BOROUGH FINANCE.

Greymouth Evening Star, 26 January 1903, Page 2

BOROUGH FINANCE.

Qua morning contemporary makes an appeal to the ratepayers in to-day's issue. To make an appeal for a change it is necessary to find fault. Our contemporary finds fault. No one objects to fault-finding, to the keenest of criticism, provided the statements made are truthful, and the deductions made therefrom are free from the suspicion of being made with other intent than for the public weal. We will but briefly deal with the charges. No 1 deals with the Town Hall and the action of the Council in allowing tenders to be called f r a building, the lowest tender for which was £9,500. The original estimate was £7,000, and as the ratepayers I voted £BOOO for the same, they thereby duly sanctioned that amount, and tenders were called in conformity with thai vote. The extra cost which is not likely to be concerned is explained by the fact that at the present time the building trade is very brisk, and prices

are ruling very much higher than they were six months ago. We are told that it is a slovenly way of doing business to have the aid of a second architect. Well in such matters the guidance and aid of a second expert is generally called in. Then says our contemporary":—" Even in the small matter of the £15,000, that could not be arranged without a bungle, and Mr. M. Hannan, the solicitor, is now at Wellington endeavoring to rectify the matter." The last telegram from Mr. Hannan is to the effect that the points raised by the Wellingt n solicitor have been admitted to be wrong, and that the loan was properly raised. Wherein then lies the bungle or the necessity to sneering reference to the Mayor as " a great financier " ? The next charge is Easson's Hill and the delay in settling with Easson. In this case the usual course was followed. The gazette notice was made last Friday; no unnecessary delay took place in regard to the matter ; but if our contemporary's contention is right, the ratepayers got the benefit of such delay or supposed delay. "Another instance of how affaiis are postponed that ought to be Bottled at once," says the Argus,

" without loss of time, is the land of the old Coey couple seized for the purposes of the water service of the borough. Why should the Council go to sleep over such matters? There is no reason why this small matter should not have been disposed of long ago, and no doubt would have been if only some one had a personal interest in the affair." Here again our contemporary displays a lack of knowledge of the facts. Along with Mr Coey's land is a large parcel being taken from the Native Trust. Both must be dealt with at the same time, and the Trust sections have been pushed on with all dilligencc by the Council; "the delay is with the Trust. The latter sentence savors of libel. Our contemporary winds up as follows : —" We venture to say that no other report of Borough Council proceedings ever threw so strong and disagreeable a light on the management of borough affairs." If an incorrect statement is put before a jury, or if a jury proceeds to give its verdict after having heard but one side—and a misleading version at that —it is not likely to return a correct rinding ; but ratepayers generally hear both sides, and give their votes accordingly. Will our contemporary give us a single instance in the Australasian colonies where a borough has purchased a gas works, carried through a water and drainage scheme, built three expensive bridges and purposes erecting a town hall, without imposing a single shilling of increased taxation on the ratepayers ? Yet the present Greymouth Borough Council, this so termed body of incompetents, have done this.