TRUST LANDS TRUST ELECTION.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9098, 26 May 1908, Page 5

TRUST LANDS TRUST ELECTION.

SPEECHES BY CANDIDATES AT EXCHANGE HALL. AN INTERESTING MEETING. There was only a fair, though a representative, attendance at the exchange Hall iast evening (probably on account of the inclement weather), when several candidates for seats on the Trust Lands Trust gave addresses in support of their candidature. Mr A. W. Hogg, M.P., occupied the chair. MR 0. N. C. PRAGNELL. Mr 0. N. C. Prangell was the first speaker, and in his opening remarks said he was of opinion that the time had gone past when the public were ready to take candidates for public positions on trust, and therefore he did not intend to offer himself as a silent candidate. He was not altogether new to public work, having sat for two years on the Borough Council, two years as a Technical School Manager, and three years on the School Committee, while at present he occupied the somewhat responsible position of Chairman of the Masterton Fire Board. Work in these spheres would no douot be of great assistance to him if elected to the Trust. Advancing reasons for his candidature, Mr Pragnell said that a number of influential citizens had requested him to stand for the Trust, and this, combined with the belief that new blood was a good infusion into all local bodies on occasions, and that anyone believing they possessed the necessary ability should come forward, had caused him to offer himself at the election on Thursday next. Personally, it was not of much consqeutnce to him if he were rejected, but at the same time he would deem it a great honour to be a member of such an important body. He considered the Trust a magnificent heritage to the people off Masterton, and said its founders were democrats of the truest type. He specially mentioned the great breadth of it basic objects, which were to asist the inhabitants within its jurisdiction irrespective of colour, race, or creed. He said the same breadth was shown in the franchise, which required only that a person should reside six months in the Masterton Small Farm Settlement, and be over the age of 21 years. Tracing its history for ten years past, Mr t'ragnell said that it would be as well for his hearers to consid2r therriselves for the time being shareholders in a corporate company, which would be the Trust. Ten years ago there were 1,536 voters on the roll, and the value of the Trust properties was then £24,000, each individual voters' share being about £ls 12s sd. The population was then about 4,000, which meant that the share of every man, woman and cbild in the Masterton Small Farm area was about £6. At present the figures stood: On the roll, 2,994 electors (shareholders); valuation (by the Government Valuer) •of Trust properties, £70,000. In crease in ten years, £46,000, meaning that the value had nearly trebled. Each voters' share was now £23 7s Bd, while on the population basis, with a present assumed population (probably excessive) of 7,000, each man, woman and child's share was £lO, an increase of FA. Did not this demonstrate that great possibilities were in store for the Trust? If the ratio of increase in the past wasmaintained it meant that in ten years time the value of the Trust property would be £200,000. This was not probable, however, but even assuming it to be £IOO,OOO, what a great revenue would be produced .annually for the education-of the children of the town. Having in view the vastness of the Trust, he impressed on his hearers to be present at the booth on polling day to exercise their votes and* also to influence others to display a like interest in their own welfare. ' Speaking on the subject of education, Mr Pragnell said he thought the primary object of the Trust was to foster it in every means it possessed. The present basis of assisting primary education was, he thought, a fair one, and under it the proposed Lansdowne school must come in for a grant. He favoured the utmost assistance being accorded to secondary education, emphasising the present position of the children of the town in this respect as compared with several years ago, and adding a word of tribute to the splendid successes achieved at the District High School. He favoured supporting technical education, and also physical education, to the fullest, and considered the Trust might evert go so far' as to provide free school books to scholars at the various schools subsidised by the Trust. Passing on to more general matters, Mr Pragnell maintained thai the' Trust should produce an interim balance-sheet subject to correction by the auditor, at the end of its financial year. The position now was that there was no balance-sheat, and consequently no figures to discuss. The financial position was, he under- . stood, as follows:—The income derived in rentals was £1,313, barely 2 per cent, on the capital value, a return which would not be satisfactory to investors in a company. It might hardly be fair to assess on the full value of the Trust lands—£7o,ooo, but even if £20,000 were deducted for leases held on pepper-corn rentals, the return would still be only a fraction over 2J ptr cent. This fact called for serious consideration, and led to the question, how can the revenue be increased, and how could the vacant lands be let? He thought a remedy lay in extending the term of the rentals from 21 ye;;rs to 42 years—2l years' lease witti right of renewal for a similar period, and a compens'ition clause for improvements. This applied to the house sections only, as probably the present leasehold terms were suited to business premises.- A short Enabling BiH'would be necessary to bring about thischahgl 1 . T4'ie 'speaker also considered'the Trust had within-its reach a means of filling up its empty cottage-' sections by utilising the powers conferred by the Advances to Act of 1906, whereby money would be advanced up to 3s 4d the interest in the lease, re-payable in 365 years in half-yearly instalments at 44 per cent., which meant that the rental of the allotment, interest on the money borrowed, and' rates and insurance on a £3OO house amounted to a fraction under 7s weekly. At present the Trust

