GREATER CHRISTCHURCH.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CVIII, Issue 12910, 2 September 1902, Page 5

GREATER CHRISTCHURCH.

LAST NIGHTS MEETING. THE CITIZENS ENDORSE THE PROJECT. There was a large attendance of citizens of Christchurch in the Canterbury Hall last evening, in response to an invitation by the Mayor (Mr H. F. Wigram). He had announced that if they thought that such important matters as electrical power and light, sanitation and water supply, could ba dealt with better by united action than by the city and boroughs separately, they should help forward the movement by their presence and support sub the meeting. To this invitation they responded well, over 2000, including ma.iiy ladies, greeting the speakers, aud evidencing by frequent applause their endorsement of the views set forth.

The Mayor presided, and on the platform ' with him were members of the Oifcy Council, representatives of the. Industrial Association, the Trades and Labour Council, and several other prominent citizens. The Chairman, explained that he had called the meeting on Monday evening in the hope- that members of Parliament would bo able to attend from Wellington. Ho was sorry to say they were, not ablo to attend. However, ho had received apologies from several. The Hon W. C. Walker had said that Greater Christchurch was much to be desired. The Hon C. C. Bowen said that the movement had his full sympathy, and that delay would lead to serious trouble and confusion. Tho Hon C. Louissort also said that ho fully sympathised with the movement, and would do all ho could to assist it." Mr W. W. Collins, M.H.R., who was to have moved one of the motions a.t the meeting, said that Greater Christchurch. was the greatest question tho citizens had been asked to consider ; he sincerely trusted the meeting would lift the question, out of parochial feeling and deal with it from the point of view of, the progress of posterity. (Applause). Bishop Grimes also gave the object his warmest sympathy, and thought that it ought to secure the same from every patriotic citizen. Apologies had also been received from Messrs H. G. Ell, G. J. Smith and G. W. Russell, members of the House of Representatives, H. B. Sorensen, A. W. Boaven, J. Clarke, Dr Thomas, T. I. Joynb aud others. THE MAYOR'S ADDRESS. Not long ago, the Mayor continued, ho had been, accused in tho newspapers of nob being a talkative person. Ho had taken the hint, and had sought tho co-oper-I oration and assistance of a large number of I persons who would talk. (Laughter.) He ! would like to explain, first of all, why ho i invited only the citizens of Christchurch to meet him that evening. Ho could not, with any decency, ask tho surrounding I boroughs to join Christchurch in the movement until lie was assured of tho hearty co-operation of Ohristehurch's own citiI zens. (Applause.) Ho hoped that, later on in the evening, thoso present would endorse tho idea set forth. The other day he was talking to a- lady, who said : " If you get a, Greater Christchurch, do you think yon will be glad and happy then? Don't you think you will regret it, as the Australian' colonies have regretted their federation?" 'There was only one answer to that question. Thei citizens would not regret the union. (Applause.) The whole position in Christehurclti was very different from tihat in Australia. Tho city and' the suburbs of Sydenham., St Albans aud Linwood were, to all intents -and purposes, one city already. Theboundaries that divided them, were noti rivers and mountains. They were the same, people, with the same interests and tho same occupations, and. in many instances individuals had equal interests on both sides of the Belts.x (Applause.) He diaii been asked to bring down a scheme that) evening, but no scheme was needed. The. Municipal Corporations Act of 1900, a raosli excellent measure, afforded the groundwork and provided for the imion of two or mvoro adjoining boroughs. It provided! not only facilities bub also safeguards—(applause)— such as that the adjustment of accounts should bo fair and equitable. It would be impossible for the city or one borough tc* shift its burden on to another pair of shoulders. Provision was also made for the voting power to bo exercised by thct various component parts of the greater city. Ho need not go into all the niceties thati might, later on, bo raised by the boroughs. He need not anticipate) those things. Yob he would like to say at once he regretted tihe tone that had been taken in regard to some of the representatives of the surrounding boroughs. It was not necessary for him to explain those criticisms. He .had not had) a very long experience of those gentlemen, but spoke of them as he found them. He had met them at the Tramways Conference amd at the Coronation and other conferences. He felt' convinced that if Christchurca could show that the Union wag good for them all, there would be no factious opposition from that quarter. (Applause.) With tho good feeling on both sides, which; he felt sure would prevail, there would be no obstacle