging very considerably the area of the city, and thereby give us the means of the future extension of trade and commerce (and, he hoped, manufactures as well) ; but in a sanitary point of view alone it would be one of the greatest benefits conferred upon ua. (Hear, hear.) Moreover, the commencement of the work at the present time, along with the proposed construction of the West Coast railway, would, so far as ho could boo, be the means of giving us the turn, so to speak. Just now we were poised iv the balance. Very little would turn it one way or the other, and if we did not get something to lift us out of our present state of stagnation, it was quite possible we might remain in that state for a very long time to come. (Applause.) The scheme iv question would set us going on a course leading us one* more to progress and prosperity. His Worship asked those present to get rid of any idea they might have that this eohemo would be for the benefit of only one part of the city. It would be for the benefit of the city as a whole (Applause.) There might be difficulties in the way of appropriating the £25,000 in the way desired, but he could not help thinking that any effort they might make that evening would have an influence both on the City Counoil and on Parliament. But someone might say, " You have not yet got the £25,000. First catch your hare, then cook it." Very good ; but there was nothing to prevent citizens from saying, "If we do catch a hare, we intend to cook it in a particular way — we want a stew of it." (Applause.) At the same time he saw no reason to BUppose We were not going to get the £25,000. Then again, someone might say, " Can you legally apply it in this par* ticularway?"' Most unquestionably. Another objector would probably ask what was the good of £25,000 for a work which would cost five times that amount. Nov. some time ago ho proposed to the City Council that the balance of an unexpended loan for street improvements, say £15,000, now lying in the bank, should be taken, and added to the £25,000 for this purpose. (Cheers.) The total, £70,000, would be quite sufficient to complete onough of the reclamation to obtain sufficient money to finish the balance. (Cheers.) Before, however, the Counoil proceeded to expend the money, it would be necessary to obtain the ratepayers' consent, though it did not follow they would have to be taxod for it, for they were Bimply going to take their own money, not to borrow it from an outside source. Concluding his Worship said the citizens might depend upon his standing up in other places in support of what he had said ought now to be carried ont. (Loud cheers.) Mr. Thomas M'Kehzie rose to propose the following resolution: — "That it is desirable in tho interests of the oity that the sum of £25,000 agreed to be paid by the Harbor Board to the Corporation of Wellington be expendod on tho reclamation of the foreshore at Te Aro." (Applause.) In the course of a speech, which occupied about twenty minutes, and in which the speaker travolled over much of the same ground as tho chairman, pointing out the advantages to ba derived from tho commencotnoot of the work and so forth, Mr. M'Konzie alluded to the result of the Lambton reclamation, covering 13J acres. That work had been carried out at a cost of £24,500. Appropriating a portion of the reclaimed land for themselves, the Provincial Government c old the balance to the City Counoil for £31,000. The City Council next sold a portion of the land for £8000, and the rents received on the balance, representing £23,000, amounted to £2074 9s per annum, or at the rate of 9 per cent The area of the proposed Te Aro reclamation was about 55 acres, exclusive of streets and a promenade all round tho sea frontage of 100 feet wide, continuing Cuba, Taranaki, and Tory-streets till they joined tho promenade, and intersecting the block by two cross streets, each 66 feet wide The total street frontage would be 22,822 feet. Some of this land he calculated would realise £40 per foot, while £20 would be a very low estimate of its minimum value. 1 aking it at an average of £30 per foot, the amount to be realised was £668,466, which would leave a very large margin indeed for profit and expenses. (Cheors.) Mr.THOS.DwAN.inone of hi 3 amusingand characteristic speeches, seconded the resolution. He dwelt at length upon the hydrographical aspect of the question, and quoted figures with a view of showing that the harbor was gradually being silted up. Ho said if the reclamation were not oarrie 1 out at once future visitors to Wellington would be referred to To Aro as a placa where they might see " dead marches " several times a day. (Laughter.) He held that the filth of Thorndon was at present being washed up on thjß foreshore at Te Aro, and that Willis and Manners streets wera only fit to be back yards. (Renewed laughter.) Mr. Solomon Levy said he had been forty years among the citizens, and had never spoken at any previous public meeting, but could not allow this opportunity to pass without expressing his opinion thai our just debts ought to bo liquidated above all things. ( A pplause and disorder ) Let this £25,000 go in liquidation of those debts. ( Dis ent ) We were now paying 2s 3d in the £ for rates ; if the reclamation were proceeded with it would soon be 4s 6d most probably. _ He had seen a good deal of reclamation in Wellington, and he predicted that a great portion of the money, instead of going for the Te Aro reclamation, would go for law. If it were conclusively shown that it would benefit the ratepayers, and would reduce tho rates to Is 3d instead of 2s 3d in the £, he would advocate the undertaking ; but, believing othorwise, he would move as an amendment, " That the £25,000, if we t-hoald be bo fortunate as to get it, go in HqoMation of our just debts." (Choors and his-es.) Mr. Samuel Palheb si conded the amendment. Councillor Fi*hkb alluded to the overdraft on general account of £28,000, and suggested that the £^5,000 should go toward paying it off. This was the first, it might possibly be the last, and was certainly the grandest opportunity we had had for placing our accounts in a legitimate state. (Cheers ) 'Jhe Chairman contended there was no overdraft, and deprecated thi3 wandering away from the subject they had met to discuss. Mr. Samuel Watbbs supported tho amendment, being averse to the squandering of the ratepayers' monoy. Ten years hence would be soon enough to commenco the reclamation. Councillor Maginnity was in favor of the reclamation when the city was in a proper position to carry it out. The land would not realise £30 per foot, as estimated. A portion of the i horndon reclamation, which had been bought at £45 per foot, had lately been put up to auction, and the highest bid was £16 per foot. (A voice—" Jealousy.") Mr." *J. Dixon spoke in support of Mr. M'Kenzie's motion. Councillor Logan also supported the motion. It seemed to him perfectly feasible that the work could be carried out without going to the London market to borrow more money, because we could usa the money already borrowed. Seeing the work would take four ypara to complete, that the price of labor was so much cheaper, that tho undertaking would form, an asset which might fairly be valued at a larger sum than the total indebtedness of the city, and that the money would be sure to be spent in some other way if not in the manner indicated, he was in favor of the en-

terpriso, and he hoped the work would be edcotsdl ully carried out. (Loud applause ) Mr. Thomas Carter moved as a further amendment, " That the- sum of £25,000 be expended in shares for the West Coast Railway." (Loud laughter). His opinion was that the greater number of speakers who hadf.poke'n In favor of the undertaking were interested either on their own behalf or that of their friends. (Applause and laughter.) This amendment, however, found no seconder. Mr. M'Kenzio repudiated this, insinuation, as also did Mr. Dwan.Mr*. Levy's amendment was hero sub* mittcd to the 1 vote, feur hands being hoi 1 up in its favor. Ths motion was then carried by an overwhelming mojorifcy amid muoh enthusiasm. Mr. Michakl Quin next moved, " That this meeting do prepare a petition to present to the City Council, praying tbem to give effect to the foregoing resolution, and that tho following gentlemen be appointed a committee to prepare the same, with power to add to their number, vi*. :— Messrs. T. M Kensie. T. Dwan, C. F. Worth, J. Potfotd, W. iiobinson. J Hutchens, H. M'Kendie, and the movSr." Mr. C. F. Worth seconded th« motion, which W3S carifd unanimously. The proceeding terminated at 10,25 p.m., with the customary compliment to the Chairman. __ m _^ mmmm^ mmmmmmmmmm