was paying over £IOO in rates on vacant sections. Mr Pragnell then referred to the necessity for a proper Museum to house the relics at present stowed away in packing cases, many of which relics were of interest in connection with the early history of Masterton. The exchange of sites question was dealt with by the speaker at some length, and he adversely criticised the actions of the Trust in holding out against what he believed to be a good business offer, when their attitude meant the blocking of the way for the erection of a new Courthouse, and the consequent postponement of the likelihood of Supreme Court sittings at Masterton. He said he held no brief for the Government, and a level exchange for 42 feet frontage in Queen street should, if possible, be arranged. As the position was now, however, he understood that an additional 11 feet were procurable valued at £l,lOO, and with this in the Trust were only asked the £I,OOO, and this offer should be closed with. A suggestion had been made by Mr Murray regarding a site in Dixon street for a Courthouse, and in this connection Mr Pragnell said he was informed on good authority that the Government were prepared to exchange the Queen street site for the Hall street one if the Dixon street site suggested by Mr Murray were ako included. (Applause). This, he thought, was an offer the Trust should not disregard, especially as the Government refused to budge from its past attitude olherwise. Mr Pragnell closed his speech by again asking the voters to take a live interest in the Trust affairs and to register their votes on Thursday. Mr John Hunnter asked Mr Pragnell whether he would, if the exchange of sites took place, favour the Trust itself building on the Queen Street site or allowing a lessee to do so. Mr Pragnell reDlied that he would favour the Trust building, and, if necessary, the transfer of a portion of the present £I,OOO building Joan to the Queen Street site. Mr Hessey asked Mr Pragnell if ha was aware- that tin Government already had sufficient land in and adjoining the present Court-house site to build a Court house as large as any in New Zealand. Mr Pragnell replied that he did not know it, and could not be expected either to affirm or deny that there war. It was only an architect who knew exactly what class of building the Government proposed to erect could pronounce definitely on such a question. MR S. KINGDON. Mr S. Kingdon then gave a short address, agreeing with what the previous speaker had said on a good many matters. However, on the exchange of sites question, he thought the Government should not have dealt with the Trust on the lines it would have beep justified in adopting with a private individual, as the Trust was an educational body. Personally, he thought the question of the exchange should have been submitted to the voters. He thought Trustees had been too conservative in their work in the past, and one point he was strongly against was Lhe granting of long leave of absence to Trustees. Mr Kingdon said he did not anticipate that he would be returned to the Trust, but if he were he would do his best, particularly in the interests of the working class. MR J. HESSEY. Mr Hessey accepted the offer of Mr Pragnell to address the meeting, and in doing so returned thanks for the courtesy shown to him. He agreed with what Mr Pragnell had said regarding the Trust being a valuable heritage to the town, but on other points he was r.vt able t? coincide. He said that sections which Mr Pragnell had suggested letting for £4 per year had been under offer for year's past for £2 and £3 per year and were not taken up. The only explanation that occurred to the speaker for this position was that the people did not care about the leasehold and wanted freehold. On the question of exchange of sites the speaker said he had opposed the offer of the Government as made to the Trust from the start, and he still opposed accepting that offer. He said he did not look t.t the pres?nt value of the Hall street site, but at what it would be, say, twenty, thirty or forty years hence, when the town expanded in the only directions now left to it to expand in. He had no hesitation in saying that then the value would equal that of the Queen street site, and there would be nearly four times the frontage. Ha said the Government's attitude regarding the erection of a Courthouse was simply a lame excuse to avoid spending the money He wished to be clearly understood that he was still opposed to the exchange on the terms laid down by the? Government. Re-> garding his absence from Masterton, concerning which,- he said,- much capital had been made,. Mr Hessey averred that he flattered himself this absence had been in the interests of the town. (Hear! Hear)! Even then he had been present i ; n his- seat when important measures were dealt with, often at great personal inconvenience and some expense to himself. Now his mining affairs were so adjusted that if re-elected he would be absent from Trust meetings no more than the average Trustee. MR H. C. ROBINSON, Mr Robinson gave a short address, enlarging chiefly on his proposition regarding the building scheme for the vacant house sections ret out by hirr at his previous address,-and comparing it with that suggested by Mr Pragnell. He said they both were dn the same lines in regard to the bur--' den not falling on the Trust in the event of a .fall in values, but he foresaw under Mr Pragnell's idea 1 re the Advances to Workers' Act difficulties which might perhaps be insuperable, as the Government might not care to lend on leaseholds, and the full amount desired was often hard t" get. The more thcr-speaker thought over his own scheme the 'betteY he liked it, and if it were introduced be thought it wouhl not b'j long before there would not be a vac;n lv , section. While congratulating Mr Hessey on, addressing the voters he did not think he would plead guilty to the charge made by the speaker that in looking ahead 1 thirty or forty years, as he said he was, be and the Trust were neglecting the children of to-day. Mr Robinson applied the term "criminal apathy'" to the manner in which the Trust were acting in this respect. Mr A. Hathaway, secretary of the

Trust, challenged Mr Robinson to prove his charge of "criminal apathy," asking Mr Robinson if he knew of any other town of Masterton's size in New Zealand where the children were so well treated in the matter of education. Mr Robinson, in turn, proceeded to ask Mr Hathaway if there were any other town in New Zealand boasting an institution such as the Trust Lands Trust with £70,000 worth of property. A somewhat warm discussion en sued, Mr Hathaway averring that Mr Robinson had got into a hole and could not extricate himself, and Mr Robinson responding that the Trustees had shown they were negligent in not getting in as much in rental as they should. EXPLANATION BY MR HOGG. The Chairman then, in explanation of various questions and implications at the meeting, outlined the history of the exchange of sites question. Ho said the Minister had increased the offer to him personally of the Queen street site by seven feet of the right-of-way, and this fact had been communicated to Mr W. H. Jackson, a member of the Trust, yet they had preferred to disregard it. He believed he could get the Minister to give the other four feet of right-of-way also, but at the same time he criticised the action of the Trustees in their treatment of the Minister's last offer. On the motion of Mr J. Hunter, seconded by Mr J. H. Pauling, hearty votes of thanks were accorded to all the speakers, and the meeting closed.