ADVANCE INVERCARGILL.

Digger (Invercargill RSA), Issue 31, 15 October 1920, Page 10

ADVANCE INVERCARGILL.

BOROUGH LOANS. FIRST COST THE CHEAPEST.

A. special meeting of the Town Council was held last night to consider putting a number of large loan proposals to the ratepayers. There were six proposals before the meeting, and the amount of only one was reduced. There were present : The Mayor (Mr •John Stead), and Counciilors A. H. Mackrell, J. F. Lillicrap, F. C. Blake, J. Steventon, E. Sheehan, J. Miller, F. W. Preddy, S. McDona-ld, J. Matheson, J. T. Carswell, J. Martin and J. Doig. THE WAR MEMORIAL. It was stated by the Mayor that it had beeri suggested that £15,000 should be r&ised by loan and that there shonld also be an opportunity given for contributions. This was a former suggestion, he thought. Cr. Martin : It was never hinted at. Cr. Carswell, in moving that the memoriul poi! be taken along with the other loan proposals, said that he did not see that the takivtg of them together would militate against any. The ratepayers would taave sufficient diseretion to decide which k»ans they should support, In answer to a question, the Mayor stated that the Council had previously decicled to raise a loan of £15,000. Cr. Carswell said that £15.000 should ha raised even if it was not all needed. The Finance Committee had concluded this after careful consideration. Cr. Mackrell spoke of the advisability »? soliciting subscriptions and, jf Wie nsoney was available, spending £20,000 on the memorial. The cause was worth the expenditure, and the country people should be given a chance to contribute towards what would be a provincial memorial. The opinion expressed by Cr. Mackrell opened up a big question, said Cr. Steventon, and there should be something definite about the proposal. The date of the poll was fixed for Wednesday, December 1, GASWORKS IMPROVEMENTS. In moving that £25,000 be raised for improvement.s at the gasworks, Cr. Lillicrap decJared tliaij the money was necessary, and, as the gasworks manager had pomted out in his reports, vertical retorts would mean an armual saving of £5000. Even ii anything approachirig that was saved ihe Council .vould he doing a very wise thing. The proposals, said Cr. Mackrell ( meant that a mechanical system in the manufacture of gas would be substituted for the present laborious system of stoking. Cr. Mackrell spoke of the advisability of popularising the use of gas. Gas and electricity rau together in the home, and tn the north the former wag being freely advertised. Or. Miller stated that if the gas manager could produce gas of a high heating value (as he said he could) with the present system, it would meet the requirements for some time to corrie. Therefore, he thought the Council would be acting jndiciously if it turned down the proposal. Cr. Mackrell : Don't you want to save £5000 a year? i Doubt that ga.s and electricity ran together was expressed by Cr. Stevenson. He had been assured that it was only a matter of time before a perfect electric cooking stove would be turned out. When the power from Monowai was available clieap oooking, heating and lighting was promised. Still, if the chairman of the committee had gone into this question with the manager, and he thought that the Council was justified in making the improvements, he would support the proposal. Support of the proposal was lent by Cr. S. McDonald, who quoted figures showing the universal growth of gas consumption. Cr. Carswell also supported the proposal. In doing so he said that it would be a few years yet before electricity was available in quantity sufficient to necessitate the scrapping of the gasworks, if that was ever necessary. Cr. Lillicrap : A few centuries. Cr. Blake said that from personal inquiry he knew that the engineers in Engv land were mostly all confident that gas would have its place always. 0r. Miller voted against tlie motlon, whlcL was carried. TRAMWATS. It had to be admitted that £25,000 for the tramways was a fairly large sum, said Csr. Lillicrap in moving that a loan pro-

