PROPOSED TOWN HALL AND SPECIAL LOAN THEREFOR.

Colonist, Volume XL, Issue 8887, 9 June 1897, Page 2

PROPOSED TOWN HALL AND SPECIAL LOAN THEREFOR.

PUBLIC MEETING AT THE PBO-

VIKCIAL HALL

A meeting of citize<iß was held at the Provincial Hall last night for the purpose of considering the proposal to ereot a Town Hal and Munioipal Building*, and to raise a speoial loan of £3000 f)r the purpose. The attendance at 8 o'olook wbb not large, there being only about 70 present. His Worship the Mayor took the chair, and amongßt those present were Crs Everett, Akereten, Baigent, Hyde, andEiper.

The Major first read the advertisement convening thn meeting, and then provide j to cay that when be first oame into the Hall, he did not think they weie goh'g to have a large meeting, and he took that to mean approval of what the Council Intended to do, bat now there were mnre present, and he was pleased at the fact. They would have seen trim the Freas that the CounoiJ carried th 3 proposal unanimously, and the qu?ston now WBB whether the people would oome to the poll, and he hoped that they would do so, and for more reasons than one. la the first place thfy w.uli never miss the money, and secondly he hoped the people would wake up and show that they had some heart in them. They had a very fair body of men in the Council, and lie thought it was timo tho citizens gave them more comforUb'e quarters in which to do the work, which they did without reward, save himself, and his eahry did not oover his expenses, End ha did bia best for the oity. He asked them to give them a deoent bnilding to work in. That morning a gentleman Buid, " I do hope the loan will be oarried, f r I have heard a ti angers remark, •la th.it »he City Council Chambers ? Why, the opposi c building wo ald be more creditable."' Ko doubt it would. The Oounoil pr poeed, subject to consideration, that the? strud pay interest on the loan, amountiog to £120 a year. He had proposed tj take £40 from the Waterworks, £50 frcm the GaßWorks, and £30 t:cm the General liatfs. When they borrowed for the Books Road, he said they would not raise the rated for five years' and they baJ not. They all knew what had been d-: ne since he had been Mayor, also how ratea had fallen by property depreciating, and they had had to maintain the Fire Brigade, and yet this had not raißed the rate?. Now the/ wanted to ereot a building to commemorate the longest reign, and he wanted the building ereoted to give Councillors an opportunity of sitting in a deoent room. In 1901 they had £30,000 worth of debentures falling due, and some said they could wait till then, but what was the use of waiting when they could do it now. In 1901 they could renew the debentures and save £600 a year, and they could pay off the paltry sum of £3600 which they had as overdraft. It was paltry because thay had something at the back, and if the people liked hey could then make a road to the Boulder Bank, and another along Britannia Heights. They could also increase the water supply if they liked, all for £10,000, but it was simply nonsense to think of irrigating all the gardens. They would see that they would have no trouble in meeting the interest, for if they borrowed £10,000 more they would be £200 better off the* than now. With all due consideration, he did say that there was not a town in New Zealand that was paying so small a rate as they did, and there was not a town where the business was done so well. All he asked for on behalf of the Councilors was that the ratepayers should come forward as they did when he asked them to vote for the Books Eoad, and vote for this. He did not want it for himself, but for posterity, but he would like to sit for a year or two in a nice building. Some said their building was good enough — that they had worked in it for twenty years, and could work another twenty. Why, if they were to do that, they were not fit to live. Was it not right, too, that they should give an example to other people in building. He wanted to tell them, too, that the pioneers of the Colony came to a wilderness ; now they had cultivated the lands and laid out towns, made goods roads into country distriots, and they had prepared everything for their children. Had they not done enough for posterity? Had they not left them a good legaoy ? He should say they had. They had the Gasworks and the Watetwotkß. The Gasworks and Waterworks were taken over twenty years ago for £30,360, and now they were worth £20,041 more, that sum having been spent in extensions. Twenty years ago £15,100 was owing on the Gasworks ; since then they had paid for extensions oat of profits, for new holders, etc, eto, £15,260, which has to be addeJ to the £15,100. This was a good asßet for posterity. They had also lowered the price from 14a 2d per thousand to 7b 6d for ligbtiog and 5s for cooking. Then there were the Waterworks, on which twenty years ago they owed £30,800, bat they had sinoe spent £5,780 on extensions, bringing the total value to £26,580, and when they did this they did not want a Binking fond. (Applause.) Then the water rate was 5 per cent, but now it was lowered to about half the amount, and was not that an asset for posterity. He Bhould say it was, and there was not a borough the people of wbioh ought to feel as comfortable aa those of Nelson. Here they only paid Is Id, bb against 3s 6d io Wellington, ani 4s 6d in some plaoea, and yet they got good water and splendid gas. He was sure they were satisfied with his explanation, and if they were oat they ought to be. He asked them what Lord Kelson would think ? (Laughter.) ihey all kntw he was the grandest Bailor B.italn^ever had, and that but for Lord Nelson Great Britain would not have been tbe Great Britain it was to-day. What would Lord Nelson say if he could come back and Bail round the Pacific and walk up Trafalgar street, and sec that grand bnilding. (Laughter.) He would Bay, "Where's jour Mayor ?" and if I were your Mayor, I should cay, " I am here, Lord Nelson " ; and ha would say, "Is that your City Council Chamber 1" and I should feel ashamed to say yes, and ask him round to my house to take a glass of refreshment. [Sir F. Atkinson: "He'd tarn his blind eye."] I have explained what we want. We want office i, and a hall. If the people wishad it they would vote for it, bat if they voted against it, people wosld Bay they were asleep. Now, he B&id, let him ask tb6m, and others not present, to think whether they should not oome forward and Tots. If the majority would vote, he would guarantee that the ratepayers should I have no more trouble wbi'e he was in the Connoil, and in twelve months the building should be op ; and when the debentures fell due he would try to rouse them up, and aßk them to make the place more beautiful. Their olimate wts their main as<et, for they had little baok county, and they should try by borrowing money to make Nelson more attractive. (Applause.) His Worship then invited citizens to coma forward and say what they had to say.

