LOAN FOR LYTTELTON.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 16486, 27 February 1914, Page 11

LOAN FOR LYTTELTON.

TO THE EDITOR. Si rj _As a : ratepayer of the port, I desire to enter, a very strong protest about this loan. I certainly shall have to bo enlightened a bit before I can vote for it. . , Will tl’.o roads and streets portion be spent as so much has beep spent in the past, to improve only the west end portion, and leave the principal and older part of the port in the same state of neglect as it has been left for a great number of years, especially the backblocks where the workers live, where the streets are in such a disgraceful state that people will not live there, if possible, on account of the bad state of the streets, and also because there is no other means of getting there but by walking? Why are we so backward in getting some means of transit to the hills at the back of the town? If people could get there by some easy and cheap method, qur port would soon be in a flourishing condition, and half our working population would not be driven through the tunnel to live, as at present. I understand that some scheme is afoot to run a tramline to West Lyttelton and Governor’s Bay. Why not have a motor-’bus service to serve the whole of the town, which could go up all the hills and gullies at stated intervals? The workers must be near their work. Living at Corsair Bay, or across tho harbour is no good to the worker on the wharves. Town Hall, municipal stables, trans-harbour cottages and, big boardinghouses can surely wait until we provide some means of transit to take ■an increased population to the sections at the back of tho town. We do not want any white elephant Town Hall like they have in Sumner, where, with a slightly larger population than Lyttelton, it docs not pay interest on tho money sunk in building it. When our population is about seven thousand a Town Hall may be useful and pay interest. At present this loan monger'ing scheme will end in doubling the rates in Lyttelton, and will do nothing to push the port ahead. If all the sections belonging to the Borough were bringing in rent and were properly occupied, we could soon build all tho luxuries mentioned, without a loan, and without increasing the rates. I say it is tho duty of every ratepayer to vote against this loan until we know for what real purpose we are called upon to pay nearly double tho rates wo* are paying at present. What is the reason that with the present large revenue all our roads cannot be kept in proper repair without going to the pawnshop so often, and why is labour being imported from Sumner to do the work on the roads at Lyttelton, when plenty of labour is available in the port? As a ratepayer and a worker I should like to bo enlightened, and I intend to use my best energies to oppose this loan. I supposo there will be an all-round increase'in salaries for a start if it is carried.—l am, "etc.', A WORKING RATEPAYER.