THE OOUN IT ESTIMATES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume II, Issue 74, 11 May 1880, Page 2

THE OOUN IT ESTIMATES.

TO THB EDITOft OP THE MANAW.VTC HEKALD. Sm — I think Mr Sannon was perfectly right in raising a protest to the hasty pass* ing of the Estimates, as to cod on the Counoil by the Chairman, and for two reasons : first, that the consideration of the Estimates is the only period in the whole year that the members consider the ways and means as a whole, and have an opportunity of enquiring how some things corns to pass ; and secondly ,that during my tenure of office this very question was always ma-Je a point of by the up country representatives. It may suit the majority of the members to have the present estimates passed without discussion, as they reflect no oredit on loser j or gainers ; but it U a bad principle that v return which necessitates the striking the highest rate the law allows, should be confirmed before the members have had an opportunity of examining it. The Councillor for the Taonui Riding has given this much attention to the Estimate*, that he has willingly passed a statement tb.*t h.« $idiog ia \n debt £177 more

than it really is, owing to the Chairman havi'ie; made a wrong; addition. The Councillors for the Awahou Riding remained quiet, even when the Estimates proclaim that the three Northern Ridings still will remain in debt £297, when at a publio meeting at Foxton they assured their hearers that they were carefully watching the expenditure, and were assured that a shilling >'*te would not be necessary. How accurately they had attended to their duties will be easily ascertained, when a glance will show that had only a sixpenny rate been struck, the three Northern Ridings would hove been in debt to the amount of £1413. I should like to have been able to have asked them last Wednesday, bow they explained the liabilities on contracts for the Awaliou Riding as shown on the Estimates came to amount to £800, and if their infall- ! ible guide, the riding pass book, explained it ? In the course of my lute enquiries I had some little trouble to arrive at this amount, and find it is one that should have raised some discussion. The late County Treasurer never uttered a word, though hi 9 department shows some mismanagement. There exiats a most curious clashing of offices in the dog registration department. The Registrar is an officer holding his appointment distinct from the Council, though at the same time he is their Cleric, and has to have his transactions interfered with by resolutions of the same body, so that the absurdity I am about to show up, is intended in no way to reflect upon this officer. The Estimates have some pitch and toss sunn placed down as revenue under the head of dog tax— representing a sam of some £85, Upon enquiry 1 learn that the receipts for the past year only amount to £45, the gross receipts having been £90, the expenditure to secure this sum £51 — the Council in its wisdom having voted 50 per cent to the collectors. In 1878, when the collectors were allowed a smaller per centage, the nett receipts totalled £131, the gross receipts .being £!48,and the expenditure £17- Was this a question that should have been considered ? To take away any excuse for the position of these estimate?, it must be remembered that last year, on proposing the shilling rate, Mr Halcombe is reported to have said " It is almost certain the present subsidies from the Government would not last beyond next year." To show the relative position of the Councillors and Ridings, it is noteftblo that Manjhester, Taonui and K wite\ commence the new year with a debit balance of £580, whilst Our trusting Southern representatives hold a credit balance of £1648. They have in other ways been lending the North a 3um on their personal security without interest, which, to denote in the mild- I est phrase, is bad business. List year's estimates showed the Northern Ridings to have been in debt £1100, and jet the minute book of the Council records no protest on the expenditure going on, though one Southern representative held the title of C.nwty Treasurer, and the pi-e3ent estimates prove that a sixpenny rate would pay all necessary expenses fcr the Southern ridings and leave £300 in han-l, ft sum surely sufll/ient when the past and projected expenditure on roads under the control of oth'U- boJies is considered. I regret to have to 9tate that in my opinion, the publication of those estimates show that as regards the "Northern Ridings they have been incurring an expenditure that would force the majority of the Council to .leclare a shil'ing rate, whether they wished ifc or not, a rofusil bsing tantamount to a public b inktuptcy, a course both reckle s« and unf dr, and one which the Chairman is open to the severest censure for not having mide the Council fully aware of during the past year, and further shows the utter inability of our present representatives b-ing able to understand the accmnts of their Chairman, and therefore unfitted for one of the most important duties they were nlected to watch over. The Estimates further should teuch this lesson* that the members of ths Council should arrange some form so that »t each meeting a clear statement for every Hiding should be laid on the table, not separately but together, fir the s ike of easy comparison. Unttl this is adopted,we shall be having many more estimates similar to the one now published. I am, &c, I EIINEST S. ThY.WVE. Foxton, May 8, Ibß ».