of an insurmountable character. (Applause.) Christchurch would have to meet the boroughs fairly. If not, and if it was not prepared to treat the boroughs fairly, the meeting might as well be closed at once. However, he was quite convinced that fairness would prevail. A suggestion, which 'he would nob call a criticism, had been made with regard to binding the bodies together by Boards, which would deal with matters of importance, as the Drainage Board' earned on its special work, and the Tramways Board would attend to its department. He had, been accused of having, by his action at tha Tramways Conference, endorsed and supported that method of dealing with those works. But he would like to say that he wouldl be sorry to see a multiplicity o£ Boards set up for controlling power, light,, water and other works. In his opinion,, the functions of those Boards would! have, a tendency to overlap and cause friction. There would also be the expense connected, witih the up-keep of the staff,] which, would be more than tJie citizens* ought to be called upon to pay. He would) prefer to turn to the advantages whiohj ought to be gained by means of amalgamation. The city had in hand at present two very important works, namely, the abattoirs and the destructor. Both of these benefited the suburbs as well as the city. In a shoru time it would have to take into consideration the matter of a high-pressure watersupply. That was a question which was) also exercising, the minds of their friends) in Sydenham. He thought, that lour or/ five little reservoirs on the Port Hills, each) with its owm little pumping station and! its own engineer in charge, and each attempting to pump the other's wells dry,) while trying how far they could block each other by levying taxes on mains through their streets, would form a spectacle that could only be contemplated with profound! sorrow. If he was arguing the question, solely from the.narrow standpoint of competition and comparison he would nob advise the city to join in the scheme at all. To his mind the city had strong opposition all along tihe line. He did not intend] to incur the responsibility of exasperating the meeting by reading columns of figures,, but the figures were there. He had goneinto them himself, and he was satisfied thati .if amalgamation did take place, and he!

hoped it would, the benefits would be morel than shared by the suburbs. (Applause. \ To 'his mind, the true argument in favour) of amalgamation was that a city was ivotl merely a ma.ss of bricks and stone, but Hi was what the citizens made ib, and db rested with them to say whether they were con-* tent to jog along like an old-fashioned market town, or were going to enlist tha resources of civilisation, and science. Htf ■ would be. sorry to think that tho enterprise brought to the province by tihe " Canterbury Pilgrims" had not been iiandedl on to the present generation. The> Pilgrims camo here to face the unknown. They swam the rivers in their way, explored! Ihe wilderness conquered it. Now the rivers were bridged, tho swamps were drained, the countryt was settled. Were the people of tho present day going to maintain the old traditions? Tho problems to be solved now were just as big as those in old times, only, of a different nature. They could bo read in tho history of any young nation. Firs* came the pioneers, then tha pastoralirts* then the agriculturists. After that tliare> the Industrial Age. That was whewi Canterbury was at present. Manufacturers were ready to come if facilities wore provided for them. It was the. business o|the citizens to find those facilities, other* wise the manufacturers would be driven away to Wellington ox Dunedin. The fsw cilities to which, he referred were water< power, light, drainage and cheap transit, (Applause.) It was to provide those thing* that they wanted to see their municipal go* vernmenb consolidated. Each want migM have a chaptor to itself, and there were many others of great importance, such aa a town hall, tho erection of markets fos produce and fish, and so on. The Mayors and councillors were not electricians op engineers. Moreover, they went out of otlice, and, in any cas<2, they had their ovra businesses to attend to. What was needed) was a .highly-paid, efficient, permanent staff. (Applause.) The cost to ihc city, alone might be somewhat heavy, bub, it spread over a wide area, ib would nob b» more than was paid ab present for local administration by the component parts o£ Greater Christchurch. The idea, he continued, was not a fad. It was a great! awakening to the higher duties of municipal administration, which, from Greate* London downwards, was extending all.overi the Empire. A similar movement wai taking place already in Auckland, Welling* ton, and Dunedin, and it -would soon ha here. He hoped it would come befor* . Christchurch had given its sister cities such a start that it would be impossible to aver* take, them. The Mayor resumed his seat amidst loud' applause. ;. Councillor C. M. Gray said lie had beenasked to propose the following motion: " That this meeting of tho citizens of Christchurch considers that, the interest* of tln\ city, and of the surrounding" boroughs, are so intimately associated that ib would bo to mutual advantage to effect a union." Tho speaker eaid he was very' sorry that Mr Collins had nob been abls to see his way to be present at the meeting, as he would have materially assisted them. His own remarks would necessarily be somewhat brief, as there were a larg» number of speakers to come after him.