FUTURE AIRPORT

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22839, 21 September 1937, Page 14

FUTURE AIRPORT

SELECTING A SITE INQUIRY BY . COMMITTEE APPOINTMENT BY MINISTER OUTLINE OF THE PROCEDURE The Government committee appointed by tho Minister of Defence, the Hon. F. Jones, which is to confer ■with a sub-comniitteo of tho Auckland City Council on the proposed establishment of a municipal aerodrome at Point England, will consist of tho en-gineer-in-chief of tho Public Works Department, Mr. J. Wood, GroupCommander the Hon. 11. A. Cochrane and Wing-Commander T. M. Wilkes. Mr. Wood will act as chairman of tho committee.

In reporting tho appointment of tho committee to tho City Council last night, the Mayor, Sir Ernest Davis, said that after meeting representatives of the council tho committee would prepare for submission to tho Government a report, a cop}' of which would be made available to the council. The Minister had indicated to him that with the information gathered by the committee in its possession the Government would be in a position to continue tho negotiations relative to tho development of tho area, which the council wished to resume as soon as the location of the sito had been finally settled.

Sir Ernest said it would be open to the Government committee to review and consider all tho sites which had been announced as likely areas for an aerodrome. It would bo futile for tho council to embark upon tho purchase* of land for the sito without a prior assurance that Government assistance would he forthcoming for tho development of tho aerodrome on it.

In connection with tho suggestion that a sito might bo provided on reclaimed tidal nror.s, the Mayor said ho had communicated with the chairman of the Auckland Harbour Board, the Hon. T. Bloodworth, M.L.C., (.rating that, in view ot the importance of exploring every possible suggestion, tho most effective method would be by way of the submission of a concrete proposal from tho Harbour Board to tho special sub-committee of the City Council, so that it might bo placed before the Government committeo when it came to Auckland. The Mayor's report was adopted.

LOSS ON ABATTOIR FIGURES FOR PAST YEAR SUM OF £2IOO INVOLVED A net loss of £2IOO on the abattoir department for the year 1936-37, compared with a loss of £IBB6 for tho previous year, was reported to tho City Council last night by the city treasurer, Mr. T. W. M. Ashby.

Mr. Asliby pointed out that the increase in the fee for using the abattoir did not come into operation until the last quarter of the period under review, owing to objections to -tile proposed new scale of fees. Fees and charges received totalled £10,029, and expenses of slaughtering and*maintenance £35,811, leaving a gross profit of £4218. Fixed charges amounted to £6318, resulting in a net loss of £2IOO. The year 1936-37 was the first period coming under tho provisions of the Auckland City Abattoir Act, 1936, in which it was enacted that the council should no longer make a profit from the 1 abattoir undertaking, ho added. The loss for the current year was carried forward as an item of expense for tho ensuing year. Tho effect was that the council would not be liable to refund fees to tho payers of abattoir charges in tho coming year unless the net profit of the undertaking exceeded £3600, which he considered would not bo the case.

ADDITION TO BUILDING COUNCIL REFUSES PERMIT BREACH OF BY-LAWS ALLEGED An application for permission to erect a small addition on the roof of Civic House, received from Mr. A. Sinclair O'Connor, architect, was refused by the City Council Inst night. The city engineer, Mr. J. Tyler, reported that the State' Advances Corporation was occupying two floors and the greater part of the third, and had given notice to the owner of the building to occupy the remaining space on the third floor, He was anxious to retain his own offices. Plans had been prepared for the erection of two additional storeys, but the scheme could not be financed at present. The Town Planning Committee recommended that the application should be granted under certain conditions.

Mr. E. F. Andrews moved as an amendment that in view of the fact that Civic House had completed the work without a permit the city solicitor should be asked to take the necessary steps against the owners for a breacli of the by-laws.

The Mayor, Sir Ernest Davis, to the city engineer, Mr. J. Tyler: Has this building been done without your permission P Mr. Tyler: Yes.

Mr. Andrews said the greater part of the work was done before the application came before the Town Planning Committee. *

The amendment moved by Mr. Andrews was carried.

CENTENNIAL EXHIBITION SHARES TAKEN IN COMPANY Shares to the value of £SOO in the New Zealand Centennial Exhibition Company, Limited, are to be taken up by the City Council, as a -result of a decision reached at a meeting last night. The exhibition will bo held at Wellington. A prospectus was received last year from the Mayor of Wellington, Air. T. C. A. Hi slop, who stated that it was expected that at f least £IOO,OOO would be subscribed in Wellington, leaving £50,000 to bo subscribed by tho rest of New Zealand. The Under-Secretary of the Department of Internal Affairs advised that tho Government proposed bringing down legislation to assist local authorities to play their part in making the proposed centennial celebrations a success. In particular, it would authorise local bodies to spend money in participating in the centennial, and* in assisting toward tho purposes of the exhibition. Tho council had been advised that tho Wellington City Council was ing up shares to the value of £25,000 and tho Wellington Harbour Board to thtf value of £IO,OOO. Tho Mayor, Sir Ernest Davis, said he had been asked by Mr. Rislop to call a conference of representative interests to form an exhibition committeo in Auckland. Ho was arranging to convene the conference for October 20. and it was Mr. Hislop's intention to attend. The Mayor, the Hon. B. Martin, M.L.C., the Hon. T. Blood worth, M.L.C., Miss E. Melville and Messrs. J. Stewart and C. Bailey were appointed to represent tho council at the conference.