THE MIRAMAR ESTATE

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1536, 7 August 1901, Page 45

THE MIRAMAR ESTATE

THE BILL BEFORE THE HOUSE.

In the House of Representatives on Thursday the second reading of the Wei. lington City Recreation Ground Bill, or the “Miramar Bill,” was moved by Air Hutcheson, who in a brief speech, said the citizens of Wellington felt the necessity for th© expansion of this city, and therefore were in favour of the purchase of the Miramar estate. This Bill, h© explained, was purely of a machinery character, and provided for the manner in which the estate was to be cut up when acquired. Mr Wilford said this was a Bill to enable the Corporation to purchase a block of land to the extent of 1500 acres. So far as the finances of the city wero concerned, it was impossible for the Corporation to enter into any speculation of the kind. The streets of Wellington, h© said, were a disgrace to the city. This Bill gave great power to the Corpora/* tion, and the citizens, he might inform the House, were very much divided upon this question. The sum of £75,000 had been put down as the value for which th© estate could be purchased, but he reminded the House that beforet the land could be made easy of access to the city there must be some electric tramway by tunnel though the Kilbirnio hill or other means of access. Mr Wilford went on to say that a provision had been included in the Bill so as to get over the decision of th® Court in the Canterbury racecourse case, and argued that it was evidently the intention under the fifth schedule of th© Bill to make a racecourse at Miramar. If Miramar could be got on advantageous terms, and tne City Council- could b® trusted to carry out the business successfully, it might be all right, but he held that the present constitution of th® City Council of Wellington w 7 as such, that*, that Council could not be trusted to conduct a transaction of this kind. Mr Wilford spoke of the “Willis street mistake,” reviewing its history, and also th© manner in which the widening of Adelaide road is being conducted, urging that such a body of men was not fitted to enter into negotiations for the purchase of this estate. There were to be electric tramways in Wellington, and streets paved with wood, and he did not consider that the Council, as at present constituted, should be given the power to undertake a large transaction of this kind. Mr Barclay thought that members should have an opportunity of investigating the statements made by the member for the suburbs, and he therefor© moved the adjournment of the debate for one week.

Mr Fisher supported the motion for the adjournment, on the ground that th© people of this city and some of the members of the House were not in possession of sufficient particulars on the question. He knew that there was a strong feeling against the Bill, and he believed the majority of th 6 burgesses of Wellington were anxious that this Bill should be delayed in order that they might have an opportunity of expressing their opinion concerning the measure. Mr Napier: They can express it at the poll. Mr Hutcheson explained that if th© citizens of Wellington declared at the poll that they were not in favour of the acquisition of Miramar, the Bill would become so much waste paper. The whole thing would be dominated and regulated, by a poll of the citizens of Wellington. He alleged that there had been scheming and plotting and intriguing against this Bill on the part of wealthy syndicates. Mr Collins held that there was a n©the adjournment. pointing on*

Wellington members on this subject, an outside member such as he might reasonably have some difficulty in making up his mind. Mr Napier said that as thi3 Bill came before the House with the imprimatur of tKe local governing body, members ought to pass the second reading, which merely affirmed the princiole. The Hon. W. Hall-Jones said he had looked upon the Bill with a good deal of suspicion. With regard to the acquisition of a recreation ground in Wellington, he was atone with any hon. member of the House; but the terms upon which the recreation ground were to be acquired be objected to. He had learned that there was something behind the Bill; a contract between certain persons and the Corporation. He was informed that this would belaid on the table of the House, and he thought that that ought to be done. The contract in its entirety should be printed, and every member should have a copy of it. As he read the Bill, it struck him that the Corporation could acquire that property without going to the poll. (“Hear, bear,” and dissent.) It had struck him that the property could be acquired without a poll of the ratepayers. There need not be any loan for some years, and the provisions of clause 4 did not come into operation.

