Sessional_Paper_1887-1888 — Page 355

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I contend however that the land at West Point will not sell for such a price as $4 per square foot, with the amount of land that will then be thrown on the market, and it is quite unfair to saddle the owners of land at West Point with the cost of reclaiming the land in the Central District which undoubtedly will sell for from $12 to $15 per square foot.

It will be absolutely necessary before the Marine Lot-owners are asked to pledge themselves to this scheme that they shall know what it is going to cost them, and for this purpose I would suggest that the Government should make a survey and lay before the Marine Lot-owners the approximate cost, say within $100,000, it will then be for the Marine Lot-owners to apportion this cost between them, having regard to the consideration I have mentioned.

Crown Rent.-The Government in condition No. 7 of the Colonial Secretary's letter say "each marine lot-owner shall pay an annual Crown Rent of $200 per quarter acre; if the land Westward will only be worth $4 per foot and that Central, worth $12 to $15 per foot, is it fair and equitable that those Marine Lot- owners Westward should pay the same Crown Rent as those in the better favoured Central District. I would suggest that the Crown Rent on the reclaimed land, be placed at the same rate as the Crown Rent on the present Marine Lots, especially so as the annual Crown Rent for the present marine lots is not to suffer any rebatement.

25°/ Security.-The Government in condition No. 4 of the Colonial Secretary's letter, say,

"each marine lot-owner shall deposit at the Bank 25 per cent of the total value of the contribution to the General Fund, by way of a guarantee of his bona fides, such 25 per cent to be forfeited to the Crown in the event of the marine lot-owners subsequently failing to take up his allotment of the reclamation;" the objections to this condition are many and various, and will in some cases no doubt exercise with considerable harshness, and as it is most likely to be discussed freely at the Public Meeting, I will not further comment on it, but would make the following suggestion for your consideration; that each marine lot-owner shall deposit at the Bank 5 per cent of the total value of his contribution to the General Fund by way of a guarantee of his bona fides, and at the same time execute a first mortgage on the proposed reclaimed site, on behalf of the Government and in the event of the marine lot-owner being, from any cause whatsoever, unable to take up his allotment, the 5 per cent deposit shall be returned to him, but the land shall lapse to the Government under the said mortgage.

Section-Holders.-I note that in the Plan approved by the Government the reclaimed land has only been apportioned to the original Leaseholds, no regard having been taken of those sections into which the original Leaseholds have been divided from time to time.

I presume that the reclaimed land will be apportioned to these various sections in accordance with the plan of division already adopted and would suggest that the apportionment of these sections be done by the Government.

Existing Wharves and Piers.-This is a matter affecting those interested that will bear discussion.

Sewering, &c.-Condition No. 2 of the Colonial Secretary's letter is to the effect that all sewering and channelling is to be carried out by the Public Works Depart- ment at the cost of the marine lot-owners, and in your letter of the 13th of July to the Colonial Secretary you mention, that you are, "sanguine the marine lot- owners will come forward, and by carrying out the work at their sole expense, achieve free of cost to the public, the greatest sanitary improvement of which the Colony has ever stood in need of." With reference to this I have no doubt each marine lot-owners would be willing to bear his proportionate cost of the sewerage works necessary on the completion of such a scheme as this, but to carry out a great and needful improvement of the Colony, and one that it is contended the Colony has long stood in need of, is asking the marine lot-owners (who are altogether but a small section of the leaseholders in the Colony) to pay a large sum of money, not at all for any benefit to themselves, but admittedly as a benefit to the rest of the community, and to save the Government paying the cost of a needful sewerage scheme.