The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 1883.

Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4428, 14 March 1883, Page 2

The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 1883.

As far back as March 1880, the then Mayor of the Borough wrote to the Government preferring claims to the amount of over £3000. The communication set forth the facts th%t the Government had failed to contribute its full share of the cost of erecting the Orphanage and Training School, and that a sum of £275 was due on that account; that, the Borough suffered from an injustice: contributions which should have been, were not -made by the County Council to the Hospital—as more, than half the patients in the institution were belonging to the County and not from the Borough. The Government had promised that if the County did not pay its share of Hospital maintenance, it should ascertain the amount due by the County, deduct it from any' Government monies from time to time to be paid by the Government to the .Council, and hand it o.ver to the Borough; This had not been done. The claim made by I the Connoil, up to the date of the letter, on this account, was £351 2s, as was agreed to by the Government Undersecretary in a letter dated April, 1879. A claim was also made for a refund of monies deducted from subsidies payable to Thames Borough, which should not have been deducted; these sums were for the maintenance of Thames poor and sick who were, it is alleged,. treated in the Auckland Hospital and other institutions, notwithstanding the fact that - all the Thames patients were locally attended to;. -For the years ,1877 and. 1878, the amount.claimed, is £2309. It was also . pointed out that in July, 1878, the Borough undertook the wtfole control and maintenance- of the Institutions in question on the understanding ' that no deductions were to be made from ; i^s subsidies; yet,, since, since that time £115 has been paid by the Borough for Thames children in the Auckland Industrial Home, and £198 for the maintenance and treatment of Auckland poor and sick at the Thames. Although very -nearly three years have elapsed since these claims were preferred, and several attempts bavc been made to prevail upon the Government to pay them, they still -remain unliquidated. .Regarding the first item', the ereotious ;in connection with the prphanage. cost £1600, half of which should have' been paid by the Government who only contributed £575. , The ■econd complaint points out the unfulfilment of a go?eminent promise .-mot an uncommon thing, by the way— -and shews that under that head at least. £351 is .owing. The third demand is a much heavier and more serious one, but .its legitimacy is fully borne out.'' Certain deductions were made from money duo to the Borough by Government as explained. •

and it can be prored that this was wrongfully done. Therefore, every step should be taken by the Borough to obtain the sum due to it by the Government. The 'Mayor.is about to visit Wellington in connection with railway matters, and the Conncii should strengthen his hands in the matter so that be may move in the direction of obtaining the large sum withheld from us. The Council is continually complaining of being in a state of impe* cuniosity, and if they succeed in obtaining the money due it will enable them to prosecute some of the works so urgently required in the Borough.