CITY WORKS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22391, 11 April 1936, Page 12

CITY WORKS

LOAN POLL EXPECTED

TOTAL OF £381,700 STREETS AND OTHER SCHEMES NEGOTIATIONS WITH BOARD It is expected that within the next few weeks tho Auckland City Council will submit loan proposals to the ratepayers involving a total of £381,700 for streets and waterworks improvements. Some months ago tho council sent proposals of this naturo, covering an expenditure of £-160,700, to tho Local Government Loans Board, and since that time negotiations have been proceeding between tho board and tho council.

Following a special mooting of the City Council on Thursday, it was announced that the council was in a position to make formal application to tho Loans Board for approval of a loan of £351,700. It was stated that it was likely that tho Loans Board would bo considering this application shortly after the Easter holidays and that when a reply was received a special meeting of tho council would be held, after which tho machinery necessary for taking a poll of the ratepayers would be set in motion. The Mayor, Mr. Ernest Davis, said tho streets section of the loan would provide for work on over 80 streets in the city area. Mr. Davis said that after the holidays he would make a detailed statement showing the works which it was proposed to undertake.

The works schedule under the previous application to the Loans Board was as follows: —Drainage; £69,000; street works, £258,982; Nelson Street extension, £35,000; conveniences, £] 0,000; waterworks improvements, £80,000; extensions to municipal abattoir, £7600; cost of raising loan, £118; total, £460,700. It was estimated at the time that Unemployment Board subsidies on the works named would amount to £66.950, and that the loan could be reduced by that sum. The proposed waterworks improvements consisted of the following:— Cleaning and relining 142 miles 50 chains of water mains in the city, £26,600; new reservoir at Ponsonby, £22,500; new waterworks depot at Ponsonby reservoir, £11,400; additional access roads and tramlines in the Waitakere Ranges, £19,500. At the meeting of the council on Thursday the position of the 247 men who are shortly to be displaced through the subsidised works on which they are employed coming to an end was also discussed. It was decided to keep these men in their present employment until April 17 and to complete the works as far as possible.