MASTERTON BOROUGH FINANCE.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 5 June 1940, Page 4

MASTERTON BOROUGH FINANCE.

QN the facts reviewed by the Mayor of Masterton (Mr T. Jordan) in a statement which appeared in our news columns yesterday, the Borough Council and its administrative staff clearly are to be credited with a capable and prudent management of oui' municipal affairs ami finances. In a period of rising costs and declining special revenue, it is no small achievement to maintain services without .increasing to more than a minor extent the demands made on. ratepayers. Bearing in mind that provision lias now been made for work.—the concrete lining ol mains—which it is hoped will effect a considerable improvement in the water supply, the Mayor and council appear to be fully entitled to claim that the present financial position of the borough is completely .satisfactory.

An important point made by Mr Jordan was that the surfacing of the streets of the borough is now far advanced.' towards completion and that since this work has been and is being carried out. without recourse to borrowing, the ratepayers of the future “will not be asked to shoulder any of the charges for this capital work.” At the advanced stage to which it has now been carried, the surfacing 01. the Masterton streets without recourse to borrowing is distinctly a matter for congratulation. Out of a total length of streets of about forty miles, some 34 miles have now been surfaced, and of the total length of surfaced streets, approximately one-half have been sealed right across, on the haunches as well as on the central roadway.

This work has been done so well and effectively that upkeep costs on the surfaced streets are now very light and amount only to a fraction of the outlay that would have been entailed in keeping unsnrfaced streets in anything like tolerable condition. A. very great improvement—one which contributes in an important degree to the comfort and convenience ol: the commiinily and incidentally must account for a great saving in wear ami tear on vehicles and even, on footwear —has thus been carried far towards completion at minimum cost. There is. of course, no doubt that the work will be completed in equally satisfactory conditions. The economical improvement and maintenance of streets should make it much easier for the borough, in years to come, to deal with problems yet unsolved, such as those of water-supply and drainage improvement. In these times of acute emergency, the ruling demand of course is for economy and that demand the council appears to be meeting in a thoroughly competent way.