The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 1913. BOROUGH AFFAIRS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 278, 16 April 1913, Page 4

The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 1913. BOROUGH AFFAIRS.

The town clerk's annual report of the afiairs of the borough, a resume of which has already been published in our columns, is, as usual, of considerable interest to those concerned with the welfare of the town. Mr. Bellringer presents the year's operations in a clear and concise fashion, as well as proferring suggestions of a practical and useful nature, enabling the ordinary person to tell at a glance the position of the borough, the state of the municipal activities, and the progress of the past year. In this, as in everything else, the town clerk has done his work thoroughly, and we take the opportunity of congratulating him, as well as of congratulating the borough upon possessing such a capable and painstaking executive officer. The year, as has been pointed out by the Mayor, has been an arduous r.nd difficult one, but to no one more, we should think, than to the town clerk, upon whose shoulders a great deal of the disentangling, adjusting'and reorganising work must necessarily have fallen. The loan proposals naturally created a good deal of work, and for the time they have devoted to these and the multifarious affairs of the borough, the Mayor and councillors are deserving of the whole-hearted thanks of burgesses. The year has been an important one in .many respects. It has seen the consummation of the Greater Xew Plymouth scheme; the carrying of an electric tramways scheme; and a big loan for street improvement and other works. Progress has been made practically all along the line. True, the cost has been heavy and the overdraft has "swollen some," as our American friends would say, but, as the Mayor put it on Monday night, the increase has been due to extraordinary and non-recurring expenditure, much of which went in revenueproducing works. So-long as this "extraordinary expenditure" is kept within reasonable bounds, the position of the borough will bo safe enough, but it is an unwise policy to lean too much on the bank, as there are times in the year —before the revenue comes in—when the Council requires to draw" very heavi'y on tlie overdraft. On other grounds, too, it is unwise to outrun the constable. The public debt is mounting up. That fact, however, does not exercise the mind of the average ratepayer, so long as the money is 'invested in remunerative works, as, in truth, most of New Plymouth's are.- Now we owe a modest £103,000, but 'Wfll the other loans, for tramways and general works, raised, this will be increased by another £IOO.OOO, or more, for Ave "believe the tramways will cost in ore than lias been estimated, every oblier tramways system in New Zealand has done. We, as a people, are, as one of the British Trade Commissioners the other day remarked, a nation of optimists, an<\ have supreme faith in our country, our towns and ourselves. This is shown by the size of our national, municipal and private debts, and. our readiness to shoulder further obligations. But we in New Plymouth have reason to feel satisfied regarding our present position, and can look to the future without misgivings. All our municipal enterprises have so far turned out trumps. The electric lighting, which accounts for nearly £40,000 of pur debt, is showing splendid results. Last year, for example, it reaped a gross,profit of £2900, which, after deductions have been made for depreciation on plant, will leave a handsome net profit. An ample sinking fund is provided, so that in the course of a couple of decades or so the borough will have the works free from debt, and meantime reap ever-increasing profits that may go towards the relief of the rates or to other desirable purposes. The position of the borough generally is scund and satisfactory, and we look to the future with hope and confidence. Anxious as the past year has been, the ensuing one will not be less so. The loan monies have to be arranged for, and the various works for which the loans have been authorised put in hand. With the extension of the borough's boundar- | ies, the ordinary work is rapidly increasing, and will in itself be sufficient to tax the resources of the Council and the executive staff. The new Council, in view of the administrative responsibilities it will have to face, will have no "primrose way" to tread, and it is to be hoped that representative and capable men will show their loyally to the town and their confidence in its resources by sparing sufficient of their time to come forward and offer their services in our civic administration.