The Pukekohe and Waiuku Times WEDNESDAY, 3rd JULY, 1912. A FORTNIGHT MORE.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 1, Issue 17, 3 July 1912, Page 2

The Pukekohe and Waiuku Times WEDNESDAY, 3rd JULY, 1912.

A FORTNIGHT MORE.

We nothimj cxU'Hiuiti. uur !*i't 1.1 11 ll II 11(11 lilt ill htulil'l'-"

It w\s quite common property iu Pukekohe last Wednesday that when tlie Borough Council met that night tho long-awaited statement of accounts would tmt lio available. Wo have gone over tlio repoits of the Town Board aud Borough Coi'ueil meeting's .-incr M;ircli la-t (over throe months ago) ai dit not too much to say that tho record is one which could only irritate the most patient ratepayer. There have been delays and still delays. Excuses—and still more excuses. In the outlier stages of the Council's existence there can bo no reasonable doubt that the then Clerk made but little or no eil'ort to produce tho returns asked for—returns that wero i ssentially necessary. The result of this indifference and refusal was that the financial life of the borough was arrested. There was nothing to work upon. Nobody knew and nobody yet knows what the exact tinaneia' position of the borough is. And tho curious thing is that the serious ieg-al and moral responsibi'itv was apparently not recognised. At the same time it must bo acknowledged that the explanation made by the Mayor on behalf of the lata Town CJerk, at the List meeting of the Borough Couucil, was entirely satisfactory. Whatever irritation and impatience we may have felt was induced by the belief that no serious elloit wa* being made to straighten out tho financial tangle into which the Cock'' found itself thrown. This position, we are glad to believe, is altered now, and wo are hopofr 1 that on Wednesday next the ratepayers will have the satisfaction of knowing where they stand financially. Although tho discussions in the Borough Council on tho unpreparednessoftho accounts have been more or less interesting, wo confess ourselves <piite weary of them. Our anxiety is to learn what the responsibilities of the Borough are, and what aro the best means of meeting them. I'erhaps next week we shall be in a position to do thi>. We sincerely hope so.