MAYOR'S REVENUE PROPOSAL

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 314, 14 February 1910, Page 4

MAYOR'S REVENUE PROPOSAL

.COUNCILLOR DOCKRILL GROWS REMINISCENT. At the Borough Council meeting on Friday night, his Worship the Ma,-or moved, according to notice, that steys be taken to promote a Bill giving the Council power to subdivide and lease ;or building purposes the municipal reserve on the east side of the Avenue road, op. posite the racecourse, now used lor grazing. In speaking to the motion, his Worship said that if the propo-als were carried into ell'eet the Council's revenue should be considerably augmented, and this was a thing that the ratepayers could well do with. It mig'jt be advisable, in view of the fact that this was a recreation reserve, to include in the Bill a clause that a fixed .portion, say £2OO a year, of the revenue from the reserve should be s«t aside for the Recreation Grounds, With a view of making the locality a desirable residential quarter, he would suggest that no house should be erected of a less value than £SOO.

Cr. Wilson seconded the motion, expressing his conviction that were ihe Mayor to proceed to Wellington for the purpose of explaining the proposals to the Local Bills Committee, the difficulties which had seemed insuperable to the Minister th:> other day would be readily overcome. But he would .strongly oppose tin* suggestion to *et aside any portion of the revenue for the Recreation Grounds so long as those grounds were under their present control. The only control that the borough had over tlie grounds now was the power of the purse, and by making a statutory provision for The payment of £2OO a year to the Board would lose even that measure of control. Until the grounds pnssrd into the hands of the Borough Council he would oppose contributing to the Board's funds, except by annual subsidy, lie felt sure that if this clause suggested by tiie Mayor were included, the Bill would have no chance of going through, for the people would oppose it.

Cr. Dockriil said that to those who knew Ihe amount ot work done in th<>past by the late Councillors and Small and himself in connection with this reserve, it would come as' no surprise that ho opposed the motion. They had had a hit; fight in preserving this breathing space for the peop'e. With other reserves it had been taken away from the borough, but they had saved the situation, although they hid not got all they wanted. He felt that lie could not now go back on his earlnr work. It suggested itself that the course suggested by the Mayor in respect to this reserve micrlit he taken as a precedent and adopted liy anv Muv"r in the future in respect of any of the remaining reserves if he felt the pin.'h financially. "Revenue - producing reserves" sounded very nice, but it meant taking them away from the people. To subdivide the reserve now and build upon it might prove a very serious matter to Hie High School in a *ew year, for with the boarding establishment recently opened there was no doubt that the school grounds would prove all too small, anil where were they to extend? lie looked forward to the lime when New Plymouth, with a population of -20,000 or more, would realise that thev had none too nia'iy reserves. He did not agree, either, wiih the suggestion that am- municipal revenue should be earmarked. Pot he was not at all afraid that the TVdl would become law. for politician- had never been prone to give away the ppople's r'ghts, and Hie recent utterance of the Minister had shown that tiny were still strong on that point. Cr. P. C. Pellrimrer, in endorsing the motion, spoke appreciatively of the action of the Taranaki .lockev Club in relinquishing all its rights over_ this land." The property was practically waste land now. and he would he glad to see it revenue-producing.

The motion was carried. Cr. Doek'.'ill dissenting.