The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 1920. STREET IMPROVEMENT LOAN.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3389, 19 January 1920, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 1920. STREET IMPROVEMENT LOAN.

With which its incorporated ‘ “ The Taihapo Post and Waimarino News.”

I That the Borough Council is in a ;very tight cornrer in connection w:2.th ‘the expenditure of the £17,000 Street ilmprovement Loan, the report of last Fl-id<a.y’s meeting of the Council made uncleniable. Half of the loan is in hand, or has been lodged on interest at the bank for a definite period, and now it. is discovered that the Engin-e-3r’s estimates are just about ‘onethird less than is required to complete the work, This matter 11853} obviously been referre(_l_’back to the Engineer, who make-s his new. cstimate_ for storm water drainage very much lbeloW~ that got out by Mr Menzies and Mr .Tz'.lnieson, but this difference is accounted for by the En4gin:2e'r estimating wages at twelve s'hilling.s~‘é day, while the other two est'i:ma._te Wages at soinethi-n‘g‘M more than twelve shillings; of cour|e,i the Town Clea-k’s assessment ‘of wage-Si‘ will be found to the correct when the‘ work is finished. The not understand-J

able feature of the difficulty is tll'e determination to carry on with the loan expenditure Without knowing What is going to be the final result. We think it should be made plain to ratepayenss what. is to happen when the most urgent works are completed, and what are the works likely to belleft incomplete or untouched. Is the Council in accord with the Mayor’s expres-sod determina/cion not to go on with footpaths if the work cannot be done for less than nine shillings and fourpencm a yard? If so, what are their intentions? If they are in accord with the Mayor -about footpath construction what do they propose if the loan is exhausted before footpath-s are completed. The fact that itx rests with ratepa.yel*S to adopt the works that are to be performed with loan money cannot be avoided, and it would ‘be folly to drift into any misapprehension in this connection, The Council may recommend a. slehedule of works but fliey must be sanctifzned by the ratepayers within the area the loan money is to be spent. Instead of blindly blundering on until the-last p-snnv is gone and the whole staff, plant, and works are .held-ulp, VVL} think now estimates should

be got out that are more in :Ic::ardance with present cost of nmterlnls and ulab'oul-. It would then be so-an how far the loan would go towards‘ completing the work in the loan schedule, and enable further rnonoys to be raised in time to avoid any serious stoppage if full completion were decidmd upon. Again, if any part of the proposed works are to be abandoned ratepayers should, in common justice, be told what those \vol‘l<s are; for, as we have -stated; the selection ‘of works under any loan proposal Is the pl-ex-fig. ative of 1-it-tepayers, not of the Coun. cil_ At the Council meting Cr, Davieg asked, if owing to increased cost of labour and material the 1031 pruposah‘. could not be carried out haw were they going to imake up the difference. The Mayor replied, “the- most urgent work should be gone on with.” The questions about leaving work un(]f,-nev, and about what works should be done wens; most pertinent and prop(\,r, and their very nature -should‘ have merited a reply. Crs. Timbs and Dz,-vies. have rcorrectly -Slfllsetl the trouble ahead; they are worried at having nothing clear before them except the’ apparent drift from the performance of one work after another until the loan bag is empty. They undoubtedly recognise that something definite and exhaustive should he evolved and that something aihould then be submitted to the intepvayers to deliberate and decide upon. It ‘S)'3:elllS there is only one safe cnnrse

to follow if COUnCi'IIOI'S wish to tn/mid

11-gskinvg perso.na.l re-'Donsibilint)'. and ‘that is to liave new estimates made at [the earliest pos~si7ble'nLonl‘-111% Sllblnit ithem to a meeting of rateDil.VGl'S, and {tllusi throw upon rateDa~3'€l'S ’f‘h’~‘ WllOl9 fll'e'Sl)OllSlbillty, which they alone are, iby law, entitled to carry. When loan |pl'opoSa.lS‘ fail ratepayers are I'eC“OllSultled; they are responsible for repayment lot the loan, and they have the priviIlege of saying how they will have the money -spent. Unfortunately for Taihape, proposals have gone a.wl'.V after [the loan has been raised, halt‘ of it fllifted, and liability incurred of over a th»ou.s~a.nd pounds. Any private person finding himself similarly placed Would not drift along not knowing how and where he would find.‘ his «affairs at flhe mul of the loan tether; he would imimediately I~econ.siclmr the whole question, work out new estimates, IllElkl'llg' his wants to conform to his means, lulld if he were the manager or director iof a. llimited liability company he would call a meeting and Sufbanit his‘ propo--sals. Crs. ‘Timbs and Davies, and seemingly Ctr. Reid, have expressed the busillessman’s metrhod of overcoming such diflicultiesg. and we think the Borough Council should take the course that is safe for them, just to ‘ratepayers. and the one that will re.l'ieve the Council from all blanfe under those other circumstances over which they neither had, nor have any control. The one great trouble the Council {have had -to contmirl with is the neg-,-lect of the Engineer in promptly fu;rn,: 'ish-ing plan-s and specifications: as soon as possible» after the time his estimates were accepted. Had such been forthlcoming the cost of ’c<on~struction inight. [have been brought nearer the estitinafe, {but it is eV»idellt that, in any case, the EVVOTK would cost more than the sum ‘estimated. Up to this point no blame is atta.clla.ble to the Council. Sonrc rtimic was wasted in an endeavour to alter the ratepayers’ mandate in favour of conc-r-ate footpaths’. but We do not think that made any difference to the Coun-cil’s responsibility as there; was continuous pressure being kept on ‘ the Engineer for plans and specifications which did not come to Hand till long after the asphalt question was finally disposed of. We hope, in the best interests and safety of all that the question will now be handled Com‘preh.ensive,ly, on the lines: sug,ge§{ed by Crs. Davies, Timbsand Reid. ,