NGATITAMA STREET

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIV, 31 January 1930, Page 3

NGATITAMA STREET

FIXING A PRICE

DISCUSSION BY CITY COUNCIL

For the best part of two hours Isisfc evening the City Council discussed the price lo be charged to the Board '"-V 0 lege Govornors for the portion of Ngalitainii s(recti closed for tho purpose of nrccling I hereon hostels for the Hoys College. A letter was road from the City Valuer (.Mr F. C. Pott-it) valuing tho portion of ilie street to bo closed (one acre) at £4OO. • , In-answer to a question the electrical engineer said the cost of poles and Wiring on the portion of the 'road was £47 17s Gd. , If the Collego Governors ordered tho Council off the property it would .cost £SO to talce the line around Waimert load. ' Councillor Huggins moved that tho charge to the Hoard ho £3O, as tho Council had. had use of the poles and wiring for some time. Councillor Russell seconded tho motion.

Councillor. Moynagh said he was prepared, if tho Board gave an easement over the £3O property, to support tho proposal. ; Councillor Huggins withdrew hi 3 motion and Councillor Moynagh moved a motion to the effect of his remarks. Councillor Gibbs said he had been legally advised that lie could both speak and vote on the subject; but ho could not. sit much longer and hear a discussion over such a trifling matter of £SO when it was considered what the contribution meant to tho city. There was an expenditure of £IOO,OOO in sight, yet the Council was haggling over £SO. Paliiiorston North had given £IO,OOO to the Massey College, and Wanganui had given land for the establishment of secondary contributions. Many cities in other countries were willing to pay a premium and make, grants in order lo secure the establishment of secondary schools in their cities. He did not think any other town in New Zealand would adopt such a course as the Council was doing. He repeated that the Collego , Hoard was not being penalised, but livery member of tho community. For the Council to sit and deal with such an institution on huckstering lines was not worthy of the Council. Councillor Moynagh did not know whether Councillor Gibbs' remarks were intended for him. A£ the same time the College did deserve well of.the people, but the Mayor and Councillors were elected to loolc after tho interests of the ratepayers. He would not be diverted lor all the reasons put forward from the attitude he had taken up to get a fair deal for the ratepayers for taking a portion of tho road. Councillor Washbourn,. to test the feeling of the meeting, moved that the property .be offered to the Board for .£4OO. He would far sooner have moved that the land bo sold at a nominal figure, say £lO or £ls.

The Engineer had previously stated that the cost of the drainage was £2lO, and Councillor Moynagh remarked that the Council would be throwing away this sum unless it was charged to tho Board.

ACCUSATION ALLEGED

The Mayor said tho remarks.of. Councillor Gibbs amounted to an accusation to the Council. Ho (the Mayor), intendr ed to take up the attitude, adopted by the public meeting. The meeting took up the attitude that the property , had to be paid for, also for the drainage. Councillor Gibbs himself had expressed that this should be clone. If Councillor Gibbs had taken up his present attitude earlier it might have jeopardised the chance, of carrying the proposal at the public meeting. Councillor Washbourn: No. Councillor Gibbs: I cannot believe it. The Mayor went on to say that the lone of the public meeting was such that those present had a recollection that the city was going to be paid for the land and the services that had been put in by the Council. The Council was bound to go on the line of that anticipation at the meeting. Councillor Gibbs said that it had been casually mentioned that the value of the land was about £l5O. The Mayor: Not at the. meeting. Councillor Gihhs: Prior to the meeting. The Mayor said it might he that some people voted for the proposal because they thought the Council would be paid for the land; hut if they had had any idea thai the. land was to he given they might have opposed it. No one meD tioued that the land would be given. Councillor Gibbs had said that tho drainage would be paid for by tho Board. Councillor Gibbs: So they will. I am not saying what they will pay for an odd post. The .Mayor: I simply, said what I did because I think it necessary to keep some line rights through tho property. He added that he was willing to give the poles, but he wanted to know where the Council stood legally. Councillor Wasjibourn said he was prepared to add to his motion that easements be given for the services at present running through the proerty. Tho Engineer remarked that at present the property belonged to the Council, There were certain public services on the land. Unless the Board was prepared to take over all these services the Council could simply make a reservation that easements be given when the land was sold. The drainage would be required for the College. The high level water main passed through the property and it would bo necessary to reserve an easement. Councillor Moynagh said ho had tried to approach the matter in a reasonable attitude. II o strongly objected to being lectured like a schoolboy over his attitude. At tho public meeting it was stated by speaker after speaker in favour of closing that the Council would be paid for any services done in the street, and he. did. not see why those services should not be. paid for. Councillor Washbourn then added to his motion that such easements as to services as advised by the Engineer be provided for.

