BOROUGH’S NEW YEAR.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume XXIV, 22 December 1926, Page 7

BOROUGH’S NEW YEAR.

PROBLEMS FOR THE COUNCIL. OUTLINED BY THE MAYOR. An interesting outline of the problems to be faced by the Borough Council in the new year was given by His Worship the Mayor (Mr Geei. Dash) at the function held in his honour last night. Mr Dash outlined some .of the work ahead in connexion with the town planning legislation; and mentioned incidentally that he was willing to stand again for the offee ot Mayor.

After thanking the Councillors for their present of a travelling bag and rug, Mr Dash went on to say: “Among the problems confronting the next Council is that of town planning. The Town Plann ing Act comes into l force in January and at any time thereafter Waimate may lie called upon to produce a plan of the alterations and improvements foreseen and the adjustments planned for this Bor ougfi for the years to come. “It will be well to take this matter in hand early and not await compulsion. There must be created a town planning spirit in the burgesses. Lectures on town pTanriing must be arranged for, with illustra lions by projected pictures of what has been done elsewhere. Specialists will be at our disposal for these purposes and advantage must be taken of all that is available along these lines. Problems are thick in this Borough. There is decision to be made early in regard to, buildings at the end of blind streets. Should these or any of them at any time be removed, what will the Borough say to proposals to rebuild? There must be faced the question of educational development and the setting aside of such area near the present school buildings as may be thought desirable for expansion

. . "The question of a Welfare Centre is already before you in the request that you purchase the Manse St. Hall. A Welfare Centre includes provision for dental clinics, prenatal work and child welfare in various aspects, and provision must be made bv this Borough for the beginnings this. True, in years to come, the Health Department will have to make all these matters the function of Hospital Boards, but the inauguration is left to private and municipal enterprise. Then, too-, is the provision of playing areas which are already receiving some attention from this Conn cil; and will, in a well-planned bor cugh, have set aside some special small areas here and there. The segregation of industries from dwelling areas must be thought of, and the separation from residential areas of such noise-producing concerns as dance halls and concert rooms and social halls.

"There are some very hard pnoblems to solve in opening up such areas as that lying between Shearman St.. Harris St., Manse St. and Mill Rd . and that between High St., (/Jameron St., and Queen St. known as Manchester’s Paddock. Are you going to make this prom inent but unsavoury spot an open garden and playing area; or is it to be streeted and built upon ? If the latter, will you give it 40ft or 66ft streets, and where will those con necting Cameron St. to High St. be run, and what shall the area be—a residential or a commercial or a manufacturing site? That block, too, lying in the triangle of the Gorge railway, Gorge Rd., and Queen St. will call for thought. The sewerage problem comes in the way if it is to be residential, and yet when the- dust nuisance is laid by a tar-sealed surface ion the Gorge Rd, this would have much to commend it as a spot for dwelling. If your present intention is carried out, and we build in Victoria Park a resid ence for an employee who l will act as caretaker of the Park and attend to our horses in stables built upon the. triangle side, you will have to think what a stable in that area will ultimatelv mean.

"There will aome up for decision the width of new streets and the regulation of the distance back from the street ,at which building may commence. The question of sewerage will confront you. The difficulty of draining the Hospital and Massey St. area and the question of pumping by electricity at night versus gravitation will have to be met

“These are but a few of the problems that almost suggest themselves and which are but an introduction to the book of problems presented to burgesses in the Town Planning Act. Here are called for the best brains of the community. Forethought and insight are called for and experience and ability are want ed to plan for the future of the Borough. But how grandly interesting the Work and what zest it

gives to the position of Councillor! The harassing small details of day-to-day work as we have known it will be lightened as a task oy the inspiration of a plan and purpose whose preparation and development will be pregnant with results for those generations which follow us. There will be problems for the Sanitary and Water Committee, for the Works Committee, the General Committee, and for the Finance Committee ;and these will not be problems of the moment but will have the added interest of being, pioblems of genuine and lasting in terest.

"You, gentlemen, have shown } ourselves capable of breadth of thought, and of genuine enthusiasm in municipal work; and I trust that to you and to such as you will fall the development of the work under the Town Planning Act which is one of the best municipal advances made in our time.

“The majority of those who- have sat at this table during the past term are in a position to again offer theit services as Councillors, and have indicated to me that they will do so if I will consent to* remain at the head of the table if it is the wish of the burgesses. The appreciative statements made by you tonight and made by so' very many of the burgesses about the work of this Council should be an inspiration to us all; and I take this opportunity of publicly saying that it is my intention to carry toe work on for another term should the burgesses be satisfied to again entrust me with the Chief Magistracy of this beautifully situated and pro gressive Borough.”