BOROUGH WORKS.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXX, Issue 11975, 19 September 1906, Page 5

BOROUGH WORKS.

Gasworks Extension and Street Improvements. The Mayor's Proposals. . At last night's meeting of the Borough Council, the Mayor moved, in accordance with notice previously given : — 1. That the question of providing funds for the erection of the new gasometer be referred to the Finance and Gas Committees to report. 2. That this Council take the necessary steps to raise a loan for the purpose of street improvement* and other works of the amount and nature set out is the schedule hereto, and that such schedule be referred to the Works Committee for their consideration and report. SCHEDULE. Tarring and macadamising parts of Taupo Quay, and metalling parts of Victoria Avenue, Ridgway Street, the streets between Ridgway Street and Taupo Quay and Harrison. Place je6,588 Gravelling various streets 5,055 Asphalting footpaths 4,275 Concrete kerbings 542 New footpaths 420 New streets 1,134 Contingencies 1,986 Total .£20,000 The motion was taken in two parts, the first, which was seconded by Cr. Battle, being carried with but little discussion. In moving the second part of his motion, the Mayor said In moving the motion standing in my name, I do not intend to go at length into details of the proposed loan. You will notice that I suggest that the schedule should be referred to the Works Committee for consideration, and they will of course enter fully into the details of the proposed works. Councillors will, of course, see that the proposals I now bring forward are much the same as those I suggested some three months ago in committee. I did not then, go further -with the matter, but as the time has now arrived when we must in all probability go to the ratepayers for a further gas works loan, I have deemed it expedient again to ask you to consider the advisability of a loan for street improvement purposes. I shall now deal briefly with the various heads of proposed expenditure. And, first of all, with regard to the tar macadam and metalling work. Some two years ago a loan of .£SOOO was authorised for tarring and macadamising parts of Victoria Avenue and for metalling — not tarring and macadamising — the remainder of the Avenue, Ridgway Street, and the Quay. That work has, of course, not been proceeded with pending the laying down of the trams. Now, I think Councillors will agree with me that the portion of Taupo Quay between the Avenue and the gas worka bears a heavier and more wearing traffic than any other street. It is notorious that after wet weather, this street becomes a regular ciua-g^TOiiire. I propose, tlierofope, -fciia-t tins part 4 of the Quay should be tarred and macadamised. In addition to this, I propose that all the streets leading from Ridgway Street to the Quay, and also Harrison Place, should be metalled with broken metal. When this haii been done all the streets in the business part of the town, together with the whole length of the Avenue, would be either tarred and macadamised or else metalled with proper broken metal. This would be a permanent and satisfactory work, and w Duld make all our principal streets a credit to the borough. Of course, most of this part of the work must be postponed till the trame are laid down. I estimate the cost of theseworks, in addition to the .£'sooo, at .£6588. I now come to the question of the other streets throughout the borough, giving access to what I may call the residential portion of the town. I am advised by the Foreman that within the next five years practically all the streets must be regravelled. Of course the expel ise of boken metal on these streets would) be prohibitive, and I believe that the Hylton pit gravel will suffice to make a satisfactory job in places where the traffic is not very heavy. I herefore suggest that* we should make provision for regra veil ing all these streets. The cost of this I estimate at £5055. I now approach the somewhat vexed item of footpaths. As you know, the £1500 borrowed for this purpose nowhere near served the object for which it was raised. There is still a great deal of kerbing and gravelling to be done in. the upper end of the town and in other parts of the borough. There is also the ques- , tion of asphalting the paths. This has been, steadily pushed ahead for some yeara past, and must continue to be so for some years to come. Now, an asphalted' footpath, one made, is practically everlasting, and it is therefore peculiarly appropriate to provide for such footpaths out of loan money. I estimate that .£5237 will complete, with kerbing and asphalt, all the footpaths where there are at present streets in the borough. I now pass to the question of new streets. Several of these must be made in the borough, especially aa I propose shortly to open up the remaining borough reserves. The cost of these, complete, I have put down at .£1134. Contingencies bring the propoJwd loan up to .£20,000. It may be objected that some of the items I include in my proposals should come out of revenue instead of loan — as, for instance, street gravelling. I quite agree that that may be so. But what is the position? I asked the Council to sanction a rate sufficient to enable us to carry on without increasing our overdraft, but the Council did not see fit to do so. I estimate that at the end of the year our overdraft will be at least £3500 bigger than at the beginning. That is not my fault — I have protested against it from the first. But what can we do? We are all agreed that certain works must be done; but the majority of the Council prefer that they should be paid for out of overdraft. That is borrowing pure and simple. The only difference is that we pay a higher rate, that the Bank can call up its loan at any time, and that there is no finality about the business. I think it would be better if we openly borrowed what money we think we will require for the works necessary to be done. I now come to the all-important question of finance. To begin with, as I realise that the works I propose are more or less of a wearing-out nature, I suggest that our sinking fund should be made considerably higher than usual. I estimate that the works provided for by the loan will extend over a period of five years. That means £4000 to £5000 will be added to our indebtedness every year. With interest and sinking fund, this will mean at the outside .£350 a year added each year to our expenditure. Now, lor the last few years our rateable value has so increased that each year our revenue has advanced by nearly that amount. If this increase is maintained, as I see no reason why it should not be, the yearly burden of interest and sinking fund will be provided for without any necessity for raising the rates. Besides, I calculate that the expenditure I propose will relieve the rates by a sum very much in excess of that. Indeed, I think that if my proposals are carried into effect, we will be able with our present rate not merely to carry on, but to make good our present overdraft. At the end of five years, without having unduly burdened ourselves, we will have every street in the borough in an excellent state of repair, fit for the traffic it is designed to

carry, and equipped with proper footpath*. All that would then be required would be the mere expense of maintaining them. I ask the Council to take my proposals seriously into their consideration. I do not suggest that the details be discussed tonight. Some variation may be desirable, but that is more a matter for the Works ' Committe. I can assure Councillors that these proposals have had the most careful and anxious consideration from the Town Clerk, the Foreman, and myself, and I trust that the principle they involve will meet with acceptance at your hands. Cr. Liffiton seconded pro forma. He said he was utterly opposed to the motion, and would vote against it. Cr. Caiman opposed the motion, thinking that it should be delayed till next year, as it was premature to put another loan on the market at this time.

