£l500 OFFER ACCEPTED

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19376, 14 July 1937, Page 16

£lsoo OFFER ACCEPTED

WAIROA GOLF COURSE BOARD AGRES TO SELL MAJORITY SUPPORTS DEAL (Herald Correspondent.) By a vote of four to two, the Wairoa Hospital Board yesterday decided to accept the offer of the Wairoa Golf Club to purchase the area of 75 acres on which the club has its course, the amount of the Golf Club’s bid being £ISOO. The chairman of the board, Mr. P. J. Brewster, and Mr. ,1. M. Taylor opposed the sale, on the grounds that the offer was inadequate, considering the potential value of the land. Trie Golf Club’s letter outlining the offer was signed by Mr. H. Crichton, president of the club, who pointed out that the deal was subject to confirmation by a general meeting of the club, and that the object was to secure links which would be the property of the golfers for the future. The letter also stated that substantial improvements had been effected on the property by the club, and the board was assured that there was no attempt to gain by the deal. The adoption of the offer was moved by Mr.. A. T. Carroll, and seconded by Mr. H. L. Harker, whereupon a lengthy debate developed on the question of the present and potential value of the land. Mr. Chapman pointed out that £2O an acre was good value for land along the Frasertown road, and he agreed that tire board should accept the offer. An alternative was proposed by Mr. Williams, who suggested that the board might borrow £ISOO at 4J per cent, and grant the club a long-term lease which should prove a satisfactory tenure. “A Gift to the Club” Strong objection to the club's offer Was expressed by Mr. J. M. Taylor, who stated that he would prefer to give the land rather than sell it at that figure. It was a gift to the club, if the board sold at £2O an acre, he held. Mr. Harker recalled that when the lease was offered by auction, not long ago, the only bid received was £2O per annum, whereas the upset price was £llO per annum, which figure the club had agreed to pay. Had the lease been passed in, the board would have had to compromise, and probably would have found £4O a year as much as it could get for the land. The board needed the money more than the land, he considered, and the offer of the club was ample, considering the price at which good building land was selling in Wairoa. The chairman remarked that in private conversation, Mr. Carroll had told him that £ISOO was too little for the club to pay for the land. Mr. Chapman had previously advised the board to hold on, and now he advised selling. His own idea of the value, said Mr. Brewster, was £2200; £2700 of the ratepayers’ money and £IOOO in Government subsidy had been sunk in the property, he reminded the board.

Chairman’s Opposition Mr. Carroll claimed that £I7OO, and not £2700, of the ratepayers’ money had been used in the purchase of the land. The chairman added that he would agree to a sale at a reasonable value, but not at £ISOO. Strong support for the chairman’s view was expressed by Mr. Taylor, who claimed that the town had a great future, and that the potential value of the property was such that the board would be foolish to part with it. The land woud be an endowment for the hospital, in his opinion, when the population became larger. Mr. Carroll considered that neither the chairman nor Mr. Taylor would invest more than £ls per acre in the property for business purposes, and he maintained that the board was fortunate in having the opportunity lo sell the land to the club. The board should have the use of the capital now tied up in the land, he claimed. When the matter \yas put to the vote, Messrs. Harker, Carroll, Williams, and Chapman supported the acceptance of the club’s offer, and Messrs. Brewster and Taylor opposed it. The chairman expressed regret concerning the action of the board, winch is subject to the consent of the Minister of Health.