BOROUGH STREETS.

Taranaki Daily News, 31 August 1918, Page 5

BOROUGH STREETS.

PROPOSED £IO,OOO LOAN. APPROVED W MEETING OF (RATEPAYERS. A meeting of ratepayers of the Borough of New Plymouth was held at the Soldiers' 'dub last night for the purpose of considering the council's proposal to borrow £IO,OOO for streets formation. His Worship the Mayor (Mr. C. H. Burgess) presided, and there was an attendance of about 50 ratepayers MAYOR'S STATEMENT. The Mayor, in outlining the proposals, said that at the beginning of the new financial year he had outlined to the council something in the nature of a policy which would give the borough some permanent streets—or as permanent as streets could be made He referred to the statement he then made (which has been published in full), and said that the council had backed him up in the system <jf tar-sealing wliich he had favored. He dealt briefly with the conditions obtaining when the present council came into office, a>jd also when the present engineer took up his position. He said the cost of street maintenance was increasing, and something would have to be done soon. Tar-sealing had proved very successful in other localities, and it appeared to him to 'be the best system' for New Plymouth. The ordinary revenue of the borough would not be sufficient to do the works at present in sight, and the loan seemed to him the only means of .providing anything in the nature of permanent works. Ratepayers were continually asking for improved streets, and if that was to be done they must authorise the loan. Mr Burgess then proceeded to deal with some newspaper comment upon the proposed loan, which had appeared not altogether favorably towards it. It r.iu h«?n stated that the borough was heamy indebted—£3lo.Bo7 boine the amount of debt at the end of 1,917. Of that amount, however, some £011,184 was revenue producing. The commentor had endeavored to cast a shadow over the present loan by stating that a further loan would be required for the extension of the electric light works. The Mayor pointed put that it was unreasonable tri compare an electric light loan with a loan for streets. Both services were deto keep pace with the progress of the' district, but the one was a trading concern fijom which a direct return wa«s to he looked for. "From the moment a street was lajd down it was a wasting asset The nrogress and prosperity or the town would mean increased wear and tear on the borough streets, and a freater necessitv for new streets. It bad also been stated that much moriev bad been spent without ad«nnate results, but to this the 'Mavor replied that tfier* was not a mnnicipalitv in the Dominion which had made no mistakes, and he did not t.nink New Plymouth yras worse tTian other places. In any case, it was unfair to hamner the present council for the real or imaginary mistakes of their 'predecessors.

Continuing, .the Mayor said that, thousrh the ratepayers had continually demanded more permanent roads, they had not realised tho extra cost of even so inexpensive a system such as it was now proposed to adopt. He then referred to tlie schedule of work proposed to be carried out if the loan was authorised. He said a community could borrow so long as it had security to offer and the means to pay interest. He was satisfied that the council could not, with satisfaction .to itself or the ratepayers, carrv on without the loan. The council had done its part as far as it could, and if the ratepayers were in earnest, and really desired to see some permanent streets laid down, they would give their consent to the loan. He reminded those present that now they had to deal with a boroujrh pf 4000 acres, whereas previously the area had been only 900 acres(Applause.) THE DISOUSSIOK.

Some discussion then followed, in which questions were asked as to whether the council was going to waste in its usual way the loan money, if borrowed. One speaker said he had seen metal "chucked" down in water and mud-holes in such a way, that the council might as well have thrown its money down the gutters. •

The Mayor assured the speaker that, so far as "was humanly possible, there would be no waste of the £ 10,000 loan. Mr. R. A. Large asked why streets in the west end of the town were not included m the -work to be done. The Mayor stated the council must start somewhere, and they preferred to work from the centre of the town outwards. He referred to what had been done recently on roads in the outlying parts of the borough, which were practically mam arterial roads. This was work which many of the ratepayers never saw. When they came into the centre of the town they purposed finishing completely some of the streets which had wanted doing for a long time. In connection with the_ £42,000 loan, certain streets along the tram route had used up a groat part of that monev, and the new loan would be used to do the streets which had been cut out of the other loan on that account. If it was Morley Street that was referred to, the Mayor said that as soon as the war was over the tram line would be extended at least to the top of that street, and the council did not want to make a new street now, and then have to re-make it in a year or two.