Mr Atkinson opposed the motion for adjournment. It appeared to him that the view of one of the members of the city and the member for the constituency adjoining th© city was that every city in the oolony was competent to manage its own affairs except the city of Wellington. If the poll were to be taken during the coming week, or if the Bill had been sprung as a surprise upon the citizens, there would l be a valid argument for adjournment. The subject of this Bill had been before the public for a considerable period, and every candidate at the municipal elections bad expressed his opinion about it. Some had expressed two opinions about it. (Laughter.) If there were any strong feeling against this Bill, the House womd have been flooded with petitions, and Ministers would have been harried with deputations. Mr Ell held that the electors of Wellington were, surely to goodness, able to manage their own affairs without being dictated to by the House. Mr Hall-Jones: Let them know the provisions of the contract. Mr Ell retorted that the Municipal Corporations Act provided sufficient safe, guards for the talcing of any poll. He had heard rumours in the city that this was a job, and that a littl e daylight was to bp let in upon it. He bad heard nothing that would lead him t 0 suppose that it was a job, or that would justify him iu suggesting for a moment that, the electors of Wellingon were not capable of deciding this question for themselves. Mr James Allen explained that an epitome of the proposals must be published, and that a copy of any contract for purchase must be deposited in the City Council office for seven days. As to the argument that the contract should be printed, he pointed out that it was pos_ sible the contract would disclose business of the sellers which at the present time it would not be proper to disclose. He thought the motion for adjournment an unfair attempt to kill the Bill. On the motion fbr adjournment the Toting was—Ayes, 26; noes, 26. The Speaker said that as the committee stage of th© Bill would not be reached for a week, and the third reading for another week, the citizens of Wellington would have. a. fortnight in which to express an opinion on th© subject, and he did not think be should interpose an extra week’s delay. He therefor© voted against the adjournment. Mr Fisher, resuming the debate on the Bill, said that of all the daring attempts to hoodwink and baffle th© people of this city, this Bill was the most daring. x£e held that such a disgraceful proposal as this should not have been submitted to Parliament as emanating from the city of Wellington. When the Bill of 1897, which included this propo_ sal,, as well as some others, was before the House, he presented a petition signed by 584 persons against this proposal, but the House in its wisdom, as it did that day, pretended to know more about the subject than those who lived in the city. At a public meeting at that time there were eighty-five votes against the proposal, and twenty-two for it. In spite of the decision of that meeting, and in upit'e of the petition of 584 persons, the Bill containing the proposal to purchase Miramar was smuggled through the House. Five yearß ago this estate was ralued for tax purposes as being worth £24,000; but when it was proposed to shunt that estate on to the Corporation, the value of the estate had gone up to £75,000, and the Corporation was to be mulcted in the difference. He wanted to know why the people of this city should be asked to pay £50,000 more than the property was worth five years previously. In this Bill ther© was no sum stated for which the property was to be purchased, and he thought they might reasonably ask why? He asked where the contract was? There had been a secret compact entered into be- j tween the Mayor and Corporation on j the one hand and Messrs Crawford on j the other. The iniquitous character of the proposal to purchase this estate was discovered by the Legislative Council after the previous Bill had passed the Lower House, and that portion cf the Bill was expunged from it by the Council. He agreed with Mr Wilford m renardto thft want, of fitness of the Wel-

to get a balance-sheet of the City Council. He had applied that day at the offices of 'the City Council, and had been told that the latest balance-sheet he oould get was the one .he now held in his hand. This was a copy of the bal-ance-sheet for the year ending 31st of March, 1900. The public debt of the city of Wellington was shown in this fealancte-sheet to be £734,924. There was to be an electric tramway system, there were two .sanitation loans for which authority liad been given, there was a proposal for a Town Hall, and there was the proposal for Miramar. These would make the total indebtedness of the city £1,375,000; and he wondered whether hon members thought that sufficient for a city of 40,000 or 50,000 inhabitants. In Auckland the rate.s. amounted to 2s 2-Jd, in Christchurch 2s 4d and in Dunedin 2s B£d, while in Wei. lington the rates amounted to 3s 6d. He wondered whai the rates would amount to when these other public works were undertaken ? By the time these loans were raised one-quarter of the property of every person in the city would be paid to th e Corporation in the shape of taxation every year. He pointed out that the valuable part of the estate, the seaside portion, had been sold for residences. He held that the agitation for the purchase of Miramar came from the owners of the estate and certain members of aristocratic clubs. Th e workings men of Wellington di<T not want golf and hockey grounds, or a polo ground, or a racecourse. H© ventured to say that this Bill would be thrown out by the Legislative Council. He asked any man to read this Bill, and show him anything relating to a poll of the people. Mr Atkinson : “Clause 5.”

Mr Fisher thereupon read clause 5, and then asked, “Where is there anything there about a poll?” Mr Pirani: “ Th© provisions of the Municipal Corporations Act, for special loans.”

Mr {Fisher: Why is it not mentioned in th© Bill? Th© member for Wellington went on to predict that if that clause were not altered, no poll would be taken.

Mr Pirani: Well, get it altered. Mr Fisher held that the Bill had been smuggled into the Legislature without the knowledge of the people of Wellington.

Mr Pirani supported the second reading of the Bill because he believed in the principle of trusting the people. Mr Hutcheson, in the course of his reply, pointed out that a clause had been drafted to meet the objection raised by the Minister for Public Works. The second reading of the Bill was carried by 37 vote s to 10.