\ He regarded the meeting as a mo§b impor-/ tant one, called to consider a most im-l portant subject He was, and always had been, a warm advocate of a. Greater" Christchurch. (Applause.) Looking up" the records that day, he found thab thV idea was first mooted in Christchurdt shortly after Richmond was incorporated with the city, during Mr Manning's tern*' as Mayor. Then during the time he Mm-', self occupied the chair tho late Councillor Dan Reese, who took a very active interest in tho question, had moved far a confer-' euce. Since- then he believed there had been several committees, set up, and there had been more than one conference held to consider the matter, bub so far they not come to terms in regard to amalgamating. There were three points on which ha' might offer a few remarks. Did we desire' a Greater Ohristchurch, how could ib ba' accomplished, and what, were the benefit* likely to result from » union of th« boroughs? It had been his experience than those in the Council representing: the citi-, zens were continually hampered; and found their efforts frustrated whenever ihey attempted any large undertaking. They," found themselves cribbed and confins&j; were limited in area and limited in population. This Was only a small city after but ib was a small city with big aspirations, and they often found that their usefulness aud their enterprise were at present seriously curtailed. The present population of Christchurch was 17,500, whilst the population tin the three surrounding! boroughs"' exceeded 25,000, making a total of over / 43,000 people. Christchurch, in th« eyes of the outside world, sank into comparative insignificance. A firm at Home making inquiries about New Zealand would naturally inquire where were tho largest centres of population if it was thinking of establishing agencies or promoting branches of its business, and in this respect we stood very low, because of our very limited population. The union of boroughs need not necessarily be a matter of any consider- 1 . able difficulty. It was all provided for in the Municipal Corporations' Act, and tar his mind, it could nob be any more difficult than committing matrimony. If Christchurch were to propose to ono of tins outside boroughs and received an answer in the affirmative, he did not know of any impediment to our being municipally, married, and if we chose to go still further, and proposed to. thiee bdroughsy he did noti know of anything in the Municipal Corporations' Act that would prevent us from' committing, what he might term municipaJr" polygamy; in fact, the Act helped us tai do it. It provided all the necessary regulations and i machinery for bringing about! that result. • All the talk one heard aboutf ■ financial'arrangements and agreements and that sort of thing was by people who)'" did nob understand the subject. He believed himself that the matter was simplicity itself. If any one or two or thre« Councils agreed by resolution to join tief City it was provided for in tire Act thatbyf an Order-ini-Council the Governor may proclaim the union as being effected, and then there wore certain formalities to bs ob*' sewed which were not very difficult td . carry out.' Well, assuming that the union* of the boroughs was accomplished, what • then? Christchurch would still be responsible for the interest upon the loans that had been raised, and thd money .thaU had (been spent in the city. That was * point upon which some of the opponents of the scheme had endeavoured to mislead tW people. They were advised nob to • joinf Christchurch because of the indebtedness/ol ' Cliristchurch. Well, Christehurob. 'had a " very small municipal indebtedness if- we: compared it to, some of the other places,,' and it was not-so very much greater, considered on the value of the property owned,;' when it was compared with some of the outlying boroughs. There were loans raised in Christchurch. amounting to £118,940* which did nob include the Abattoirs loan. As against that there was a sinking" fund of over £27,000, which materially reduced our liability. Sydenham had raised loans to the extent of £26,700, and* had a sinking fund, of £875. St Albans had ■ raised, ho believed, sometliingi over £20,450, and had nob established anysinking fund. Linwood had the least indebtedness of all, £8475. and a small sinking fund of £59. Well, Christchurch in various matters sbood in a very favourable position when compared with the- boroughs with"which it was sought bo amalgamate. Christchurch had rents coming in which, though not large compared with some other _, parts of tho colony, brought nearly £I4OO a year. Sydenham obtained £665 for rents, Linwood £so—£3o of which it received

