TOWN BOARD FINANCES

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 4 May 1916, Page 2

TOWN BOARD FINANCES

TO THE EDITOR

Sir, —I see that Mr McLeod is not yet prepared to admit that his management of the Town Board finances left anything to be desired. However, I have effected one good thing, I have induced him to drop from metaphor (mixed at that) to direct statement. He says my charges generally are baseless, but he evidently is afraid to discuss facts. He defies me to formulate specific charges. Now, sir, Ido not make baseless charges. I can produce facts clearly proving all my 'statements, but if Mr McLeod says he wants none of my charity, I am quite ready to oblige. Mr McLeod was Chairman of the Town Board and a member of the Waitemata County Couucil. There were various roads in the town that needed formation by the removal of spoil. A large quantity of spoil was required for the new bridge. The Waitemata County Council were prepared to take spoil from anywhere. Had Mr McLeod regarded only the interests of the town and the county, he would have had the spoil from a road, thereby forming a town road, while supplying spoil for the bridge. Mr McLeod, however, was chairman or president or head in some way of a syndicate or club that wanted a lot of earth removed from a certain section off Commercial Road (private land, of course), and- acting as Chairman of the Board and member of the County, he arranged . that the spoil should be removed, not from the road, but from the private, section. Now, the cost of removing spoil from the private section was one far greater than from the road. In this way some £50 to £75 was paid in excess of what it was necessary to spend, and work to the value of £25 to £50 that could have been done on the road was not done ; a total loss to the ratepayers of about £100—spent in benefiting private land. Mr McLeod's statement made at the time that spoil from the road was wanted elsewhere is palpably absurd. If Mr McLeod wants further facts, I can give them. —I am, etc., '

E. Thurlow Field.