DIXIELAND GOES AHEAD

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 464, 20 September 1928, Page 15

DIXIELAND GOES AHEAD

Move to Build Baths CITY LOAN POLLS REJECTED FOLLOWING the rejection by the ratepayers of the City Council’s proposal to build baths at Point Chevalier. Dixieland, Limited, has s decided to go ahead with its bath proposal and probably will have to approach the Minister of Marine, asking that he now give effect to his decision of last year that Dixieland be allowed to build baths opposite its cabaret at the Point. Before building Dixieland is endeavouring to get authority to build near the reserve cliffs in the first position selected, this site being favoured by the majority as against a site off the beach in front of the cabaret.

The city ratepayers yesterday crushingly defeated the proposal to spend £22,500 on municipal baths at Point Chevalier. Unexpectedly they also turned down a proposal to borrow £7,500 to enable filtration and purification plants at Parnell and Shelly Beach Baths. Owing to the Parnell baths having - to be closed last summer on account of the condition of the water the rejection of the £7,500 loan is a serious matter, and possibly will mean that the thousands who used the baths last season will be left without bathing facilities near the city. FOUR TO ONE AGAINST The Point Chevalier proposal was defeated by 3,793 votes to 975, a majority of about 4 to 1. The first count showed 2,470 against and 2,366 for the proposal to erect filtration plants. Voting was poor, only 4,968 ratepayers out of 26,389 going to the booths. Of the votes cast 132 were informal on the £7,500 loan, and 220 oh the £22,500 loan. Even Point Chevalier did not want municipal baths, and voted 89 for and 296 against. At no booth did the proposal see a favourable vote, and some booths voted in the- proportion of 10 to 1 against it. There were only a dozen votes between the “ayes” and “noes” on the baths filtration loan until the last few returns came in with the “noes” in the majority. The City Council was confident that this loan would be carried.

and had called tenders, closing to-day, so that the cleansing plants could bo installed at the earliest possible moment.

The results, which Mr. P. F. Notley, returning officer, was able to announce an hour after the closing of the booths, lias left the council in a quandary. The official count is in progress to-day, but the result cannot be affected. FACILITIES BY CHRISTMAS

Bixieland, Limited, held a meeting as soon as the Result of the £22,500 poll was known last evening, and decided to take steps to carry out its original baths construction proposal.

If the company is allowed to proceed it hopes to have at least some all-tide bathing facilities ready by Christmas, Mr. N. W. Loveridge. manager of the company, said this morning. Dixieland first proposed to build baths from 30 to 50 yards from the cabaret, alongside the cliffs of the Point Chevalier reserve, the bottom at this place being of soft rock. The City Council sought and gained an injunction stopping the scheme on the ground that it interfered with riparian rights. Bixieland then proposed to build in front of the cabaret premises, about 70ft from the stretch of sand, and the result of this was the setting up of a Government commission at which expert evidence was given on the possibility of the baths destroying the small sandy beach. The expert opinion was sharply divided, and the objectors raised a scare that, whatever safeguards Bixieland gave, its proposed baths would lead to practices offensive in the eyes of the Council of Christian Congregations and certain councillors —most of whom admitted absence of any direct knowledge of the conduct of Bixieland or any other similar place of public entertainment. As the result of the commission, the report of which has never yet been published in full, the proposals came to a standstill until the City Council could seek authority to raise a loan to build public baths at Point Chevalier, but round the point from the cabaret. NEXT STEP WITH MINISTER The next step rests with the Minister of Marine, who has jurisdiction over the harbour. The Harbour Board has already decided to raise no objection to the Dixieland baths from a navigation point of view. If the Minister grants permission Dixieland is prepared to proceed immediately. The question of site is likely to be

raised again, there being a substantial body of opinion that, riparian rights or not, the site near the cliffs is more suitable than that* right out in front of the beach. A PERTINENT QUESTION The attitude of Bixieland, Ltd., is summarised as follows: '“We can start building at Point Chevalier to-morrow. The preponderance of evidence before the commission was that the site first selected, that beside the cliff, was the best place for the baths. “Is the City Council going to stand in our way and prevent us putting the baths where they ought to be.” “NOTHING TO SAY” TRAMS NEXT? “I have no comment to make—not to-day, at any rate,” was the sole expression of the Mayor. Mr. G. Baildon, referring to the adverse decision of the ratepayers on the bath loan proposals. To the majority of the council the turning down of the £22,500 proposal caused little concern, but the refusal of the filtration loan was another matter. “I expect they will refuse to let us hand over the trams to a transport board, and then altogether we will know where we don’t stand,” remarked one of the councillors, with a bearing of resignation.