AGAIN ST. AUBYN.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 217, 1 February 1913, Page 8

AGAIN ST. AUBYN.

THAT BALANCE-SHEET! LIGHT AT LA«T DAWXS. The tangled skeins of the muddled finances of the now deceased St. Aubyn Town Board were finally unravelled at a conference held last night between a committee of the Borough Council and the Chairman (Mr. G. Blanchard) and Clerk (Mr. Fleetwood) of the late Board. The conference was protracted and the Council table was a profusion of books and papers through which those present painfully waded in an endeavour to set things aright. It orovcd a difficult process, for always there was a widening broach between the opposite sides, in the shape of the vexed question as to whether certain items of expenditure incurred by the late Board fihould, in the adjustment, be credited to the loan or to the revenue account. A point was made by the Council's advocates, of the fact that it would have been impossible for the Board to have found the money to provide for the majority of the items of expenditure in question bad they been paid out of the Board's ordinary revenue account. Or. J. Wilson, at whose instigation the conference was held, appealed for a fair deal for St. Aubyn, to which the Mayor 'Moiiied that as far as he (Mr. Browne 1

'• "'•< concerned, the balance-sheet—nre-P'M'cd by f'r. Buxton—was "in full comoliance" with the payments as shown in the late Board's books. "Here are." remarked Cr. Wilson-, "the chairman and clerk to show you in what particulars it is wrong." . This, Mr. Blanchard. going through the late minute book item for item. ™. deavored to show, but Councillors did not appear to be very convinced. Tf. asked the Town Clerk (Mr. F. T. Bellringor). the Board had intended the payments to be made out of ordinary revenue, why had it charged them to loan account? What was it sroing to do with the items paid out of the loan account, which it now saddled the revenue account with? Was it. going back on its audited balance-sheet, wherein they were actually charged to loan account? Mr. Blanchard retorted that resolutions of the Board directing them to be paid out of ordinary revenue must over- , rule the audited balance-sheet.

Mr. Bellringer and Cr. Buxton pointed out that this was impossible. The Government auditor would not consent to transfer payment's in a balance-sheet which lie had already audited. It would mean going back on his own audit. This led Mr. Fleetwood to remark that the balance-sheet in question was nothing more than a check of receipts and expenditure. Mr. Bellringer: But did you not sign it before you sent it to the auditor. You told us vou did. Mr. Fleetwood replied that he could not recollect whether he had signed it. Mr. Blanchard interrupted that even if a mistake had been made originally in transferrin? the figures, it did not prevent the Board from now rectifying it. Tn replv to this Councillors pointed out that if a mistake hod been made, as suggested, how was it that it had not been discovered before by the Board itself or by the Government auditor. A onssage-at-arms followed. "How would you." asked Cr. Clarke, "have paid this money, then?" Mr. Blanchnrd (sharply): How the Boroiurh would pay it! Cr. Clarke: That is not an answer to my question. Mr. Blanchard (indignantly): lam not here to answer questions of this sort! Never mind how we were going to pay it.

Cr. Clarke: It is a fair question, and I want it to be answered. He added that the amounts in question totalled about £I3OO. * This brought forth a warm rejoinder from Mr. Blanchard to the effect that the Council should not have been in "such a thundering rush" to get hold of the St. Aubyn district. It wanted St. Aubyn before March 31, and, well it had got it! The Council had "wanted a clam but had got hold of a crab," and it was their fault. Cr. Wilson, who had been watching the proceedings on behalf of the late Board, here took Mr. Blanchard to task. It was. he said, a fair question, and should be answered. The latter then suggested going piecemeal through the deceased's body's minutes, which led the Town Clerk to point out. that no account could be taken of the marginal entries which had been made in the minute book—at the direction of the Board— subsequent to the minutes being confirmed. They would not hold good. Arising out of certain statements by the St. Aubyn representatives, Cr. Wilson feelingly asked what was the use of the Borough endeavouring to clear things up when the former sat down and made misleading statements. They had said that Cutfield Road was not provided for in their loan, but now they turned round and said the opposite. Regarding certain arguments which Mr Blanchard declared would have- to be transferred to the revenue account. Cr. Buxton asked why the Board had not made the transfer itself.

Mr. Blanchard's reply precipatated some warmth of feeling. It was: "Why did vnu people rush things so much?" ' After considerable discussion, during which the correctness of Cr. Buxton's balance-sheet was established, it was unanimously decided bv the conference that the Council should malce a concession on heavy traffic charges of £42 and agree to transfer an account of £75 which had been charged against the loan to revenue account, to be ipaid out of St. Aubyn's next year's revenue.