CORRESPONDENCE

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 296, 9 May 1911, Page 4

CORRESPONDENCE

THE BOROUGH ESTIMATES. To the Editor. Sir, —The borough estimates for the current. year published in Monday's "News" afford interesting reading and food for thought to ratepayers. Boiled down, tlie receipts show, in round numbers, £BSOO of available revenue, as electric light (.€5500) and special rate (,£4400) arc merely cross entries. But of this sum only £4300 finds its way to the streets, or, if we deduct the cost of street lighting ( £080), which is wrapped up in the electrical department, we have £3600 for street maintenance. Adding damage ( £100), brings it up to £3700, which is to cost us £397 for oversight. I will leave it at that. The item for advertising and printing (£190) seems very large, seeing that electoral rolls and elections appear elsewhere at a cost of £llll. Our borough, with an available revenue of £8.)l>0 ji, a bow, or to be exact, £8422, is estimated to cost us £llO4 to run officially, an eminently satisfactory state of things, no doubt. The item, "Bank interest £200," also looks to me like bad business. Either the Council should live within its income, or say it can't 'be done and increase the rate. That £'2oo is to my mind literally thrown away, so far as the ratepayer is concerned. Far better to put our hands a little deeper into our pockets than overspend our income unless a great emergency arises. I am not an accountant, but I think the existing bank overdraft is a first charge on the current year's income, but no mention is made of it. On the contrary, it is made to appear that there is a small surplus of £257, whereas there will lie a large deficit. Perhaps some better man of business will enlighten us on these things.—l am, etc., AX ONLOOKER.

PR KS P.YT LCI! rAN CHURCH. To the Editor. Sir,—The paragraph in this morning's issue relating to the above is quite wrong and misleading, and I am at a loss to know how it originated. As secretary to the committee, I am not responsible for it, cither directly or indirectly. I have no authority from the committee or anyone el.se to write to any minister respecting the vacancy, and, further, the committee had no power to instruct me to do so. —1 am. etc., N. K. MacDIARMID, iron. Sec. St. Andrew's Church. To the Editor. —Your paragraph in this morning's paper with reference to a meeting of the Presbyterian 'Church committee is wholly inaccurate. No such instructions as yon mention were given to the secretary, nor to anybody else, I cannot understand where you obtained your information, and the publication of certain minister*' names connected with a false statement is calculated to do them barm. The meeting of the committee was a purely informal one. held by the courtesy of Mr. Osborne, and in order to make necessary arrangements for the immediate supply of the pulpit at the end of May. The question of tilling the vacancy is one which will fall to the consideration of the congregation when the vacancy occurs.—T am, etc., •T. R. SHORE. The Manse, Hawcra, 8/5/11.