THE WHARF LEASE.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4360, 11 March 1875, Page 2

THE WHARF LEASE.

Is the business of'the whfirf. lease settled, or is,it not.?. A late,commijnicatiou.from Mr, James Smitlj, next In amount to that of Mr. Jackson, made-the Council aware of what they should,-have know long before—-that the conditions under which the tolls of thpwharf were lately-sold' had not been complied with,, and, that. the tenant was receiving the ..tolls .without.. hating, .signed the lease or complied with "its conditions. , That this should have ,been .-permitted to go 1 on so long as it: did was the fault of ,some one,' But the attention of the Council-having been called, to the matter, and an offer ,ma<le by. the .nexthighest offerer ait the auction,to'?ign .the lease at pnce,iuid,cdmply pith’ the ‘coiditjons—and so at oned place, the Council in .command of cohsiderable finds—Created a very |qpnsider-able-flutter.in the dovecot. .‘Tim Council met, resolved that no 1 'delay should be permitted, and determined to meet next day—to play the part of Judge Lynch, if fthe legal, formalities had not been gone through, and the money due paid in to the Council’s account. Thoy- mct, and it, was reported,,that all,things were in a satisfactory state. There had been delays, and the Council had been kept out of its mbney ; but the fault was "that,.of the Council alone. It was afterwards given put that the lease had been signed, and that the money due had been paid. This was about the 6th inst. What, therefore, is the meaning of the ; following letter’;— , / -- . ' . . - Town Clerk’s Office, ■ Wellington, -Sth March, 1875. James Smith, £sq., Hunter-street. Sin,—l have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of tlio 4th inst., rc Wharf lease ; and to inform you that the City Council have postponed the consideration of said letter for tlio present. . I have the honor to be. Sir, , Your obedient servant, Wm. Hesteh, Town Clerk. If Mr. Smith’s offer is still “postponed forconsideration,” the supposition is that the business of the leasing of the wharf tolls is still unsettled. This is a matter which some of the new brooms in the Council should look to. It has leaked out—in the absence of the Mayor—that the Council is some -£16,000 in debt,, and is paying ten per cent, for its overdraft. This does not indicate muchthrift in past management. But it shows how necessary it is that some more, and some closer, attention should bo paid to this wharf lease business, seeing that a rental of some £675 per month would very soon reduce the responsibilities of the Council to the bank, and the tax upon the ratepayers to pay ten per cent, interest on a large overdraft.