THE DISSOLUTION OF THE

Waikato Times, Volume XXX, Issue 2446, 15 March 1888, Page 2

THE DISSOLUTION OF THE

BOROUGH. "• TO THE EDITOR. > Sin, —In my first letter re above I statec ' that the Bast side of the river had had at a undue amount of expenditure in its midst. I' and " Prohibition " asks that a detailee 8 statement of expenditure for the past tlnei i years 011 each side of the river should be r given, to show how far results are commen 1 snrate with this assertion. To give all de " tails would occupy too much space, bu( 1 they can be obtained at the Council otlice 8 by examining the books. I give, however, ® tiie following figures, showing how things J have gone for the last nine years—i.e., from the 31st March, 187<S, to 31st March, 1887, ' the accounts for the current year not hav 1 ing been made up yet. The amount ol r rates collected on the West side for ! 3 years is £20!)!) 2 s 8(1; on the Kast side, ' t'1573 2s lOd. Total, £4272 5s (Id. The 1 expenditure has bo j n during this period ' £5887 10s 2d ;on the East side £2881 lis lid, 1 West t.SOOIi Is 3d. Deducting rates from ' expenditure wo get £1015 10s Bd, which has " been obtained from other sources of reve ; 11110, and this sum should be halved 1 between each side, giving £807 15s -Id U ' each. We therefore find tint the Wesf ! revenue, has been £3500 18s, and the Easl 1 £2380 18s 2d. Comparing this with the expenditure we (iud that the West side has expended during nine years £300 13s !)d less 1 than its revenue, and the East side has had £500 13s !M more than its revenue ex- ' pended. Taking the last three years re, eeipts and expenditure in the same way we ' will get, West : Revenue, £818 10s -Id ; ex- ' penditure, £730 10s 7d. East: Revenue, £570, 10s 5d ; expenditure, £05!) lis 4d giving £83 0 s lid more to the East than its share, and £87 lf>s !)d less to the West thai it was entitled to. The above accounts in elude the erection of baths, but not the additions, which are in the current year's accounts. As regards Domain Hoard expen diture, which really comes to the same thing as Borough expenditure, the sun of £1300 in round numbers has beer spent during the last three years, of which amount about £310 has been spent on the West side and £!)!10, or nearly £1000, on the East side, where the lands were fenced, dr.iined, &c., whilst those leased on the West side were leased in a slate of nature, The summing up of the above is that the East side expenditure during nine years ha: absolutely exceeded the West by nearly £000, whilst the revenue from the West- is fully £1000 more than the East. Now, ] do not say that this is unfair, as no doubt the necessities of the case demanded it, bill how people who are in this position car complain of not being fairly treated is more than I cau understand. So far in explanation of the absolute existing circumstances. Now, as to the subject matter of the petition. It states that the municipal system of (lovernmont is too expensive. It need not be made so, and any honest endeavour to lessen the expenses would, I foel sure, gain a great deal of support, but to be wiped out as a Borough altogether is by no means acceptable to a largo number of Hamilton residents, and will be resisted. The petition mentions certain drains, b:iths, etc., which are really not effective. The only drain ir Hamilton, 011 which money has beei: expended, which is not effective, is the Cook-street drain, and it was predicted when that work was being so muchly engineered, that it would be, and so it is. The baths 011 the West side certainly are effective. Those on the East should never have been built, as one good structure was quite sufficient for requirements. This, I believe the engineer stated when first consulted or the matter. The petition says this and other expenditure has increased the burdens of the district. I think lam right in saying that since the borough has been formed, our rates have been Is in the £ 011 the annual value. No more ; no less; anc there certainly is 110 necessity to increase; them that I can see. We are loss he.avih rated than many road districts who have to pay Board and county rates as well, and I think the extra rate business is only :i bogey held out to frighten the timid ones, About the library too. If the present building is good enough, by all means kce| it, but even then it cannot be kept goinf without funds, and now that Oovernmenl subsidies are done away with, something must be done. The rate could only amount to one penny in the pound, and woule amount to some £30 ; surely not too much if the library is worth having at all. II also seems curious to me to see those who a short time since made such a very determined effort to sell to the borough a large brick building for £3000, should soon find out that 110 buildings at all are necessary, and yet we do find that this is the case. Had that £'3000 transaction come oil wo would not have a " bursting up" petition before us for signature. I have shown above that out of "Domain monies nearly £1000 was spent on the Ease sido and this amount at any rate would have to remain to them as a debt in case of separation even if the £4000 was returned. With that debt and their fair share of the ordinary liabilities with the chance of a county rate added I rather think their position would not be a very bright one, and that they would do well to stick to those who have already helped them with more than tlieii fair share of expenditure. The saleyards are now started so that it is too late to say anything 011 that score, and anyhow the petitioners may rest assured that they will not be allowed to carry their point. If it is any information to them I may say that they would require burgesses representing 173 votes to carry the day, whilst Of votes on tho _ other side can effectually prevent anything of the sort. I hope in this letter I have said nothing to raise the bile of any one of the petitioners. I only want the real state of the affair to bo fully understood. If they can controvert my figures and prove that I am wrong, I will be pleased to acknowledge it, but this I am pretty sure cannot be clone, as everything has been taken from the Town Clerk's books and papers.—l am, Sir, yours a; ever, Tang.u'A Tika. I'.S.—The real importance of dissolving tho Borough must be my oxouse for sn lengthy an epistle, which I hope will not be out of place at the present juncture. T. T.