NELSON NEWS

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 66, 18 March 1924, Page 5

NELSON NEWS

(FEOM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.} NELSON, This Day.' In bis report to the City Council on Friday evening the electrical engineer, Mr. Henderson, reported: " Consumers' applications 635, lighting load applied for 423 x k.w., heating load applied for 368 k.w., power load applied for 160 k.w.; total 971 k.w." The steady increase of applications continues, and the units daily are rising. The maximum day's output is now 1280 units. Councillor Edwards said, judging from 'the namber of applications coming in, the public wore quite satisfied with the light. , The Mayor said the' public also appeared satisfied with.the charges. The number of applications ■ so. far had exceeded, anticipat-ions. . Owing to the. sifting of the screen at the waterworks weir as the result of the recent heavy rains, and the difficulty of dealing with' the trouble having to be overcome by .the emptying of the weir, the city engineer recommended that an emergency intake should be cut in higher up the stream. The cost of the work would be about I £200. It was resolved that the engineer ' be instructed to put in the emergency intake at once. A request from the Nelson Bowling Club that a number of cabbage trees in Examiner street be removed, owing to the blocking of drains by falling leaves, caused a discussion, during which the merits and demerits of cabbage trees as street beautifiers were dealt with by several councillors. While it was admitted that these trees shed a large number, of leaves, no one advocated their removal, although it was suggested that if they were topped or cut back an improvement might' be effected. However, the reply to the request was that "no action be taken." As previously reported, the resolution from the Taumarunui Borough Council dealing with municipal finance, and urging tliat increased land values and profits from the sale of town sections should accrue in part, if riot wholly, to the municipality, and that municipalities be constituted the sole medium of land sales in municipalities at a moderate rate of commission, was sent to a committee to consider. The committee recommended that (a) the council affirms the principle that a portion of the increased land values should become the property of the municipality, and (b) that the council does not agree to the suggestion that local bodies be empowered to act as land agents. Councillor Gibbs moved that paragraph (a) be struck out, and the following substituted : —"That the council cannot support the recommendation of the Taumarunui Borough Council." It was a national matter, and one the council should not deal with. The proposal was Socialistic, and Nelson was not Socialistic. What about the losses that were made, and why the proposal to take the land profits? Why not those on shares and other profits? The committee, he thought, had not gone thoroughly into the matter. The motion was seconded by Councillor Edwards, who opposed the Taumarunui proposals, which he considered absurd. Councillor Moffatfc considered tno committee had affirmed a great principle. The proposal was not new, and did not originate with Socialists. The principle had been, and was, advocated Ly many pronounced individualists, and political economists who were considered orthodox supported the principle of com-munity-created 1 values- being-.:taken for community purposes. Ha had specialised in this subject for many years, and was prepared to take the platform with anyone in A Tew Zealand-in support of the proposal. He gave instances where large profits- had been made as the result of the expenditure of public money and an increased population. Councillors Coltman and Nightingale and the Mayor said they had approved of the principle, but only to the extent of a small percentage. * Councillor Plum said he was . away from Nelson when the matter was considered by the committee, but saw no reason why the council should not get a small percentage of increased land values. Councillor Russell supported the principle, and said b« had voted for it in committee. Councillor Watson considered the municipality should share in so.ne of the big profits made in the sale of lands. Councillor Gibbs, in reply, said he had no objection to a betterment tax-where land had directly benefited by public expenditure, and where a definite amount could be handed to the Government in this way was quite reasonable. But the council did not represent the public on such matters; they (the council) were not politicians. We had to pay. increased rates when the values increased. Where was it .going to end? it was a proposal of Red Feds' and Socialists. - The' motion' was put, only the mover and seconder -voting for it J he report .was then adopted, Councillor uibbs opposing; ■ . ....... H.M.S. VERONICA. The Mayor (Mr. W. Lock) has received advice from Commander B B Cardwell that the Veronica will • visit Ne son on 29th March, leaving again on '^nd April. CADET COMPETITION. ' The competition, for the Passmore Biueld has been won for the second year in succession by the Nelson Cadets, and the company will represent the South Island 111 the. Campbell Statuette competition to decide which is the champion Cadet company in the Dominion. The Aelson Cadets are the holders' of the Campbell Statuette, having won it last year. BOY SCOUTS. The Boy Scouts, both land and sea are having a big rally in the Botanical Reserve on 29th March, when they will grvo exhibitions of ambulance and firstaid work,, signalling, and general scouting and pioneer bridge building by pickc<i teams from sea and land Scouts The *ea Scouts will demonstrate a realistic rocket rescue from a ship in distress by .Breeches Buoy from the Maintop The object is to raise funds in support of the moTonient.