from the City Council for allowing the tram to pass through Linwood territory—«nd Sb Albans £7 a year. One would fudge from these figures that it would be to the interest of the boroughs on that «ore to join the city. Then Christchurch crned £23,128 worth of property,- which amounted to £1 6s 4d per head of the Epulation. St Albans had £4573, or 12s per head, Sydenham £3259, or 5s 6d > pep head, and Linwood £IO9O, or 3s Id per head. The unimproved values of the ©utside boroughs combined did not amount ■ to half the unimproved value of the city of Christchurch: The figures were: Christchurch £1,600,000, St Albans £285,000, Sydenham £247,000, Linwood ' £169,000. "The rating in the outside boroughs on the unimproved value basis i»d been fixed ; that of Christchurch had «oly been estimated. was estimated 4hat a general rate of 3d in the pound ■would be sufficient to raise the amount required. St Albans, he believed, had fixed ' 3d, Sydenham and Linwood 4£d. Then •' in the matter of salaries, although Christchurch paid very much more in the agEegate in the way of salaries, yet, takingto 'consideration the unimproved value ~pf the city, they did not appear so large , ii proportion, as, say, Sydenham or Linwood. The Christchurch salaries were returned in the balance-sheet as £1577, Sydenham paid £469, Sb Albans £269 and Linwood £232. A great deal of that might -■ be saved if amalgamation were brought about. Christchurch would still pay interest on her loans, as would also the outfide local bodies on their loans. The abattoir loan would probably be a joint charge, but it was provided that the fees charge»ble at the abattoirs should be so regulated that there should be no deficiency and there should be no profit. The benefits of the Destructor would .be enjoyed by the outside , boroughs as well as by the city. The Council Chamber would be shared by all, . the Fire Brigade plant would be available all over the district in case of fires, and , there would be a cheapening of the.cost, be did not know how much, in office work u regarded salaries. It was estimated that m uniform rate of 3d on the unimproved - value of the whole district would suffice im general purposes, and of this amount Christchurch,. as at present constituted, , would -contribute two-thirds. A united borough would be able, to accomplish the Yarious works which the Mayor had outlined in his opening remarks. It could, take up the water supply question on a. much more economical basis than if four ■eparaie installations had to be made, and the cost of electric light for the whole district could be considerably lessened. The union of the boroughs would also greatly facilitate the successful working of the tramways. (Applause.) The Domain, the . people's park, could be brought under municipal control, and at" a very small cost could be made a thing of beauty and a Joy for ever. This point he felt particularly . interested upon. Many years ago he had tried very hard in the City Council to get the -Domain vested in that body in order s that they could save it from becoming a wilderness, and since then things had gone from bad to worse, principally owing to want of funds. Nothing could be done I ■ without money, and he estimated that it the -boroughs and city were to combine and 1 ' get a Bill passed vesting the Domain in the [ Council, a very small rate would suffioe to beautify and improve the Park year by ■year-. Under the proposed amalgamation Greater Chrisrtohurch would be divided into wards, and each locality would have its I' own representatives on the Council. Then, i' welded in one comparatively large city, it 1 would be able to undertake works which would result in' increased comfort to the ' citizens, at the same time increasing the | yalue of the properties of all. ! Mr Loughnan, in seconding the motion, i. said that he could add little after the , figures Mr Gray had placed before- the meeting, and the enumeration by the Mayor .. of the advantages to be gained by taking !■ the first step that night towards securing Christchurch, When a man went to Dunedin or Auckland l he was a Christchurch man, no matter what part of this difctrict he came from. But in Christchurch, whenever the spirit of progress and enterprise which, as tho Mayor had mentioned, animated the Canterbury pilgrims, moved' the City Council, that body wa-a brought up by the insuperable barrier of the Town Belt. --Some of the recent proposals of the British Electric Traction Company anight have been, considered acceptable if , iiiey could have been effectively dealt with / by representatives of Greater Christchurch. ' With modifications, if necessary, they might ■, have been, adopted, and -a tramway system would shortly have been in operation instead of being postponed for a year or two. He hoped that the present meeting would, in the future, be looked upon- as the first step taken to wipe out from the maps of Christchurch the artificial barriers to municipal progress.

