LYTTELTON BOROUGH PROPERTY.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2219, 6 April 1881, Page 3

LYTTELTON BOROUGH PROPERTY.

To the Editor of the Globe.

Sib, —I was to-day informed, upon very good authority, that a large piece of valuable property belonging to the Borough wai about to be dealt with by the Town Council in a most unaccountable way, and as the Council meet to-night, on the principle that “ a word in season how good it is,’* I thought you might spare me a little space in your journal on the subject. The piece of land in question is situated at Officer’s Point, probably the most valuable site owned by the town, as it is just at the butt of the Gladstone Wharf, the principal wharf of tbe harbor. The extent of the section is, I am told, about 750 feet of frontage to what will be a railway siding, thus giving that frontage for any stores or sheds or warehouses which exporters might require. The present estimated value per foot is £2 10a rental per annum, so that the property Is probably worth £IBOO or £I9OO a year, and this much, I believe, could honestly be got for it were it absolutely within the power of the Borough to deal with it ; besides, of course, the rates on whatever buildings might be erected upon it. But unluckily for the town one of the councillors, Mr Harvey Hawkins, happens to have a lease of the property, the unexpired term of which is four years or thereabouts. Now, without dwelling upon the fact that he is under a rental of about £lO per annum for it, or upon another fact that he has done handsomely out of it by drawing a convenient and valuable supply of stone from it as a quarry, I should first point out to the ratepayers what I believe it is proposed the town shall do for him. It is proposed first of all to put down at the town's expense a nice railway siding to the boundary of the property. Then lam informed the town will hunt up some good tenants, who are to build great big warehouses on it, and pay big rents for it, and these rents are to be very carefully handed over to Mr Hawkins, every penny very particularly indeed. This nice little business is to be carried on for four years, and should make up the pretty little sum of £BOOO for the gentleman who is to be so lucky as to get the Council to arrange this little matter for him. But surely it will be said there must be some inducement held out to the town. Oh, yes. It is this : Mr Hawkins, in consideration of all these blessings, is to come down nobly with bis lease papers and actually make them over to the town. Make over the papers just to enable the town to place him in the way of an increase of £2OOO per year for four years from property which, should the town get up on its hind legs and tell him to keep it, would not probably bring him in £SOO per year. Really me I who would have thought it ? But then the town will not be shut out altogether with nothing, because I believe it would have the courage to claim the rates upon whatever buildings were put up. That would be something certainly. But why shall the Council trouble itself about this piece of property at all, might be asked P Ah I 1 can’t tell that. No doubt they know, and of course it will come out at the meeting to-night. The property is, I suppose, not worth more now than it will be four years hence surely. But I must not go into this until I hear the reasons.

Yours, &o , VOX POPULI, LyttoUen, April <tLh, 1881.