PROPOSED CITY LOAN.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5804, 23 February 1897, Page 2

PROPOSED CITY LOAN.

THE VIEWS OF THE PROMOTERS. A representative of this journal yesterday interviewed Councillor Appleby and Superintendent Smith (of the Christchurch Fire Brigade), in reference to the proposal, to be submitted to a ! poll of the citizens to-morrow, to raise a loan of .£IO,OOO for the purpose of establishing a central Corporation yard and Fire Brigade station. Their views are practically identical. Both are strongly in favour of the proposal, and advocated it in very nearly the same terms. The reasons which they advanced why the ratepayers should vote for the proposed loan are as follow : — In the first place, they pointed out, the Council only occupies the present municipal yard on sufferance ; any ratepayer, by lodging a complaint objecting to the use of the reserve could terminate the occupancy. Iv the second place, the work of the Corporation is increasing so much that a larger yard is necessary to . accommodate the greater number of carts and other plant, and to facilitate the work generally. By having a new yard, and by centralising the whole of the work — stabling, workshop, and Fire Brigade station — a clear saving of over .£IOOO a year can be effected, besides which a deal more work could be done than under present conditions. To show how the saving of .£IOOO could be made up, take first stabling and horsefeed. At present there are four stables, one at 'Chester Street, one at Lichfiekl Street, one in the Council yard, and one at the railway'station. There are altogether twenty-one horses in these stables, and they cost an average of twelve shillings per week each ; whereas the New Brighton Tramway Company's horses cost only seven shillings a week each, and look in better condition; Were all tlie Council horses in one stable, as the tramway horses are, a saviug of five shillings per week each could, bo effected, and that on twenty horses would be .£250 a year. That is, without reckoning the saving to be effected by avoiding the present loss of time through the men in charge of the horses having to leave the work in the town a quarter of an hour or twenty minutes, before the time for stopping work in order to prepare the horses' food and arrange matters generally. "Were there one stable and a man in charge of it, he could have all the horso feed ready whea the horses came in, and would attend to the stabling. In. regard to street watering there can be a saving of .£IOO a year by having a proper supply of water in the central yard, by using watering carts to hold double the quantity of those now in use, by keeping the carts filled whilst in the yard, and by always starting them from the yard full, thus avoiding the present loss of time when the carts are travelling empty from the yard to the wells where they get their water. Double the amount of watering could be done, and .£IOO a year on the present cost saved. At least .£75 a year could be saved on the collection of dust and refuse. A great saving could be effected by centralising the Fire Brigade and plant. This saving, at the lowest estimate, would be .£SOO a year. With one station instead of two the cost of fuel, gas and repairs would be half what it now is, and a saving of .£l5O a year would be made thereon. The Chester Street station could be let for workmen's dwellings, for . which it is well suited, and a rent of JEIoO a year could be obtained from that source. Were the brigade centralised, fewer men and half the number of drivers' and horses would be required, for it; would not be necessaary for all the plant to turn out as it does now, to every alarm; in nineteen cases out of . twenty, one chemical engine and one steamer are quite sufficient to cope with the fire, and should the other engines be required they could bo fetched without delay by utilising the horses from the engines already out. It would not be necessary, as it is at present, for eight of the Council men, with eight horses, to leave their work — street watering or removing refuse — for at least an hour whenever the firebell rings in the daytime. All these considerations and the decrease in weaf and tear of horses and plant, will justify claiming a saving of ,£2OO a year by the decrease in the number of men and horses, and tho avoidance of nruch of the present loss of time. Tho sale of the Lichfield Street station should bring in a sum of probably JJ2OOO. Another considerable saving would be made by having the whole of the road metal stored in the centre of the city, as the cost and loss of time involvetldn carting it from the yard on the South Belt into the central portions of tho town would be avoided. At the lowest estimate a saving of .£I OO a year could be effected under this head. • Should it be decided to establish a public tepid swimming bath, a portion of tho land could be very well used as a site. As there would be deep wells adjacent, a plentiful supply of water would be available. The means of heatiag the bath would also be at hand, and the fire engines would always be available for emptying and cleaning it. The engineer in charge of the Fire Brigade plant could also take charge of the heating apparatus of the bath, and the caretaker of the yard could very well act as caretaker of the bath. Thus the annual cost of the bath would be very much lessened, and tho expense of buyiug a site and sinking wells would bo avoided altogether. There would be the additional advantage that the bath would be the property of the citizens, and under the control of tho Council. An improved system of removing nightsoil could be adopted if the Council had the conveniences of a central yard. The work could be done by the Council's employes instead of by contract, which at present costs .£IOOO a year, and is not free from nuisance and danger to health. Closed pans could be used, collected by light vehicles, taken to the central yard, and thence sent at once by the tramway to the reserve. By this plan all the unpleasantness of the present primitive system would be avoided ; and the risk of danger to health would bo much lessened. The amount proposed to be raised h ,£IO,OOO. The annual interest on that, at the present current' rate, 4 per cent, would beJEIOOa year. A sinking fund, at the same rate, for, say, twenty-one years, would involve a charge of .£3OO a year. Estimating tho saving on the present cost of works and administration at only .£IOOO a year, tho city would save a clear .£3OO a year iv cash, and at the end of twenty-one years would become the possessor of a valuable property, every penny of the cost of which had been paid. It is estimated that the sum of .£IO,OOO will pay for the laud and for the erection of all buildings except the Fire Brigade station, and that the proceeds of the sale of the Liohflold Street station, added tothe, surplus of tho loan, will provide for, the cost of the new station.