BOROUGH EXPENDITURE.

Patea Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 964, 27 November 1882, Page 2

BOROUGH EXPENDITURE.

TO THE EDITOR. sir,— -Of all the wonderful places in the universe, I do not think any of them can compote with 3?atea as ,a borough, that uses the greatest amount of unfair means to crush a politica] opponent. In most places Mayoral elections are conducted with some degree of honour; seldom with the bitterness discernable here. But Patea is noted at all points for its ability in starting claptrap cries, caring nothing about the infinitismal amount of truth that the cry contains, providing it ruins an opponent chadce hf winning an election. Your correspondent, “ Ratepayer” seems to be a professor of that art. His attempt to mislead the public in the matter of borough expenditure would be excusable if he did not know better.

But in his case it is purely an attempt at wilful misrepresentation. To commence with the Mayor’s allowance; “Ratepayer” knows as well as I do, that when Councillor Mahony proposed £l5O as an allowance, it was plainly stated then that it, was only in tended for one year, in consideration of the enormous amount of work connected with bringing the borough into good working order, and the £IOO voted him was little enough for the work done. No one knows better than “ Ratepayer” that the present Mayor was about the only one among the city fathers capable of putting the borough in good running trim. The cause of “ Ratepayer” falling foul of the Inspector of Nuisance and Dog Tax Collector is one of those problems “ which no fellow can understand” because he is a ridiculously cheap officer, and what I wonder is that we are able to get anybo ly to fulfil such a disagreeable office at the price. The best of the joke is that he does not cost the ratepayers a penny; the dog-tax more than pays his salary and as for him being wanted, the Act compels ns to have one, whether or no. “Ratepayer’s” attempt to hoodwink the electors by impnning that the Engineer is an annual charge on the borough rates is like all his other statements not according to facts. “ Ratepayer” knows well enough that the borough could not help themselves in the matter of the Engineer. The Act compels them to have the maps and levels of. the borough taken immediately, and I cannot see how an expenditure of £IO,OOO on drainage .and street improvements could go on without an Engineer who received, for the first six months the munificent, pay of a day labourer. For shame “ Ratepayer.” The Borough has received 50 per cent more work in value than they have paid for, and if “ Ratepayer ’’ can prove that statement inaccurate, I will pay LlO 10s to the Institute fund. In conclusion I ask the people of Patea to consider when recording their votes on Wednesday what state would we be in if “ Ratepaper’s ” programme had been carried out at the last election. Where would our £IO,OOO be —-and our rates—and dog tax. Echo answers, Where.—Yours &c., Glan Aber. Patea, Nov. 24.