STREET-WIDENING.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 585, 13 August 1909, Page 5

STREET-WIDENING.

THE HEATH ESTATE. POSITION OP THE NEGOTIATIONS. DISCUSSED BY THE CITY COUNCIL. Too result of tho recent negotiations ba» tareon fclio Finance Committee of tlw City Council and h representative of tho ownors of the Hoath Estate, Block, which covers portions of Manners and Willis Streets; was giyen at kwst night's mooting of tho City Council,, wlion tho Financio Committee rooonunonded that an offorof £36,500 without ■ prejudioe bo ciado for the purckaeo of soetaons ,G, 7', 8, and 9 of tie Heath Block; contuigent on tlio owner of tho Duke of Edinburgh Hotol selling her intoreat ill the hotel for, tlio sum of £6500. The discus - sion . which followed throw oonsidorablo light on tho state of the negotiations, tlio object of whioh is to acquire land for tho widening ' Willis Street, but no dofinito aotioii was taken by tho connoil. Coonoillor Morrai moved that tho matter be taken in committee, but tliis was ircga■tivod. 1 ■ ' '• Councillor Lulto remarked . that a subcommittee had boon appointed by tho Financo '• Committoo to go into tho matter. Plans had been submitted to the 06inmitteo covering a. oonsidorablo'area of ground, but it was not t -proposed, to; recommend :tho council - to go into tho tvhole scheme, but only a' portion. Lot 0, which, was Innos's'old shop site in Willis Street, had a. frontage of 23ft. llin., \ and at £200 per foot would, at 5 per cent., bruig in £294 per year. Lot 7 was. tho Duko of. JJidinburgli Hotol and'tlio tiroo v &liopß undor it. tbe frontages being 31ft. 4iri., 6tt. 4in., ana 82ft, 6in. These were bringing in at present-£I3OO per year; and woula do bo 1 lor five years, and woHild then wme into tho hands of Mrs. Isaacs. Lot 8 Was .i right-of-way of 14ft.-at £175 per foot, and it 6 por : Cent, this would bring in'' £122 per year. Lot 9 was a section on th<v Manners Street ' frontage, wiWi two shops'and a frontage of ' 30ft. lOin. Only £100 per year was coming in from those shopß, but the lease only had twelve months to run. At the end of that time a hew leasing period, would come round. On the; above rate, £1816 per year would bo returned. Next year Lot 9 would produce £300, making n total of £2016 per year.The invbstment of £42,000- at 4}, per ■ cent.,, would return ,£2OOO pel - year. .- Councilor Shirtcliffe thought it,-.was a dangerous proceeding discussing these figures lu open meeting. Ho did liot think f ho negotiations Were far enough advnnoed to , allow of the mattor being put: beforo' *ho ■ meeting at ohoei-and ho moved that the matter be deferred until hoxt mooting. Counoillor Luke would not acoopt this, Ho - was surprised tliat a member of tiic suboommitteo should move in such a direction. /

Councillor Morrah protested against going on with tho discussion. Tho only result could' bo that tho owners' would raise tlio prico. . • ... Councillor Luke said ho agreed that tho council should have gono into committee, but they had not dono so, and now tho • question had been takon Up in open; council it must go on. The schcmo would bo absolutely safo on a 4} per. cent. 1 basis. Tho • council would, perhaps decide not to purchnso the propoiiy, Dut to buy a strip-of 1 •land, instead. .That-would cost a considerable siita of money,;'and the, saving would bo in acquiring the whole block. 'If tho council issued debentures'at, 4£_ per. cent, on - £42,000, there would bo a distinct 'saving as against 4} per cent. In'five years' time tho council would get from';,, the hotol, t instead of £15 a week, £40 aiwcck. The negotiations ;had beon carried 'on by Mr. Amcß, who strongly advisod the council to comploto the purchase. . He, moved: "That council tho report,of ,tho committee." Tho sooner tho coulioil completed tho purchase of the area, tho hotter for tho city. ;The\ values would form a ' basis for other sections in Willis- Stroot, and also in Manners,' Street, if the counoil decided to widon that tnoroughfare; : ' ,- f ' r - ' 1H '

