ENHANCING THE CITY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1976, 5 February 1914, Page 6

ENHANCING THE CITY.

PROPOSED LOAN WORKS! THE IDEAS OP THE MAYOR. The electors of Wellington City arc to bo asked to sanction a new loan for street improvements' before the- close of tho present financial year. The : Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke) stated yesterday that Mr. W. H. Morton (City Engineer) was lion- -..preparing estimates for several how city improvement works with a view to the preparation of. tho schedule for the loan proposals to be submitted to citizens prior to March 31. Asked to enumerate what the works were, Mr. Luke replied that ho could only give his personal views, as all tho proposals, had to be submitted to the Finance Committee before the schedule of the loan could be finally arranged.

The Mayor's Own Proposals. Personally, said tho Mayor, he would like to see proposals submitted to the, electors for the following works:— Constable Street tramway extension. Completion of tho foreshore works at Oriental Bay. '. .!' Tramway track in Bunny and Stout Streets to communicate with the new .Central Railway Station.; Sum for wood-blocking streets adjacent to Manners and Willis Streets. . There was also the provision of tepid baths—a matter which was being held in abeyance at present, in* view of the action of the directors of the Boys' Institute in incorporating such baths in their building scheme. The question about these baths was whether tho council should rest satisfied with tho institute's baths, which would , be available to the public at certain hours, or whether they should go in for. proper municipal • baths. Mr. Luko did not think that it would be necessary to include an amount to cover the cost of tramway work made necessary by recent legislation, although it involved tho expenditure of s, good deal of new capital. A sum of £10,000 was provided by a sinking fund, and this sum would bo available, as a contribution towards that expenditure. At present, however, it was not contemplated that loan moneys would bo required for that work.

Street Wear and Tear. Referring to the. wood-blocking of streets adjacent to Manners Street and Willis Street, the Mayor stated that, though this was not an absolutely necessary work, it would be ah economical one for tho city in the long run.owing to the large amount that .had to bo expended annually in tho upkeep of those streets over which so much heavy Traffic passed—Victoria Street,' .Wakefield, Street, Lower Tnranaki Street, and perhaps parts of Mercer and Upper Willis Street. ' .; , The Constable. Street extension of the tramway systemv he considered ' was a work.that should" be gone on with'in order that tho numerous residents' of thickly-populated ' Wellington > South could gain access to Kilbirnie, Miramar, and the Lyall Bay beach.

Oriental Bay-r-No More Tinkering. Mr. Luko also holds that it is no use tinkering any further with the fqroshbro improvements at Oriental Bay.)'lt was the one marine promenade close to:tlre city, and/ca-sily within , everyone- ! s reach, and it was time that its rugged appear-ance-'should be made trim by'the completion of the concrete retaining wall and tho widening out to that wall of tho road. . ■n- '.'These works" the Mayo/ considered essential. The loan would not be a very largo one, and ho woidd like the whofo of it submitted in one question at the poll under the'heading of "City Improvements," rather than submit each lte-in separately to voters. That,'how-.j ever, was again a matter for the conn-, cil to decide —he was only giving his personal views. '