BOROUGH AFFAIRS.

Hastings Standard, Issue 251, 19 February 1897, Page 3

BOROUGH AFFAIRS.

J [To THE ElflTOIi.J Si!;, —Tlie public is indebted to your valuable paper fur the very full reports you give of the ISftrough Council proceedings. Hitherto only a garbled account of the doings of our City Fathers was obtainable and then we had to go to Napier to yet t,!c- news. Two items in your last report struck uie very forcil.'ly—viz., the cleaning of the drains and tlie Inspector of Slaughterhouse's report. On the forni.-i----subject Cr Crosse's remarks deserve to be kept in mind until the next election. According to your reporter he suggested that the denning of the borough drains be delayed ljocar.se in a short time there would be more unemployed about the place and consequently the work could be done cheaper. Could a better advocate fur the sweaters be found anywhere, and would a more discreditable argument be advanced by any .-me person, l'erliaps the speaker was touting tor the local undertakers. for it is certain that if the drains are not cleaned at once a serious epidemic nnM arise. And then there is the question of six festering pigs being found in one of the local slaughtering' yards. The public demands mote information on the subject, and will not be satisfied by the •' overlooking"' attitude of the Council. Everyone knows that the lioad Overseer is overworked and cannot devote sufficient time to the proper inspector) of slaughterhouses —a most important matter in these days of epidemics. But here the sweating action of the Council is again to the fore, and 011 the score of economy the public are allowed to suli'er. The work of cleaning the drains should be started immediately and Mr Cook should be relieved of his duty as inspector of slaughter-houses, as he has already jar too much to do. I intended to treat on the action of Couneillois in one or two other niatteis, but I have taken up too much space already. The motto of the Council appears to be, ■■ Never do anything to-day that can be done to-morrow." The Sunday train business was a point in fact. Before tlie petition of the Council had been sent to Government the opponents of the movement had worked to such an extent that a reply had been received hv them from headquarters stating that Sunday trains would not be run between Hastings and Napier. And ail the Council's actions appear to lie dilatory. At the present rate of progress we will have a public recreation ground in another twenty years — that is, unless some of the Council "lings" tire broken up.—l am. &c., liATKI'AVKIt. Hastings. Feb. Is. 1897.