posal for that amount should be adoptod, but when future requirements aua the position that had been f'orced on them Dy the Public Works Department were taken into account, the amount did not seem extortionate. The committee did not bring for ward the proposal with feelings of joy but the money was essential to bring the service up to the full requirements of the Public Works Department (including fcur extra cars besides the six already on order), the money previously raised was thought sufficient at the time, but prices ha-d soared to such an extent that it was impossible to complete works on hand without more cash. With the few extra car3 they would he able to give a much more satisfactory service, and the revenue would increaie. Cr. McDonald : Have you any estimates of increased revenue? Cr. Lillicrap replied that it was very difficult to go into detailed figures as had been done previously. Cr. Martin seeonded the motion. Cr. Mackrell declarec' that labour had to be eliminated from the service as much as possible. . The cost was steadily increasing, and it would probably not be long before the tramway men would be asking for more money. The "one-man" car would mean a great saving. Cr. Carswell moved an amendment. "That the amount allocated for the four extra cars be eliminated and that the loan be for £12,500 to meet the CounciTs commitments." In doing so he said that cables had indicated a fall in American motor cars, aneFthere was a possibility that this would extend to other articles. The Council, like every other public body, was meeting with difficulty in raising money, and present requirements should be reduced to a minimum. The amendment was seeonded by Cr. Sheehan. Cr. Miller said that the committee would have done better if it had gone after revenue by tapping some of the outlying areas with a motor 'bus. He asked what was to be done with the present cars which, it had been said, were ruining the lines. W er,e they to be sold ? Cr. Mackrell : A good proposition for later on. Cr. McDonald said that although the cars had not paid, the committee was pro. posing to double the capital expenditure, including the previous loan. This would mean an interest bill of £10,000 as against £5000 at present. The committee should have produced a return showing the anticipated extra revenue as against the extra costs. In the course of his reply Cr. Lillicrap declared that the four extra cars would be necessary to operate the improved system advocated some time ago. The motion waS carried by six to five. Cr. Carswell called for a division on the amendment, and the voting was as followa : — For : Crs. Carswell, Sheehan( Miller, McDonald and Preddv ; against, Crs. Mackrell, Lillicrap, Blake, Stevenson, Doig, Matheson and Martin. ELECTRICITY. In moving that £50,000 be asked for to reticulate the Boi'ough with electricity, Cr. Lillicrap declared that the committee recommended the loan with every confidence. Every unit that they sent out meant a substantial revenue to the department, and when the Electric Lower Board came along with its power it was said tbat there would be an outcry if the Borough djd not- have its area reticulated. i A councillor : When will they come along ? Cr. Lillicrap : I am not going to make any rash statements. (Laughter), I Continuing, Cr. Lillicrap said that £12,- ' 895 was necessary to complete works already authorised, but not covered by loan money, and £32,000 was required to carry ; on the department for the next two years. Practically all the latter sum would be revenue producing. He believed that if the rest of the area was reticulated at once most of the people would take the power. The motion found a seconder in Cr. Mackrell, who said that the department should be developed — it might lead to an easement of the rates. An amendment "that the amount proposed be reduced by £25,000" was moved by Cr. McDonald., He believed that money to flnish the V ftrk in hand should be obtained, but th'iy were under no obligation to go in for extensive reticulation during the next two years. Looking ahead, they did not lcnow what changes would ta®E

place in ti iv money market, and there might be a considerable drop in prices within two years. Including the loan sanctioned some months ago, the department would have an expenditure on interest and sinking fund of £7545 as against the £2054 that it had taken to carry on Ihe department in 1919. The amendment was seeonded by Cr. Carswell. He thought tbat the expenditure would be justifiable, but there were loaus proposed for sewerage and roads that were absolutely essential to the ratepayers, and anything that could he done without should go by the boai'd. Most of the money would be spent in reticulating outside the borough, and this was one of the strongest points against the scheme. Cr Lillicrap said that other bodies were all asking for large sums of money and Invercargill had as much chance of getting cash as other places. He was surprised that there were any councillors against a r e ven ue-earning proposal. The amendment was lost by a large majority. SEWERAGE. It was proposed to raise £50,000 for sewerage extension, and Cr. Stevenson proposed the motion. The councillor stated that there had been such heavy inereases attached to the work that more money was an absolute essential. The work had to be carried out. The committee might have been blamed for not pushing on the work during the war, hut it had thought that conditions would improve instead of getting worse. He explained that, provided the conditions had been norma!,, the engineer's estimates would have been well within the limits of cost. "When will the work be done?"' asked Cr. Mackrell, amidst laughter. Cr. Stevenson answered that the committee had to "go easy" owing to the stabe of the labour market, Cr. Blake : A sewerage scheme is design. ed to give a certain effeot a:?ter a great deal of mathematical enquiry and an incompleted scheme cannot accomplish this elfect. The septic tanks are mathematically designed and we cannot expect proper septic treatment. In stead of 10 or 12 men we should have ten times that num^er on the work.ROADS. When the proposal to raise £80,000 for road improvement was considered, Cr. Stevenson moving the necessary motion of support, declared that the work was absolutely necessary, and he was sure that and the memorial proposal would be received more favourably by the ratepayers. The amount was comparatively a small one, but the engineer had shown that he could do a lot of good to the main roads with it. Cr. Carswell seeonded the motion. In his opinion the loss in revenue would not | be so great as the cost of maintenance ; would be greatly reduced. The motor car ] owner, especially, would not grudge an • extra tax if he got decent roads, and the Council should not wait for the Governhrent's tyre tax. They should bring in bv-laws and tax all destructive vehicles. Cr. Mackrell was in support of the motion. Cr. Miller declared that road making was in the melting pot, and the present was not an opportune time for embarking on an ambitious scheme. Cr. Blake : The effective treatment. of our roads is one* which we shail have to face and we should give the ratepayers the opportunity of saying whether they desire a vigorous roading policy brought into operation. The time has arrived when the Government should take over the whole of the main roads in this country, , and this council should initiate a movement which would have the effect of bringing pressure to bear upon the Government to give effecf to this proposal. 'l iien there Is the tyre tax. The man who uses the road is the man who should pay for it, and the council should be a propelling power behind a movement to bring pressure to bear upon the Government to place legislation upon the Statute Book empowering this tax to be levied. The problem oi dustless and tar macadam ia Be-

