"CITIZEN'S" REJOINDER.

Feilding Star, Volume VI, Issue 136, 2 May 1885, Page 3

"CITIZEN'S" REJOINDER.

TO THB EDITOR OF THE STAB. Sib, — Allow me to say a few words in answer to Mr Macarthur's letter. That lie has a perfect right to try to pull my finance to pieces, I admit; «nd am prepared to be made a laughing stock of, if the public think fit. But that he is justified in attributing my letter to sarcasm, I deny. I have as much right to express my opinion on public matters as he has, and I think it would have been more statesmanlike and generous had he confined himself to trying to pull my policy to pieces instead of attributing to me that which he has no proof of. In his letter, he Bays — "'Citizen' sincerely advocates the paying of! an overdraft of some £600 by public subscription, in order that we may continue to pay one half of our small revenue away to officials for administering the other half." Now, if I had intended to pay off the whole of it in , such a manner, I should hardly have suggested economy, anddevoting other available funds to considerably reduce it. The hitter part of the extract says , — " We pay half of our small revenue to officers for administering the other half." Now I deny that this is a fact. > We pay a man 7s per diem to assist in keeping our roads in repair ; we also pay an Inspector of Nuisances and a Hanger £20 a year each, and the auditors £10 10s. These officers perform, certain set duties. Before we proceed, let us see in what way these officers administer the remaining ~ funds of the Council. I cannot see . that they do so in any way, but perhaps Mr Macarthur with his large experience can enlighten me. The only remaining officers and fees we have now to deal with are the Clerk and Engineer, lighting fees, &c. The Town Clerk receives three quarters of his salary out of the general account, which comes to £116 ss, less a consideration for rent. The Engineer received last year £26, being percentage on engineering works carried out, about £17 of which is on account of Warwick street bridge, a loss caused by the flood; lighting, &c,, £15 13s; as these are the only items I know of that in any way administrate the remaining funds of the Council We will see what they come to: Clerk's salary, £116 ss; engineering, £26; .lighting, £15 13s; total, including percentage on Warwick street bridge, £157 18s. How this can be made to represent half of our revenue I am not politician enough to say. But I conaider that the statement that the Council spend one half of our income in administering the other, to be a more fallacious statement than the one published by the Borough. — I am, £c, „.-, CmzEir.