GREATER NEW PLYMOUTH

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 84, 29 September 1911, Page 8

GREATER NEW PLYMOUTH

MKKTIXIi AT FRAXKLKY BOAI>. '< \ FAVOKAISLE DECISION AUIUVED AT. There was a very fair attendance at the meeting held last night at Fraukley road as the lirst of a series to he convened at Frankley road, Westown and Vogeltown, to deal with the question of merging the suhnrban portions of the llurwortli riding of the eounty into the borough of New Plymouth. His Worship the. Mayor of Xew Plymouth, Mr. (I. \V. Browne, and the town clerk, Mr< !•'. T. liellringer, were present by invitation of the settlers. Mr. A. C, Downes presided, and in his opening remarks corrected a statement that he had made at a previous meeting concerning the qualifications of a voter on the merging wheme. He wished to make it clear that only ratepayers were eligible to sign the petitions for and against, and only ratepayers entitled to vote at a I poll on the question. He would be ■ pleased .however, for any resident to take part in this meeting, which, he said, was called to enable them to ascertain how the merging proposals would affect the ratepayers of the Frankley road district. He then called on Mr. ; Browne to address the meeting. His Worship said that in coming to the meeting he had noticed the want of street lighting. The settlers no doubt felt the need of this, and knew that bycoming into the borough this great convenience could he secured, as well as the benefit of the high pressure water supply and private lighting from the municipal scheme. By merging into the borough and getting the borough facilities there would immediately be enquiries for the excellent building allotments that existed all over the district. and land values would be enhanced. At present townspeople would not come out here to live, forsaking their luxurious conveniences. Coming to representation, His Worship said that the district would probably have two members on the Borough Council, instead of as at present one County Councillor, to look after the whole of the llurwortli riding. The j ratepayers here would have the benefit of the services of the borough engineerI ing staff.

Referring to a map of Now Plymouth and environs prepared by the late* Mayor, he pointed out that the outer boundary of the district proposed to be added ran from' the junction of the Ifoldsworthy road with the Henui stream, along the stream to opposite the Vogeltown 'bus terminus, thence across to Mr. Ballantyne's house, and on to the Frankley School; the schoolliouse to the Veale road near Mr. Munro's, thence to the boundary of the Hurworth riding and along the riding boundary to St. Aubyn

township. This area would be subject to modification, of course, by the commissioner appointed by the Minister of Internal Affairs to deal with the matter. On the matter of rating, Mr. Browne instituted comparisons between the present county rate of %d with the hospital rate added, and the rating in the borough as at present, A property on the Frankley road, capital value £l2B, i, was now liable for £4 Os 3d rates in the county. In the borough, rated on the annual value, the rate would amount to £4 3s lid. Other properties, £8 0s lid, and £7 10s; and £2 14s lid and £2 10s ; all buildings, exclusive of the interest paid on special loans, the position of which would remain unaltered. In enumerating the advantages to be gained by joining the borough, Mr. Browne said that the County Council had no power to raise loans for lighting and water and other facilities, whilst the Borough Council had. If this dis-

trict were in the borough, and had a water service, it would cost a ratepayer (whom lie named) .£1 3s fld a year" in rates, whereas if they secured a'service outside the borough, as at Vogeltown now, it would cost £3 2s Sd. His Worship mentioned the rapid growth of population in suburban areas, particularly referring to the growth at Vogeltown as being the result of the installation of water and electric light services, and said that the way to attract population was to get these facilities, and the best way to get them was to join the borough. As for the argument that by merging to the borough the residents of the

present suburbs would lose their privii lege of keeping a pig, and so on, that ; was a myth. By-laws made for the congested areas would, of course, not apply to the outlying areas. As a case in point he mentioned the "brick" area in the centre oj the town, the rest of the borough being free from the operation of the "brick wall" by-laws. Referring to the recent loan of £II,OOO in Xew Plymouth, Mr. Browne said that the revenue from drainage works included in it would pay the interest and provide, a sinking fund on the whole loan, half of which was for street purposes. Thus the brugesses would have all the benefit of the money without it costing a, penny for the money. That was the system adopted in alfthe borrowing in the borough, as far as possible. The loan was raised over the whole of the borough, and nearly the whole of it was spent in the east'and west wards. Ajrain. when the big loan of £OO,OOO was raised a few years ago the drainage proposals in it for the central ward were heartily supported by the other two wards. So that it would be seen that hostility between wards did not exist. His Worshij) pointed out that the big water supply loan was already nearly self-supporting, the revenue being nearly enough, without a rate, to pay the interest. Pursuing the lighting argument, lie said that a few years ago the Frankley road people asked for the extension of the electric light as far as the school. It was estimated to cost £IOOO. and the work was not authorised. If in the borough, a loan could be raised over the whole of the borough for that work. Other advantages in joining the borough would be improvement of roads and the provision of footpaths. The roads would be re-graded, which would be very necessary in the event of a drainage' scheme being undertaken when this became necessary. The newly-merged portions of tlie borough would receive their share of the profits of the electric light, water anil drainage undertakings. By the time Fitzroy was reticulated the. water loan would be more than self-supporting. Further extensions would not be expensive, for they already had the headworks, reservoir, etc. An additional advantage would be that (lie people WOUhl benefit from the reduction of fire insurance rates from the extension of the water mains and the I'iri'. Board area. The saving would be probably 2s in each £IOO insurance. _ The Xew Plymouth borough had not mrreased its rates for ten rears. Of course, capital value had increased, a natural result of the progress of the town.