In answer to the Mayor tho Engineer said there was no chance of tho drainago being used by anyone else but the College.

AN ESSENTIAL I'ART

Councillor Gibbs, referring to the remark of Councillor Moynagh that the UoiMKiiJ would, be throwing away £2lO, sajd, bo did not want to deceive, the Council, in any way. if a value of £IOOO was placed on the property it would have lo be paid, because it was an essential pari of tho scheme for the developing of the Collego as one of the leading institutions in the Dominion. In explanation of his previous remarks he wanted to say that when the question as to the value of the land originally came forward, the property was considered a worthless bit of land. But he must say that tho College Governors had no idea that the value of the land would exceed half tho amount the valuer put.on if. He was under the impression that the total value, including tint services, would amount lo about £4OO.

WHO WILL FIND TUB MONEY?

The Mayor remarked that the City Valuer had told him that ho had written down the value as it was considered that a, number of trees in tho vicinity was detrimental to the property as residential sections. As to where the money was coining from, he understood it would be in tlie. form of a Government grant. Councillor Gibbs: Whatever money we (the College Governors! pay will deprive us of that sum for the further use of the College. The Mayor,: To what extent are we benefitting the College locally. Aro we benefitting . tho Government direct or local expenditure by any concession we may make. Will tho Government have to pay for the land affected from its administrative fund?

Councillor Gibbs; That point has not been fixed. But I give you an assurance that we will lose the sympathy of the Government to an enormous extent-

Councillor Washbourn: That is the whole point. Councillor Gibbs: If wo make a claim which they consider is unsympathetic. Tho Mayor (to Councillor Gibbs): Do you remember that about 70 people came here one night for a grant for the Wangamoa hill road and they said we had a pistol at' our head; and we had to part with £750. The Government never stopped iu to ease us down? Councillor Gibbs: And you never made a finer investment of £750 in the whole history of the city. The Main Highways Board on account of the public, spirit displayed on that occasion is spending £30,000 or £40,000 in improving our western access without calling on any local body for assistance. At the time I did not think we were justified in being asked for it, but we have obtained.a reward beyond our deserts. Tho Mayor: Will it be of any benefit to our local administration if we make any concession To what extent will it benefit the College directly? The whole point is one of policy. But I still contend that it was clearly understood by a large number of people who voted for the proposal that something was to he paid by the College Governors.

Councillor Gibbs: 1 admit that

AN AMENDMENT

Councillor Moynagh moved an amendment that the properly be offered to the College Governors for £4OO, plus tho cost of drainage (£210). Councillor MeConchie said that seeing all that was going lo be done he would like to give the property to the Board. He diet not consider the' Council would bo too liberal by giving the public services. Councillor Page supported the motion. Ho had stated before that he was not prepared (o sell the land for £IOO, the prico a previous Council put on it. He did not think the sewer was worth anything to the city; it should never have been put there. However he considered £4OO was. a fair price. The Council would not lose anything so far as the water service was concerned.

■ Councillor Moynagh repeated that the Council would be throwing away £2lO if it did not charge for the sower.

Councillor Watson said the previous Council was much more sympathetic to the proposal than the present one, in view of what the institution meant to the city. The Board did not reap any benefit at all; but the city would. When the public meeting-was held there was a distinct understanding that the Board would have to pay for the services. He thought the Council was doing the right thing by allowing tho use nT the sewer to the BoardCouncillor Washbourn's motion in its amended form was put as follows: "That the closed portion of Ngatitama street be offered to the Board of College Governors for £4OO, subject to reservations of such easements as regards water, electric light, gas, and drainage as the Engineer deems necessary." The motion was carried, Councillor Moynagh dissenting.