BUILDERS' HOARDINGS.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume IV, Issue 963, 13 March 1917, Page 12

BUILDERS' HOARDINGS.

CITY COUNCIL'S CHARGES. Once more the question of the fees on builders' hoardings, payable to the ChristclniTch City Council under the City By-laws, was before the council last evening, when another deputation, consisting of twelve representative mas tor builders and architects, urged abolition or reduction of the present charges. Mr W. A. P. Glarkson contended that there was no other municipal body in New Zealand with such a drastic by-law. It impeded building, and stopped the progress of the city. For the erection of a building like the Dominion Buildiugs, a sum of about. £250 had to be paid for the privilege of building. Under the Dunedin by-law, the charge would be £7 16/ —a fair thing. Buildings could not. be erected without hoardings. They were a safety to the public, and a necessity to the builder. The builders would not mind a small fee, but the present one was iniquitous. Mr. Glarkson pointed out that the builders simply added it on to the cost of the building. Mr W. H. Winsor said that inquiries which had been made showed that, south of the line, there was no other hoarding fee so great as Christchurch 's. He urged that the addition of such a fee to the other extra building charges helped to drive capital to the cheaper market of the North Island. The builder was a prime necessity to the community, and any hampering of building progress was against the city's interests. The tax was inequitable. In answer to questions, the deputation said that there was only one known case of a builder recovering money for advertisements on hoardings. In that case, the builder received £25, but the city council got £2O in tax on the advertisements. Cr. D. G. Sullivan said that, in the Arbitration Court, Mr Winsor had made a very severe attack on the council in connection with this matter, and had instanced the tax as one of the reasons why the wages of builders' labourers could not be raised. If the council remitted the fee, would the builders increase the labourers' wages? Mr- Winsor: We would most carefully consider it. Cr. A. S. Taylor asked whether it was not a fact that, the Dunedin by-law was practically the same as Christchurch 's, but there was a difference in interpretation, the tax in Dunedin being levied on a running foot of the space enclosed in the hoarding, but in Christchurch, on each square foot? The deputation stated that Cr. Taylor's reading of the position was correct. After further information had been gathered from the deputation, and the latter had withdrawn, the matter was referred to the Finance and By-laws Committee.