THE WATERWORKS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume III, Issue 710, 19 July 1878, Page 2

THE WATERWORKS.

At the meeting of the Municipal Corporation last ovonins, the following report from the Kn<iin«er (Mr. M-Lenil) was read : To His Worship the Mayor anil Councillors— Gentlemen, —J have the honor to report with reference to tho waterworks contract that the Black Point section is very nearly completed. In the Awamoko and l'apakaio sections considerable progress is lieinir made, and it is quite possible to have the A\vam..ko section finished, and the water flowing in it, within six weeks from date. On the Landon saetion, fair progress is also ber.l'4 made in race cuttinr, excavation, fencing, and tunnelling, and a ;;ood start has been made with the reservoir works. I again, yesterday, tested the water supuly in th»> upper section, and found it fully equal to ISOil cubic feet per minute, the river being exceptionally low.

OBIGIXAL COEJRESPONDENCE. TO THE EDITOH OF THE EVENING MAII.. SIK, —It is not at any time a pleasant thing to challenge the proceedings of any person who may, according to his own idea, be serving the public. I know myself how disagreeable it is to have one's motives or actions challenged, when acting in the public interest ; but, I cannot allow the election of Mayor to pa«s without asking the citizens to seriously consider the issues which will be placed before them on Monday. Although I had made up my mind yesterday to be silent at the nomination, I was constrained to ask Mr. Steward some questions, because an explanation which he made was. so opposed to common report. Mr. Steward in reply to me stated that snilicient time had not elapsed to admit of the proceeds of the debentures being here, lie also stated that no hitch had occurred, owing to the London bondholders being under the impression that property not obtained was included in the securities offered them. I challenge him by the correspondence to make good either of these positions. We have been informed by the North Otago Times, a paper presumably well informed, that the National Bank bad well executed their commission, and deserved the thanks of Oamaru for the manner in which the loan had been floated. I may, 1 suppose, therefore assume that Mr. Steward does not blame the Hank for anvdchiy which has occurred, and if the Hank is not to blame, then surely there is some truth in what the man at the cornet states. Well, then, as to the delay. On April BJ. 1577, the Harh-ir Board's debentures were tendered for, and some time after that allotted ; and on Juno 22 the amount was credited to them in the Union Lank at Oamaru ; that is, within about two months of the time of allotment. Previously to April 12, this year, i understand the Town debentures were allotted. This is now July IS, and the money has not yet arrived, and is not expected till next mouth. 1 ask the citizens of Oamaru whether this matter was. or was not. satisfactorily explained by Mr. Steward. I am not aware whether people know what this means, and rather than that any should remain ignorant, 1 will give my notion of it. 'From April. I presume aboiiv the 10th, there lias been charged against the Corporation, interest on debentures at the rate of L 4200 per year, while we ha\o be-n, at the same time, paying interest to the National Bank at, I understand, the rate of L 7 per cent, on an overdraft of .■ilniu T L 20.000; that is at the rate of about 1.1-10;'. per year. Now, if what ought to have been done had been done, -u-e should have had the proceeds of the debentures to our e-odit some time previous to the middle oi •Tune, from which time .instead of paying interest on, sav an average of L75,01i0 or LSO.OOO, wo should have only been paying on LIo,0! 10, the other L-!0,00(l being placed at interest in our banks. Now that this do!a\ has occurred owing to some understanding on the part of the bank and the bondholders that something was to be doiiG which the < 'orporation could not do until lately, I am well assured by a person who was present at the meeting of the Council when the fust communication as to the loan was made by the banker. Moreover, on looking over the correspondence in the OouneiPs oiliee to day, I saw a telegram to Sir George Givy, signed by my colleague and myself, in which we represented that too Government ought to grant the. endowment, and stated as a reason that the money for debentures would, only be forthcoming on its lining gaz-tfod. Tins telegram was seen by the Mayor for approval, and the statement was not eor- \ rooted by him. as no doubt it would have been if not tin'*. I am afraid that if the statement was not true, Ihe Government ', may yet oppose the giving of the endowment \ as having been obtained on false pretences, as I believe that it was this telegram and subsequent communications of. which tbe ' public, unlike those sent by Mr. Steward. , are not likely to hear much about, that | operated in getting ns the endowment. Jhn [ this only Mr. Stew ant yes- , tcrday challenged my statement, and i now challenge him to publish the letter or telegram from the banker, stating tli at the money would only be handed over upon the endowmeut being gaze ted and to explain why the ~ bank made such, a demand. The man at the j corner has attempt d to explain it by .stating I that it iv;i< sonic statc.nent which found it- . way into Mr. M'i.i'ud's report; but on a [ cursory glance over it, I was unable to see anything of \\\:\ sort in it, so that the de- : mand must either have arisen from some- ]. thing contained in. the. Council's instructions, or the bank must have made a most improper stipulation--one which the Council I ought not, for a moment, to have entertained. 1 have been blamed to-day for having , attempted to withdraw the. veil of mystery " which surrounds the Waterworks finances, and have been toid by Councillors is |. , not to the interests of the citizens that, the '.: ■ corrc.-pondoiice ab ait the loan should be puhii-.hol; a red. ill-same sentiments wore expressed by il'\ Steward. I am afraid that . the Mayor and those Councillors, like many others, b"gin to have eonfu'-ed not ons oi things ail'"! look upon that which would b- '. likely to o;'o'\\te against iheir re-election as i | necessarily iuintic.-i. t ■> oubho interest. lunderstand tl at the "loan has now been negotiated, so that no po-silde harm, supposing everything to be straight, can follow from the greatest publicity, except that it might , show that, notwithstanding the magic power I assumed by our Municipal rulers, mistakes had been made which have cost the town " some thousands of pounds. So far as this ! mystery and diplomacy (save the mar!;;. ' are concerned, I would put it seriously ' to the citizens whether when instrue--1 thins were given for the Moating of ' the loan, they were, or were not entitled to ' have them fully published and made known 1 bv being distributed, not by being kept: ' in drawers, and whether, after a hitch has occurred. tVy ought to have had everything : :e.i !e fullv know n, and so have their fears ? allavo.l. if all was well. Does any one suppose that we are likely to gain anything in our manag"'iH'-ut of al.'airs by keeping the cltiz'us in the dark, or by the absence of . : f-anknoss to outsiders. Tf we have to go to C Parliament for a new loan, are we likely to ' increase our chances by the suppression of J; the true state of affairs. Tn municipal, as in ' other public, affairs, the only guarantee ' against mistakes, or wilful or careless mismanagement is taking the ePizons into the 1 confidence of the m imagers of affairs. A ;o 1 we likely to, have this, when among those 3 who advocate secrecy as a part of diplomacy J is the gentleman who sways the columns of our morning journal ? I have written the ' foregoing out of a sense of public duty, and T regret having to oppose any one who I bc- ' lieve desires to serve the, public—and I believe Mr. Steward wishJ.' r o do so—but his ideas ami mine, as to how to further the public interest, are so opposed, that, having once entered on the field. T intend to give him a most hearty opposition. I feel theposition of matters the more just now, bo--1 cause having been for months under one impression raved by communications from gentlemen connected with the Council, and having had that impression, shaken by the ' statements made at the nomination, I could , not, for one. feel confidence in advocatingthe town's claims elsewhere, without a personal, and careful'overhaul of all papers* •! also fe $ this, that in ray communication toSir Cc r f. Grey, I represented that to him which vr mid weigh in his mind, if true, and tl at which only had aright to weigh with h m, if the Bank were Justified in de-

