CITY LOAN PROPOSALS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15566, 25 March 1914, Page 10

CITY LOAN PROPOSALS.

POLL TO-MORROW. PARK AND OTHER SCHEMES. TOTAL OF £112,000. The poll of the ratepayers of the city on the City Council's proposal to raise various loans, totalling £112,000. will be taken to-morrow, between the hours of 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. The proposals are as follows : —For completion of the city sewerage system, £80,000; for new city depot in Patteson Street, £13,000; for an additional wing to the Art Gallery, £4000; and for the acquisition and improvement of the Gillies Estate. Parnell, for a park; £15,000.

The proposed loan for the purchase of the Gillies Estate is the proposal that is creating the greatest interest. The area of the estate is about 9$ acres. The sum that it is proposed to borrow'7or the completion of the drainage system is intended to cover the cost of the connection of the council's sewerage system with the Drainage Board's sewers, the relaying and renewal of old sewers, and the reticulation of the low-lying areas. The Art Gallery loan is required for the erection of a new wing to meet the demand for increased accommodation, whilst that proposed (or the new depot is intended to cover the cost of workshops, office, stores, house for ,stable foreman, stables, etc. It is proposed that each loan, if authorised, shall have .1 currency of 21 years, and carry a sinking fund of one-half per cent. It is proposed to pay the expenses of each loan out of such loan, but not the interest or sinking lund. thereon for the first year. A special ratepayers' roll will be used for the purpose of the poll. The residential qualification does not apply as in the case of municipal elections. All persons who own property within the city, or who hold leases of property with an occupancy of not less than three months and pay rates are qualified to he placed on the valuation roll from which the ratepayers' roll is made up. Ratepayers may reside within or outside of the city, the qualification being in no way affected by the question of residence. There are 8523 names on the roll. Of this number 7124 are within the old city boundaries, 1018 are in Parnell, and 381 are in Archhill. The roll may be inspected at the town clerk's office.

The following will be the polling places: —Concert Chamber (Town Hall), Chamber of Commerce (Swanson Street), St.-James's Hall (Wellington Street), Monro's . Hall (Ponsonby Road), All Saints' schoolroom {Church Street), Bayfield Hall (Heine Bay Road), the late Arch hill Road Board office (Archhill), East Street Hall, St. David's Hall (Knyber Pass Road), St. Andrew's Hall (Symonds Street), Oddfellows' Hall (Manukau Road), Native Boys' School (St. Stephen's Avenue). Mr. G. Hogan is the returning officer.

THE PROPOSALS REVIEWED. ADDRESS BY THE MAYOR. The Mayor (Mr. C. J. Parr) addressed the ratepayers of Parnell on the loan proposals in Knox's Hall last exening. There was an attendance of about 60. At the outset the Mayor laid emphasis on the fact that there would be absolutely no increase in the rating burden by the carrying of the loans. If there had been a likelihood of any increase he would not be there to advocate the loans, nor would the City Council have proposed them. The special rate of Is 3d in the £, which had been in force in the city for many years, was more than sufficient v to pay the interest on the loans to be raised for the Gillies Park and other properties. (Applause.) The proposed loans totalled £1,12,000. Although the Drainage Board had just completed the main intercepting sewer, this did not complete the drainage system, and it was therefore proposed to raise the sum of £80,000 for drainage purposes. There were 22 sewers of which were in Parnell—still pouring their sewage on to the shores. The sum of £17,000 was required- for the purpose of taking these sewers into the main intercepting sewer. It would be a blessing once ana for all to stop the pollution of their lovely harbour front. (Applause.) Then, again, £33,000 was required to complete the reticulation of the low-lying areas in various parts of the city, including Parnell. Of the balance of the loan, -£24.000 was required for the taking up of old sewers in Parnell and other parts of the city, and laying new mains. He felt sure the ratepayers would experience no difficulty in voting for the drainage loan, the most important of all the proposals, as upon the proper drainage of the district depended the health of the whole community. (Applause. New Stables and Depot. Referring to the proposal to raise £13,000 for the new city stables and depot, the Mayor said the present market area was too valuable a site for these stables and workshops. It was proposed to pull the old stables down and erect them in Patteson Street. The city possessed 82 horses and 70 vehicles, and suitable stables should therefore be erected. (Applause.) .

Gillies Park Scheme.

The Mayor spoke strongly in favour of the Gillies Park scheme, for which it was proposed to raise the sum of £15,000. In the course of his remarks he stated that the owners of the estate had asked a little more than £15,000 for it, but he was in hopes that- the matter of price would be satisfactorily settled between the City Council and the owners. If the owners would not agree to lower the price which they were now asking the City Council would take the land under the Public Works Act. He replied at considerable length to press criticisms of the park proposal, saying that the case for the park was growing stronger every day. Voters were seeing through the hollowness of the opposition. First of all, Hobson Bay was held cut as an alternative scheme, but that did not gain approval. Then another " red herring " —the Outer Domain—was trailed across the scent, but the public naturally failed to quite understand what that had to do with a seaside park.

Beautifying the City, | The Mayor said he was totally opposed 1 to levelling down the Outer Domain like a billiard table. The Exhibition surplus would do all the levelling that was required and the Dominion hillock should be kept intact for its fine view. It had been stated that the proposed park would be an "obstruction" to the straight road to Orakfi, and to the waterfront railway. The Harbour Board had not said it would be an obstruction to its scheme. On the other hand the chairman of the board (Mj. J. H. Gunson), when they had discussed the proposed Giljies Park three months ago, had expressed the opinion thet the idea was an excellent one. and had suggested that the council should also acquiro the Kilbryde property, and thus make a park of 13| acres. The straight road to Orakei was a fetish that might be briefly dismissed. It would have to traverse five miles o/ water 20ft deep and the expense of such an undertaking ought to give even a newspaper critic pause. All the Harbour Board had committed itself to do was to double the present length of Quay Street. That would only bring it to within half a-mile of Campbell's Point, and how was the intervening mud to be bridged A road round the foreshore woulld come, but it would not be a straight one. As to the suggested waterfront railway. Mr. Parr contended that the actions of the Railway Department all pointed against it being constructed. The plain truth was that the, case against the Gillies Park collapsed when these distracting l illusions were examined. Messrs. B. S. Briggs and P. Gleeson spoke in support of the loan proposals. A motion in favour of the proposals was carried on the motion of Mr. J. Scott,