BOROUGH LOAN PROPOSALS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81895, 28 November 1906, Page 2

BOROUGH LOAN PROPOSALS.

RATEPAYERS' MEETjaG. THE LOANS APPROVE!). About forty ratepayers attend d the meeting held last night to tonsidor the proposals to borrow .£IO,OOO 10 pay off liabilities in connection with and to extend the electric lighting scheme. £ISOO to extend the drainage scheme, mid ,£IOOO to pay off the liabilities and clxtend the water reticulations. ELECTRIC LIGHT EXTENSION. Mr Monteath chairman of the borough eleclric lighting committee, explained the electric light proposals, find said that the principal oversight in the original scheme seemed t-. have been a want of foresight. Mr Mestayer had advised the procuring of the two present machines, expressing the view that these would suffice for four or five years. At present the borough took a third of the supply, and consumers were earning in rapid.y. There were now 115 consumers, and about 20 more were expected soon, including the Post Office and the Gaol. By next winter, according to the! engineer, the present plant would be working at its utmost capacity The main object in asking for the loan was that the scheme could not be made to pay without extension The present expense of running was £9OO a year, but the plant could be duplicated without increasing this cost. The proposed new generator would doub'd the supply of current. If the proposed extensions '\vere carried out there would be £IOO from the harbour lighting and there was a possibility of getting about twenty consumers along the road. At Vogelt'owu, too, there was prospect of a large number of consumers... As far as the scheme was concerned, it was hard to estimate exactly the revenue. The works had been going on for nine months, anil the revenue amounted to •£375 f ro m us consumers, the consumers increasing- month by mouth. The street lighting absorbed 140 glow lights and "10 arc lights, for which only a ,'ow rate was charged. The present installation could earn /,'iSoo, and the duplication of plant would more than double that. The interest on the total loan of ,£22,000 would be £llOO per annum, and ho" thought there would be a big inarig 1 of profit. His estimates were based on ihe third or fourth year of working, but still at this stage ne thought the proposition a paying- one. He referred to Mr Cock's recent statement that the plant Ws out-of-date, and behind the times, and that Launcosfon city had discarded a similar system for tii t reason. lie had found that was not quite so, as far as

Launceston was concerned. The sir.g.e phase machines there had not been suited for supplying power, but (he New Plymouth machines wero suitable for power and lighting. Leading engineers were of divided opinions concerning the rclatSo value of various and the engineer in Launceston had informed him that had the city possessed machines similar to these, it was hardly probable tuey would have been jettisoned. Comparing Launceston's 21,000 peuple and a dejbt of ,£157,000 for electric lighting, with New Plymouth's condition, he thought the ratepayer not overloaded. In answer to Mr Gledhill the Mayor explained that ol the ,£IO,OOO

proposed to be borrowed, £SOOO was to pay off an indebtedness to the general account of the borough. The rcvejnue estimated on the present installation was .£iiioo, with the plant running at full. Duplicating the plant should double the revenue. The, ratepayer : Then why strike the extra rate?

The Mayor explained that the rate had to be struck as security for the lean. Mr W 11 Skinner, as a large ratepayer, asked what profit could be expected when Iho wh'oie scheme was 11 lull working. He favoured the loan. Cr. Monteath said the expenses were ,£IOOO a year, and interest /In 00. Ti'at "would leave a profit of .4,1500 out of u.e /VjOoo revenue, estimated to bo obtainable. He nad not including the probable revenue from sa.e of power.

Mr Carter asked if the rejection of the loan proposal would affect the general finances. The Mayor said failure to carry the -oan '.vould cripple the finances altogether T'u Mi' Exving: The, 5 per cent in-

icrest would, include sinking fund. There was plenty ot money available, Tiie Mayor stated deliiuicly thu\ would be a sinking fund. Cr. Parker constdeied it good finance to earn twice the revenue by increasing the loan from tc

£22 000. Tao money must be raised to make the schejne a paying one. There was about 220 hoi-e-puwer to bo disposed ol : to moiors. He men-

