PETONE PLUMBERS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 878, 26 July 1910, Page 4

PETONE PLUMBERS.

: ——&—*-- : AND MUNICIPAL COMPETITION. At a meeting of the Petono Borough Council last evening a deputation. of licensed plumbers was introduced bv Councillor Piper,, who also acted as spokesman. ,'..".. Councillor Piper contended that, by engaging in the gas-fitting business, the council imposed unfair conditions on licensed plumbers. In. tlio present stato of•■ competition/there was no rooiu and no need for the council.to ao into this work, and especially at prices at which' no man could live or oven pay his license fee. Tho council not only made it very ,hard for a~ man to' secure work at remunerative rates, but penalised him when ho obtained fittings at -the council's shop. The speaker and other members of tho deputation quoted prices in support of their position and in conclusion it was claimed that it.was altogether out of order for a municipality to enter into competition, with tradespeople, but that' if it did it should ask prices that would show a reasonable profit. Tho Mayor, .in replying, said the council had for a number of years been in the. gas-making and gas-selling business, and the •' policy followed right from tho start, with somo' variations, had been to foster in every possible way the consumption of gas. -Rightly or'wrongly, tho practico had been followed of, assisting the consumor as much as possible. If the council was to he blamed for that, then he for one would feel that perhaps, .it .would he better' if' it sold out its gas-making business entirely and left the- business to a private company. If the borough was to. continue this business it must bo done in the best possible stylo. Municipalities generally throughout.tho Dominion did as- much as possible in connection. With the selling of gas. TIIJ3 had been tho policy in tho past and- he- hoped it would bo the policy in the future. It was unfortunate that this should.be hard on individuals, but it was. tho general tendency of municipal effort. In the meantime ho wished to point out that tho council in this matter was acting under by-laws passed some years ago. These must hu, revoked before any alteration iu the council's policy could bo made. • When the question came before, tho council tho Mayor read a lengthy report from the engineer of which the gist was that the policy pursued by the borough was on all fours with that 'followed by other municipalities wigagod in gas production. Councillor Piper essayed to continue tho discussion, but tho Mayor ruled that, as -an interested party, lie should stand out. Finally a motion that tho next business lie taken was carried without discussion by fonr votes to three. Councillor PJper described the proceeding as "a rank injustice."