manding their further security. This may have gained an object in the meantime ; but it is not the policy that will procure for us, in the long run, the confidence and therefore the substantial support of Parliament. T hope that some explanation better than that which we have heard may be made, and I would suggest that it would be will if Mr. Steward can offer an explanation even at the length of two hours of weary talk for some of his supporters to fnul out whether the Volunteer Hall could be obtained for that purpose on Saturday night. —I am, ifec. T. W. Hislop. TO TUB EIUTOK OF THE EVENING MAIL. Sir, —Your correspondent "Brown," in yesterday's issue, says : —"I have heard it confidently stated that the requisition of Mr. Steward was compiled by himself, and (together with a list of names of parties likely to sign it) handed to an individual for the purpose of canvassing for signatures." Such a statement hardly requires contradiction ; but 1 may be allowed to say that, the requisition was written by mo at the request of one of Mr. Steward's Committeo, and was not seen by Mr. Steward until the signatures were attached to it.—l am, itc. .lohn Hardy. P.S.—I enclose the card of the gentleman at whose suggestion the requisition was. written, and who corrected it before it waa engrossed.—.J. 11. TO THE EDITOR OF THE EVENING MAIL. ,^ 1R) —I regret that it should bo necessary' for me to notice a letter, appearing in your columns last night, signed " Brown." With; respect to the first portion thereof I need, make no remark, but may simply state that. 1 deem the suppositions and inferences meet; unlikely to be true. However, I must giv*ai most emphatic denial to the writer's assertion that the Auditors "were impede.fiil iheir duties in many ways ;" and decidedly assert they were not " refused the perusal of the Minute book." On the. contrary, my colleague and myself received the greatest, courtesy and assistance from the Town Clerk —and every explanation was given whcui necessary, for our satisfaction. It can <Sfo no good to the party for whom " Prowo '" is evidently acting, to make statements, so utterly opposed to fact. 1 am, ,). ClU.'lJCll, One of the Town Auditors.