THE ESPLANADE AGAIN.

North Otago Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 6058, 21 May 1886, Page 2

THE ESPLANADE AGAIN.

At last night's rnseting of the Borough Council the following letter from the Premier was read re the Esplanade : I have the honor to acknowledge the reoeipt of your letter of the 10th Msy instant, I do not know that it ia necessary for me ti repeat the position I took up in my previous letter. I must, however, reiterate that the executive officer of your borough, namely, the Mayor, saw the prop' Bed plans which were sanctioned by the Oamiru Harbor Board, aud by the then lli.naief for Works, Mr Oliver, Your looil newspaper also po : ntelout to tha bargessss what; was proposed to be done, aud it seams to me thai; if the Enough C-iuncil and the burgesses were ignoran- of what wa3 so publloly mado known ; thoy must have paid very littio attention to whit; was taking place ia the locality of tho railway site. If the Government hid dme nothing, but simply issued tha proclamation, if they had not purchased land from the tiarbor Board at a high rate and paid the inon jy, po aibly, Oaiuaru, being content with its present accommodation, we might have taken step* to geS Parliamens to rescind the proo!am>* tion. Ido not see how, h wing paid Government money on the f uth i.f thiß plan being carried out, and there boing urgent need of railway accommodation to ovevtake the traffio, bow the proclamation can now b3 rescinded. If there was any land whatever in the neighborhood belonging to the Go* vernment suitable for recreation, I think the borough would have a claim to a portion of ouch land, bu -, I am nob a war a of any. I C3n assure you I exceedingly regret the position, bus the blama rests mainly, if not entirely, with the Oamaru public, who only made their objections at such a late period, Mr Christie said the letter was only a reiteration of what the Premier had stated in his previous letter. He seemed to entirely ignore the position of the Council ia the matter, and also ignored the fact that the then Mayor'd action in his capacity aa a member of the Harbor Board could not possibly be regarded as binding upon the Council and the burgesses. The following is the draft reply by Mr Hislop to the Pre/flier's let'.er : Sir, — I hive the honor to acknowledge reoaipfc cf your letter of the I2fch May, and I hope you will excuse me when I express the extreme regret which is causes the Council and myself to receive a letter whioh bhiwa that you refuse to consider tho claims t,f this town and its wishes, and that upon the grounda stated by you. The importance of tho matter and the detarmiuatlon of the oit'zsns are my excuse for troubling you with some remark? upoa the statamonts made by you.* 1. Th 9 plans which were submitted by the Government to tha ifarbor Board Bhow a proposal to take, iaaioad cf the acreage shown, someihiag les3 than tea acres, including the amouut of Und thon already occupied by the Government, being the railway Hae. 2 The local newspaper published nothing from which it oould b9 inferred thit anything liko the acreage tiken wa^ wanted. Citizona would associate the requirements of the plaoe with what waa then used for tha same purpose, namely, engine shed and station, and, as you know, taoy occupied perhaps two aores at the out3vde. 3. A publication of a report in the newspaper, without ths opportunity of Boeing h w the thing worked out, waa no n /tico W the public. 4. The plan whioh was showa to the Mayor takes probably about five acres ia addition to win* was then occupied by tho line. Tha Mayo „t<.o, was acting of his owa motion, and the matter v/ao never brought; by him before the Council. It ia too ab3urd to say that he had y h >rity to bind thn town. The Mayor and Councillors &g*eed to lease the town belt in Duuadin, when you and otherß interfered, llid they been sue-cea-ful then, would no one Baven or eight years afterwards have hid the rl^hi to objaot? 5. The Dropaaal then being made by the Government was one which it waa known could not bo carried out without legislation, and it wia not contemplated that actioa should ba taken without full opportunity for those interested to discuss tho matter. It waa with thia view that I kept applying in the Public Worka Department for pa rticulara whioh I did not receive until the plan was sent. Had it been only iatended to adopt t'ometbing which had b f jre baoa sanctioned, why was that not t'en raid? 6. I think you will find that it is nob correct that a la<*ge sum waa allow ei for the Isgoon sice. I have been informed that; pnsctically nothing waj allow 3d fur this land when adjusting accounts with the Harbor Kv-rd, and in this connection I moat dist tinotly take up tho p aition that anj agreement coma to between the Government and and the Harbor Board la qu'ta boaide the subject, and cannot possibly RfFeat the Municipal Council in thl3 matter. 7. What wo most o' ject to h that your Government his not atietnjled in any way to meet the wishes of the public hore, or what is of more importance, the interests of the future, Its action baa been arbitrary in the extreme, and we havo not been able yet to have the matter discussed upon the proper grounds. Although I havo to a certain exfceafc, by the perseverance with which matters have been allegod, been against my will constrained, to answ T statementa as to who is most to blame ia •he mattor, I have to sta*e, and ia thia Councillors ngrea with me, tha'. we wish to hiivo the matter fairly discussed, on the cimple issues of what ia n^caaf-ary for the Kailway Department and wqat iB fair to tho lowa. In view of the above statement, I have to state that until matters are discussed fairly, and a proper opportmity is givau to eaoh filda to ascertain the wiahe3 and require uonts of the other, and action is ba~ed thereon, a feeling of iujastice mu»t occupy our inioda, and we will res'st as far B3 possible the uution of the (rovernment I cannot close this letter without again expreseipg our regret that one who shou'd have been 3J careful of the reservea in hii own town aq you have been should only moot oar requests by a barren d acaesion as to who is to carry the blame. Mr Christie thought they should ignore the Idea existing in the Premier's mind that the Borou«h Council and Harbor Board were acting in concert. The Mayor saicl they might allow tha draft letter to go aa it \x\s, but they nvght advise their solicitor to move in the mntter in Parliament as thuir representative. Mr Hislop had aaked him to ba prepared with a valuation. Mr Fioch moved, seconded by Mr Christie, and it was carried, That the solicitors be verbally instructed to add a aentenca to the- letter setting forth that the action taken by the Harbor Board In the Esplanade was foreign to the interests of the Council in the matter. A sentence to thia effect waa then inserted and appears in the letter as printed. It W3a resolved, on tha suggestion of Mr Liatott, that the clerk be instructed to write to the local members of the L*<iialative Council aud House of Representatives respectfully requesting them to act in concert with tho member for O.»maru in the matter of the Hhplaaade. Mr Christie suggested that the Mayor should proceed to Wellington and urge tha claims of the Qouncil in the rnatte.r."* Mr Sanderaon aaked what the instructions to these gentlemen were to be. Saveral councillors suggested that if they oould not retain the land they should sot a value on the area taken and solicit compensation. Mr Sanderaon said that they should slick to the claim for the retention of tha land. Toe Government had erected a building on the Esplanade, and it would either have to bo removed or rebuilt. Ultimately, it waa resolved to leave the pointa of the matter with the Mvyor and the solicitor.