Cr. Green, though 'averse to another loan, thought the matter deserved consideration, and suggested it should be referred to a committee of the full Council.

Cr. Battle moved, as an amendment, " That the matter be referred to the consideration of the W 7 orks and Finance Committees."

Cr. Purser seconded the amendment. He was not altogether opposed to the Mayor's motion, but some of the items in the schedule wanted further explanation, and should be thoroughly gone into-

Cr. Cohen said he intimated at last meeting that he would give notice of motion to raise a loan of .£20,000 for certain works, but, owing to absence from town, he had had overlooked putting his notice into writing. He thought his notice of motion had stimulated the Mayor's motion, but if good came from it that would be sufficient justification for it. His (Cr. Cohen's) motive was that it was time to remove, once for all, vague conceptions about the Council's work, and do away with discussions about the upper end of the town, which, as a starved community, had only existed since last Mayoral election. It was time the public were told that during the last five years the north end had had money spent on it out of all proportion, and it was not for the Council, but the ratepayers, to 6ay whether thousands should be spent on it. He had just been to Auckland, where he had driven all round the city, and, except for Queen Street, the streets of Auckland were out of all proportion worse than those of Wanganui. If the streets of the upper end were so bad as sometimes stated, they were a standing disgrace to the Council. He characterised the Mayor's schedule as a schedule of generalities, and objected to loan proposals being deal' with in committee, instead of full information being given to the public. The matter should be submitted to the ratepayers to decide whether they would stand the cost. (The Mayor: " That is what I propose to do.") He (Cr. Cohen) had a schedule in connection with his own proposals, giving all details, but the Mayor gave nothing definite, and did not name the streets needing work done on them. He would oppose the Mayor's proposals, but would give notice in writing on the lines he ha\i T>re-vTously indicated, Trith a full ontl detailed schedule of the works in connection therewith. Cr. Williams opposed the Mayor's motion, and hoped a complete proposal would be submitted to the burgesses, which would end the matter for at least ten years. There were two things that urgently needed attention, the establishment of a rubbish destructor and the conversion of Churton's Creek into a main sewer. Until these were dealt with, he would oppose any such proposal as the Mayor's, and a large loan for the whole of these worka would be better than spending at the rate of only £4000 a year for five years.

Cr. Havknces supported the motion, though he dreaded approaching the ratepayers for another loan. .The works were urgently needed, and they coul3 not be done ont of revenue. He was sorry Cr, Cohen had not pluck enough to back up his generosity by going on with his motion, but no doubt he knew the -Council would not pass it. He thought an up-to-date car, with smoking compartment and footwarmers, should be built to enable Cr. Cohen to take a trip up the back streets, as he did not think he was ever off the Avenue.

Cr. Liffiton felt they were all obliged to Cr. Cohen for tlie information he had given as to the proper way to prepare loan proposals. He thought the Mayor's proposals had been brought down in a proper manner.

At this point the Mayor* made some interjection, wnich did not reach the reporters' table.

Cr. Cohen accused the Mayor of bad taste in making the interjection, claiming that he had derided him (Cr. Cohen). The Mayor replied that • a question of taste was not a point of order, and that he considered he was at least a» good a judge of what was good taste as Cr. Cohen.

Cr. Cohen : " 1 doubt it."

Cr. Liffiton then proceeded. Referring to Cr. Cohen as " his learned friend," the latter remarked that he was neither Cr. Liifiton's " learned friend" nor yet h"s " friend." The Mayor agreed he^should be referred to as " Cr. Cohen." After some further wrangling, Cr. Liffiton concluded by saying he' would support the amendment.

Cr. Bell supported the amendment, advocating that the schedule should be referred to the committee. '

The Mayor was quite prepared to accept the amendment, and when the committee's report came up' it could be fully discussed by the Council. It was a committee's function to deal with details. He had a full schedule made out, and it was only through a misunderstanding they had not had copies. Re brfllging the matter up at the same time as Cr. Cohen, he did so because he thought it the Mayor's province to do so. Another reason was that Cr. Cohen had said he proposed » loan for, among other things, the " adornment" of the streets, and he did not think an important motion should be couched in such terms. Another reason was that Cr. Cohen said he was not aware of the existence of the upper end of the town till six months ago, and therefore he could not v be qualified to deal with it. Some- of the streets requiring work were Liffiton and Union Streets and the County . Road. Th«y must do their duty to .the- town, and ha had been very, cace/nl not to unduly favour any one. part.; Hjs proposal* did not extend even mainly to the upper end; a third part of the loan was to be spent below Ridgway Street, and the rest was well distributed. The tar macadam could not be undertaken till the trams wet* constructed, but the zest' could go on. As to Cr. Williams.'- suggestion, unless they could put a very large number of men on, it would be better to- go on spending, say, £4,009 a year for five years. The amendment was then put ana carried.

We now say good-bye To the long doctors' bills, To the coughs and the colds And the various chills, For the high and the low, The rich and the pOor Have found all they need — Woods' Peppermint Cure.

COAGULINE. Transparent Cameit fsr broke* article*.

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