THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'OLOCK Resurrexi. TUESDAY, MAY 11, 1880.

Thames Star, Volume XI, Issue 3549, 11 May 1880, Page 2

THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'OLOCK Resurrexi. TUESDAY, MAY 11, 1880.

The balance sheet of the Borough of Thames for the year ending March 31, 1880, published recently, affords several subjects for consideration. At a time when the financial position of the Borough is rather equivocal, we may rejoice in one consolation—that the returns of the revenue might have been worse. The Borough have commenced a laudable system of retrenchment, and in many cases have shown a great desire to cut down expenses. It may be said that they were forced into this course on account of tho diminishing coffers of the exchequer. The revenue shows a decrease of £850, and therefore means had to be taken to keep from further overrunning the constable. The overdraft in the bank, which in 1879 was £4217 has been reduced to £2458, or has decreased by about £1800, and the remaining liability is covered by the amount due to the Borough from the Harbor Board and Water Supply Committee. The reduction of the overdraft merits our most serious consideration. The Borough liabilities sbow an item of £847 for " outstanding accounts." It would have been a wiser course to have cleared off -their debts-first, and reduced iheir overdraft afterwards if the Bank would have allowed them to adopt that course, but it is certain that tradespeople will not be able to long stand a strain which the Borough has imposed upon them. The expenditure on roads has been less, and the consequence will be that the future Councils will have to bear the brunt of the expense. They will only have to pay more in time to come, as the roads are rapidly becoming in a highly delapidated condition. This penny-wise and poundfoolish policy may appear satisfactory now, but whether the burgesses will in the course of a few years look with a complacent eye upon the work carried on during the last year, is very doubtful. With less attention to keeping the roads in order, and omitting to pay "outstanding accounts", it is evident that the Borough have adopted the highly praiseworthy system of " ltobbing Peter to pay Paul." However, let us pass on, and review the ance sheet. In the past year the

rates were less by £170 than the amount accruing therefrom in 1879. Tho decrease on licenses generally was £105,; while the main cause of the diminished total was a minus of £1,121 on the Gold Duty received. There was £70 increase in the amount spent in asphalting in 1880 over that spent in 1879. This is no doubt a rery necessary undertaking, as the footpaths up to the time when asphalt was introduced were in a very sad state of neglect. It is the most durable for sidewalks, and is, moreover, neat in appearance, and we think that it should be universally adopted, in the formation of the pathways. The subsidies received during the two years do not show any appreciable difference, and the total receipts without the overdraft, show £9,175, as against £10,022 exclusive of overdraft in 1879. The expenditure has consequently been less. Among the items we notice that there is a decrease in " salaries and allowances " of £136, of, which sum £32 is deducted from the Mayor's salary, which terminated last November. In the office charges there is a decrease in expenditure of £98, the chief saving being in the item of "printing and advertising." The chief decrease is, as we pointed out above, owing to the small amount expended in keeping the roads in order. The " streets and footways" show that £2700,' less than last year, had been expended thereon. This makes no doubt a great difference to the credit side of the balance-sheet, but whether it has been a judicious reduction remains a q.ed. However, under existing circumstances the balance-sheet is a tolerably favorable one, and is an improvement on the one we expected to see put before the ratepayers. The only thing is that the Council will have to pay their just debts incurred, or their credit will soon wane, although they are a Borough Council! But if our public men were to be a trifle more wrapped up in the interests of the ratepayers, and not so indifferent to the welfare of their district, the Thames Borough would not have to own that she could not pay £800 odd included in " outstanding liabilities ! "