CORRESPONDENCE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume V, Issue 162, 12 July 1870, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

TOWN ASSESSMENT,

To the Editor op the Nelson Evening Mail,

Sir — I have been paying some little attention, to the efforts made by Mr. Black, to bring about an uniform system of levying the Town Kate, with a view to a more equable apportionment' in the expenditure, and, as far as I understand the proposal, it seems to me unexceptionaWe;

I aiii a larger contributor towards the amount of rate raised hi the centre of "the town than is any one of the opp >sing members of the Board of Works, and on. this account; I consider /that, with them I am equally entitled to an opinion on this matter. To my mind the thing is feasible, j ust, and honorable. It is feasiblebecause. it must j be clearly apparent to all who • will give themselves the trouble to reflect, that it 'is; not merely practicable, but is extremely .simple.. It is just, because its only aim seems to be. to secure equal justice to all ; and it is characterised by a feeling of honorable independence, because the proposal, although emanating from any outlying district, repudiates the idea of receiving, aid, from .the centre of the town ; and with th- ee- feetS- staring us in the face, it is difficultto understand why Mr. Black's proposition should not have met with entire approval. . . _j : ■ With regard to the|figures r qubted,by Mr. Burn, and shown in the repurt 'of the last meeting" jof the Board, t cannot see that' they : contain -any thing fitted to enlighten One', or that :: th'dy ' afford any ground upon : which to found ah : argument; but bv a former report Mr. Burn stppearstq have said that he lived in a portion of a' ; street;,; which 1 ad paid rates for years, and not a ; sixpe^c? had been spent npon it; and still he though'£the Board had acted fairly in the appropriation of the money. This no doubt Sounds very liberal; niiti'those who are acquainted with the facts of the case to which ;Mr. Burn has drawn attention, r wijl agree^with ■me irt sayiflg; ttia£ th-cy' affSPd, 1 iro 'ferttuii'ds,' on j which to 'found a claim' toj lhis- K affecfa^ibn _'of generosity. For, laving asidlS ervle'ry fttfteir consideration, I cannot shutm'yeyes^b'the'fa'dt that ilarsje sums have been expetrded by the Board of Works -from time.totimein repelling^headvances' of the Maitai, in the dirt-ction. of-; -Mr.. Burn's little Paradise in the Wood, .which,,.otherwisewould- : iong ere this hay'^ ibeen VaybedVof .'gravel .instead. of a bed of roses'.^ p „,", ;. "V " _ ,:'.„',■ . ; I woiild now like to, say .something ifi' : reply to a Tern ark made by Mr. Percy on this'same.sunje'et. This gentleman says that the outl ing' districts owe .1 debt of gratitude "to Bridge, Trafalgar, and j other streets, where three fourths of the rate was raised; and that oten in the outlying districts one years' expenditure would, coyer, ten years' rate. This remark i3 much akin to "one formerly" made by Mr. Burn, and to my thinking was well replied to by Mr. Black; . still I don.'-t_think- this point, quite exhausted, and so with your leave I also will have my say upon it. . I grant.that in some districts the -expenditure inay hare exceeded the amount of rate raised in them. But .this does not prove that equal justice lias been meted out to all, or that th.fi outb ing districts owe a debt of gratitude to the few streets named by Mr. Percy, and, in fact, I don't think Mr Black far wrong In suggesting the probability that we in the centre of the town are in some degree indebted to the outlying districts. Butbetiis the case or not, it need not be disputed that some di tripts have been utterly ignored by the Board in expending, although not in levying, the rate. . . ;' j Having noticed the fact that large 6ums have teen expended in combating the erratic tendency of the Brook-street ' stremi and the Maitai. I think it right to say I am far from complaining of this extra expenditure, for I am /of opinion 4hat suh ca-es have a strong datm upon extraneous aid; but 1 think the expenses incurred by protecting tho banks of permanent water courses ousiht; to be borne by t>>.e community at large, and should therefore become a charge upon the general revenue ot r the Province ; and I think, moreover that alt such ' works should ' be under the' especial charge of th« Provincial Engineer. . .'-•■- --1 may have more to say on this subject some other time. lam &e , , . . , Fiat Justitia.