Honed the town of Halifax 111 Eng.and, where the corporation's supply of very choap motive power had resulted in the springing up of many small tuoughr important industries, tie Strongiy favoured the loan proposals. Air \V. F. brooking, till recently chairman of the eiectric lignting committer , said the scheme had proved very suecesslul so tar, but doubtless ratepayers wanted to know k ,vliy tne sciienie Had cost ,£,17,000 instead of tile estimated XjOooo. Lxe explained Uat of ine extra co.t .£2400 aad been paid towaids ine cost or the waterworks tunnel, which ',vas not included 111 tne £6ooo, 1 hen tne borough engineer, Mr Gibbon, hud reported the scheme made no provision for any extension, and this Had to be clone. Then tne powei-iiouse, estimated to co'jt ASOO, had ost 1 i°o ami the ijiiikung was 110 more e. t .boiate loan was necessary. A cottage had .0 be ciecied for tile resident. engineer, at a cost- of £23;. i ne engineer s plan uaa provided lor a straig.ui- line oi w'ue tor transmission 01 poiver tu town, but this pioved impossible, wiiuout taking l.aid, and new routei Cost another ,£iuo. The distributing- station ,estimated to cost £IOO, cost £.400. f'ncß the public lighting of the town Had been increased by about 10c per eent, easting £IOOO for poles and £IOOO lor another transformer, wire, etc. The next item of extra expenditure was for private lighting, toi which no provision had been made except the carrying of thy high tens.on wiies to various parts of the te'iwi, and il had been found nccessai\ to erect about 50 transformers tJ bnng tho current into a state fit lor private use in the various localities Stock in hand, va'ued at /..1000, was also included in the £17,000, and tiie telephone from the powerhouse to the distributing station cwt an extra £(10. Engineers' commissions ate. up a c,:>n.-jderable amount, and the. oriignecr had to be j paid /J-4.1 before the scheme was

working, and the first year's interest had also to be paid. He had now accounted for £ll 074 out of the increase. Would the money now to be borrowed prove sufficient? lie thought so. The pubiic lighting was practically complete, and private lighting would not cost very much, as the lines traversed the major portion o! the towij. The suburban lighting mu-sl be made to pay for itcit. lie thought the ratepayer! miglit feel assured the new scheme would not cost anything like the old UllU.

A ratepayer: Wiio is to blame for the big extra cost ? Mr lirouking: Shall wet say the ratepayers ? They demanded cxt-en--.ion- ,aml it was seen the increased population warmed u bigger scheme. Mr Crlcdhill: What if the G;\s Company outs you oil* Mr Brooking-: But hawii ihey stoppwl US, liavc 1%? Mi' (,!eilhil : 1 kiiiAv of people wlio :ile Cutting Out 1 IK.' electric Hint pulling ill Mr. Urookinjr: ] know of sou es wlii) cut Ml the i>iis and put in ult'ctricily. Mr (lODtbu'iv saitl Use (Jas Cnmn.'iiiy hail :;iveil a (li-t'i.un! as ;i 'i incl'icemi'iit io hut '■iiK'i' then lie noticed his jjiis-bill hail ii'cK'n-cd by 10/ weekly. If it were irom a municipal jyjswmks he would *1)011 locnto the leak. Me was quite satisfied with Mr Hiookinji's cxp'aiintioii of the extra cusi'. of fie installation, and now lie quite understood. The Council had gone in f: r 100 small a scl:«mc, and ralopayprs would thank the Council for extending' it. Mr Glcdhil' differed. Mr Goodacro said the poll figures

\ ould show Mr Gledhill in a very :tall minoi ay. The motive power is going io be one of the town's i g'gTfst mu>s, for tueap power '.ouici ' produce.l. If they wanted indus- ■ ies to thrive in the t-wn I hey mu«t ;,ive cheap power. hi Lauuctston a halfpenny a unit only was charged, i,heap power would mean progiess, more ratepayers, and smaller rates. Mr C. E. Bu'lringer said there was, or.ly one tiling to do £ that was to go forward, ami make; full use of me opportunities. Tho people should b- 1 proud of the electric lighting revenue earned within such a short time of tho inauguration of the works. He urged tile ratepayers not to stand still. He noticed the Gas Company did not stand slil' when its plant needed enlarigng i n order to meet tne requirements of the town. Ihe ratepayers, he explained, W er only now- being asked for about .£SOOO on tn 0 electric lighting proposals, for £SOOO had been borrowed already at bank interest.

