£10,0000 OR £700.

Shannon News, 16 July 1926, Page 3

£IO,OOOO OR £7OO.

RATEPAYERS DISCUSS LOAN PROPOSALS. TUESDAY NIGHT’S MEETING. On Tuesday evening a meeting of ratepayers was field in the Maoriland Theatre when the Mayor and councillors placed before them particulars of the proposals to raise £7OO for additions to and renovating the present municipal building and for £IO,OOO for a new building to include a picture theatre and social hall. Hiis Worship the Mayor (Mr E. Butt) presided and with him on the stage were Crs. Thwaites, Downes, Watkins, Hook and Spencer. An apology for absence was received from Gr. Roberts, who had to go to Miranu on School Committee business. In opening the meeting the Mayor said he was sorry to see such a email attendance of ratepayers. He did not know whether they were not sufficiently interested or if it was the weather that was responsible for keeping them away. He then asked the Town Clerk to read the proposals. The latter stated that there would he two distinct voting papers. Mr Gunning: They are not alternative proposals. Both could be carried or turned .down. The Town Clerk replied that thiswas so, pointing out that although the loans may be carried, the Coun- '• cil was not compelled to go on wnli same. Mr Clayton asked if the Council had got the deeds in their name of the site on which tit was proposed to spend the money and if they were in possession of them. The Town Clerk replied in the negative, stating that when the Borough was formed the site had been vested in the Mayor, Councillors and burgesses of the Borough. Mr Murray asked was it a fact that a while back one of the proposals was turned down. What was the object in bringing it forward again? Gr. Downes replied that- the idea was to give the ratepayers the opportunity to- vote on the two proposals. Apart from that the Council had every right to bring it forward again. The Mayor then called on Cr. Thwaites to speak. The latter said lie had not come’altogether prepared to address them on. the proposals, as he understood other speakers l would lead off. He was in favour of the £7OO proposal, but he did not consider the £lo,ooo' proposal a feasible one, to carry out in Shannon as it was not a payable proposition. Recently h© .had been speaking with Mr Clirystall, late Mayor of Foxton, a gentleman who had had some years’ experience in connection with a municipal picture show in Foxton, and he had put- a different construction on what, they had been informed in regard to the success oif municipal pictures in that town. He had stated that during their first eighteen months they had had a monopoly in the picture business and during that period had cleared £IOOO in profits. They had paid off £4OO. Since private opposition came along they had lost everything they had made. It was quite impossible for the Council to compete against private enterprise, as where the latter could run their .business at a cost of £4 or £5 per week in wages, the Council would have to pay an operator, as well as show a profit osver and above to pay interest and sinking fund. Levin’s case was different. They had been fortunate in getting someone to take • a lease. He understood a definite

promise had been made that the Couni cil would place the' two proposals before them. There had only been one councillor in favour of the £IO,OOO. loan. In respect to the £7OO, the opinion had been expressed that the present building was rotten, that it was low on the ground and the un-der-strnicture w;as rotten. He had been of the same opinion, but since the inspection had been made he had changed his opinion and was astonished to find the understructure in such good condition. He then outlined what was to be done hi renovating and additions. Cr. Curran: What about the £10,000? Cr. Tliwaites: I am speaking on the £7OO and am leaving the £IO,OOO for you to speak on. Proceed ing, he said the rate .proposed to be struck was only a guarantee rate and he did not th ink if would be -ever called up. Based- on revenue on such a small amount there should be no need to call up th-c rate. There was one point, and that was that the Health Officer had recommended that ' certain improvements must be carried out. These improvements had been foreseen and provided for. “If the proposal is turned down we will still be faced with the cost of these im- . provements.” A ratepayer enquired what they were, the Town .Clerk reading out the The Mayor then asked Cr. Curran, who was sitting in the body of the hall, to come on the stage and speak on the £IO,OOO proposal. Cr Curran replied that he was not going to enter the beauty cornpeti-

Mr F.. King asked why hi 1 trig up the £7OO loan again, after it had been turned down. . , , Gr. Downes: Why did Palmerston North bring forward proposals for trams on numerous occasions? A questioner wonted to know why the two proposals were not, on the one paper. Cr. Tlrwaites said they were put. on separate papers on the advice of the Municipal Association’s solicitor. Someone asked who was responsible for obtaining the Health Officer’s recommendations in respect to the present building. Gr Downes said he was the respon-

sible councillor. He said he was not satisfied tq see anyone live in such a building. Gr. Curran said the opposition here was like tile party in Wellingtonvery weak. Mr Ashwin asked how many ratepayers there were in Shannon. The Town Clerk said there were 225, but the number on the roll entitled to vote was 318. ‘Mr Gunning asked if some of the councillors were in favour of the £lO,000 proposal. The Mayor: Only Cr. Curran. Cr. Curran: I am. opposed to . both. Gr. Thwaites said the ratepayers wanted to hear O'. Curran’s views, so as they would know how to vote. He said tlie proposal had been brought about by the late Mayor and Ctr. Curran. Cr. Curran denied the proposal was his. He had voted against it a.t the Council table. Gr. Thwaites:' It was promised the ratepayers by Mr Murdoch and yourself. Cr. Curran: Any councillor who had voted for it should speak on it. If not, be should not be on the Council. Mr Murray: The £IO,OOO has been brought in with an absurd proposal and there is just a possibility it will be turned down and the £7OO proposal slip in. He hoped the ratepayers would show their good sense and turn it down. The Mayor: Ratepayers have a perfect right to vote as they think fit. Cr. Spencer said the £7OO proposal was his suggestion. He thought something ' might be done to the present building in the way of alterations and additions that would enable them to carry on for some years to come. As far as the loan for new municipal buildings was /concerned, it was a perfect gamble. Some scheme would need to be devised that could pay its way. It was not wise to interfere with private enterprise. Personally, a.s a ratepayer, he could not see that the big proposal was feasible, but it was feasible to do something witii the present building, and as an expert he would state emphatically that ii could be done. Gr. Curran: How do you .arrive at £IO,OOO as the cost of the building? Cr. Spencer: Our idea involves a complete ‘building. Foxton only concentratecf on a picture theatre.

