CITY WORKS

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 89, 12 October 1934, Page 9

CITY WORKS

LOAN OF £159,000

CITY COUNCIL DECISION

RELIEVING UNEMPLOYMENT

STANDARD RATES OF PAY

The City Council last night deeded to prepare to raise a loan of £159,000 for street works, stormwater and sewerage, and some other minor works. The loan divisions are: Street works, £81,899; stormwater and sewerage, £71,000; sealing of paths in Karori Cemetery, £5000; and improvements to Belvedere Road, £2500. The items are first to be referred to the Loans Board, and, if sanctioned by the board, to the ratepayers. The works, though designed for the relief of unemployment, will be done at standard rates of pay. The recommendation for the loan, said the Mayor (Mr. T. C. A. Hislop), was the result of a meeting of the special committee set up to deal with the question of finding essential works that might end in.the relief of unemployment. Originally the committee dealt with a list involving £250,000. That list was circulated to members of the council, but before any definite report came down upon it, he thought that the chairman, of tho works com- ( mittee and himself should take the opportunity of going round a number of the suggested works and saying •whether they came within tho category of essential or immediate works, because it was felt that the sum was too large, unless it could be shown that the works were necessary and could show a saving on maintenance. "We came to the conclusion," said Mr. Hislop, "that the proposal could be cut down very considerably, so we suggest that the list should be cut down to a maximum of £150,000, including only (1) capital works which would be essential within the next two or three years; (2) works which would show a definite saving in maintenance as against charges. The result is the report circulated. DOUBT ABOUT LOANS. "As far as I am concerned individually," continued the Mayor, "I have xeiy grave doubts of the advantages of getting out of our difficulties by going for further loans, but in connection with this report there are the stormwater needs, £70,000 odd, which is admittedly an urgent matter. Stormwater in recent rains has caused considerable trouble. In heavy rains there is always flooding in the Taranaki Street area. There is no doubt, also, that a number of the street works are extremely desirable, but the first thing to find out is how much they are goingi to cost. That you cannot find out until the proposals are put before the Loans Board, which will go into the. proposals with great care and will require to know the full plans and methods proposed, with very minute details. The board will then lay down the terms and sinking fund. All that must be done before we can ask the ratepayers. Much of the desirability of such loa7is depends upon their cost, and it seems to me'that the whole of the' proposals must first be submitted to the Loans Board. "There is no doubt that tho whole of them are extremely useful works, but what are they going to cost? I think we should support the resolution, but whether it can be supported, finally depends on the terms the Loans Board lays down. Councillor W. H. Bennett: Will it eventually have to go to the ratepayers for consent? The Mayor: Undoubtedly. STORMWATER AND DRAINAGE. Councillor L. McKenzie said that he did not think that the committee had gone into the matter in the proper light. The street works in view might be very urgent, but in any case they would ultimately bo carried out from revenue. Stormwater and drainage requirements were such that they must have the serious consideration of tho council at once, for those services had reached the end of their years of efficient service. Councillor McKenzie proposed that the council should approach the Unemployment Board with tho request that the board should allow to the men employed on the work the usual sustenance rate, the council making the amount up to full rates. Fully 50 per cent, of the cost would be for labour, and the ratepayers, who would in any case be faced with tho necessity of having the work undertaken in the fairly near future, would, he believed, agree readily to a loan under that arrangement. He moved that the clause shoulfl go back to the committee for further consideration in that light. There was, however, no seconder to the motion. Councillor R. McKeen, M.P., said that every item listed was essential, but the list did not go far enough. Many necessary works had been deferred year after year. The council should have stuck to its original proposal, involving £250,000; at least the council should go for £200,000, for to employ 150 to 200 men out of the 3000 or 4000 unemployed would be a mere bagatelle. Councillor McKeen said that other essential works were the replacing of woodblocking in Newtown and of the old wooden kerbing in the same district by permanent material. There was not one item for Newtown or Berhampore. Councillor J. Burns: Or Wadestown cither. The Mayor: Pretty well spread, though. Councillor McKeen agreed, with the noticeable exceptions of Newtown and Berhampore. Councillor P. Fraser, M.P., said that Councillor McKenzie had talked a lotof sound sense about stormwater and drainage, and he would have seconded his motion but for the fact that ho did not want to see the matter complicated. The whole sewerage system called for serious consideration. A FIRST INSTALMENT. Councillor M. F. Luckie: This is really tho first instalment of that work. Councillor C. H. Chapman, M.P., questioned whethar tho amount proposed for stornnttter and sewerage was adequate for even a first instalment, for the underground services had never been planned to cope with the great advances made in city development during recent years, particularly in. the surfacing of roadways, which had resulted in a much greater rate of run-off. The Mayor replied that he had discussed that aspect with the City Engineer and the drainage engineer, who had assured him that though £71,000 would not permit of the whole of tho work, it would allow work that was immediately necessary to be carried out, the remaining very desirable, but not at once essential, work being carried out gradually in succeeding years. Councillor W. Duncan said that breaks in the sewers, such as had occurred in front of the Town Hall, were not at all pleasant, and they wero the more unpleasant because tho sewage had to be turned into the harJsour until repairs were made. Those

