LOAN PROPOSALS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 272, 27 April 1915, Page 8

LOAN PROPOSALS.

THE SCHEMES EXPLAINED. NECESSITY FOR GOOD EOADS. The ratepayers of New Plymouth will shortly be asked to vote on the proposals to borrow £20,000 for road works, a culvert, and a destructor, and £OOOO for a town hall and museum, and last night the retiring Mayor (Mr. J.'K. Wilson) explained the pr T'osals to the small gathering of rate ..i/crs at the Town Hall.

The Mayor said that as the loan proposals came from the going-out Council, it was thought advisable to have tliem explained by him while he was Mayor. These proposals were the outcome of a return provided by the engineer regarding the condition of the streets of the town. The first schedule of the loan referred to those streets which were beyond repair, and the second schedule dealt with roads which could be repaired now but which would have to be remetalled in three years. This disclosed a position which would perhaps not cause surprise. It must be admitted that in the past the engineer had not had at his disposal the money necessary to keep the streets in proper repair, and the inevitable result was that the streets quickly became in a bad condition. The proposals now before the public worn those which the Council had decided on as necessary, and it was proposed to carry out the work in Soltar macadam roads. Personally, he was sorry that the Council had had to come to the public now, for this amount should either have been provided in the £42,000 loan or in the tramways loan. It should have been foreseen that when the tramways were laid down the roads on the route would have tq be remade, and provision therefore should have be?n made in the tramways loan. It was proposed to lay down Soltar macadam roads over the whole of. the tramways route from Fitzroy to Moturoa. It would be carried right along Devon Street as far lis Outfield Road. The cost estimated for the traniway route was .€IO,OOO. The Mayor then gave details of the work to he done on other streets and the sum to he expended on each section of work. Altogether' over £17,000 would be required in reforming streets in Soltar macadam. The work was considered more costly than for ordinary macadam street work, but the Council considered that they should not go to the public with a proposition wh'ich would give them streets that would wear out, but should provide a. scheme which would give permanent streets. Soltar macadam would give as good a road as asphalt or concrete, but the cost of these materials placed them out of the question. Tarred macadam would cost juft double what Soltar macadam would cost. Probably in three years the roads would require another coating of Soltar, but the intervals when coatings would be required would become longer and long-

er, and eventually the streets would give longer wear than streets made with tarred macadam. OTHKR SCITKMIX Then there was a further proposition to make a culvert in Brougham Street I over the Mangatoku Stream. The roadway at this point was in a very unsafe state, and the Council had to put t.'.'e road in a safe condition by building a culvert which would last for all time. The cost of this work was estimated at £15(10. Then there was the provision of an up-to-date destructor. The time had come when the system now in list was not altogether satisfactory, and there always was a certain amount of annoyance coming from it. , The proposer site of the destructor was at the f»i end of Lemon Street, near the I-lomii Stream. The cost was estimated £IOOO, and to meet the payment of \iterest of that amount it should be made compulsory for all rubbish to U. deposited in suitable plates, to lie tak-jn Jo the destructor, levies to made 01: those disposing of rubbish. The levy would not be heavy, but it would provide enough to pay for'the staff removing the rubbish, and also to pay interest on tiie loan. The prsition was that there was only a limited income for the upkeep of streets and out of this new streets had to be made as well as existing streets kept in repair. This should nol havo„been necessary, and was the caust of the position existing to-day. All that money should have liec-n used or the maintenance of roads. The time liaci arrived when it was no good patch in? the roads, for .they were beyond that There was ndt enough money coming out of ordinary revenue to remake the roads therefore the Council had to come before the ratepayers for the loan for thai purpose. If it was decided that permanent streets were wanted, then the rate payers had to submit to a loan, or jl the loan was not agreed tD and it was though better to patch the roads—ant he thought this an impossibility—out 01 the road -maintenance revenue, then this policy would have to be pursued. Tin engineer had reported that there wouU be no difficulty in carrying out the pro posals. In reply to a question if all of th' loan of £42,000 had been expended, tin Mayor said that the money which ha! been spent had completed all the work: proposed, and there was in hand tlv money placed for the work which hat not yet been put through.

TOWN HALL AND MUSEUM. Mr. A. H. .Johnstone then addressed the meeting on the question of a new museum and municipal offices, and the proposition of raising £6OOO for those works. It was not intended that the museum should be like those of other towns in the Dominion, but rather that the historical records of New Plymouth and the district should'be collected and properly housed in New Plymouth. There was no part of the Dominion which had greater historical interest than New Plymouth and Taranaki, and there were numerous records of great' interest. Unfortunately,, many of these records had fallen into the hands of- private people, with the result that they were lost to the town. But Mr. W. H. Skinner, of Napier, had oft'ered to hand over his valuable collection of historical records to New Plymouth if a suitable building was provided to house them. The question of housing this collection had concerned the Council for some time past. It was proposed that a building should be erected at ihc back of the library, but there were objections to this proposal. After discussion the Council came to the conclusion that as the Council stall was hampered for accommodation, it would be better if stons were taken to build a new town hall with ample municipal offices, and that a museum should be provided :n the same Building. The Council did not want to go in for a large expenditure for this work at present, but it was thought advisable to prepare a complete scheme for a town hall and museum, and f or the present only to build that part of the structure which was required at once. An admirable site had been secured between Carrington Road and Liardet Street (behind the Good Templar Hall) —no better site could be found in the town—and it was proposed that one wing of the proposed building should be erected on this site, to commence with. Mr. Johnstone said it was to be hoped that these proposals would meet with the approval of the ratepayers, for it would be a great pity if the Skinner collection was lost to the town, while lie believed that othwr valuable, collections could be procured if proper housing was available. Mr. Johnstone hop'>d that the ratepayers would take this opportunity of providing New Plymoush with an' up-to-date town hall and museum.

The Mayor agreed that, the town should not let the opportunity to secure the Skinner collection to go by. }f they were lost now they could never be iecovered. Maori records and curios of historical value were spread over the country, but they should he collected and kept together, and now was the opportunity for New Plymouth to procure valuable collections of historical interest. ,

Mr. W. Coilis said that New Plymouth hid lost goed collections simply because there was no proper place to house them. They had a large and valuable collection in the existing museum, and when more room was available this collection would make an important feature of the museum.

Mr. R. Cook said he believed in progress, and he did not believe in being asleep, as they had been in New Plymouth. He was in full sympathy w'.th the proposals, and he moved that the meeting approve of the proposals which had been brought up by the Council.

Mr. J. Clarke seconded. He took the opportunity to express his disgust at the small meeting. There were about two thousand ratepayers, and yet only a few turned up to an important meet, ing. Ratepayers were fond of writing to the papers complaining and 'seeking information, yet when they had an opportunity to have important matters explained they did not take the trouble to come out. Mr. Clarke emphasised the necessity for a new town hall, and axpressed his approval of the proposals outlined by Mr. Johnstone.

The motion in favor of the loan proposals was unanimously approved by meeting.