MAORI HILL BOROUGH

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13995, 30 August 1907, Page 3

MAORI HILL BOROUGH

STREET-WIDENING PROftSAIS.

• ' As P?ci<il statutory meeting of ratepayers in-, South Ward, .Maori flill, »u held' in tho Council Chambers iast evening to consider a proposal to borrow J J'll d a ]oaj i '-he e«m of £1000 for Ilie widening, formation, and improvement of portion of High street, in tho township o f Williiinstown and bt. Lconards-on-thc-Rill. Then were about 20 ratepayers of the ward prsent, incloiling Ore P. Duncan, P. Gibson T. Ncilson, and E. S. Clark, and the Mayw (Mr S. N. Brown) presided. Tho Chairman I said that thcmeotiiig had been called under tho ■ provisbna of clauso 9 of tho local Bodies Loan Act. As tho ratepayers were aware, it wae'tho intention to raisq £1000 for tho purposi of widening High street from a. point neir the Council Clambers-down to Mr Oa.mjbcll'6 corner, on. 4ho eastern sido of tho'street, Tlio width of the street at prosmt was 6omo 33ft, and down by tho " Oloar" it was 40ft, and it.was proposed fo mak< tho street of a uniform, width of 43{fc fron tho.Council Chambers to tlio "<Jl«ar." Io referred to ■tho wialom of tho proposal fnm a sanitary. commercial, and progreffiivCutrndnoint. I the proposal were carried oit the whole community in the boronjrh: vould benefit, as property would increase, in value. It was _ extremely unfortunate Itiias in the original kying-off of snburbin townships tho.streets had been laid off so narrow us they had boon. The streets ,cf Maori Hill wore on a pai- wM\ thoso of ; Morningtorj, but fchoro were better opportaritiee of rectifying the width of streets ir Maori Hill than in the latter borou(rh. ; Botter businosß premises and bettor privtto residences would bo erected in the inainthorouglifaro if it wore widened, and the fact of a wide arterial Ureetray would imlwo people to tftko up ";thcir residence in. tho borough. Since, tho tramway entered the borough there had been a great advanco in population, nnd they now had a school, bowling • green, , recreation ground, etc., as woll as other- advantages, not the test of which was tho picturesque) locality in Which the borough was situated. The present timo, -when 'tfaoro were few buiMinj>3, was opportuno for carrying out the proposal. Tho time was not far distant whou tho borough, MO other subuiban borougls, would become o. paTt of Greater Dancdin, and there would do greater difficulty then in gotting such a work done. Ho looked forward to tho time when dhcro would bo a continuous tram system from Cavoraham, through Moratngton, Roelyn, and Maori Hill to the Gardens, to oonnect with tho tramways on tho lower levels; and when that event camo about tho tram system would pass through High street. • The extra taxation involved in carrying out the proposal would not bo more than one forthinsr, in the pound on tho unimproved value of the rateable property , in the ward—a very small matter as ■ compared wjth tie advantages to !x> derived by having, n wide strectwuy. It was pro))oswl to lwrrow the money required at 3J per cent, from tho Government. In reply to a question from n. ratepayer tho Mayor stated that considerable difficuJty_ would bo experienced m getting pbrmission to contiirao tho present tramway in ■t!m street with tho presont width. He also stated that tho sum of £1000 would be sufficient for all purposes of compensation, formation, and replacing of footpaths. It was proposed to enpond £700 of tho amount on tho section of tiio street from the Council Chambers to tlio "Clear" and £300 for tho widening , of St.Leonnrde-on-tlie-llill. Mr P. Duncan spoke on much the samo linos as the Mayor in farour of tho pronow); and oxjfressed regret that it was impossible undor present ■ circumstances fo widen tho street to 65ft. .' •

After a desultory discussion, in which the speakers gouerally favourod the proposal, Mr ButtorficM moved, and Mr Crowther (seconded, a motion—"That the Mayor be nurhorised to take thp neowsary steps to Imvfl a vote of tho ratepayers taken to borrow £1000 for tho purposes sot out." Tho motion, on being put to tho meefinjj, was carried unanimously, and was followed b> , a round o< applause The Mayor oxiWcesed satisfaction with tho'result of tho mooting, aad intimated that a; poll would bo taken on TitC3day week.' '