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Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 43339, 18 June 1908, Page 2

At the Piako Council meeting on Tuesday evening last Cr. Manuel said he was . quite convinced that it is profitable for the Council to keep the horses and work the grader on the roads, etc. To impress upon the Council the truthfulness of, this

statement the speaker quoted figures shewing the extent of the work carried ont during the past few months. Cr. Manuel mentioned that 151 chains had been formed in, eleven days, over fifteen different portions of the county roads, and considering the amount of turning, etc., that would have to be done

anyone conversant with road-making could see at a glance that good work had been executed. This work ran into about 2s 6d per chain, and he (Cr Manuel) considered it would take ten times that amount to do the same work by manual labour. What

a saving Ibis means to the ratepayers it is easy to see. Yet, almost with the same breath Or Manuel proposes that the horses be sold, and that in future the work be done by contract. The council to retain the grader to hire out to contractors. He (Or. Manuel) gave as his reason for taking this step that the ratepayers did not appear to be satisfied with the work done by the horses, and as a representative of the rate-

payers, he felt justified in moving that the horses be sold- We must say that we strongly disagree with Cr Manuel’s action in this matter. He was placed in his present position by the ratepayers as a fit and proper person to represent them, and yet he votes against his own personal opinion. He was elected to look after the ratepayers’ money: is he fulfilling his trust when he takes a step which, in his own .vords, means pounds out of the ratepayers’ pockets. It is not consistent.