MUNICIPAL ECONOMY.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2674, 1 November 1882, Page 2

MUNICIPAL ECONOMY.

With every desire to he charitable we cannot understand the principle on which Councillor Jenkins asked his question re stonebraakers the other evening at tho City Council. There is an old and very true proverb, which we would commend to the serious contemplation of Councillor Jenkins, and that is, “ Be just before you are generous.” Now, it appears to us.

that Councillor Jenkins desires to be the latter at the expanse of the former. The works committee of the City Council have come to the conclusion that to pay 11s 6d per yard ior road metal whan we can get it at 5s 6d is a mistake ; and wc- think the majority of the ratepayers will agree with them. The items of broken metal and. wages of stonehreakers has always been, very serious ont-s in the accounts of the Council. Indeed, the former is, we think, one of the largest accounts on the debit side. With the fact on the one hand, that from the growth of population, and the consequent opening up of new streets thereby increasing largely the amount of metal required, and on the other that a very large saving can be made, the Wox-ks Committee had no alternative but to recommend, as they have done. We are at a loss to understand how it is that so expensive a system should have prevailed so long. The only excuse, so far as can be gathered, is that the adoption of what is now recommended by the present Works Committee meant the discharge of certain stone-breakers. But surely the city is not to be so heavily handicapped as this to support these men. It would he better to provide employment for them in. some other way than this to draw upon the city revenue. We congratulate the Works Committee upon having made so important a reduction in the cost of a very necessary work—a reduction which we hope will nowenable them to pay a little more attention, in the way of metalling to some of the outside streets, which require it badly.