CITY COUNCIL AFFAIRS.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 58, Issue 56, 8 April 1929, Page 8

CITY COUNCIL AFFAIRS.

"B. RIGHT."

To the Editor. Sir, — I must congratulate the Napier City Council 011 scttling the water question, though I do not see bow oue hour at night will be suflioient in Summer time to water gardens. It seenis tliat tbe determination of tbe people brought the council to cliange its former decision of metering our water supply to a more pleasant tirrangeiuent lnc'.led. There is another proposition which the council lias not let thc public know much about, and tliat is thc liiarkct reserve proposals At lcast, tho public don't seem to know all about tbe expensco, costs and proposed profits of thc rebuikling scliemc. Building nowadays is almost too expcnsive to cxpecb niuch return or profit. lu order to attract tcnants tbese Alarkct Reserve sliops and oflices tvould need to be let at a lower rcntal than any in other parts of tbe towu. Looking at the rebuilding scheme from all points of view it seems to me to be. as far as tlie town is concerned, a certain failure. We would be far better witliout any buildings thereon whatever. a11 emptv reserve used for some other purpose than high buildings would he more beneficial to the town. No doubt, in tinies now past, liad Napier more empty spaces and more access to outer parts, the reserve would have been treatcd like otber such rescrves in otber parts of New Zealand and been witliout buildings to this day. _ England to day is spending many millions of monev in clcaring out congested areas. \Vn seem to he doing tlie very opposite. Thcro are towns and- villages huilt in England about tbe same time as Napier avus built and Avbich have larger rcsidental sections and more open spaces. Alarket Reserve is natnrally one of tbe lungs of tbe city, and as such sliould not be choked for the exactions of the cruel ends of business, thc greed of gold, and such treatment as our descendents will never thank us ■for. Here. indeed, is wliere the Minister of Health and the director of town planning sliould adopt stern measures with those responsible, who, for pecuniary gain (which after all may be a loss) intend to congest the centre of the town to an alarming extent. To liave all tlfe proposed offices let, and I liave lieard it said that tbe new bniklings could aceommodate _ all the offices and some of the sliops in town. would mean robhing other huildipss of their tenants. The income from those vacated shops and offices would he nil, resulting in 110 rates ohtainable for' same and thereby halance tlie small return from our reserve buildings. To empty shops and offices in other parts of the town and crowd them into the centre amounts to serious council interfercnce in private business. AA7ould it not be better to have there a lawn, a "Winter garden, etc., and let all tlie surrounding property build new buildings? Such a cent'ral spot Avould look dclightful to tlie eyes of ourselves and to all those who seek Napier as a tourist and seaside resort? Could not we turn from gold-getting from this area and get it some other way ? Instead, tliinlc of health, beauty, safety and general henefit to our town. and have this area be treated in some manner as I have said. No doubt larger incomes froxn rates of more valuable surrounding properties, were this spot vacant, would more than balance the couple of thousands of pounds profit which might (or might not) be the return of our new buildings on Market reserve. I might state that I am in no way fuiancialiy interested in this matter other than a ratepayer. and write solely because I wish that our town could be more beautiful, safer, healtliier and more eheerful in every way. Thanking you for your valuable space. — I am, etc.,

Napier April 7. 1929.