LEVIN BOROUGH LOAN PROJECT

Chronicle (Levin), 19 October 1946, Page 4

LEVIN BOROUGH LOAN PROJECT

PROGRAMME 0F PUBLIC W0RKS EXPLAINED AT MEETING OF RATEPAYERS The Levin Borough Council's loan proposals for various public works projects, were placed before the ratepayers at si meeting held in the Century Hall on Thursday night. The proposals, which were fully explained bythe Mayor (Mr. H. B. Burdekin) and councillors, were received rather dubiously by a percentage of the rate- k , payers present. . * s Dissappointment was expressed by some that a loan for a sewerage scheme had not taken precedence. The ; proposals will, however, be put to public vote on Wednesday.

The proposals were that loans be i raised for the following purposes: ; — The purchase of machinery, i plant and equipment- and foi improvements to the streets and i footpaths, £12,500; the extension and reticulation of the borough water system, £6,850; the extension and reticulation of the borough gas . system, £2,000; the purchase of a section fronting Hannan Street, and house and section fronting Victoria Street, for the extension of Sussex Street through to Hannan Street, £450; the purchase of the section at the corner of Queen and Chamberlain Streets, to provide for a reserve, £500; making a total of £22,300. Reasons for Loans It had been neariy 20 years since the ratepayers of nevin had been called together to hear the council's proposal for a loan for improvements to the borough, saia Mr. Burdekin, when opening tne meeting. In Levin progress auring Ghe past decade had been considerably retarded, He attributed this co che depression and close on its heels the second world war. As a result of these factors the council now found itself faced wich an acclumulation of works which had oeen held in obeyance durmg thac period. • - - In justice to the town it was necessary now to proceed on more progressive lines. If the town was lo go ahead there would have to be a wise expenditure on such works. fhis could not be done, however, without loans. If all the money was taken out of rates it would be lmpossible to maintain a baianced economy. The loan could be repaid over a period when those who were now building would participate m uhe repayments. It was only logic Uiat those benefits should be paid for by those who profited by thmi. rhe loans had to be raised durmg che next two years, but the money could be spent over many years. It could perhaps be regarded as a five year plan. If a favourable vote could be secured such jobs as the footpaths m Stanley Street and at the north end of Queenwood Road could be attended to. These projects had oeen at the head of the priority list for the past fifteen years, but had oeen put forward year after year and it was not fair to the ratepayers. The council was not oue to indulge in an orgy of spending. If it spent wisely over a period of years they would have something really gooa and sound to show for it, besides ensuring employment in the borough in the event of another depression or employment trouble. The growth of the borough compared very favourably with that of nower Hutt. There had been 40 new permits applied for in the first six months of this financial year, representing eight per cent. of the houses here, wnich was an indicacion of the growth ahead. There had also been quite a number of sub-divisional plans approved. The -'population had risen steadily -since 193.1 from 1979 to 3264 in 194o. • . "If we do not have adequate gas and water you would say that we as a council had been lacking in progress," he said. In connection with the proposed loan for the borough water supo'y, che Mayor said that improvemcnt in. this would result in better fire fighting facilities, and consequently decreased rates of insurance premiums. This was an age of machinery, said Mr. Burdekin, when speaking of the proposed plan ror the purchase of plant and equipment. During the past ten or fifteen years there had been a remarkable change in the methods of handling works. "If we went back to the spade and barrow we would be laughed at. We must have up-to-date machinery. It will pay for itself over and over again." Levin had been very fortunate in the matter of its gas supply he said. While half of the North Island had been affected by cuts in gas supply, Levin had not been affected, not ?ven for a few minutes. That was •indeed something to be thankful for. It was now proposed to improve on that supply" and allow for the growth of the town. If this was to be done it would be necessary to raise a loan. If these proposals were carried out, he said he did not anticipate any marked increase in the water and general rates. He could not say as much for hospital rates as these were out of the council's control. There had been some criticism as .to why footpaths and other matters were being put before an adequate drainage scheme. The council had its reasons for thisv In the first place better methods o'f drainrge had been discovered in the world today. The practise of piping wastage oiit to sea was outmoded. There were more modern ochemes which could be a source of revenue. "If we could set up a drainage scheme such as this, I think it would be wise to wait. In

