THE ARCADE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17935, 14 May 1920, Page 5

THE ARCADE.

TO THE EDITOE. SCR,—As I happen to be part owner. of the Koyal Arcade', will you permat me to eprnreee my difiguat at the City. Council's action in this partioulat time to depreciate my property? The council should know quite well that no one can claim a right of way through the Arcade. It should also know that the Arcade* ehould be purchased by the city ,eo that it could be made a Street fox ever. If it is not go purchased, let anyone consider v what the effect will be. The council is said to bo anxione to obtain the property if it can. He had at a reasonable price. The couaoil'e reasonable price Iβ about half its value. If this property was , 'in Auckland its value would be in the vicinity of a quarter of a million aocording to eaJca made thexe.recently. The council did not begin, negotiations at all with the owners. The council woujd ■' pot buy, it because it thought it could bluff • , the owners into doing something , which 'they" would not do. Members of the Council per- ' ■ eiet in calling tho Arcade a. street. A* man- . who had a fancy to call the Arcadb Eleet street many years ago did not make it' a,; et*eet, nor did. he intend to. I jayeelf told the ■ council a few yoare ago that if it did not buy the Arcade it would have'to pay much more to widen Ro/ttray stareet, and in. addition would lose the thoroughfare ,through .the'Ar-. cade, but it would not listen to reason. In epito of the council's kgal adviser and all other advisers, the cwnert a're prepared to contest qjl and every claim to a right of way. It'is too absurd , for one moment's consideration, and the , whole business goes to show, that («e eo many citizens urge) it ie .time our affairs were controlled! by expert •'■' oomnuflsioiiers instead of amateurs. The c council has raiead this bogey, hoping to get , the property at probably about half its value. Xet if a etreet is made of it the value of the adjoining properties will be increased by about JE20.000 each side of tho Aroado, and the ratee would naturally be very greatly' increased. Also, I hav« in my possession a full verbatim report of a caee in the dominion v which will difipel all falso ideas about a right of way through the property. Although thing that could be done had been doneT*itt that case to malto the land a public xighi.oE" . way tho owners won the caee, and new'boUt'.. the hmet perfectly free for all time. .. Tfiß-> ; main points caablaj.g a corporation to olaim ' a right of way on a.ny property aie that tie corporation, has spent -oublio money on repaire, end that it Mb'legally dedicated and gazetted it as a rirfit of way. These two facts are entirely absent in the case of the Royal Arcade. In conolueion, I may add that my accounts will prove that only a few yeaie ago tho Aroadte-returned 5 per cent, interest on £00,000. Since then, a result of caueos for which I nm not responsible, the returns havo decreaisea, but iho property is there over half an acre, jn tho heart of tho oity, witlh double frontages, and is capable, in good; . hands, of immeiiß9 poasibilitiee, Tho deeds' of the property show, no right or way, and I cMy oil the powers in tho dominion to prove that lhere ie one:—l am, etc., ( ALBX. PATiMEB.