SUBURBAN DRAINAGE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 667, 18 November 1909, Page 3

SUBURBAN DRAINAGE.

AND LOANS TO HOUSE-OWNERS, •''■'■; ~. DEPUTATION TO THE MAYOR. A deputation of suburban 'residents waited on tho Mayor yesterday morning and discussed a drainage difficulty which at'.present confronts certain property-owners. ■ .Councillor Frost, who introduced tho deputation, recalled the fact that in 1907 stops were taken to raise .£IOO,OOO . for suburban ru a L n ']? e ' and the Ecneral impression then was that the balance over .£65,000 of the amount was to bo set apart for; making advances to house-owners'to permit of their houses, being connected with the drainago system. He had since learned that this separate allocation wns not made; but certainly ho and a big proportion of tho". suburban dwellers voted for tho, on the understanding that the m oney_would lie allocated. Since then a considerable number of people had applied to tho council for.loans, but thev had been urif h. P "them. Many were-unablo to raise rurther loans, their properties being mortgaged already; and those who were able to raise them-had to pay. high .interest charges on. account of the diminished security" that second mortgages afforded. -■'■■ rIZ.n? a \ M r- "SfCnrdlo said that both Uuncil or Frost ;and himself worked hard to flavo tho.loan sanctioned, and while doing nr™S% repre!:on t a . tions to- - «»o People that IZ ™ n M fo S mun ! ci P al loans to house-owners 7,0! P™" d sior.in tho authorising Bill. Tho i™ r, hL- hcse couU , not be obtained now ft™. J} 1 uttll !S-. n ">nr people ma serious position, on tE h v d I>a,d on| y to deposits marrir? UfTF' a,,d -, tho / e , ,rero insuflicient S*■ • *}■ *?, *? Isaii ° f fnrt hor mortgages act of w«° V My > would bo doing an Mr \T * Ce ? 8T eat man y People.' . the ™Z£ !S " Sa,d ho hatl raado application to whilfi nH,! 1 lOr , ffloncy and had becn had 1«..r, f ?' pro as " ndl ° ff as '"mself fish7hnll S r nted >! s - Ho did not sc ° why aVv ?r bo m , ade of ono ttnil fowl of others, tw ~ i3 n >. sald ho bad ono or -two properties' that would have to bo- connected; but ho. did i? how . ho could do tho work unless the council helped him. Ho estimated ho would n?il?i 1 B ay »bout i JE2S per house, and-he ap- £ I A" Pi councll for a loan > but th e answer was that tno council had no. money and that he should try somewhere else. Ho was not inclined to go to his mortgagee again-hc did not know that it would be any good doing so. When he voted for tho.loan he was told that he could get money advanced br tho council. In replying to one speaker, the Mayor said W ij S i. not a " ucs tion of whether tho council would have sufficient security for its loans, but ol whether there was enough money.' to go' round. It was, ho understood, quite true, that the voting papers contained a- statement that part of. the money would be available for private drams, but, as a matter of fact, no part of the ,£IOO,OOO was allocated for that purpose, il -If whole sum would bo necessary to complete tho main installation. In past years the council had advanced money where people were unable to undertake the full cash payment! He gathered that from four to-five hundred houses would have to. be connected, which would mean a great total expenditure'. Already: a very great number of applications had'been received from various parts, but tho officers of the council had made it clear that assistance by way of loans could not bo given by the corporation except in cases of necessity. ,He was inclined to give all the help that he could, but ho.was not prepared to give any definite reply just then. Ho would consult the City Engineer, and have tho facts laid before the Finance Committee, -with the view, of having tho whole'matter submitted to tho council at an early date. t Tho Hon. Mr.'M'Cardlo gavo'it as his opinion that if tho council decided to promote an Empowering Bill there would bo no difficulty, in getting it through the Legislative Council.