GREATER WELLINGTON

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 10634, 6 July 1920, Page 3

GREATER WELLINGTON

AVOEKS TO BE UNDERTAKEN. EXPLAINED TO ONSLOW EE SIDENTS. Important matters affecting- the city and outlying districts were referred, to at a public meeting held at Khandallab last night. Brigadier-General G. S. Richardson, presided over a largo attendance, and the speakers were -Uio Mayor (Mr J. P. Luke), Councillor E. A. Wright (member for the district). Councillor Lon McKenzie (chairman of the outlying districts committee of the council), and Councillor J. AX. Dale (late Mayor of Onslow). The Mayor opened hr outlining the big undertakings which the council had Under consideration and which would be placed before the ratepayers of the city in the near future. Amongst them was water and drainage, whicli particularly uflooted districts like Onslow and Karori. At tho present time there were many difficulties in Die way and tho speaker thought .that for immediate requirements it may be possible to use tho present catchment area, with storage provision. That was his personal opinion and tho engineer would have to bo consulted before anything could ho done. He admitted tho need for better roads in all those districts and better access. He explained the council's scheme to bring water from Orongorongo and said that a proposal in regard to that would bo placed before the ratepayers shortly. After emphasising the necessity for increasing the electric lighting and tramways facilities Mr Luke sounded a serious note with regard to the financial, outlook, giving an idea of the money that would be required to meet tho maturing loans and also the amounv available from tho sinking funds for those purposes. Tiiti chief difficulties that confronted them to-day wore the scarcity of money and its high cost, tho scarcity of material and its cost, and the shortage of labour. Ho asked tho people to be patient and to assist tho council in every way. When tho loan proSosals wore brought before them he oped they would consider them in tho proper way, and so help in the progress of the city as the loan proposals would bring forward ideas that would provide for the next 20 to 25 years. Councillor Wright emphasised tho importance of tho proposals and tho need for housing, and traversed the various conditions the council was- up against In trying to expedite the latter. Councillor McKenzie was happy to say that the committee of which he was chairman was goino- into every item and trying to make the money available for expenditure go as far as possible. Tho city had now come to an era similar to that of mo-i, when the council last went before the people for. a _ big loan. Cm tlria occasion, the principal )tem was^