the.. me.an time it would be unwise and criminally foolish to resort to an old scheme. I think the matter warrants postpcnment for a year or so at any rate." Land Acqusition Loan The section cf the loan proposals ihvolving the acquisition of land was in two parts, said Mr. Burdekin. Firstly, to acquire a frontage to Victoria Street and one to Hannan Street, to enable a connecting street to be put through, extending Sussex Street on the same line ta Hannan Street. This was to honour a committee of a previous council' and was very necessary for water, gas and ultimately drainage purposes, in vicw of the large area of land, much already built upon, that was being opened up in this area. Blind mains were unsatisfactory in every way, and the only way to secure good pressure was to have a circuit. The house on the section had some value for removal purposes. The second part of the loan (£500) was for the acquisition of the area, of approximately quarter of an acre, at the corner of Chamberlain Street and Queen Street, opposite the section on which the proposed R.S.A. Memorial Hall was to be built. His Worship said that this "Hall of Memories" would be the central portion of the building, iwhich would cover the whole of the section. In order to give it a proper atmosphere an open space of dignified surrounds was essential. The hall was destined to become the main meeting place of the borough in future years, as the present Regent Hall was completely out-dated and inadequate. For this reason also, it was essential that the surroundmgs be in keeping. It had been suggested, too, that the southern portion of the section which it was proposed be purchased, be used for the projecttd new children 's play centre and Plunket Rooms. This would be an ideal site for the purpose as, besides being a sunny area, it was off the main traffic route. It was the only open space left now near the centre of the town, and if the opportunLty of acquiring it was lost, it woaid always be a source of regret. Gasworks ! The gasworks loan of £2,000 was ' required for new mains to provide ; new services and reinforce the I pressure in others, said the chair- ! man of the gasworks committee, ; Cr. F. E. Parker. The call for new j services was constant and this was iproof that the customers were sat- > isfied with the gas service. During ; 1945-46 the number of consumers ! was 920, the amount of gas sold was 120,864,900 cubic feet, the number of ! gas cookers in use was 687, and the icoal carbonised was 1372 tons. ; The book value of the gasworks was £22,000 and the net amount of loan unpaid amounted to £6090. The actual value was greatly4 in excess of the book value. There was no diflficulty, he said, in Snaneing the gasworks undertak.ing. The gasworks loan was not a charge qn the rates. It never .had been. The works were being constantlyfetmproved to meet the increased' demand. He trusted that voters would give the gasworks loan the support it deserved. Street Maintenance The total amount it was proposed to borrow for work on streets, footpaths and the purchase of machinery was £12,500, said the chairman of the works committee, Cr. D. J. Gardiner. In detail this involved expenditure of £9044 on streets and footpaths, £2500 on machinery and £956 on other cnutingencies. The aim of the council was to have every street in Levin with a footpath cn at least one side or the other. Altogether there would be 354 chains of footpath to be laid. Every meeting of tne council had brought forth requests for footpaths and the matter was a very urgent one indeed. Regarding equipment, he sa'd that most of the present plant was outdated. One of the council's trucks was almost useless and it cost more to keep it on the road v\\ than it wTas worth. .h He was of the opinion that a 4 drainage scheme was not as important to his mind as machinery. One must first have the , machinery to cope with the ordraary maintenance work and to carry out the initial work for the drainage scheme. Cr. W. Telford gave details of the various streets where it was envisaged that footpaths would oe constructed as a result of availability of the loan money. They amounted to some 30 streecs, covering in, all 35 4chains. He also made clear that ordinary worxt would continue, and that the spending of loan money on those streets did not mean that other footpaths would not be put down from ordinary revenue. Montgomery Street was overgrown with grass so that only 10 feet of bitumpn was showing. What was required was proper machinery for (Continued on Page 8)

