WAITAKERE ROAD

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22512, 1 September 1936, Page 13

WAITAKERE ROAD

EXPEDITING SCHEME LOCAL BODY CONTRIBUTIONS METHOD OF FINANCING CITY TO RAISE A LOAN A suggestion that the City Council should raise a loan of £14,500 to provide for the contributions of the local bodies toward the cost of the proposed Waitakere Midgewav Road and take debentures from those contributing was made to the council by the Mayor, Mr. Ernest Davis, last night. Mr. Davis said ho had made arrangements with the Prime Minister, Mr. Savage, and the Minister of Public Works, Mr. Semple, to attend a meeting in Auckland on September 7, when they would confer with the interested local bodies. The Government had undertaken to provide £78,500 of the total estimated cost of the proposed roadway. Mr. Davis said that not all of the local bodies had yet undertaken to contribute toward the £14.500 required, and, bearing in mind a ministerial objection to contributions from the local bodies extending over two years and the possibility of some of the local authorities not agreeing to contribute, he had suggested that the Government should give the council legislative authority to raise £1 1,500 for a period not exceeding 10 years, and empower it to take the responsibility for collecting the proportions from the contributing local authorities. This suggestion, which would expedite the inauguration of the work, was welcomed by the Minister of Finance, Mr. Nash, who made arrangements for the Treasury to facilitate the granting of the authority sought. The deputy-mayor, the Hon. B. Martin, M.L.C., moved that the report *be adopted, that the council take authority to raise £14,500, and that steps be taken by the Finance Committee to see what the other local bodies were prepared to contribute. He thought the work' was so important that it should go on even if- the City Council had to find the whole amount. The council should guarantee the amount. If some of the local bodies declined to help, he thought it would induce the Government to say that these local bodies would have to go out of existence.

Mr. H. I'. Burton said it was time that some of the outlying areas shared the cost of the services and amenities which were provided, and he thought it was time the Government took steps to brine about the Greater Auckland ideal. The motion was carried.

POINT CHEVALIER HALL TRANSFER OF LIBRARY REPORT BY COMMITTEE A request made by 43 residents that the City Council should reconsider its decision to close the Point Chevalier Hall was the subject of reports at a meeting of the council last night. The Property Committee recommended that no action should be taken with, regard to the petition received, but that the present library facilities at Point Chevalier should be transferred into the hall, and that the necessary alterations be made to the hall to enable them to lie accommodated. It was also suggested that the present library should be converted into a dwelling and that the subdivision of the property into five lots should be approved. Finally, the committee recommended that application should be made to the Minister of Lands for the purposes for which the land was held to bo changed to enable the proposals to be carried out. It was pointed out that sufficient ground would be available adjacent to the present hall to enable a new hall to be built should it bo required later. The report was adopted. The council recently increased the rental of the St. Heliers bowling greens from £75 to £IOO a year. In forwarding a cheque for £49 as the balance owing for rental, the St. Heliers Bowling Club stated that in making this payment. its account was overdrawn, and it requested the council to waive the increased rental for a further 12 months. The club expressed its appreciation of the greatly improved condition of tho greens.

On the recommendation of the Parks Committee, it was decided to revert to the £75 rental for the vear ending March 31, 1937. The city engineer, Mr. J. Tyler, reported that he had been advised that the subsidy to be granted from the Employment Promotion Fund in connection with the council's loan works would be 'lss per mar per week for married men and 30s per man per week for single men. A similar subsidy would be available in respect of the drainage works to be carried out from loan balances in the Tamaki. Avondale and Kpsom districts.

The council passed the formal resolution giving the necessary authority for making application to the Local Government Loans Board for permission to raise a loan of £25.000 for the repairs to Grafton Bridge without the taking of a poll.