Coming to trams, Mr. Browne said tins was a matter of untold importance. In Wanganui the tramways had been greatly extended within a few years of tin' opening of the services. Merging into the borough would bring population here, and the population would soon warrant (rams. When trams ran from l-'iUrnv to Motiiroa, 'buses would lie set at liberty, and these would almo,t certainly be put on to develop passenger trallie in Kraiikley road and other suburban areas, all tending to bring about the more modern system, tfamwavs. ,|

Concluding, Mr. "Browne said that they wore o/i th« eve of big progress in New Plymouth. In a very short time, within eighteen months or two years, the harbor should he, so far completed that direct steamers would trade here. He hoped that New Plymouth would have trams running to Moturoa by then to meet the first liner berthed. Questions were invited.

Mr. E. S. Allen asked if it were not a fact that there were already houses near the borough «waiting connection with the electric light system, apparently hopelessly. And, if so, what hope had they that the electric light would be extended to Frankley road?— The Mayor said that those houses were outside the borough. They might wait a long time. Of course, if they came into the borough the light would go to them as a matter of course. Mr. Downcs: On the present settlement, is there any possibility of the electric light being installed at Krankleigh Park if we merge? The Mayor: If you come into the borough, you wiM get it, certainly.

Mr. Allen said that, the Mayor had pointed out that there would be increased valuation, which would be the same thing as heavier rates.—This, Mr. Brown pointed out, was inevitable, for congestion of population was always followed by increased values. 'Mr. C. Billing wanted to know why the Borough Council collected the water rate of 6d in the £ if the scheme were self-supporting —Mr. Browne said that it was on account of the revenue earned in this way, and for extraordinary supplies, that the scheme was nearly selfsupporting. The charge mentioned was not interest charged on the money borrowed but payment for water" con-

sumed. In answer to a further query, the town clerk said the Council had not, to his knowledge, levied the half-rate chargeable by law on properties fronting the water mains and not connected. He pointed out that the sewerage scheme brought in a good deal of revenue to

the water supply account. Mr. Browne informed Mr. Billing, in answer to n query, that the electric light loan was over £26,000. Mr. Billing: New Plymouth is a verysmall place. You'll want three or four times as much to bring the light out here. • Mr. Browne pointed out that the Council had already got its power station and machinery, the waterworks for producing power, the distributing station, and mains to bring the current to town. To

connect up Frankley road praetially only reticulation would'he needed. The extension of the lighting to Mr. IT. Okey's, beyond the school, had been estimated to cost £I3OO. The Mime thing applied to water extensions; the heavy expense had been incurred, and there'was only reticulation now to do.

Someone: Have you an ample supply? Mr. Browne: Well, we have the Waiwakaiho river at our back. In answer to Mr. X. Allen, the Mayor gave an explanation regarding the profits on the electric lighting scheme. Mr. Billing: That shows you're charging the customers too much! Mr. Browne replied that, with one exception, the electric light charges in Now Plymouth, were the cheapest in the Dominion. Mr. Billing then asked if Mr. Browne would explain how it was that he, the representative of these ratepayers on the County Council, should come out to a meeting and urge the ratepayers to secede into the borough, the Mayor replying that he considered the merging advisable because the Borough Council could give them facilities which they were anxious to get—water, electric lighting and street light—and the County Council could not. Mr. Billing said that as for those who were anxious to go into the borough he would like to see them go. The bigger New Plymouth grew the better he would be pleased. But those who wanted to stay out, and he was, one of them, should be allowed to stay out. He had some property in the borough, and didn't want any more in it. As for the argument that a water supply would lessen insurance, it didn't affect him, for ho didn't insure at all.

In answer to Mr. Frethey, who asked if si tramway rate would be struck over the whole borough, Mr. Browne said they were assured'that a rate would be necessary for only the first vear of trams. The deficit for that one year was estimated at from £3OO to . £4OO. and it would hardly be worth collecting as a rate.

The Town Clerk: The chances of a tramway rate are very remote. Mr. E. N. L. Okey said he wished to propose a motion. "I stand," he said, "for progress every time, and if we want our population to increase, and our district to go ahead, wo must go in for these conveniences winch Mr! Browne has been talking to ns about. I think the present is the time to think of merging into the borough. If we do decide to merge, we will go in on the present valuation.. But if we allow the matter to stand over much longer there will be a revaluation, our vacations will go up considerably, and we will not go in under such favorable circumstances. If we merge we will have the right to ask to .have these conveniences—trams, wafer, electric light, and so on—that the town has now. If once we get trams, population will follow, for that is a fact proved in all parts of the world." Mr. Okey referred to the sale of some fifty or sixty acres of the Surrey Hills Estate, near Auckland, but some miles from its centre, for £32,000, or over .£SOO an acre, as the result of the installation of trams. If there were trams m this district he was sure that business people would be glad to go out there and_ live. '-But." he concluded, "if we don't join the borough we can't expect our population to increase." He moved that a committee be elected to act jointly with similar committees from Westown and Vogeltown in preparing and circulating a petition in favor of amalgamating with the borough of Xew Plymouth. Mr. X. AllT! second :-:.

An amendment, moved by Mr. E. S. A';en, seconded by Mr, Billing, that the mattu be deferred for five years, was cYfcaied, and the. motion carried, onlv tec. dissenting. Messrs. Okey, Downes and Xewell were appointed a (vnniittee.

Yoies of flanks to the. Mayor and town clerk, and to the chairman, concluded the meeting.