PORT CHALMERS MUNICIPALITY.

Evening Star, Issue 2911, 18 June 1872, Page 2

PORT CHALMERS MUNICIPALITY.

To the Editor.

Sir, — In my last I showed how our worthy councillors supplimented L 1,250 to the lender of L 5,000, although they might have had the loan at par; and how they are laying one yard wide of pavement at about the same expense as Dunedin pays for five yards wide. I will now show what the effect of this bungling and extravagance will be, viz.—increased and almost intolerable taxation, and, in order to make the matter clear, I will venture a small financial statement. First then as to

Revenue : Annual rate at Is per £, L 40 0; rents, &c., Ll5O ; licenses, &c, under the new arrangement, Ll6o—total, L7lO. Expenditure : Mayor, L 25 ; Clerk, LI 30 ; Assessor, L2O ; Inspector of Nuisances, L2O; Solicitor, LIOO ; Daymen, wages, and carts, L3OO ; interest, L 35 0; gas, LOO; road rates, miscellaneous accounts, advertisements, and surveying, L2oo—total, L 1235, Now, sir, I am convinced that I have set down the revenue too high aud the expenditure too low, but as it is, it shows a clear deficiency of L 525, without any new works. I have purposely left out of the calculation the small contracts that have been entered into, as of course they will be paid out of the borrowed money. I have also omitted the sinking fund on the one side and the interest on deposit on the other, as the one will about balance the other; but I would ask have trustees been appointed in accordance with the Act to take charge of this sinking fund? I don’t believe they have. Is it ominous ? But to return. If our worthy councillors had known what they were about and were honest, they would have levied a rate of 2s Cd in the £, and collected the whole of it, instead of a Is rate, collecting only about the half of it : It is quite plain that if there be a finance committee at all, it does not give the best attention to the subject, if indeed it has the ability to do so, leaving the Mayor to do the whole business ; hence the dreadful mismanagement of affairs. But some may say that, when -the Waterworks are completed, they will add to the revenue. Yes, it will add to the revenue, but so it will to the expenditure, in the shape of additional interest ; and to what extent no human being knows. I understand that the report of the Engineer has been utterly disregarded, and a site has been erected for a reservoir, although he has reported that it can scarcely be made water-tight without immense cost. And in the event of a failure, cannot he point to his rejiort and say, “I told you so from the beginning !” It is not the first time that

waterworks have cost about doable the estimated cost, even after they have been contracted for—Dunedin for example ; and if this be the case, and I feel assnred it will be, they will not, pay the interest of the money borrowed, so that taxation will be increased rather than diminished. One word about the means by which our councillors are carrying out this work. In the first place they propose to go to the Colonial Parliament to have a Bui passed, which, according to wiser heads than mine, is worth a shilling when got. This Bill is nevertheless to cost LSOO or more. A Bill for the very purpose was passed daring the last session of the Assembly, and is now the law of the land, where all the powers are already given which are asked for in their private Act. There is just one thing they may want, that is, a higher taxing power. The general Act gives the power to rate up to Is 6d in the pound, but as they are so recklessly wasting the money borrowed at such a ruinous rate, it is quite likely they will rate up to 2s 6d or 3s in the pound. Ratepayers of Port Chalmers, in justice to yourselves, look into your own affairs and restrain such action as will lead to the ruin of the town for a long while to come. Yours, &c., Watchman. Port Chalmers, June 17th,