Page 4 Advertisements Column 4

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 181, 30 January 1912, Page 4

"In Sydney there is the same trend, but there you have a great city in a state of transition," says Kev. Bates, who has just returned from a trip to Australia, in conversation with the Dominion. "There are beautifying developments at Centennial and Moore Parks, but the streets—well, many of them are worn out. I haven't seen worse roads for many a day. There they have bodies with power to tear up the roads—the controlling authorities of gas, water, drainage, electric light and telephones—and they all seem to be doing it at the same time. Added tjs that the City Council has embarked on an enormous street-widening scheme. They do not buy the frontage as we do, but acquire the whole property, and do it without tTTe knowledge of the owner. I will explain. An owner will be informed on January 1 that the property was acquired on October 1, three months before, and that he is answerable for the rents, charges, etc. He is told the purchase price, and if he objects the case is settled by arbitration. At first the Council let the properties (after the street-wid-ening) on long leases, but finding that the speculator was at work, they decided to shorten the tenure in' order that the city would benefit by any rise in values.