BOROUGH LOAN PgOJECT (Cbntinued from Page 4) - cleaning strpets and ■ cutting the grass alongside. - - . in fegaru to footpaths, he claimed it was; not reasonable or fair to many people who hkd been, paying taxes for 18 years, and who - \yei e still withouf footpaths, to expect them to wait'a further period. while sewerage was installed. The' construction of footpaths would be m concrete approximately five feet m width and the balance would be fn tu'rf. He considered it would be-a simple matter to tunnel throUgh this to connect household drainage with the main sOwer wheri the sewerage scheme was eventually iaunched. It was proposed, he said, that the sewerage pipes be laid along the berms to prevent disburbing the road surfaces. The prineiple machinery required to be purchased was a fOotpath roller, a medium tractor suitable for . con.version to grading, towihg, scarifyihg and other jobs, a tar sprayer, a power concrete mixer and a set of gang moWers. This gear was essential, not only to carry out general maintenance aconomically but also to provide for the usual work of the borough •even if the loan proposals were not approved. Water Supply The chairman of tne waterworks eommittee, Cr. A. O. Powell, axplaining the reasons for the proposed loan of £6850 for extensivb reticulation of the water supply, said the money would be used ' on yhe long overdue work of repiacing water mains by larger ones in places where an increased pressure was desirable, and to provide for areas becoming built up since the mains had originally been made. ■ If the loan went through the replacements wouid be as follows: A nine-inch main from Mako Mako Road to Queen Street connecting the two mains, amounting to 50 chains at an estimated cost Of £1500; six-inch mains at an estimated cost of £20 per chain would be lald in Bartholomew Road Ndrch and MacArthur Street to connect with Oxford Street North, (95 chains) ; Winchester Street Sottth '(50 chains) ; Beach Road (36 chains) ; Winchester Street, from Queen Street tb Bath Street (10 cMins); Kent Street extension (5 Chains) ; Salisbury Street, west side, from Queen Street to Devon Street (18 chains); Weraroa Road, east side, ndrtli of Queen Street (.15 chains) ; Queen Street East, north side (31 chains) ; Manchester Street, north side (11 chains); Essex Street, south side, from Bristol Street to Salisbury Street (6 chains) ; Salisbury Street, east side, from Devon Street to York Street (11 chains) ; Staniey Street, South side, from Bristol Street to Salisbury Street (6 chains) ; Nelson Street, east side (5 chains) ; Chamberlain Street, west side (11 chains) . After the explanation of the proposed loans had been given, the Mayor asked those present to diseuss the matter, and he would be only too willing to answer any questions. Other Opinions Several members of the audience took quick advantage of the opportunity, expressing disappointment that the sewerage scheme had not been put before the taxpayers insbead of such proposals as water jchemes or street maintenance. "What we want," said Mi\ H. E. Herring, is to get the water out of the town, not into it." The purchase of the machines for road maintenance was sound enough, he said, but he looked at footpath schemes with questioning eyes. What was wanted in Levin was a sewerage system. It should be the first consideration. The people he chought would weicome such a scheme, if it was put before them. It could not be too strongly stressed that the urgent matter was a big I03.fi, f.Qr;. this purpose. Everyhing . \ ■; ■ / • Sev%ai-' bthefi'; Yl^o spoke it^'favour of a sewerage scheme, while some interest was shown in the proposed additions to footpaths. Mr. Burdekin replied that it must be understood that a sewerage scheme for Levin was a big undertaking. The council wanted the very best and had employed an engineer to draw up the necessary plans for the project. "It would surprise you," he said, the amount of technical information the Loafis Board demanded." There was a vast amount of preliminary work to be done before the scheme could be put before the public. Levin was not an easy town to reticulate. It might m'ean employing a consulting engineer if the scheme was to be speeded up. "We can give it further consideration to see what cafi be done. I think if I am in office we will have the drainage scheme before you' within two years." Mr. Herring said he would be pleased if that could be done, though he would be happier if it could be reduced to one year.