CORRESPONDENCE.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1054, 28 March 1882, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

[We do not hold ourselves responsible for opinions expressed by our corroepondentsi] THE PROPOSED COUNTY LOAN TO THE EDITOR. Sib,—l beg leave through the columns of your independent paper to say a few word® about the proposed County Loan. I may state that I have not heard any one make mention of this loan in conversation yet. It is so remarkable —whether the thing han not been sufficiently ventilated, or that the people of Cook County are so apathetic in the matter that they do not care. I believe in Councillors doing as private individuals should do—live within their means. We may ask are the County Councillors proving themselves capable of spending the loan to good advantage ? Undoubtedly the majority of them are not. As an instance, the Uxenham contract specifications, involving litigation, were, I believe, made out by the County Clerk. What da we pay an Engineer an exorbitant salary for? Is it not a pait of the Engineer’s duty to draw out specifications, as well as to take levels, and give estimates of cost. I think, sir, upon the score of economy these County offices should lapse at the time of election of Councillors. Three years ago I used to get from Is. 6d. te 2s. per lb. for my butter • now I get 6d. for as good an article. It is probable that, the labor market, including engineering, at present may be in a position pro rata with the butter market. It is more than probable that there are engineers capable of doing the County work efficiently for far less money than at present. Again, I notice in your report of the last Council meeting, in the diicussion about allowing the Engineer the power to spend £lOO, on certain works, a Councillor argued that people would not take the trouble to look after contracts. If people will not take trouble, or if contractors are so full of work, do Councillors think that the Engineer has got some mesmeric power to induce nun to go to work, and to work more cheaply for him than by public tender. If labor is so scarce, which 1 hope it is, because it augurs well for the Bay, why not advertise these contracts in Auckland or Napier papers, as there are hundreds of men who would be very glad to come here to work at a £lOO job. A Councillor argued that tendering lost time; I say better lose time than money. Is there a single Councillor who, in his private business, would not look twice before he would spend money to save time ? Why not treat the public purse as carefully as the private one ? Public tender is undoubtedly the cheapest way to get any kind of work done, and Councillor® have no business to spend public money in any other way. It is to be hoped that ratepayers will not be so foolish as to saddle themselves with a debt, the proceeds of which will, in all probability, be mismanaged. I would like to ask if, on the schedule of works proposed to be done with this borrowed money, the several sums set opposite each work is supposed to complete that work, or only to ba spent upon each work as far as it will go, and leave us on the horns of a dilemma, either to leave the works unfinished, or to dive in again for another loan in order to complete what has been begun. I think the whole affair is premature. There should be public meetings convened at different places to give people an opportunity of asking questions of the Engineer or Councillors, or some person in au« thority. People can judge for themselves after reading the report of the lust County Council meeting, whether members who put forth such lame arguments against Cr. Gannon’s proposition are fit to manage the affairs of the County.

Cr. Gannon deserves the thanks of the ratepayers of the County for his efforts for economy, and spending the public funds a® they should be spent. I think that in matters of special interest, such as this loan, no mutter which paper has the contract for the printing and advertising, in order to give sufficient publicity it should be advertised m the other paper.—Yours, &c., Skttleb.