Mr. Large said he was thinking morn particularly of Devon Street west, which now took a great deal of the traffic off South Road.

The Mayor, continuing, said if the war had not teen on the council would probaiblv have asked for a loan of £20.000. Patching up roads good. If they vvera going to do a road, lie thought thay should do it and finish it right off. A question was asked as to whether tlie council's intention was to tor all the streets made, and tho Mayor replied that was the'intention. The formation would bo done at once and the tarring in about a year, when the road was well set. Mr. W..R. Davies referred to the cost of haulage of metal from one end of the borough to the other, and said there were supplies that could be got between Tukapa and Frankley (Roads, which would prove quite satisfactory, and he believed arrangements could be made with property owners for tho opening up of the pits. The Mayor said tho engineer would be pleased to receive any information on that matter. It would be a big asset to the council if a good metal supply could bo obtained at the west end. In reply to a question, the Mayor soldi there was some money of the £82,000 loan not expended, and that would foe' spent as authorised, T>ut it was quite impossible to do all the works at tho same | time. Two r«Bident&,pi>€Rm9rca»s^to«<i^

complaints about nothing being doite>uf their street, which they said was a grace to any borough, and ia whjohffi was prophesied that someone would gesj a broken neck if it was not impTOTMj soon. The Mayor replied that he had Jweflj in Cameron Street that day, and did think it as bad as was stated. :■ ■jp Mr. C. Carter asked if the amounal named in the sahedule would really spent on the streets as allocated. .' ! Hh said that in some previous loans aJlodtPl tions in that respect had not »een cojfil plied with. ''jij The Mayor replied that the loan wouli ■be raised for a specific purpose, and ij| was the wish of the council that tMN work should be carried out as scheduler Mr. P. S. Johns congratulated • ,tßp| Mayor on the lucid manner in which iMS matter had been placed before the nti ing. He believed the council "was doit® the right thing in raising the loajr tm&| endeavoring to make permanent streetjjl He supported the proposal and mqvea-il "That this meeting expresses itself favorable to the loan, and agrees to giyjll the .proposal its hearty support " The motion was seconded by Mr. LP A. Nolan, who congratulated New Pljw mouth on having on i(s council some ojf. the hardest-headed infm of llie commit-' nity. He knew the council had well' discusser] the matter boforo putting the proposal before the ratepayers. He wat}j particularly pleased to note of lata the! development of a better policy on thA' part of the council. They had, too, ins the engineer a mat well able to caTryj out the work with entire satisfaction; If the loan was turned down, it wouM' be a blot on the tewn- The town wag; improving rapidly, and" one of the beM moans of advertising the place ootsl<jj| WQs to Ijpve goodjtreets. 'J 'Mr. R. W. D. Robertson afiked whfts, would bi the increase in tho, rates. ' The Mayoj- said he hopod it would bis] possible to do without increasing tts rates. The object in going for the loatf< was to be able to carry out such a poHc# as wouhf free them from spending m<me# in repair work. If there was a rate* it would only b4 for a little while ail® would not lie ihore than l%d at thl most, or eqii.il to about 3s 9d on a rental value of £JO. ; Messrs W. H. Haddrell luiiTH, ards also spoke in support of thei jm*' posal. d The Mayor said the ratepayers oouH be satisfied that' under the present nasi) agemert the work would foe earned oujin a thorough manner. Thoroughness! was one of the strong qualifications ofj the engineer. They could also bo BWwj that he would not spoil a rood for tJwT salce of keeping within an esttmatei<j| figure. - Cr. 'Griffiths pointed out that the Sawi ouch had not to find the £IO.OOO, tarij: only interest and sinking fund on that amount- If they did not botje row the money, it was likely .their rate# would reach 3d instead of l%d, on count of the expensive, byt unsatisfaoj! torv, method of maintenance "which wonHp have to be carried on, ' - On being put, the motion waa carried unanimously. j