The motion -was then put and carried, with a few dissentients. Mr A. H. Turnbull rose to move the next motion. He said no possible exception could be taken to it as it simply invited the adjoining boroughs to favourably consider the question and to appoint delegates to oonfer upon it. The question of Greater Christchurch, must, of course, be considered in all its bearings, commercially, as well as others, and there must be an agreement on the basis of unification of the various interests. There might be some difficulty, but it was a matter ■which could be got over. The surrounding boroughs and suburbs naturally panted to be assured that they would receive -an adequate return for the rates levied iipon Them, and for his part he considered it was very desirable, and very iiecossary that the linos should be clearly defined upon which the suburbs were asked to unite in a Greater Ghristehurch. He was? jnoving the motion as president of the Chamber of Comimerce, and also as a ratepayer of Christchurch and a suburban resident. In tibe past, outside bodies had not always had reason to be satisfied with the conditions under which they co-operated; with the city. For instance, there was tjhe Drainage Board, to which several bodies) contributed and received no adequate return. He thought it very necessary tjhat the lines should be as clearly fiefined as possible in regard to the Greater Cnristehurch scheme. The experience with the Drainage Board would no doubt lend to the arguments of those who opposed! . t»a present scheme, but for his part faei did! B»t consider that should -be allowed to' •weigh in that direction, as it was just by such experiences that we should be able* \o safeguard against a recurrence of an unfair taxation. When they heard the names of the committee which was to be nomiw Bated to act with the City Council upon/ this question he thought'the citizens ■ interested would agree with him' that t-heiit wisdom and' experience and mature judg--jnent would be such as to ensure not only/ to ChTtetchurch but to the surrounding boroughs fair and equitable : treatment.

There was no doubt, that a good deal o 5 opposition existed in certain suburbs to the scheme, and ho was glad of it. He gavej those opponents credit for honourable motives, and for believing that they were acting in the interests of their, respective districts, and their opposition would ensure the matter being thoroughly ventilated, and the various points would .be well threshed! cut and fully considered. It was only in this way that union could be properly accomplished. He believed that many oi those who were now opposed! to it in tha suburban districts, when they came to inquire very closely into the facte and figures, would become the most ardent supporters of the scheme. In a- matter of that nature it might be found that certain _ districts wouldT require special consideration; but with the committee which it was proposed) should act it was quite certain tha* all! those matters would be fully and fairlyconsidered. It stood to reason that, with! Greater Christchurch, loans oould bo financed much more cheaply, works would be of) a more extensive character, and would bei more efficiently carried out. He instanced) the tramway sen-ice, which would give! rapid and cheap communication with tha suburbs, which would benefit the latter: more than the city, as it would result nil very materially improving values of all suburban properties. He would like to; have seen the area extended, but he understood the Municipal Corporations Act prevented any combination except between adjoining: boroughs For that reason Woclston could not be included. Mtev the other boroughs came in, a. fur'ther extension could be made. He would like to have seen the area wider, covering the land from Sumner and New Brighton to the Waimakariri. Another reason for the extension of the area was that at a MuTe date, under some properly devised scheme, several hundred acres of the _ lis - tuary would be reclaimed and turned into cultivated land, and great improvements in that direction. Further than that, it I possible that with a Greater Christchurch, the descendants of the present generation would see vessels coming up and discharg- ' ing at a reasonable distance from the city, ' or filling a relief harbour at Sumner, and a short line of railway communication. Those were matters which ha was sure would be considered at some future date. The Mayor had told them what their fathers had done for the city, and had asked what those present had done. Well, they were ' there to do it. They were there, he hoped, to lay down the- plans and means of becoming a Greater Christchurch that they had ever dreamed of. (Applause.) _ He then moved—" That a hearty invitation be given to the Mayors and Borough Councillors of Sydenham, St Albans and Linwood to consider the question favourably, and to appoint delegates to attend a conference on the subject." Mr A. E. G. Rhodes seconded the motion, and congratulated the Mayor on the fact that the project had been heartily endorsed. The City Council, during the speaker's yes.r of office, had done some gool work in the matter. Now a better feeling had grown up in both the city and the boroughs than existed formerly. (Applause.) When he was Mayor, the Council had to deal with many large questions, and he came into-contact with the Mayors of the boroughs." They always treated him very courteously and kindly, but he found that the work was much hampered by the feeling in the Counoil that it represented only a portion of the people. As to the adjustment of accounts, he was certain the boroughs would not suffer in the least in that direction. If any one suffered it would be the city, which, however, was willing to sink any differences on that score. He knew that there was no borough that would not benefit from united action in regard to administration, fire service, and so on. In regard