The Daily Telegraph. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1883.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3622, 20 February 1883, Page 2

The Daily Telegraph. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1883.

The Boroug-h of Napier is not likely to suffer by the thoughtless utterances of those amongst its "city fathers" Avho desire, apparently, to declare the insolvency of the Corporation. It is a curious circumstance that the councillor most anxious to slioav the involved condition of the finances is he avlio has been thwarted more than once in his endeavor to increase the rates. It is, perhaps, natural that he should now Avish to prove by figures that extra taxation has all along been a necessity. There is a majority in the Council, hoAvover, Avho, capable of taking a clearer and more business-like view of the position, will oppose any attempt to add to the burdens of the ratepayers. At the last ordinary meeting of the Council public attention avus draAvn to the fact that the Corporation banking account was overdrawn to nearly the limit permitted by law. The councillor to whom Aye have pointed above made the most of the statement, and figuratively danced on the insolvent and prostrate body of the Corporation. It did not siut his purpose to take note of the A'aluablo estate iv the hands of the borough, that avus reclaimed at a cost of over £7000. The natural consequence of so umvisc a proceeding Avas a notification from the Union Bank that cheques would only be honored to the amount that Avould bring the overdraft up to the legal limit, and that in three mouths from February Ist last the agreement betAveen the bunk and the Corporation Avould cease. How easily the little difficulty was overcome Avas learnt from His Worship the Mayor last night. Not only Averc tAvo banks Avilling to take up the Corporation account, but private money lenders ivere actually anxious to advance Avhat avus wanted on the security of the reclaimed sections. Thus, to the soitoav of pessimists, there has been no financial crisis ; there has not actually been a monetary difficulty. The Avhole thing arose, avc apprehend, from a miscalculation respecting the cost of the Avater supply extension Avorks. When these Avere undertaken it avus thought there Avould be ample funds from the balance of the loan to cany the scheme out to completion. There Averc, however, other causes of expense, and considerable sums of money avc re spent in completing the Avorks in connection Avith Avhat is known as "Mr Peppereorne's plan." This plan included kcrbing and channelling by-streets, and otherwise improving the general appearance of the town—a needless expenditure in our opinion, but to Avhieh the Corporation was more or less bound. The balance of the loan Avas consequently expended before the completion of the Avater works, and an overdraft avus contracted in excess of the amount anticipated. In a previous article we ex.plained how the balance of the loan disappeared by being used to pay off an overdraft represented in the cost of reclaiming the swamp sections. Apart from the expenditure en water extension Avorks the Corporation is " living ay. 1 within its means." It is the knoAvledge that the revenue is amply sufficient to cover all ordinary expenditure that inspires confidence in tho financial position, and it is the absence of that knoAvledge in one of the councillors that induces him on every possible occasion to speak as though the Corporation was financially unsound. We may here remark that the administration of borough affairs of late has been characterised as being conducted on "happy-go-lucky" principles, and if the discharge of a number of laborers, the curtailment of th c powers of th c engineer' s department, and a general inclination to economy be happy-go-lucky, avc confess that we arc pleased to sec tho adoption of such a principle in the conduct of the public business. The existing Mayor and Council have a most thankless task befuro flj.ejn. They came into office when the money had all been spent, and after a time of most reckless extravagance. A good idea of the extravagant folly that characterised the administration in former years may bo gathered from the fact that thousands of pounds -were buried beneath the roads in drainage Avorks which nm\ their levels can absolutely drain nothing. But this sprt of tilingA\-as allowed to go on unchecked, and contract after contract Avas given out for Avorks either positively useless then or at any other time, or for Avhieh no use AY'Ould be required for years to come. That is lioav the loan Ai'as squandered, and because nothing- Avas said about it in the Council the ratepayers Avere led to believe that efficiency Avas the characteristic of the administration of public affairs. Ncy that the money has come to an end it is noeasymiiiter . makoit appear that everything is working smoothly, but avc do believe that both the Mayor and the councillors are animated by ' the one object to conduct the business of the borough is such a way that on retiring from office Liiay will not be charged Avith A\-ilful waste of public mcii,ey.