Tho Mayor (Dr; Newman), said he objected to the proposal-altogether.' It Was toi;large % matter tor the Council to deal with that night; , It only;came to the.Finance.Com-,, mittoo' last.Tuesday afternoon.' .He .thought tliQ report should bd referred back; ; but if. tlio .motion for' adopting^it were put '.to tho rote,,lie would ; vote against it. ■ • Councillor Sliirtolilfe said that, though he was a member of tho sub-oommitteo, ho thought the negotiations bad been conducted in a : wrong way. : Tho sub-oommittoo authorised Mr. Ames to make, an offer'ot but there was no offer from tho : other - «de. Had hd boeni, at the Knanoa Committee, he would • have objected to tho.' matter. being placed before the oouacil: at this stage. Ho Was in favour of the council acquiring . the property to widen Willis and Manners Streets,, but the committee had ■not gone the right way about it. He movei an amendment to refer the : rocommcndatioa back to the Finance Committee. If.this wa| not carried, he would , vote against th« clause. '. , ".- , . . " ~' , ~ ' Councillor Frost seconded > tho anlcndttKsnt. All must admit that tho time had come to widen that part of the Btreet., and, he was perfectly confident that Mr. Ames's . figures were correct, but: the' matter should .'have been dealt with' in committee.

Councillor Morrah Supported the ment, and said ; the. clause should not havo , been inserted in tho . Finanoe , Committee's report. If-the amendment mis lost, he would - vote against tho proposal. ' . • Councillor Smith opposed ,th<v committee's recommendation. The council was not bound to widen "Willis Street beyond. Mercer; Street," is there could bo a divorgenco of trailio at that point. '' ' c. . ■ , Councillor 'Coheir said . the lane, which Councillor Luke said'could, be-sold, ; had always been used by the shopkoopers, and ho ' questioned whether it could be closed. ' Councillor' Cannichacl said the committeo had 'told them the present and prospective rent of. tho hotel, hut. had: not tola them. that'they,•were going, to rcduco tho size of it—and prohibition might be carried. ([Hear, bear.) Several other material particulars had not been given. The 4} per cent, representing tho ground* would not represent tho buildings .as well. . Tho council would have to pull down and rebuild. Councillor Devino ridiculed tho prospective ' "enormous profit" of £21, and further pointed out that-if .the shops were lot _to casual tenants there would ho no rates paid, There was no provision for a sinking fuiid; No business man in Wellington would touch such a transaction. ' ; Councillor Luke, speaking to the amendment, said tho reason why the owners would not make an offer was that they did not; wish to prejudico their case before the Com : 'i pensation Court, Mr. Ames had assured tho • ooramittee that nothing more bould be dono than had been done,, as the owners would not put the. land under offer. If prohibition ,wore carried, tho hotel would return moro money than it ■• did now. (Councillors: " Query.") Thero waa no intention of building on a 14ft. right-of-way, but thcro wore two old buildings in Manners. Street thai would be demolished, and the right-of-yray. would then be added to tho sections, and the whole then cut'up into three or four, if tho council decided to buy a strip of land for street-widening, instead of purchasing tJi« , . block, they Would nave to pay something like £8000 for it. Would tho council go in. for such a purchase? • , 1 ; 1 Councillor Fitzgerald said it was improper that such a report should be brought down when no offer had been received. Ho would ■ support the amendment. , Councillor Fletcher , also supported • tho amendment. / Councillor Ballinger said the committed had no thought of building on the land, batwould let or sell it, as had already bcvsi doiu in Willis Street. Tho committee could not ntako any headway linless tho oouncil Would give Some idea as to whetlier the tortus sug geqtod would bo acceptable^'. : ; Councillor Hindmai-sh said there •,was no need for 6cci , ec,v. Let an oftcr 1m miide, an<? if the owners did riot tako it, they could di the other thing. The amendmont to refer tho report back to tho COHlwittee was carried. ■ v ' ,