A £6000 DEAL

Timaru Herald, Volume XCIV, Issue 14482, 1 July 1911, Page 5

A £6OOO DEAL

IN. TIMARU SHINGLE. GOVERNMENT OFFISH ACCEPTED. That tho fahinc;ks trapped on. tho soutn siuo oi iimaru niu'Oour is a valuable asset nab proved by the- bcuiioua wiuuu it lias euaoled uio Harbour iioui'U to let as business sites. ill aUditiou. to the annual rent from tiioao sections, tho Board is unortly to reecivo a. cnequo for £6UUU from the Government for IU acres of reclaimed laud along tlio foreshore, which tho Itaiiway JJopaTfcmont require for railway purposes. There aro io£ acres in tho block altogether, and tho Hon. J. A. Millar has agreed, subject to ratification by Parliament, to take 10 acres at £6OO per ucro.

The history of the deal is a long ono. At first tho Minister [ threatened to tako the land without i paying any compensation, and he said . that in so doing he would have tho law on his side. The Board took strong objection to this, and Mr. Craigie, who was then chairman, I fought strenuously against it, con-! tending that in common equity fair: market value should be paid. Negotiations went on for a long time be- ' twoen tho Board and tho Ministers, and at the meeting of the Board yesterday, Mr Turnbull (chairman) reported that 'Mr Orbell, Mr Oraigie, and ho had gone to Wellington to | again interview the Minister, with a j view to arriving at a settlement. Mr i Millar met them very fairly. His first offer was £SOO per aero, but he finally agroed to givo £6OO per acre for 10 acres, at the same time pointing out that he was not compelled to pay a penny for the land. There were some legal difficulties in the way, ! but he said that if necessary he would i get a special Empowering Bill passed j so that ho could mako the payment, as he wanted to deal fairly with the ] Board. The money would be placed* on the estimates, and would be paid to the Board after it had been passed By Parliament. >. The Hon. J. A. Millar telegraphed to tho chairman of the Board on June 29th as follows:—" In reference to the ! negotiations which hare been proceed- ; ing for some time for the purchase of Harbour Board land at Timaru for ■ railway purposes, I am prepared to offer the Board £6OO per acre for such land as may be required by the Bailway Department, not exceeding in all 10 acres at present time.' " This offer, ; if accepted by the Board, is subject to ratification by Parliament." Some members of the Board had previously contended that they should get, £l2 '0 per acre for this land, ' hut in view of tho position now disclosed all were willingto accept the offer made. Mr Orbell said the Minister had certainly m«t thorn very fairly. When they interviewed him at his office in Wellington he showed them that he could take the land by proclamation without paying anything for hj, and he said ' that if the Board wanted to go to law about it they could have all the j law they wanted. He said that if he I chose he could sign a proclamation I land take the land for nothing, in front jof them; it had been prepared for a fortnight, and only required Ms Big- [ nature, but he had refused to sign it because he wnnted to see the Board get paid for the land. Mr Young said they should accept the offer, but they should be careful to insert necessary conditions. Mr Rolleston said they must not mnke' too many conditions or, they i min-ht upset the whole tiling, j Mr Thew took it that they had the offer for the 10 acres .ib it stood, without any conditions, and that was how they must deal with !*. The chairman said the Bcilway Department's plan of yard improvement show ■d an over-head bridge at the foot of North street, hut there did not appear to be anv access provided from the foot of Mill or Queen street. It was a question whether tha Borough Cou ml should not look after the keeping open of these streets. Mr Youn<r thought tlw MVister had met them very fairly and the delegat ■ should be thajikeci iur the carefulway they had handled the mauler. (Hear hoar.) ~ _ „ After further discussion Mr Rolleston <lrew up a form of acceptance of the cifer, and this was afterwards put in the form of a motion p.oposad by Mr Young and seconded iy Mr Black (the latter remarking that he seconded it to show that the country members were with the town members in this matter). The- motion read as follows: "Tint tho offer of tlhe Government in regnTd to the 10 acres ue accepted subject to the Board's right to run a tramline through the land as long a> the line is required for harbour purposes as promised by the Minister; and the' Board requests the Government to preserve the eodting access by Heaton street and Mill stoeet to the sea, permanently; and to allow tho Board! temporary right of access to Mill st.r«et and Heaton street on the 10-acre block until required for railway purposes-."

In reply to Mr Rolleston, Mr Orbell said the Minister promised that the Board would Kavi, the right to run their quarry train line over this land. The chairman said that if the Board demanded more than £6OO per aero, the Minister would not take more than threfe *cres at present at all etento. If tlwy agreed to sell for £6OO per acre he would take the lot, and would no dou-rt recognise that he had got good Taluo for the money. Mr Black said the offer was an exceedingly good ono, and those who obtained i should be congratulated upon the success of their negotiations. The motion was then put and carried unanimously, and a copy of it was telegraphed to the Minister. Mr Young said, that as soon as the Railway Department had fixed their pegs, tho Board should -eform Hayes street further out. This should be done in justice to their tenants.

On tho motion o f Messrs Withell and Stickings, a. hearty vote of thanks was passed to tfli9 ohairman and Mr Orbell for their services in procuring a settlement - with the Gorcrnmeet in regard to u he 10£ acre block. On the motion of Messrs Francis and McKcown, a hearty vote r-f thanks was passed to Mr Craigie for his services both as chairman of the Board and as member of the discrict.fn obtain. >5 a settlement with tho Government.

Mr Tumbnll said that Mr Craigio had certainly been of great assistance, h.t lad nut heart and soul into the thin'i and ha<-l gone to no end of trouble to obtain a settlement satisfac tory to the Board. They had a good deal to thank Mr Craigie for, in obtniningsiifh f l"'tisf:ietorysettlement, an< J hs vcuhl doubtless appreciate this motion of thanks. As a result of storms "a cable between Tasmania and Victoria wns broken in two t*'"--.- ;.,.,] COMMON AMONO MTTNTTRS. "Like many other i rimers T contrnetodco 1 n severe cold thronfrh coming out of the hot mine into the cool air." my* Mr W Crouch of Tabina-st.. Broken TTill,' N.S.W., " and at night I would tret an awful tickling in the throat and clie.it, lint Chamberlain's Cnurrb Bpnudy was the means of giving iminrdiiito relief from it mid nu->klv cured my cold. No other ivedirine w-is alite to do this, and T had many bottles from the doctor."