THE HUTT PARK AMENDMENT ACT.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 670, 22 November 1909, Page 9

THE HUTT PARK AMENDMENT ACT.

-' Sir,—Will, you '-kindly allow- me ,to .draw' the attention of the publre, through the columns of . yoiir. valuablo paper, to the above question. I- am informed, on what i think is good authority, that in' this proposed Amendment Act the .trustees- seek. power' to enable 'them toleave some eighteen or. twenty quarter acre •seotiphs fronting", the Eandwick lload.Now, I, wish 'to] strongly protest against any power, being. given l the trustees for such a proposal, for tho following. reasons:— , Vln tho first"'place, if power to lease were given,': ths. term: would' havo. .to':',be for a' very long period—at least thirty or forty years, otherwise 'it r w<>uld,'not:.'be worth whilo.to build.. : Again, very few .would be likely to take /up leasehold ground oven with a term of forty years, unless with; ii. clause enabling the leaseholder Uho option of . a second .term, also there, is 1 /another:' drawback,' viz., very ' few working men would'be able' to; take up theso , sections, ; bocausb' of 1 the fact. that it . would be nMt to impossible- to raise a' mortgage, to enable them, to buildiipou leasehold land.' And I 1 need; scarcely aild that very:, few-men, if they had the necessary-chpitalj would carb to build upon such terms, unless the ground rent ,wafe\ttt . such'a; low. .rate that.it would .need - be 'almost infinitesimal.VXet us suppose that power-were ; given .to lease; 'and . out of ; .the: twenty sections. -sotno" two or three should bd- takeii up; mean .that somo'five acres .of the best :part 'of- the' park for fecreaHon purposes' would be flocked,:up .indefinitely.. Another, reason for .protesting: against, this p'ro-| posul is that, given a '.tramway: -connection from the flntt, and petone, tlie;Hutt. Park will, within a very few. years,: become the principal recreation ground -in tho. "Wellington-- province, and'. every\acv6 of.'it , sliould bo kept'.: intact tor ,that purpose. Hoping that, some .abler than, mine will be used to'protest against it is only .a: mistake -upon. the, part of; the trustees—the /Government • granting the poyrer. asked foiy and thanking you in antici-pation.—-I am,' ; etc., > ' • <•, •••. . JOB3I "WAJiD, I : .'/ j - .: • v ; •'•.; .Graceiield, 1 I<o\ver < Hutt. ; .17,' 1999. ..' . -..-v/ f •.