THE CITY FOOTPATHS

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXII, Issue 4823, 28 November 1902, Page 7

THE CITY FOOTPATHS

LIABILITY. OF OWN tills OF PROPERTY.

At a special mooting of the Wellington City Council las'- night, it u-as proposed that clause liG ol the oonsoliilated by-la.v/, IHh'). in reference to footpaths, should he amended In accordance with the resolution carried on the i.4th August. Councillor Winder suggested an amendment that the by-law should not apply to residential streets. By this, he explained, ho meant streets in which there wem residences. In answer to a- question by Bio Mayor, Councillor Winder freely admitted that his munition was to nullify the effect of tho by-law. Councillor Luke, who proposed tlv adoption of tho new clause, as chairman of tho By-laws Committee, said if it were not passed, it would bo necessary to go in for a loan. Councillor Tolbnrst. in. seconding tho motion, said that such a by-law was clearly contemplated by the Municipal Corporations Act. Councillor Devi no objected that tho by-law was an imposition upon a Imi'j cd number of tho citizens. He said thlab under it residents of a street would bo compelled to pay half the cost of making the second half ef a footway, one-half of winch had been constructed for twenty years. -He thought such a tax upon, citizens who had paid rates for many years would bo inequitable. Councillor Devine moved an amendment to make tho bylaw apply only to footways hereafter constructed. Councillor Winder thought it unreasonable to expect citizens to pay for the cost of making streets. Councillor Barber opposed tho by-law ns unfair at tin’s lato stage of tho city’s history. Ho thought they should wait until the work could bo done out of revenue. , '• Councillor Evans said that it was utterly impossible to construct the footways, and keep them, out of the revenue, and he supported tho by-law, pointing out that tho proposed cost to tho owners would bo exceedingly low. Councillor McLaren agreed with the by-law, as it would ho out of tho question to go to tho ratepayers just now with a loan proposal. Councillor Izard also supported ohe by-law, Tho amendment’moved by Councillor Pnvinn was lost, and tho by-law carried by 7 votes to 4. In its new form clause 2C of tho bylaw reads:—“ln any caso in which any footway on either side of any street shall ho constructed of asphalt, concrete, or concrete flags, or any .ether permanent material, one-half of the cost shall ho borne by tho ownns cl tho land and buildings fronting thereon; bub, nevertheless, so that such one-half shall not in tho caso of Footways formed of concrete, concrete flags, or other permanent material, except asphalt, exceed 3s per foot for every foot in length of the frontage thereon of such land and buildings, and in the ease of footways formed in asp-halt, such half cost shall not exceed Is per foot for every foot in length of tlm frontage thereon of such lands or buildings.”