At the meeting of the Corporation, Alderman McNiece suggested that the Mayor, along with the City Treasurer and Law Adviser, should meet with the Manager of the Provincial Bank to explore the possibility of securing an advance for the Council’s Artizans’ Dwellings project on Frederick Street. The Council had been denied a loan of £3,000 for this purpose. This issue had been ongoing for three years, and recently they had obtained a £7,000 loan for electric lighting. However, Mr Dundon pointed out that they had no security to offer the bank for the money needed for the Artizans’ Dwellings. They had security for the electric lighting project because they could exceed their borrowing limit of 58 in the £ for that purpose, but they couldn’t do the same for building purposes.
Alderman McNiece argued that the houses themselves would serve as security. Mr Dundon agreed with this assessment. The loan of £3,000 for the artizans’ cottages had been recommended by the Board of Works after a local inquiry but was rejected by the Treasury. The Treasury’s response, which Mr Dundon considered a mere excuse, stated that as long as the Corporation continued to levy the current rates, they would not receive any money. The Treasury believed that the Corporation had increased the rates unreasonably.
Alderman McNiece lamented that without obtaining the funds, they couldn’t bring about any reforms, and the problem of tenement overcrowding and congestion in the city would persist. It was agreed that the delegation proposed by Alderman McNiece would meet with the Manager of the Provincial Bank. The Mayor added that since this issue had been raised, he believed the first reform that needed to happen in Limerick was a reduction in rates if they wanted to build houses. Alderman Juyce responded by asking who would propose a method to achieve that. The Mayor stated that they were convening a special meeting of the Departmental Committee to assess municipal expenditure, and they might find a solution there.
Limerick Echo – Tuesday 06 September 1904