to reserves and similar assets, he thought Christchurch was worse' off than other large cities, but was in a much better position than the adjoining boroughs. The debt in the city per pound on the unimproved, value was much less v than in the, boroughs. The three boroughs owed £1 out of every £8 they owned in unimproved values, and the city owed £1 in every £l2. Therefore there was nothing for. the boroughs to fear in that respect. So, also, in regard to representation, the three boroughs would have more votes than the city. Even if all the three boroughs did not join, he hoped, the city would make terms with any thait would corns in, and the others would have to join in the fu- i ture. He repeated that the ratepayers in the suburbs need have no fear. He hoped j good results would bo achieved. He hoped representatives of the suburbs would go thoroughly into the matter. (Applause.) Mr W. Reece, who was loudly applauded, thanked the Mayor for the whole-souled manner in which he had worked for the project, which the speaker had deeply at he-art. No question was of such importance to the city and- suburbs as that of Greater Christchurch. It was the key to all the other important questions. (Applause.) The root of the matter, and the settlement of all great questions was the Greater Christchurch scheme. (Applause.) The questions that might suggest- themselves to those present were, what would it benefit them, and what were tho injuries likely to be? The three vital points were conformity of policy, concentration of energy, and the getting of the best men. (Applause.) The May or had pointed out the advantages which might be gained. On the other hand, what injuries would be likely to be sus- ! tained by tho bodies that joined in tho scheme? They would be very few, and as far as the monetary aspect of the question was concerned* Christchurch would be the loser. He compared the present position to that which arose in the colony when the provinces were abolished. Canterbury, he said, lost considerably by the abolition. (Hear, hear). Yet he did not think that people who possessed any patriotism would 1 care to go back to the old system, and the same feeling would prevail "when Greater Christchurch was established. The motion he was supporting contained an invitation from Christchurch to its neighbours. so that they could see if by rowing in the same' . boat they could not achieve better results . (Applause.) Many visitors from Home to this oolony referred to it as " God's own country." Let them do their utmost to make their city worthy of the name. Let them endeavour to advance not only in superficial beauty, but also in all those elements that lead to greatness. He trusted that the coming conference would result in very great success. (Applause.)

The motion was declared carried amidst aplause. Mr W. Mlnson, president of the Canterbury Indnsfcrial Association, moved: '.'That a oornanittee, consisting of the Hon C. Louisson, Messrs A. E. G-. Khodea, W. Reece, H. J. Beswiek, George Booth, T. W. Stringer, F. Weymouth, John Anderson, W. Harris, T. S. Weston and the mover, be appointed to co-operate with the City Council in furthering the project, and to take what steps they may deem advisable to stimulate greater interest in the Greater Christchurch scheme, -with power to- add to their number." He said that the movement had been considerably advanced by the enthusiasm of the Mayor and of the meeting. (Applause.) 'He hoped that that enthusiasm would be consistent and persistent. With the passage of the principal motions that evening the scheme for a Greater Christchureh really began. Yet all tie committee could' do would be merely wasted energy, unless the citizen determined that success must be achieved. (Applause.) Mr E. Gohns, president of the Canter-

bury Trades and Labour Council, seconded the motion. There was no doubt, he said, that this -was on-e of the most important questions that had been brought before the citizens. lb was neccessaiy that Greater Christohurch should come about, otherwise the people; would not be. able to seoure those facilities that ought to be afforded to every worker. Besides that, one purse, would' be a great benefit to the ratepayers, and the public generally. He assured the Mayor that he had the hearty support of the whole of the organised workers of the city. (Applause). Mr G. T. Booth, president of the Canterbury Employers' Association, who was also applauded, said that he was nob a citizen of Christchurch ; but he had a feeling that he ought to be in the city, and that presently he would be—(applause)— as the Mayor intended to pub his idea in practical shape, and there would soon be a Greater Christchurch. (Applause.) He detailed a conversation with a " globetrotter " whom he met in Auckland, and who thought that Christchurch was represented by not much more than a Cathedral. The "globe-trotter" had never heard of the populous adjoining borouglis. When many people thought in that strain, there was a good, argument in favour of the project. The movement was nob revolutionary, but was in line with the proper development of the place. No doubt the founders of the city, in laying out the belts, thought they were planning a city large enough for all time. Now, however, before one generation had passed, it was found that the space in the Town Belts was not large enough. (Applause.) The meeting had affirmed its appreciation of the Mayor's efforts. It had affirmed that Little Christchurch should pass away and Greater Christchurch should come into ' exL'stence. (Applause.) They were now'appointing a committee, but the citizens would have to support the members if success was to be achieved. There was no reason why the difficulties should not soon disappear entirely. He hoped that he would soon address them as fellow citizens. (Applause.) Mr T. E. Toneyoliffe moved that Mr H. G. 'Ell's name should be added to the committee.

