CITY COUNCIL'S YEAR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20758, 29 December 1930, Page 9

CITY COUNCIL'S YEAR.

MOTUIHI MARINE- PARK. WORK ON WATERFRONT ROAD. ELECTORAL REFORM FAILS. ( Just now the Auckland municipality is passing through a period of few large works. The city street improvement scheme, costing some £700,000, is practically complete, water supply needs have heen met for some time to come,- and the onlv major sche-mes in prospect, apart from the completion of the Waterfront Road, are the making of certain important traffic outlets, plans for which are not yet complete. Although in this respect 1930 has been an uneventful year, unbroken, moreover, by tho biennial election, minor matters and general administrative work have kept the council and its staff quite 'well occupied.' The event for which 1930 will be best* remembered is the completion of the scheme by which Motuihi Island, or nearly all of it, has been secured as a marine park for the people of Greater Auckland—■ it is hoped for all time. Outline of Negotiations. The council was first allowed control of the beaches on the island by the Coatea Government at the end of 1928. It was given temporarily the powers of a domain board by legislation a year later. This year, after negotiations with the Minister of Health, the Hon. A. J. Stallworthv, all the island except th'o quarantine station site of 30 acres was vested in the council as a domain, and, by special legislation, the council was given wider pcwcis than an ordinary domain board, iriciu:l.ng the right to charge a landing fee. Bathing sheds and other buildings were erected in time for the Christmas holiday season, at a cost of about £2OOO, and as time goes on and funds permit the city's invaluablo asset in the island will be further developed. Good progress has been made during tho year with the Waterfront Road. When completed this will provide one of the finest promenades in New Zealand, and will also do much to open up the eastern district, in which the largest part of Auckland's suburban expansion may be expected for some years to come.. The total cost of the road is estimated at £488,000, of which £213,000 will be borne by the Government direct and £275,000 by the City Council. Tho council's proportion, however, will be reduced by £23,400 in unemployment relief subsidies from the Government. Provision, of Boat Harbour. Tho heaviest part of the work, namely, the embankment section from Campbell's Point to Hobson Point, Orakei, is being carried out by the Public Works Depart-. ment, together with the next section to Mission Bay. Toward the close of the year the council resolved to borrow a further £29,250 for completing its portion of the road as an unemployment relief work. An arrangement was made with the Government'for raising, the bridge under the road near Hobson P.oint. This will provide a very welcome boat harbour. Considerable building has taken place in the Orakei garden suburb of recent months and the council has assumed responsibility for a further length of roads there, making about six miles in all. A kindred public work of great value completed in 1930 is the Campbell'is Point traffic outlet,, which gives a new route from the wharves to the south-eastern suburbs. It was carried out. by cooperation between the council and the Public Works and Railway Departments. New Railway Station.

The opening of the new Auckland railway station and the Westfield deviation on November 24 affects the council indirectly in several ways. An arrangement has been made with the Railway Department for the widening of Beach Road, which is shortly to be connected with the Strand by a valuable by-pass route across tiie new station property. More important are the negotiations for subdividing the old station site in such a way as to connect Commerce and Gore Streets with the waterfront. Further endeavours have been made to come to terms with the PostmasterGeneral regarding the sale of part of the old post office site in Shortland and Fort Streets for street purposes. An offer to sell was received by the council in Junfc, but was not accepted, and accordingly - . lapsed. At the end of January Mr. James Tyler," who had been acting-city engineer suite the resignation of Mr. W. E. Bush in Apru» 1929, was appointed city engineer, out if 75 applicants. In November the council adopted a scheme for reorganising his department. Under this .the city has-been divided into three districts, each in charge of a subordinate engineer. A designing engineer has been added to the staff. Small Increase in Rates, The council was able to provide for the ■ needs of the year 1930-31 upon a total rate of 4s in the pounds representing an increase of gd on the previous year's I figure. The hospital and library rates | were increased by Id and id respectively and the general and sanitation rates were reduced by each. The valuations upon which the rates were struck were £35,834 higher than the previous year, the Assessment, Court haviftg granted £23,337 of reductions on the valuations proposed. - Several schemes were put forward ir the course of the year for reforming the biennial elections of councillors. For<a number of years the city elector has had to deal with a ballot paper about 2ft. long and .bearing the names of some candidates. After long consideration, committee recommended that legislation be promoted to allow voting, by means of a cross. This was done, but the proposal was rejected by the Legislative Council. Subsequently a move was made to reduce the membership of tho council from 21 to 12. It failed, as did proposals for less drastic reductions. The' position, therefore, remains unaltered. The Mayor to Retire. In November, the Mayor, Mr. Gr Baildon, who is now in his sixth year of office, intimated that he would not seek re-election next May. A large meeting of citizens requested Mr. G. W. Hutchison/ a member the council since 1928, to stind for the mayoralty, and obtained his consent. A schome for a commercial airport for Greater Auckland was launched by the council in June.' Three sites, onfi at Point England, Tamaki, and two others at Mangere, were selected as most suitable. A conference of local authorities wfi: called, and approved by one vote a preposal to investigats the matter further, but otherwise made little progressSeveral authorities had previously declarfd that the scheme was one for private enterprise. , Severe congestion in the Central 1 uolic Library and Art Gallery w as n S^'' n reported to the council, which joined wuh the Auckland University College ard other bodies in asking the Minister of Education to grant the old Grammar School site in Symonds Street for a to) arts building, to include an art gallery. The scheme is still in (.he negotiates stage. The council lately decided" to opefi branch libraries at Avondale und Tamak:.