Mr James Graham said it was not bis intention on entering the room to take part in the disccißaion, bnt he hoped the Connoillors would take the citizans fully into their confidence. Waßit proposed to build in the same place as the^resent chamber ?— (The Mayor : Yes)— Then he thought it moat unsuitable, for it could only ba seen from Tatton'a corner. He said it mattered not bow many beauty spots they had when they had the unsightly mndflat by the Saltwater Bridge, and he suggested that instead of £3000, £5000 should be borrowed and that the rnudflat reo ntly acquired ba filled io and a good building ereotad there. It was the moat central site, and he did not think it right that all the buildings ehou'd be in one street. He believed that his proposal would be largely beneficial and that the voting would be affected by the position. The reclamation would te a great improvement, wo aid induce traffic to that part cf the town, and ba profitable.

Mr F. Hamilton quite agreed with the laat speaker that the preeeot Bite was most unsuitable. With many others he thought that either the Council was asking too much or too little. If they ooiy wanted offices, they could be bnih for maoh less than £3000, and if they wanted a Town Hall to serve for 50 years they mu3t ask for a larger sura. He did not think they could deoide on the site that night, bnt that a Committee Bhoold be appointed to oonsider that question when the ooat ooold ba ascertained. He scarcely thought, though the Mayor had spoken of a Town Hall, he had sufficiently explained the sob erne. He thought plans should be put before them. (The Mayor: We have no money for that yet.) He appreciated that, bat thought the oitizens would vote with more heart if they knew whera the Hall was (o be built, the km o! it, and toe oo.t. H§

suggested the offering of a bonu3 of £50 for plans, and said he w«s confident that if a Hall snitab'e as a place for meetings, fof concerts, where the School of Mtuio could give their conoeit?, and where an organ nnj»bt perhaps be ereo'ed one day— anoh a Hall as would accommodate 700 or 809, it would be a great c snveoieacs, and he would suggest that the surplus from the Jabilee should go to an Organ Fund* He feared that at present tha proposals would not be accepted, but he hoped a committee would be set up to consider and report bs to site, plans &0., and tbat a premium be offsred. Before this oonld ba done they would need fo fix the price, and be hoped to sea one of brick or Btone that would ba a credit to the pi? 08.

The Mayor eaid he had forgo.ten to say that he had a ked au architect to give him an idea of the oo?t of a building in oonorete, and he'said tha*. is could be built for £3^oo, not including iuterior ornaments. He could not say how many such ball was to Beat. Cr Akersten said he regarded this meeting as preliminary, so that there might be a beginning, and that the public and the Council might work together. He agreed with much that Mr Hamilton said, and the Council was agreed that competitive designs should be obtained, while the people must have something to aay about site. He did not think Mr Hamilton would agree to the site mentioned by Mr Graham, and neither should he. Somewhere by the Institute would be better. Be would rather the present proposal should be termed a proposal to build municipal buildings, and though the site was not suitable for a Town Hall, it was suitable for munioipal offices. He thought the two might be distinct, and that a costly building might be erected when the debentures fell in. He thought they were going to make fully £150 a year more from water supplied to shipping, and that would more than pay the interest. He said he had read something about posterity, but, as the man said, what had posterity done for them ? He claimed that they had magnificent assets, and their streets were admirable. A tourist recently asked him to show him the Town Hall, and he described his experiences humorously, as well as both entrances to the Chamber. He said a splendid reason was given that because this place had lasted twenty years it 3hould last another. They wanted a new place, and they asked the people to provide a place that would be a credit to them. In the name of peace they should remove such a scandal from them.