In reply to someone in the audience, the Chairman said he would be glad to insert the name of the President of the Trades and Labour Council. This was done, and Mr Ell's name was also added. The motion was carried.

Mr T. S. Weston proposed that a hearty vote of thanks should' be passed to the Mayor. (Applause.) He said he desired to congratulate Mr Wigram on the won .derfnl success which, had attended his efforts, and on the manner in which, he had placed the position before those present. If any case was convincing, it was that of Greater Christchurch, as set forth by the Mayor, who deserved the heartiest thanks the meeting could give him on behalf of the citizens of Christchurch. Personally the speaker would do his utmost to further the interests of the movement. He hoped that, with the able assistance of the 'Mayor and the City Councillors, the committee would soon be able to report on the result of its labours, and that the report would be of the best possible character. (Applause.) The Chairman, in thanking the meeting for the manner in which" it carried the motion, said that he had to thank them still more ,for their attendance. He hoped the citizens would continue to attend meetings of that nature, and would push the movement in the various centres. That would be the best compliment they could pay him. (Applause.) DISCUSSIOiN AT LINWOOD. At the meeting of the Linwood Borough Council last night, the Mayor stated that he had had a conversation with the Mayor of Christchurch with regard to the Greater Christchurch. The latter had expressed his regret that the members of the Linwood and Sydenham Borough ' Councils would be prevented from attending the meeting of citizens of Christchurch. He would be only too pleased to meet the members of local bodies in conference. If the meeting were successful, the local bodies would be asked to appoint delegates, and he suggested that Linwood should at once do so. Councillor Seed reported that the committee appointed to consider the Greater Christchurch scheme hoped to present 'ts report at the meeting. Council'or Brunt said that another nntter in connection with the same subject was the attitude o' one of the evening papers as disclosed in an article on Sata'day last. The pajicr in question had "pitched into" the suburban borougns as being stumbling blocks in the way of the j success oi the scheme. He thought that ] the Council should protest against such treatment, for Linwood had always been | friendly to the scheme. Several Councillors spoke in a similar strain. CoTincillor Cleworth said that the boroughs were waiting for information from the city as to the advantages to he derived by them from amalgamation. The 'Mayor and. Councillors Seed were appointed delegates to the proposed conference between representatives of the local bodies interested in the formation of a Greater Christchurch. TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—As a large ratepayer, and; one who is a firm believer in the vital importance of the "Greater Ohristchurdh" I was delighted with your very convincing leader on the above subject in this .morning's "Lyttelton Times," and with; you I sincerely trust that there may be a mass meet--ing of the public on Monday evening, when the scheme in question is to be put before the citizens in a formal manner for the first tame. Froto its geographical position and the many natural advantages its people enjoy, Christchnrch ought by rights td take the lead,, instead of which it is certainly the least progressive of the principal! New Zealand cities. As more than one of the speakers at the recent meeting of the Industrial Association pointed out, the; population of Cnristehuroh appears on the; returns at- only 17,000, whilst, as a matter of fact, there are nearly 60,000 people living witlrin a six-mile radius of the General Post Office. It ia indeed' high time that we awakened up to the fact that we are lagging behind! while other places are forging ahead. "We should nob any longer," in Mr Allan's words at the Industrial Assiooiation's meeting, " remain content to take up the position of a thriving country town.". Surely we. may aspire to something better than' that! And unquestionably the first step that should' be taken in. the direction of i progress is for us to secure that union which, proverbially, moans strength. With a " Greater Christchurch " we may reasonably hope to go ahead and to enjoy, at no remote date, such blessings as electric tramways, the electric lighting of our streets, shops and war jjj|«.'?es, and on abundant supply of electri>*>jn\ver for our factories, a high-pressure water-supply, and other things needed to bring us, as a community, up to date. By the way, acoounts continu© to reach me from Auckland of the excellent work performed there by the British Electric Traction Company, and the delight of the Aucklunders at the prospect of having in daily arse at 'an early date an electric tramway service, second to none in these colonies. In conclusion, I should like to express my high appreciation of the Jienl and energy displayed by Mr Wigram, as Mayor of the city, in furtherance of the " Greater Christchurch " scheme. Trusting that something practical mav result from Monday's meet-ing.-I am, etc., PKOGB.ESS. Christchurch, August 30, 1902.