RECLAIMED LANDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16178, 15 March 1916, Page 9

RECLAIMED LANDS.

COST TO HARBOUR BOARD.

DISPOSITION OF AREAS.'

COMPREHENSIVE RETURNS.

Returns dealing with the Harbour Board's reclaimed lauds were submitted to the board at* yesterday's meeting. Tho first showed the disposition of reclaimed areas north of Customs. Street. According to this return the areas leased to tho City Council, or held by it wider concession, totiilled 25 acres 34i perches, including Victoria, Park' and adjacent sections, the city market, fish market, and baths sites in" Hobson Street, and a section in Mechanics' Bay, now resumed by the Railway Department. Tho area dedicated as streets was 46 acres; areas taken or to be resumed by the Railway Department, 78 acres; area leased by the board to private parties, 64 acres; and area not disposed of, 36 acres, of which 32 acres was available. for leasing and four acres reserved by the board Tor its own purposes. The second return showed the coat of reclamation wor':s to the board and its relation to present valuation. This was as follows :— Between 1872 and 1875, tho sum of £10,726 was expended upon Mechanics' Bay to the railway embankment, tho unimproved value of this reclamation to-day being set down at £25,025. From 1901 to 1910, a total of £9854 was spent on the reclamation of that portion of the same bay, extending to King's Drive, the un-1 improved value of which was shown at £100,746. The, board expended a further sum of £102,691 on Mechanics' Bay for the Railway Department from 1912-1915, of which tne Department in question repaid £93,260, the further sum of £7830 being repayable, subject to agreement, •leaving £1601 as the board's share. This reclamation has not been valued. Railway reclamation, exclusive of the station, cost £10,725 from 1883 to 1886, the valuation being £345,550. The Auckland Farmera' Freezing Company's reclaimed area was carried out at the company's cost, the valuation being £72,600. Between 1875 and 1877 tho reclamation from Queen {Street to Hardingo Street cost £40,047, the valuation being £421.810. Dock reclamation from 1878 to 1879 cost £17,710, and this has not been valued yet. Hobson Street reclamation cost £25,420 between 1902 and 1908, the valuation being £174,300. . Freeman's Bay reclamation from 1872 to 1874, and again from 1886 to 1906, including Victoria Park, cost £25,878, tile valuation of all but one area not yet valued being £108,250. From 1905"to 1915, Freeman's Hay reclamation, exclusive of the cost of tho north wharf, cost a further £191.128, the valuation of a portion being £134,074, Hie cost of the unvalued portion being £103,858. Customs Street reclamation, east of Julian's Wharf, cost in 1913 and 1914, the sum of £2783, its valuation being £29,200. Ihe cost of tho reclamation of fit. George's Hay, adjoining Comisky's property, was included in the excavation of the latter.

The secretary, Mr. H. 15. Burnett, added a note, stating that the accuracy of the figures relating to costs prior to 1 3911, could not be guaranteed, for the reasons that up till that year the reclamations were apparently not debited with the cost of dredging, and the- board's books did not show whore the silt was actually deposited. In other respects also the early records of the board were not sufficiently clear to enable an accurate return of cost to be given. Tho Retires quoted above were probably, therefore, considerably below the actual cost.

A third return showed the cost to the board of compensation for riparian rights in connection with the Drainage Hoard's sewer. This was as follows:—Compensation.—Paid to Drainage Hoard, £6300; paid to Mrs. Wilson, £500; total, £6800. Legal expenses.— paid to Drainage Board, £752 10s 6d; amount paid to board's solicitors, £220 13s lid; total, £973 4s sd. Sundry expenses paid by the board, £23 4s 7d. Total, £7796 9s. The returns were referred to the Board in Committee.