STREETS AND FOOTPATHS.

Waipa Post, Volume XXI, Issue 1211, 28 February 1922, Page 5

STREETS AND FOOTPATHS.

£25,000 LOAN POLL PROPOSED.

THE MATTER OF FINANCE.

At last night's meeting of the Te Awamutu Borough Council Cr Spinley reported on Carlton Street that the amount of work to be done, and urgently required, was very considerable, and as the general account could not hear the expense it was recommended to raise the footpath for four or five chains and to let that fill the bill at present. To tackle the complete work in a satisfactory manner would entail a loan proposal, as it was useless doing anything under £SOO. To merely raise the centre of the road without metalling would be wasted work. The Mayor said that an inspection of Young Street, Carlton Street, and Raikes Avenue had toeen made by the works committee that morning, and at every yard was necessary work calling out for money. To cope with these works out of revenue was- impossible, and the only alternative was loan proposals for (I) footpaths; (2) formation of roads not yet done; (3) Kihikihi Road; to toe presented separately to the ratepayers. When the increased number of buildings in the borough was considered it would in all probalbiiity be found that the incidence of rates would not toe heavy. The Kihikihi Road required filling another nine inches, at great expense. Young Street had houses worth £26,000 erected on it in the last six months, and residents needed ordinary conveniences in the streets. Complaints were received everywhere that, facilities were not forthcoming. To anyone who had given the matter thought loan proposals could no longer toe avoided.

'Cr Spinley (chairman of the works committee) thought the first thing to do was to see if the money could toe obtained from the Public Trustee.

Or Oliphant: Would £IO,OOO toe too small?

The Mayor: I think so. Cr Spinley said that the footpaths would never be tackled out of revenue, while the work of keeping them clean had a serious comparison with the cost of forming and tarring them. People who built good houses had the right to expect to have streets metalled and footpaths formed. If streets were tar-sealed they might last for the term for which the metalling loans were borrowed. The difference in the appearance of the town would warrant a loan, and when it was considered that every three years the maintenance of footpaths amounted to the cost of forming and tarring them a loan was a necessity from an economical point of view. ■Cr Clark said that cost of patching done now would pay interest on a toig loan. It was toetter to have the convenience of good footpaths and roads than to spend money Cr Peate said that at' present ratepayers did not care to do anything to their frontages, and so the town looked untidy. As it was, ratepayers were continually complaining.

On the motion of Cr Downes the clerk was authorised to approach the Public Trustee for a roads and footpaths loan of £25,000. Mr J. A. Young, M.P., wrote as follows: "In answer to your letter of 7th instant relative to the Council's desire to secure the sum of £IO,OOO next year, I interviewed the superintendent of the Advances Department on your behalf. He informed me that £4OOO was being remitted to your Council now, as on account of the current year. You should apply again during next April (after the end of the present financial year) for the sum of £SOOO, when that amount will be approved. As for a further £SOOO during that period (next year) from the State-guaranteed office, it will toe futile to apply. As far as can be seen at ipresent, that will toe all, for that year, they will be able to advance to the Te Awamutu Borough Council. There is no reason why, in the event of the above toeing insufficient, you should not then apply to the Public Trustee for, say, £SOOO in addition to the advance from the State office, and I fully believe you would not be wkhout success. I shall toe glad to help."—Received.