CIVIC SQUARE SCHEME

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 April 1939, Page 2

CIVIC SQUARE SCHEME

TO-MORROW’S POLL. The poll, on the question of the raising ol'. a loan ol* <l ' purchase or the Church ol h. fch ml nrouerty in Guinness Street, by the Greymouth Borough Council, is to be belli to-morrow. Following are the polling places:— Town Hall (main entrance) Scouts’ Hall, Town Belt North United Pavilion, High Street Blaketown Citizens’ Hall Cobden Town Board Office. The polling hours will be from • a.m. to 7 p.m. The result of the po I will be declared at the Town Ha, probably about 8 p.m. Air r • Denton (Town Clerk) is the returning officer. The issue is simple: — (1.) 1 vote lot the proposal. (2) .1 vote against, the proposal. The voter must, cross out the pioposal for which be does not wish to vote, or, to quote the instructions on the voting paper, “The voter must, erase the line marked (2) if he wishes to vote for the proposal, or line (1) if he wishes to vote against it.” Only ratepayers or the wives or husbands of ratepayers are entitled to vote, provided they are on the roll. There are 2506 names on the ratepayers’ roll of the borough. In order .to purchase the church property, the council is proposing to raise a'loan of £lO,OOO. The price of the property is £9OOO, and the additional £lOOO is required to put it in order for public purposes. Il is stated on the voting paper that '.the term of the loan shall be thirty years, and. the rate of interest that may be paid in respect of the loan is not to exceed £3/10 - per centum per annum, with a. sinking fund of £2 per centum per annum. Security for repayment of the loan will be a special rate of .435074 of a penny in the £ on the rateable value of all rateable property in the Borough of Greymouth.

; The purchase of the Church property is the first step in the Civic Square scheme. If to-morrow's poll is carried, the ratepayers will then probably be asked to vote on the major proposal to raise £35,000 to remodel completely the municipal buildings. There is another possible proposal, that £7OOO should' be raised for the complete renovation of the Town Hall theatre. The Council are unanimous with regard to the latter, but there is a difference of opinion as to the major proposal. Whether both issues are put to the ratepayers at the one time, or whether the major proposal is put first, depends on the decision of the Local Bodies Loans Board. Originally, the Council proposed to put these two proposals, together with the proposal to purchase •the Church property, before the ratepayers at the one poll, but the Loans Board refused to sanction this on the ground that so many issues would tend to confuse voters. If to-morrow’s poll is carried, there will probably be no delay in putting the other proposal or proposals before the ratepayers. With regard to to-morrow’s poll, (he Mayor (Mr F. A, Kitchingham) stated to-day that he hoped everyone who had' the right to vote would voteIt would be unsatisfactory if the proposal was either carried or lost on a small poll. The council wished to know the minds of the ratepayers as a whole. The Mayor added that the Council itself was unanimously in favour of purchasing the Church property, and he would like to remind ratepayers that, if the proposal was turned down to-morrow, the opportunity to purchase this property would be gone for ever.

CR. BOUSTRIDGE’S VIEWS. [TO THE EDITOR.] Sir, —Your interview -with an anonymous business man, published in Satin day’s paper, presents some startling inconsistencies. A progressive business would surely be lacking in its first duty if it did not make provision for future development, especially when that development was in the

most admirable position. Io wit. an adjoining property in the heart of I lie town, and at a. price which your correspondent himself admits is fair. Why, then, deny the duly of the Borough Council to look ahead for future development of flic people’s business? We would be un.fl Io hold oilice as councillors if wo did not give the ratepayers the opportunity of securing this property which, if lost to-morrow, cannot he secured later, except at a very enhanced cost. Again, your informant suggests that, as wo cannot positively guarantee the whole of the money required for payment, then th? Civic Square scheme as a whole must be condemned. We have shown (and the figures have not yet been disputed) that we can reasonably raise the whole of the cost of the scheme by the accrued rents from the improvements suggested. All these improve ments, rest room, theatre, children's library, lecture-room, men's conveni- ! cnees, caretaker’s residence, and I Inwidening of Albert Street, are not only necessary, but are urgently required if we are to maintain our standards of progressive development as the principal town and the business centre of the West Coast. Taken separately, these additions to our social amenities would require an enormous outlay, and the cost would have

to be borne almost entirely by the ratepayers, but. if built together as a composite scheme, with the addition of shops, then the whole of the addition caii be made self supporting. Have you ever heard of the fable of Hie boy and the bundle of sticks? Individually t hey presented no difficulty to break in pieces, but bound together they presented a solid mass which defied attack". Now. another most important point regarding to-morrow’s poll. The purchase of the land is the purchase of an asset which must increase in value with the rapid development, of Greymouth, and could be sold again at. a better price, if the Civic Square scheme is not adopted as a whole. Might I also point out (hat. the differences of opinim on the Council are differences only of detail, anti not of principle, and these will be easily adjustable in u le . near future. The desire of the council for the purchase of the- land is unanimous. and the nted has boon very earefulJv c<>nsidered over a long period of yours. We confidently believe ihat the rate. payers '.’ill fo-niorrow comimte io express their faith in the- C:,un<-ifs ability to do Hit' best possible work for the- benefit of tin* community as a j whole. Yours, etc.. F. F. BOUSTRtDGE. ,