Gr. Curran: Why are Foxton raising a loan to rebuild?

Cr. Spencer: Perhaps it is because the people will not let go. Whether it is paying or not be did not know. Continuing, he said, they had at least £6OO in value in the present building and they would be foolish to throw this away, which was what would happen if they rebuilt. The present building should be raised and renovated and made more habitable.

Mr F. King to Cr. Spencer: Will you guarantee the cost will not be more than £7oo.—Yes. The office could be let .for £1 per week and the Council should pay something for their office, say 10s per week, which could go towards the scheme. Mr King: But the ratepayers would have to pay it. Gr. Spencer: Yes, but it would be a very small fraction of interest. It would be £26 per year as against interest on £IO,OOO.

Cr. Spencer: The front addition to the building would be equal to anything in Shannon. Cr. Curran enquired where the plan for the £IO,OOO scheme.was. Cr. Spencer said he had brought down the plan, but it was taken away again. The Council did not have-one of their own. A plan would cost £l3O or £l4O, which cast was too great for the Council to procure one of its own unless it was reasonably expected to ■go on with the- work. Cr. Curran: The £IO,OOO was only a bluff to get the £7OO through. The Mayor: It is no use'going to the ratepayers for £BOOO, when the building may cost £IO,OOO. A ratepayer said the proposal was a farce and the Council was making it a bigger farce by going on with ii, Cr. Downes: The-Council are trying to cut down expenses, but if tile people want municipal pictures they are entitled to have them. He said municipal enterprise would do him every time, but were- the people going to patronise their own pictures. Were they prepared to close the present picture business?

Cr. Curran: Who wants to close it dawn?

Cr. Downes to Cr. Curran: It is the only object you have in view. Mr Burns: An independent architect might be able to do it for £400(1. Cr. Spencer: You must not spend less than £BOOO to get what we require. To Mr Anderson, the latter said the big scheme was exactly the same as the small one, only on a larger space and would include a social hall and picture theatre. It would be built in brick. He said he would sooner see the £IO,OOO spent on a sewerage scheme.

A voice: Can’t we clear up from the 1 minutes ■ 'who proposed the £IO,OOO loan?

The Town Clerk produced the minute book which showed that it was moved by Cr.. Roberts and seconded by Gr. Tbwaites, against which was an amendment fo,r the scheme but not to include the living rooms, moved by Cr. Curran, there being no seconder, the motion being carried. Cr. Thwaites explained that the minute did not, show the discussion around the table and what led up to the proposal. It was pointed out to Cr. Curran that a caretaker was necessary. They paid £1 per week 1o the present caretaker, who resided on the premises and that if they employed a person living off the premises, the salarv would have to be considerably increased. Cr. Curran, who brought

the proposal before the Council has never had any plan. The one before the Council was prepared by Cr. .Spencer’s own architect. The estimate was for £9OOO for the bare floor and he, the speaker, had recommended adding another £IOOO to provide (furnishings. Cr. Curran: You are trying tot block it. - Cr. Thwaites: I don’t need to block it, but the ratepayers will. Cr. Curran: Cr. Thwaites likes to nib the dirt'in, but there is not enough sticking plaster in his shop to keep it in. Cr. Thwaites: We discuss matters like gentlemen around the table. Mr F. -King made corhparisons with the caretaker’s salary with that of a person in a similar position in Wellington, who he said got £2 per week far doing four times tbe„ amount of work. . \ Mr Curran said the caretaker’s salary had nothing to do with the question. That was for the Council to deal with. _ Mr Murray then moved that a lioaity vote of thanks be accorded the . Mayor and councillors for coming before them, and lie sincerely hoped that the Returning Officer would have an easy task on Monday next. Mr Curran asked if it would be possible to have the issue of £7OO and a maximum of £IO,OOO for Municipal Buildings on the one voting paper, and be able to.carry one or the other The Town Clerk said this could not be done. The Act said that the two proposals must be on separate voting papers. , , \t this point Gr. Curran mounted the stage. He said they knew very well that if £7OO was spent on the present building, they would have no sort of building or hall for next ten years. At the recent Bowlers Ball in the Druids’ Hall there was not room to swing a • cat. “Don t yon think we want one,” he asked. Are you satisfied to patch up the old building for the next ten years Referring to. the plan of the big scheme he called it the “cobweb” and said he could not look at h—he got. giddy. He said he would be ashamed of himself if he voted for the proposal n he was not in favour of it, and any councillor who did so was oot flt , represent the ratepayers. . asked, had ever heard of a eoc m hall with bedrooms on one side and a picture hall on top. Would any of the councillors be satisfied to sleep in those bedrooms. He himself sooner sleep under a haystack. H considered that placing such a thin*, in front of the ratepayers meant they did not want them to carry the proposal. It was the little “cobweb of £7OO they wanted the little flv in, noi in the big one. “I don’t want it. i want a good social hall There is no benefit to be derived, but in my amendment there would have been a benefit.” He said he had travelled a lot but had never seen a social hail surrounded by bedrooms. In conclusion, he said: “Don’t, vote for either and you will get something more beneficial later on.” Mr Murray’s motion of thanks was then carried and the meeting terminated.