CHRISTCHURCH CHEEK.

NZ Truth, Issue 328, 7 October 1911, Page 3

CHRISTCHURCH CHEEK.

CONCERNING THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS.

Oldest Inhabitants Indignant.

A Suggestion.

[From "Truth's" Christchurch Rep.]

The "mass" meeting called to coni sider the Government's arrogant re- | fusal to bribe Christchurch with the ; free gift of one of the extremely few j properties it controls m the city for the benefit of the Christchurch people ("Truth" alludes to the Provincial Council Chambers) was held m the Theatre Royal the other night, and was conspicuous principally for the appalling number of seats that might have been occupied and were not. One local paper favorable to the meeting's object said that there were two hundred people present. With a few exceptions, they were grey-beards and bald heads, who exchangee^ doddering recollections of THE DIM FORGOTTEN PAST, which is deliberately ignored by the present generation. Some curiosity is excusable regarding any justification that might, be advanced for an absolute gilt by the Government to the municipality, and when this alleged justification was supplied the speakers were condemned out of their own mouths. The reasons ma%> be assembled thus :/ — (1) The Provincial Government handed over to the General^ Government 2-tG miles of railway, the Lyttelton tunnel, roads, bridges, gaols, hospitals, etc., a cash balance of £-100,000 ; (2) the Provincial Council Chambers site was originally intended for a hospital site, but the Provincial Government collared .five acres of Hagley Park f<jr the hospital, and built its Chambers on the site ; (3) sentimental historical associations"Who own these railways tow ?" asked Mr Hargreaves, tragically, "Thc general Government," he replied. "Who built them?" he asked, WITH THE EXPRESSION OF HAMLET pointing to the murder scene. "Canterbury," he replied, triumphantly. It didn't occur to an-jSbody to ask "Who used them ?" The obvious reply would be, "Canterbury, " but this aspect of the question would be most unwelcome. Same with the tunnel ; same with the hospital and the gaol and the police station, and the post office. Canterbury used 'em. As a matter of fact, Canterbury doesn'i: seem to have taxed itself to «any extent to undertake these public works, - the • principal item of revenue being-cash from the sale of extensive tracts-of rich, land at a low figure, and which if kept and handed over to the general Government might have-been cut with greater benefit to the.growing generations, instead of being pencilled oxtt amongst tbe monopolistic wool kings, who became wealthy men simply by reason, of thc construction of the railways and roads and bridges, which opened up the country, and increased the value of their holdings tenfold-. Also. what, good has the Lyttelton tunnel been •to the Government? 'Hie Starte ran it merely f° r the convenience of Can••terbury, which m consequence, as, •one speaker stated, was now the richest province m New ZeaJand. Even supposing that the handing ower of the railways and sundries (for the use of Canterbury) entitled.. Christc&urch at this late date to *one of the properties given, those railways and rolling stock have-stong since been scrapped, the last vestige • has disappeared, and.-vtbey have 'been . replaced — but not at the expense- -of:-* Christchurch. and THE CANTERBURY WOOL KINGS, who benefited by them.; Not much ! The -renewals have come out of genera;! revenue, or, such is the scheme .of successive governments, out ,of loan money, -and the repayment has ibeen handed -down, to future genera.taoirs, who will curse their fore- : .fathers. The wool kings, whose pro-7 <pert ies should have been taxed to* ;renew the railways, and Christ--church, which benefited as .aVdasfcribating centre are largely m the debt oa. the general governments The oxchange of five acres ..of Hagley Park, for the "Council site -is begging the question, for Hagley Park at that time was right out of town, and the -Chambers site was infinitely more valuable for the use to which' it was put. It lis so still. The "sentimental" 'reason should be received witli uproarious smiles. If Christchurch and the wool kings' descendants attach any historical value to the site and •will break their hearts if a modern, utilitarian pile of buildings replaces .tho wrecked, -wooden portion of the .Chambers, their sentimentalism ought ; to be worth paying for. The -Govern--ment is building- now on a site for which it had to pay ,an extoctionato price ; it will have to build shortly •on thQ/ provincial site also ; and the present POSTAL. AMD TELEGRAPHIC ACCOMMODATION *is-' absolutely inadequate. All the sentimentalists have to do is to buy up the frontages m the vicinity of the Post Oflice, facing HerefordrStreet and the Square, and with this extra room for extensions the Government might "hand over the Provincial Council site.

But it is wise m its generation m sticking to every foot of land to. which it has a title m the fcity. Christchurch is better off than any, .other city m the Dominion for recreation reserves, squares',, and other lungs of the city fl but it has few income-mak-ing endowments. At one time the city did possess reserves m the vicinity of the North and South Belts which would have made it the richest centre, municipally, m New Zealand, but the Provincial Government — the same old wasteful, extravagant Provincial Government that handed over the province's broad acres to the wool kings — collared the reserves and sold them, and used the proceeds to evade taxation, and left the city and the Government m an impoverished condition, m the matter of building sites. Now, Canterbury province, which was such a silly goat, and played the financial Juggins m the past, has the .hide to demand from the Government one of the sites the control of which it handed over for its own use and benefit. A "monster" petition is to be placed before the general elections, but if it pans out anything like the "mass" meeting recently held, the Borrownet need not lose any sleep.