THE MUNICIPAL OFFICES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 17846, 29 July 1921, Page 4

THE MUNICIPAL OFFICES.

Of the loan proposals to be submitted, to the city ratepayers on August 31, the City Council should, have no difficulty in obtaining their •sanction for further expenditure on drainage, principally in Eemuera and Point Chevalier, and for co-opera-tion with the One Tree Hill Road Board in paving the Great South Road. Both these proposals are in conformity with established policy, to the progressive development of which the ratepayers have periodically recorded approval The third proposal, involving an ultimate capital outlay of £120,000, has some novel aspects. It embraces plans, previously stated id general terms, tor the subdivision on modern lines of the valuable municipal property known as. the market site endowment. Some of the leases expire in 1923, and the others 10 years later. The council proposes to seize the opportunity to remodel the area, sweeping away ifce existing buildings to provide sites for modern structures, to widen Queen Street by 30ft. between Wellesley Street and the present market entrance, and to erect a new block of municipal offices to house all%he council's staffs. The adopted design for the area is certainly attractive, and ratepayers are not likely to hesitate in judging a proposal to widen one of the most congested thoroughfares and to convert an area of obsolete shops, including the ruin of the old markets that Were built in the early seventies, into a spaciously-drawn block of handsome buildings. Sentimental considerations at least will give them pause in, endorsing the City Council's withdrawal from the Town Hall. Thejatter was erected -and equipped at accost of £126,150, and has been in use for less than a decade. It was designed to'provide ample accommodation for the future needs' of the city, and there were not wanting those who believed, in 1911, that its dimensions were too ambitious. But already the City Council is agreed that other provision must be made for the corporation staffs. It has decided that extension of the Town Hall building is inadvisable, and therefore proposes to utilise an area of 52,800 square feet in the market endowment for new corporation offices. This site will be open on all sides, the existing market entrance approximately marking its centre line; it will be half, as large again as the site of the Town Hall. Apparently the maturity of the 1923 leases will release that portion of the block reserved for the municipal offices and the remainder of the area" defined by Queen, Wellesley. and Elliott Streets. The cajincil's proposal is evidently to proceed with the remodelling of this section, completing the scheme when the other leases expire. An assurance is given that tiie whole plan can be carried out without cost to the ratepayers. It is clear that the estimated rentals from the endowment will produce a margin above the capital charges of a loan of £120,000, but this amount will not be clear gain, as a substantial revenue is now derived from the_ property. On the other hand, it is not clear whether the council estimates a sufficient return from the Town Hall to cover the capital and maintenance charges, or whether there will be a certain charge upon the municipal revenues in respect of the three public halls— the latter is not an unreasonable proposition. No doubt the financial aspect of the scheme will be fully elaborated before the polL The council must recognise that many ratepayers will be influenced by regretat the dissociation of the City Council and its staffs from the Town Hall, and at the prospect of its offices passing into the occupation of strangers. They are entitled to ask for convincing demonstration of the necessity for the proposal and of the whole __ financial aspect. The remodelling of the markets endowment and the widening of Queen Street are so manifestly desirable that it would be unfortunate if the loan authority were refused owing to a misunderstanding of the other defied pi th&^snosaJL,.