Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, JUNE 4, 1898. All for the Want of a Loan.

Manawatu Herald, 4 June 1898, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, JUNE 4, 1898. All for the Want of a Loan.

We call oar readers attention to the Estimates published by the Borough Council in our last issue, as therein is to be founfl the true story of the unfortunate position we find our roads in. We are not blaming the Councillors, for we do not think thoy are so much to blame as the ratepayers, for did the ratepayers but ascertain for themselves the financial position of the Borough these things might be altered. We cannot com plain of any of the headings of the expenditure set forth, we must have a Clerk, lighting and maintenance, and must pay for it. When we have done all this how much of our income is there left for new roads ? The item " Maintenance, roads, drains and labour" is like our troubles, always with us, and must be met in some form, year by year, therefore we can only look hopefully forward to a sum of £198 9s 9d under the heading of " Maintenance, roads, drains, material and cartage " as being available for new works. In a rising town this sum, for its proper developement, is an utter absurdity, and, as we have always held the opinion and have not lacked stating it also, a frightful waste of money. Trying to make metal roads on £200 a year is very similar to building castles of sand on a beach with a ridng tide, which are no sooner made than they are washed away, and our roads are only advanced a few chains when from want of being properly formed, are con verted into mud holes. The contractors nor the councillors can be blamed for they cannot do more than there is money provided for. But why should there be only £200? Why not £1000? One thousand pounds would go a long way towards making many roads which are much needed, and borrowed from the Government the sum would only cost us £100 a year, and that has been shown to be well within our means to borrow. A. sufficient expenditure like this would practically do for certain ratepayers what they have done for others — give them roads fifr to use, and would prevent any un» pleasant feeling existing between those who have metalled roads and those who have not. The Borough has a right to borrow this money, wherever it may be advisable to spend it, over the whole area, as up to this date the revenue derived from the whole area has been diverted to those roads whioh go under the name of being metalled. If £1000 wag deemed not enough we oontend that th« finanoial position of the Borough ai disclosed by the Estimates shows that a larger sum could safely be borrowed. We hope the ratepayers will consider this view of finance as, we are assured we should get a greater benefit from an expenditure of £1000 in one sum than we could get by the same expenditure spread over five years, and we should all reap the advantage of that expendi ture so many years sooner.