LOAN PROPOSALS

Evening Post, Volume CXXII, Issue 69, 18 September 1936, Page 10

LOAN PROPOSALS

AIR AND DRAINAGE RONGOTAI EXTENSION TOTAL OF £140,000 The result of discussions with the Government over the carrying on of work at the Rongotai aerodrome, which has been stopped for some time on account of lack of funds, was stated by the Mayor, Mr. T. C. A. Hislop, in reply to a question from Councillor P. M. Butler at the meeting of the City Council last night. To complete the work planned will cost £140,000, of which the - Government is willing to find half.

Mr. Hislop said that he had recently had a further interview with the Minister of Public Works, the Hon. R. Semple, and the Minister of Finance, the Hon. W. Nash, and the City Engineer and engineers of the . Public Works Department had also met. The Public Works Department was strongly of the opinion that the complete scheme of reclamation, which would involve the expenditure, of £140,000, should be proceeded with. There was an alternative scheme, should - the money not be available, but the Public Works view was that the full plan was preferable, and the Minister had said that they "would subsidise the work £ for £ upon that scheme. The work would probably take two years to complete and when it was finished the city would have a modern aerodrome for the further expenditure of £70,000. The. Government's offer, however, was based upon the condition that the council should take the necessary steps to put the matter before the ratepayers as soon as possible, not later than the end of November.

The council, said the Mayor, was anxious that the men who had been engaged at Rongotai should be found employment at once, and the Government had agreed to find finance to carry them to the end of November, about £ISOO. Probably they would be employed on; the grounds of the Art Gallery and Museum, for there was little that could be done at Rongotai now unless the extension scheme could bd carried through. THE GENERAL SCHEDULE.

Referring to the loan proposals generally, the Mayor said he had been thinking over the matter. So many proposals were coming up and no committee had completed,its proposals. The amount was rising up to a very big sum. After all,, they had to consider what was likely to be carried as well as what could be carried by the finance of the ratepayers. This year the council was calling on the ratepayers for a larger rate levy than they had ever been called on to bear in the history of the. city and next year the rate levy would be higher because the charges on new capital expenditure would be for a full twelve months instead of six. There was also the hospital. TWO ESSENTIALS. It seemed to him that they should cut themselves down to two essential things for the end of next November. What he suggested was (1) drainage proposal, for which £200,000 was required and, (2) the aerodrome proposal at a cost of £70,000. There were a lot of other things they ■ would like to see done, but, it seemed to'him that there, was a tendency in Wellington for the sense of proportion to be lost a bit. These other things could be brought forward at a later date—perhaps in 1938, the election year; "I think," added Mr. Hislop, "that we are asking quite enough if we put before the ratepayers the aerodrome proposal of £70,000 and the drainage: proposal."

OVERDUE WORKS. Councillor P. M. Butler said that there were lots of .other things that the people were crying out lor arid it would not be possible to give them out of the rate payments. He said he thought they should try.and get some of these things done.

The Mayor: I would like to see some of these other things done but, looking at it broadly, I cannot see the people voting .for it. : Councillor W. Appleton said that the works committee could .have, its schedule ready in time. After all, he said, the onus was on the ratepayers and he thought they should be given the opportunity of voting on the question of the loans. The Mayor said that the council had to be ready by the end of November. He suggested that special meetings of the works and reserves committees he held as soon as possible to decide the matters they wished to bring forward, these meetings to be followed by a special meeting of the council on Thursday next. Councillor W. Duncan suggested the possibility of the vote being split if schemes other than the aerodrome and drainage proposals.were introduced. The council agreed to the Mayors suggestion.