breaks occurred through, corrosion of the pipes and nobody knew -where anil ■when further breaks were going to occur. ' • Councillor T. Forsyth, chairman of the works committee, said that the suggestion that breaks were going to occur all over the city was absurd. The amount proposed would enable the position to be relieved very materially. Tho recent flooding Jiad been largely due to the surcharging of the stormwater drains near tho sea, and were the drain enlarged as far as the Caledonian Hotel the water would have a ready get-away. Councillor Forsyth said that ho did not agree that it would bo as easy to get a loan of £250,000 as one of £.150,000, for ratepayers wonld know well that the annual charges for a good many years would be very much higher. The wooden kerbs referred to by Councillor McKeen were giving very good service, Councillor Forsyth continued. 'To send the clause back would mean another month's delay. Tho recommendation had been very carefully considered. SPEEDY DECISION URGENT. Councillor Luckio said that . the special committee had come to the conclusion that the proposal should be reduced to the essential minimum. Everything that could be cut out, as indicated by tho Mayor, had been cut out. Councillor McKcnzie's suggestion regarding the use of sustenance money would be a now departure, not likely to be acceptable. Speedy progress was urgent, as tho sooner the matter was before the Loans Board the sooner action could be taken. Councillor P. M. Butler, reminded the council that returns had been brought before the special committee . which showed that there were £187,000 of essential works. The 'most essential works amounted to £56,724. The ordinary work of the city had not been done because of the dismissal of employees, and because suburban streets and roads were not up to requirements. As for stormwater and drainage, they had the Engineer's report that their drains and sewers would shortly be out of date, and that many of them required renewal and attention. The Mayor and the chairman of the works committee had . done useful work in finding out which were essential works. What had been outlined by the Mayor were undoubtedly proved necessary works. Some of the work had been lying undone for years. Councillor E. Semple, M.P., said that they had been given to understand that the work must bo done, and that the ratepayers must be told that it had to bo done. Bequests for these works were always met, however, with negative replies. The council had decided to do these works. Why >balk at them now? Why not go to the ratepayers and explain that they must be done, and why they must be done? If the Loans Board got the idea that there were differences of opinion on the matter in the council the loans would not be so acceptable to the board or to the ratepayers. If the works were done, it would be on standard rates of pay, to the benefit of the city. It was time the ratepayers agreed to have the works done without further reliance on the Unemployment Board. Instead of £159,000 it should bo £259,000. • Councillor AY. 11. Ber.nett asked why there was so much talk when the proposals were not being objected to. NOT "RELIEF WORKS" LOAN. Councillor W. Appleton said it was hardly right to refer to such a loan as a relief works loan. These were ordinary works. It was impossible to do tho stormwater drainage out of revenue, but the loan should not be referred to as a relief works loan. He agreed that the minimum expenditure mentioned was ' wise. The Mayor said that this was not a relief works loan in the sense of past relief works, but it was to deal'with the relief of unemployment. If the £.150,000 loan were passed 200 men would be employed for two years. There appeared to be an objection that tho amount asked for was not enough, but ratepayers would only consider necessary and essential works, which all these were. The committee had been unanimous on the 'amount of £159,000. As regarded sewerage, the engineer's estimate was from £150,000- to £200,000, but this expenditure was not essential at the moment. Revenue- could not be calculated until the proposed charge on rates could be known.

The recommendation was adopted.