At nine o'clock the motion to approve of the eectrie light loan proposals was earned, only two dissenting.

. WATERWORKS EXTENSION. In introducing the proposal to raise .41000 for the extension of the water supply scheme, the Mayor said l 'w £25 000 borrowed had proveid inadequate. Only £4OO would be used in tne extension of the waterworks, fur there were still liabilities on the work done out of loan. The Fitzroy and Vogeltown applications for extension of the water mains were very tempting. There was plenty of water to spare. Th 0 Fitzroy application would return £2O per annum tor an expenditure of £lO7. The Vogeltown extension would cost £j 70 , providing £n odd per annum. In both cases there 'were other properties that would probably take the water. It must be taken into consideration that most of the applicants were business men and ratepayers in Ne|w P.'ymouth, and it was a good policy to make the suburbs, as well as the borough, attractive residential localities, hi conclusion, the Mayor asked the ratepayers to note that they were, paying interest on the bulk if the £IOOO now. He moved the formal resolution approving the propo-

Mr J. H. Parker seconded. Mr G. W. Browne said the Mayor had omitted to mention the Council's ii-inch main was already laid in Vogijltown to the comer of Mill and Victoria roads. The extension required was from that comer to Mr Kemp's.

Mr F. Bellringer mentioned t'--ai the borrowing ol this money would enable the Council- to complete the borough reticulation, enlarging the pipes in many cases for file prevention purposes. The Mayor said that £2OO would be used in that work. In aiis\v<!' to Mr Goodacre, the Mayor said that in case of a main bursting during the progress of a big fire, in the to\vn, there were two other mains to supply a full fire prevention force. Ine Vogeltown extension would provide another. At 9.15 p.m. the motion was earned, one dissenting. DRAINAGE, £IOOO.

The Mayor then introduced the proposal to raise £IOOO for drainage extension. The original, loan was /*,!0,000, but this proved inadequate. Ihe first set-back was when £2OOO instead of £IOOO had to be paid for the septic tank site. Mr Mestayer's ■scheme provided for six miles of sewefrs. Of this miles h;jd been completed, besides half a feile not included in the scheme. His Worship detailed the work proposed in tile various stress, many of whi-h were not provided for in the original scheme, at a cost of £2346. The Council had £1307 available, leaving to bg provided. The advice of the sanitary engineer was that the extension of the sewers would be of tar more benefit than the construction of kerbmg and side-channelling. His Worship mentioned that Mr Kendall was laying the sewers at £8 per ciiam, less than ever before. With a house ou each quarter-acr e the rejvonuo was £2 so] a chain per annum; and with t'ivo houses on eacn quarter,, the revenue would be £z pel chain. lhat looked iikc a gouil return. The heavy expenses were now a thing of the past, and all the money voted woyld go to the actual laying of sewers.

Mr Carter seconded the motion. Iho Mayor-said that prevention of disease \vas better and cheaper than cure. In of the streets the I'ujise sewerage flowed into side-chan-nels and laid there. This should be remedied.

Mr Asher said there was not so much objection to tli c drainage as to . of putting the system into private' houses. They had been told j. cost of connecting an ordinary i" °i, U | , b 1 bul eenera.ly it cost double that.

[ The Mayor said that even those | \\ 110 liad been coerced intq Qonnectjng with thek sewers would not g 0 back to the old system at any price. il*e meeting approved the proposal by nine votes to seven, the atien-l-considerably? dWn ' led Mi Cafier thought it necessary to have a committee to assist the Council in carrying the proposals i n t o effect au £ Setting them carried at the por. He moved that the following lorm the committee Messrs VV F rirooking, R. Cock, S. Sh a <w, m! rraser, G Tisch, H. Goodacre, VV. Jcnkinson, H. Stacker C. E BeII"JUS4-, and C. Carter. Seconded by Mr Q, \V. Browne and earned. This concluded the business.