Mr H. Cook saW he was one of those wbo wished to see Nelson emerge as soon as possible from its primitive wood buildings, and personally be should like to see a creditable Municipal Building. Beyond that there- was little more to say than. Mr Hamilton said, but it wbb well known that the present accommodation was insufficient. (Mr Fell; Hear, hear.) If tbe whole scheme were thrown out he Bhou'd s ill favor the erection of suitable offices, bnt he BUtrgested the wisdom when land was cheap of erecting buildings with suitable eu roandings. He did not approve of the proposal to eraot a large building on tke present site, but he would willingly vote for improvements, and pay rates, bseaasa hs dasired to ate ihe plaoe more attractive, and he would approve of a well thought out Bohetue for tbe building of a Town Hall to s«at 700 or 800, and be available for a hundr«d years. He did not stand there to advocate the larger scheme till it waa presented in a more definite form. If they got phns there was always a danger of disagreement, but the main lines should be laid down. The bui'ding should be available for meetings and concerts, and if they set an example to beautify tbe place — they W6re about to build a Qufcr Art Gallery— and if the? erected a Bui able place he should support the scheme, but he coold not now veto for a £3000 loan for a son of improved board room. He was prepared to vote £500 or £1000 for a municipal building, or for a larger scheme if it wiß to be of general utility and to beautify and improve tbe place. (Applause.) Tbe Major said he could not understand how plans oould be expected at that t ma,

Mr Msginnity said the views so ably put forward by Mr Hamilton and Mr Cook woold, be thought, carry great weight with the ratepayers, aod it seemed to him that in carrying oat those propositions no great delay need take place. He thought tbe members of the Counsil osuld, at small cost, and at an early date, obtun all the necessary data, and be saw no reason why another meeting should not be called after such data had bean obtained. If they asked the Mayor to delay it, it was not b9oause they opposed hi] good efforts, but becuae tbey wanted the very best for their money. As to the site, he agreed with Mr Cook that a suitable ground with surroundings was desirable for a fins building, No one oould say the present building was fit for the Council meetings, and tbe least they coa'd do was to give those gsnt'emen who gave their good eervicea proper accommodation. He did not think however, thas it would be wise to make two bites at a cherry. It wae, however, not the building that led dignity to the Counoil, but tha Council that led dignity 1 o tbe building, and he had no doubt the Councillors would oonsent to use the building till the ratepayers authorised the c eolion of a proper buiiding. Be thought the Mayor hit the mark when he spoke of tha value of making the oity attractive. He a 1 bo said that when tbe debentures fell in they could a'ao provide a Sinking Fund, and he thought the ratepayers oould accept the assertion that the building would be no tax upon them.

The Mayor said be was not wedded to any site, or to any prioe, but now the movement had been commenced he would be willing to fail in with the views of the last four speakers, and he suggested thosa gentlemen should nominate 10 gentlemen to work with tbe 10 members of thi Council to carry out the suggestion?.

Mr Snodgraes, as a oonsiderable ratepayer, wished to Bay a word. Ten yeara ago, on the celebration of tha Queen's Jubilee, he suggested the erection of a Town Hal. He did not see a town of the importance of Nelson that did not have a fir more creditable buildiDg for its Town Hall than tbey bad. Ho had an idea, however, that they oould combine other things with the Town Hall and Municipal Offices. The surroundings of Nelson were all that could be desired, bat the complaint of strangers was that we had no art'.fioUl attractions, luoh as Town Hall, Library, Art Gallery, and so on. Now, Mr Oook had intimated that it was the intention to bnild an Art Ga lery, bat his idea waß to provide an Art Gallery, Museum, Beading Boom, and so on, not necessarily under one roof, but in oae blook of buildings. Their Beading Boom and Mnaeam were in most unsaitable buildings, and he hid no hesitation in Baying that it would ba an attraction if they would provide all these. He would willingly pay much inorea«ed rates bo that they made Nelson more attractive to sir in- , gera. He thought it well to propose that for j a time the scheme should ba left in abeyance. He thought the mm was too much or too little, and that they wanted to raise £10,000 to oarry out the saheme properly. He ap proved of the suggestion to set np a Commit-' tee.

Cr Piper said that, so far as he understood it, they had to go to the poll with the old scheme, and he supposed the best thing would be to go the poll and then they might consider the scheme afresh.

[At this stage a great number left the room.]

The Mayor said they could drop the matter at present, and he proceeded to say that he was prepared to fall in with the proposal to form a committee.

Mr Fell said he felt loth to prolong the discussion, but what had been said had thrown much light on the matter. He must say he thought it would have been better if the Council had come forward with a more matured scheme than a learned disquisition on what Lord Nelson would have said could he have oome here. He thought, however, it would be a pity either to let the matter drop, or to act so hastily that they might have cause for regret. He did not think their time had been wasted, and he thought the Mayor's suggestion for a committee was a very excellent one. He should propose that a committee be appointed to confer with the Council and bring forward a scheme for the erection of a Town Hall, such committee to consist of Messrs Cock, Hamilton, Maginnity, Sclanders, Fell, Soaife, Snodgrass, Father Mahoney, Mr Sharp, and Mr Jas. Graham. Mr Maginnity seconded the motion, which was put and carried nem con.

The Mayor said he would, after the committee had arrived at a conclusion, call another meeting, and he Baid he was very well satisfied that the [matter had been thus discussed,

A vote of thanks to the Mayor wa3 then carried by acclamation, and |the meeting ended,