MUNICIPAL MARKET.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 851, 24 June 1910, Page 2

MUNICIPAL MARKET.

A SITE TO BE OBTAINED. CITY ENGINEER TO REPORT. The perennial question of. municipal markets was brought up at tho special meeting of the City Council yesterday by the following motion, moved by Councillor Hindmarsh "That a site for a market between Tory and Turanaki Streets, or near thereto, be purchased or taken under the Public Works Act, or that a part of the .block of land near the Te. Aro Railway 'Station, known the Corporation Tards, be forthwith set aside for a market, and the works now carried on there bo distributed among more suitable places." Not to Cost the City a Penny. The mover _ said ho hoped . the Mayor would signalise his first year of office J>y nelping tho council to secure a site for a market. There was a site conierred upon the city "for a market or other purposes of public utility." The council had received from this site'the,wttr • I,33l \ b€inß ■ £22,749 in rents ana ABG-L in rates. The present yearlyrent was .£1056, and the rates were .£570 a your. Interest at 5 per cent, on ,£'31,391 was about .£1570, and the present income from the site therefore totalled .£3196. ihe present yearly rent would pay 5 per cent, interest on a loan of .€2l,ci)o, and the rates would pay 5. per cent. ;on a loan of .£11,500. Thecouncil could, therefore, spend ,£32,500 on a market, and it would not cost the city a penfay. It was somewhat of a breach of trust not to dovote the money to this purpose. Councillor Fletcher: Where is this money? Councillor Hindmarsh: It has been collected by the city and spent. This money should not be used for relieving the rates. It ought to be'used for some purpose of public utility. The council should recognise this trust. He would not say they should be called Upon to pay back the <£31,391 already received from the site, but they should derote the income to this purpose. Advantages of the Scheme. If we* had a market stallholders could make permanent arrangements with growers up the country. If, as some people argued, tho gardens supplying Wellington were a long way awaj, that was really one reason the more why we should have a market. He knew ot two men at the Hutt who had gone out of the market-gardening business because it did not pay under present conditions, but they would probably resume the business if there was a market. The rents of vegetable sellers would be greatly reduced. The project' would not cost the ratepayers a sixpence. . The site should be near Courtenuy Place or Haining Street. • Previous Schemes' Councillor . M'Laren, seconded' the motion. Councillor Devine said that the question of using the present corporation yard for this purpose had already been referred to the City Engineer for a report.

The Mayor stated that tho Market Committee was already dealing with, the subject, but he could not on that account debar Councillor Hindmarsh from moving his motion. At the same time 'he thought it -would be better that the principle of establishing a market should be first considered, as if that was agreed to there were other possible sites. One suggested position was a piece of land belonging to 'tho council in Victoria Street, alongside Messrs. J. P. Luko and Sons'- property. It was suggested that' a strip forty feet wide should be taken there, going right through to Manners * Street. Councillor Luke: There is a better site *• at the" corner of Victoria -and Taranaki Streets. The Mayor suggested that the motion should bo reduced to the following form:. "That a site for a market I*s obtained." Councillor Fletcher wished to add a clause instructing th°. engineer to report on the matter as early as possible. Councillor Carmichael thought that the s '. corporation, yard ottered,' the T best' site, notwithstanding tho contrary' opinion of" " the City Engineer. Councillor Ballinger opposed the establishment of a market on "the ground that. . it would not jiay. Wellington-was not a suitable city for a market. In at least one Melbourne market, and in the great' fish market at Aberdeen, the goods were merely sold through middle-men, who in Melbourne were Chinese. The money wanted for a market' could be- bettor, spent on the up-kecp of the streets and ... other purposes. The council should not pledge -itself to obtain a site without consulting the ratepayers. In reply to Councillor Ballinger, tho Mayor stated that Councillor Hindmarsh's original motion could not be al-f tered without the unanimous consent of; the council.. Councillor'Ballinger: Then I object to alteration. Councillor Shirtcliffe then moved as au amendment: "That the engineer report to tiio council .011 tho possibility of establishing a putdic market on an experimental ' scale." Before they were asked'' to vote 011 a definite scheme they should .. have the complete scheme before them. If the council were committed to obtaining a site, they might next, be led- - into a heavy expenditure for buildings, and to that he .was opposed. He didnot think that there was any real do-'-mand for a market on the jiart' of the general public. Further Views of Councillors. Councillor Devine, in seconding tha . amendment, said the question was a perennial one. He recalled an occasion whea the engineer went into the matter, and " convinced, a committee of the council that a scheme for a public market then before them was impracticable. There was no New Zealand experience of a successful market. There had been one in Auckland, which failed. Those in the Old World were the result of old custom, but tho conditions ■ here wero'quite different. Councillor Luke said he thought every . councillor round tlie table had at one tune or another expressed himself in favour of a market. He was in favour of a reasonable—ho would not .say an experimental—market. Others besides the . ratepayers should be considered. Councillor M'Larcn urged that none of tlie council's previous trading undertakings had added to the rate*. The price of fruit and vegetables "and other produce in New Zealand cities was \ exorbitant. He could not support the amendment, and he regruttel that the i-riginal motion could not be altered to a form that would make it acceptable to councillors. ' , ■The amendment was negatived by sii votes to three. ... Councillor Fletcher then moved, as an amendment: "That a site for a market be obtained, and that the City Engineer be instructed to report to the council on matter of suitability and cost, at aa early a date as possible." He considered that it was time the council woko up to the fact that tlio bulk of the people not getting fair play. They were unable to get fruit and fish at reasonable prices. To say that the market would not be - availed of was absnrd.. : The amendment was seconded by Councilor Cohen, and was carried .by sis • votes to four.