yond the experimental stage and we should direct the whole of our energies in conducting a roading policy which will utilise the whole of the tar from our gas works. In Britain the tar macadam road is still being laid down and a number of rural highways have been effectively treated with tar spraying. In New Zealand Taranaki leads the "good road" movement. It is the only province where outside tbe city and. borough limits, any extent of tarred road other than an experimental stretbh is to be seen. Every ■county council in Taranaki, but one, has adopted the policy of tarred roads. Waimate West. — A small county of "72 square miles, with a capital •salue of about million's. Nearest connection to a railway is eight miles, and there are nine or ten heavy motor lorries over it every day ; also a lot of through traffic from an adjoining county. Owing to the heavy traffic it wa3 found impossible to mahitahi the road out of rates. Went in for a loan of £60,000 and have now 57 miles of this road. One sector of road, £1000 per mile on repairs before tar treatment and the road was worn out in two years, on coating, top-dressing since, cost auout £420 per mile. Engineer estimates 15ft wide at 13s per chain per annum. There are two ridings and the rate is 1-^d and 1 3-8d in the other. There is no fcpecial rate and no toll gates. Patea County. — -Efforts coneentrated on main road improvements. County has a capital value of three millions and has a fd rate and has laid nine miles out of its 26 of main roads. Kairanga City Council has also a great deal. Wanganui borough has ten miles of tar macadam road generally laid on old pit gravel formation. (Same sixe as Invercargill). Hawera borough. — Population 3600. Four miles tar macadam road, 11* miles tar painted road, 20 miles single path tar macadam with eoncrete kerbs and channels. x Palmerston Noyth, — Tar macadam and tar painted roads. Levin Township. — Population 1800. Streets : Main street is the main north road and traffic is heavy. It was tarred pre-war with gas-works tar, three coats at a cost of 5^d per square yard and has been costing in maintenance 2d per square yard annually. Concrete roads would cost about 8s or 10s per square yard. At 8s this would be £2350 per mile for 10ft roadway, and £4220 for an 18ft road. Annual cost of maintenance about £40 per mile. Taking intqrest and sinking fund at 8 per cent. is £337 plus £40 maintenance — £377. Many of our metalled roads are costing at least £150 to maintain and then there is no reoad. Vincent County have made concrete roads. In Auckland two miles in" concrete. Oldest, Little Queen street. Also reier to cresote blocks. Wellington. — About a mile in heavy streets, carpeted over- tar pitch and asphalt carpet. Varies from 9s per square yard. One street top dressed tar on hand, 7s 4|d per square yard. Napier. — About quarter mile. Wanganui borough has two concrete roads. The first, Victoria Avenue, and Taupo Quay. Work done 1914, cost, concrete, 6s lOd per square yard, carpet 2s 5d, total 9s 3d per square yard. Kairanga. County.— A trial length rural concrete road. bare concrete, 10ft wide, which was laid down by a councillor, guaranteed £29 per chain. (No sign of wear). Cr. McDonald r,emarked tbat the pa-s-sing of loans that night reminded him of "frenzied finance." These loans, if carried, would bring the Borough debt up to £900,000, and a great part of the money raised at onq per oent. hlgher than the money they had carried all those years. The tendency was to reduce the money rate, and they did not know but what in a year or two they would be able to get money at four or five per cent. again. Ho believed that the amount of £80,000 should ibe reduced to say £25,000 to be ' spent on improving one of tbe main streets

bearing the bulk of the traffic T| one moved, he would support fl ment reducing the amount to £torJ There was a supporter of 0r w u ■ inCr Preddy,whoattributedth6^I . ness of the money market to (U ■ tion for cash. ConipB^ Cr Martin spoke in favour of A. In his reply, Cr. Stevenson I » that tlw engineer, after a carefulTIB gation, had given a good and modJt ■ i Port- 11 wa9 so modest that there »| 51 streets the scheme could not u| He was sorry that the amount WSs ■ £100,000, and if the Council was wjjlfl I he would move that it be so increaledB i Cr. McDonald : Make it £200000 ■ I The motion was carried, being op J ^ by Crs. Miller, Preddy and McDonaM RECLAMATION. j Just before the meeting closed I Mayor reminded the Council that ij : was necessary to carry on the rec J tion work along the eastern wai!. | It was decided to add a special loan* ^ £1500 to the proposals for this purposo®=