We hava inserted a sum of Tis, 12,500 for the restoration of the conservatories in the Reserve Garden. I say " restoration " advisedly, for until the re-constraction of the (arden Bridge was undertaken, we had a satisfactory group of small' bat serviceable place houses at our disposal for the calt tion and growth of lowers. The bridge tks, however, made serious inroads in the space available, and involved the noverance of a portion of the buildings, leaving wound which has not yet toon healed. The Parks Commitiee, under whose superintendence these matters come, has asked us for Tle 12,500 to restore the damage done, aad improve the conservatory sccommodation generally at this point, No Manicipal economist will, I trast, be-grade this sum for the purpose io hand. Even Mr. Drammond, whom 1 may describe as the high priest of Manicipal economy, will recall the time, years ago, when at his enggestion we passed oar last vote io the interests of horticulture. Hix amendment in 1901, iustencting the Council to rebuild the green houses sod instal heating apparatus therein, was carried by a very large majority, and I have little doubt that ject of thin similarly carried to-
The Road appropriation for the year in Tle, 227,000, the highest similar vote which has been proposed for your acceptance up to the present. The reason for this is contained in the words " Peking Road." Ihave already spoken at some length on the abject, and I will add little thereto, beyond' stating that the money expended on the extension of roads, on the widening of existing roads and on making up, is, io the Council's opinion, money well spet; and I may add that no single i: em of expenditure throughout the year receives more attention at the bands of the Council than the expenditure ander this head-I may even go the length of saying that not one single payment for road-lund is made without very careful consideration at the hands of the Works Committee, whose Chairman, my colleague Mr. Measer, probably knows more on the subject of land values, and effect on values of Manicipal roads, than anybody in this room to-day.
La placing last year's Badget before you I gave you " summary of our financial position which excluded our borrowings on account of the Electricity Departweut. Briefly, the position then was that we had or were about to borrow nptoTls.2,200,000 against which webed realizable assets of over Tls. 7,000,000,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.