£100,000 LOAN PROPOSALS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 884, 2 August 1910, Page 6

£100,000 LOAN PROPOSALS.

Sir,—With reference to the request of our city engineer that the ratepayers should pledge their property and become responsible for the above loan. There are many people quite in accord with Mr. Diviui, who attended the public meeting at' the Town Hall and said the time is not ripo to carry on such an extensive work as would involve one-tenth of a million of money. There are more empty houses at present in- Wellington than thero has been for years' and the'population is necessarily smaller in consequence so the amount of water required cannot be so great as in previous years. Two years ago .the civic authorities asked us to give them another large sum of money to build a Napier se'a-wall somewhere in tho vicinity of Evans Bay. We havo purchased a lot of experience of late years, notably the dock, Boat Harbour, King's and Mirainar Wharves, etc.. all of which' are white elephants, and the time has come for the Wellington property-owners to consider if they can increase the rent ot their properties in nroportion to the increase <rf rates. Our late Mayor decried the apathy of the citizens in not recording their votes—that very apathy was a sign of-confidence in our officials.—l am, etc., • . GEO. BURNEY. Sir,—Next Wednesday ratepayers • will be asked to vote for tho borrowing of a loan of i! 100,000 for the purpose of bringing into Wellington aiiother lino of pipes from Wainui. It is to be hoped the ratepayers will vote against this loan and remember that this has been twice sent back to the council as not wanted. It is reported that tho present pipes aro not strong enough. The cry is all rubbish. The present pipes hare stood, and will stand, all the pressure they will be put to how they havo found thoir solid bed. For the first few years there were frequent bursts and joints blown out, but that is a thing of the past now.- The reason of, these bursts and blow-outs was that the pipes wero laid in rough trenches through rock, and till they were properly bedded the settlement of tho pipes caused the joints to blow out In some instances a flaw caused the burst. Another reason for sending back ,to tho council their request.is that the present pipo is 24 inches, and the new line of pipes are to be smaller—2l inches—instead of being bigger than the present line of pipes. Can anyono who - looks forward to tho growth of tho city imagine a body of men asking ratepayers to spend money on this work that will be useless in another ten years? The whole scheme is misleading. The advertisement says a line of- pipes from Wainui. This is wrong. It is only intended to bring the pipe from the Wellington side of the tunnel, about eight miles, instead of 171 miles, the distance to the dam at Wainni. And the council and engineer ask. for ,£IOO,OOO for this work. The original scheme—dam, bridges, tunnel, 24-inch pipes, and everything—only cost ,£BO,OOO. Then the Mayor explains that no rnto will bo- wanted. Look at your rate papers and see if, in the case of any loan borrowed for these works, the rates arc not required. Is not tho Karori work a good sample of how things aro done? A now reservoir is built and filled with water. When it is wanted for use it is not fit io drink, and tho engineer coolly asks for .£OOO to empty the basin, and the money is passed, no questions being asked. Tho engineer asks for .£IOO,OOO for a work that should not cost ,£30,000, and without any details the ratepayers nro asked to vote this amount of mouey for purposes not shown. —I am, etc., ' RATEPAYER.