MIRAMAR ESTATE.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4428, 7 August 1901, Page 7

MIRAMAR ESTATE.

THE CONTRACT SUBMITTED TO PARLIAMENT. Th ß memorandum of agreement between the Wellington City Council and me .Messrs Crawford for the conditions of purchase of the Miramar estate, was presented to the House yesterday by Mr Hutcheson. Mr Fisher held that this contract should have been submitted to the citizens of Wellington before the Miramar Bill was introduced into tho House. Tho contract was now produced at an advanced stage of the Bill, and there was now no time for the citizens to consider the contract or dissect its terms. It was now for any effective purpose too late to produce the contract. He would secure a copy cf the contract, and produce it at tho public meeting to be hold in vv ellington in a day or two. ’ Tho production of the contract at this late hour would perhaps be a justification for a request which might be made after the decision of tho public meeting for a further postponement of tho Bill in order that tho citizens might have time and opportunity of dissecting not only the contract, but the whole thing. He asserted that no ono in the city outside the select circle of persons interested in pjushing the Bill know anything of the content/, of the contract. The Premier .said that the House •would bo pleased to have the opportunity of inspecting this contract, and certainly the people of tho city of Wellington hau a perfect right to have the compact placed in their hands. It appeared to liim.to be unreasonable to ask the people, to vote or ask Parliament to pa so a law practically validating a transaction in advance. He did not think there was a parallel case in the colony where a local body obtained tho option of purchase, proceeded ib take Parliamentary authority to carry out the purchase, and proposed then to take a poll of the ratepayers. Ho was glad that the contact had been laid on the table, and he thought the correspondence ought to jo produced which took- place in regard to this property when it was offered previously, and at a much less price. • They would like to have evidence showing how tho pro. petty had jumped up from the price offered a little while ago to £75,000. He suggested that the matter should be referred to a committee, who should get the land tax values of the property. He suggested a provision similar to that in the Land for Settlements Act, the Court to decide as to the value of the property. Mr Napier: We can amend the Bill. The Premier agreed that if Wellington was to look to the future, there ought to be some land set aside for recreation purposes, but whilst there was a necessity for doing something, the Mayor had no right to sign such a contract, nor had the Council any right to be committed to such a contact, un. less the poccedings were in proper form. Mr Hutcheson pointed out that this contract merely gave the right of refusal, and that the interests of the public were amply safeguarded. As to the amount named, if the maximum sura the Council was prepared to pay had not been fixed before the ratepayers were consulted, thee would have been uo chance to treat with the owners of the property. The position of tho citizens would have Seen prejudiced entirely if the contract had been disclosed before th o preliminary steps had been taken. Ho would absolutely have declined to touch the paper on which the Bill was printed if he had not felt in his own mind that everything was absolutely clean, and that tho Bill was only promoted by men of honour. The Premier observed that it was only a question of getting the value. Mr Hutcheson agreed that if it were a question of paying too much for thoir whistle, the thing ought to be settled fairly and squarely on its merits. The Premier inquired whether Mr Hutcheson would ask the promoters to have the contract referred to the Waste Lands Committee. Mr Hutcheson said he would carry this recommendation to the Mayor and. Councillors. The motion that tha paper shonlc? lie on the table and be printed was agreed

Terms of the Agreement.

The memorandum of agreement sets out that the vendors hold the Aliramar property subject to a mortgage to tho National Alutual Life Association of Australasia for £IO.OOO, of which at the time of the execution of the agreement they had received £BOOO. The property is to be sold to the Corporation, subject to all existing tenancies? etc., for £75,000. As part payment of that sum the Corporation is to take over the liability of the vendors under the mortgage on the confirmation of the contract by the Corporation. The Corporation is to pay the remainder of the £75,000, after deducting the amount of the mortgage, on Ist January, 1905, with interest at the rate of £2 10s per cent, por annum from the time ax>pointed tor the completion of tho purchase, payable half-yearly, and secured by a mortgage in fee of the property. Should the poll of the ratepayers bo lostj the contiac , is held to be determined.