HIS STEWARDSHIP,

Evening Post, Volume LXXXI, Issue 91, 19 April 1911, Page 2

HIS STEWARDSHIP,

EASTBOURNE'S MAYOR EXPLAINS Mr. H. W. Short!, Mayor of Eastbourne, addressed the electors of the borough last evening on his stewardship during the- past year. He said he had laid down what he thought to b© a progressive programme during the year. He had urged the installation' 1 of a water and drainage system, the erection of a town hall, and the acquisition of as much of the foreshore as possible. Each proposal, according to his promise, had been duly brought forward. The majority of the councillors had been against him over the town hall scheme, and it had not been considered. With regard to the water and drainage scheme, that had been laid beforo the council, and a report upon it had been obtained from Mr. Mestayer, C.E. The council adopted the report, but the ratepayers rejected the proposal. It had been rumoured that the cost of the report and legal expenses was £325. This was absolutely incorrect. The total expenditure was £100 15s 6d. Mr. Shortt also referred to the ferry service, reported elsewhere. - FINANCE. Coming to the balance-sheet, the Mayor observed that there was an excess of expenditure- over receipts 01 £36 16s 8d; but last year the coimcil had £2192 2s 6d more to spend than at present. The whole of this was spent in addition to another £31 8s Bd. Then £143 6s 7d was expended before he was installed Mayor. The revenue of the borough was £1413 8s Id and the expenditure £1450 4s 9d. Out of this £5 5s had been paid to the commissioner for adjusting the - proportion of the borough's assets in Hutt county, whicn, together with £31 8s 8d over-spent last I year,' had exceeded the revenue by 3s j Id. The excess of liabilities over assets was £247 11s 9d. Cuncillor D. Robertson wished to know what were ihe total liabilities of the borough? The Mayor thought that was a peculiar question for a councillor to ask. \The total indebtedness was £4747 11s 9d. Councillor Robertson wished ior details. He pointed out that there was a permanent loan of £4500 upon which interest and sinking fund had to be paid ; also an overdraft of £550, upon which interest at the rate of 6 per cent, per annum had to be paid to the bank. There were a good many people who did not fully understand the Mayor's statement of the total indebtedness.. OUTSTANDING RATES. Outstanding rates then engaged the attention of Councillor Robertson, who remarked : "Mv experience of this borough beats all the boroughs that I have ever had anything to do with for outstanding rates." The outstanding rates, he said, amounted to £270. Why were they not all collected? Th© total income was but £1200. and fixed charges amounted to nearly £1000. They could not make headway with these outstandj ing rates. When they had money to spare they should go in for some fine schemes. He referred to the foreshore schemes, the purchase of Russo's land for £300. Not a penny had been paid for it yet. "We are," he said, "putting a millstone arouud your necks all right." ATTENDANCE. When asked how many meetings of the council he had attended, Councillor Robertson exclaimed, "They drove me out "of the council. when T was sticking. f up' for y our^r i'glrfe." ''" The Mayor pointed out that as CounI cillor Robertson lived in town, it t was I not always possible for him to attend I all the meetings. Personally, he did not liko to say how many meetings a councillor attended. Councillor Robsrtsoli further stated that some councillors had to pay money out of their own pockets "to save ratepayers' necks from wild-cat schemes." He wished to see the district go ahead, and had as much interest in the borough as most of them. Finallj'j a hearty vote of thanks was passed to the Mayor, seconded by Councillor Robertson, who also called "for cheers for Mrs. Shortt, wife of the Mayor. Cheers were also given for the, Mayor.