Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. FRIDAY, JUNE 27, 1902.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXI, Issue 5696, 27 June 1902, Page 2

Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. FRIDAY, JUNE 27, 1902.

The application of the Committee of the Ashburton technical classes to the Borough and County Councils for some assistance to enable it to meet the initial expenditure was a proper and reasonable one, and it was to be expected that it would meet with favourable consideration. The Borough Council has already dealt with it, and the sum of £5 has been voted to assist m maintaining the classes m this town. The members of the Council generally appeared to j be m sympathy with the object of the Com- i ; mittee, but the majority could not see that the Council was justified m spending more ' than the nominal sum suggested by the • Mayor. There had been so many calls on the Borough funds that it was absolutely necessary economy should now be practised. We have often been amused at the ideas possessed by some members of the Council on the subject of economising the Borough funds. They have freely voted such sums as iSHOO for new municipal chambers; £150 odd for the furniture; .£3O for a few chairs for the Councillors; .£25 to get the Duke of York to step on to the Ashburton railway plat- { form for a few minutes j .£SO for an attempt { at a fireworks display, and .£lO for lighting .' [up the Borough building for an hour or two. But when a small outlay is suggested for a useful and almost necessary purpose, Councillors suddenly wake up to an appreciation of their responsibilities and talk solemnly of their duty to the ratepayers which demands that they should be careful with the funds entrusted to them for special purposes. Applications for work that is much needed m the town are thus brushed aside continually, and hints are thrown out that if such applications are pressed an increased rate will have to be struck. We would point out to the Borough Councillors that judgment and prudence are more necessary m the administration of the Borough finances than those spasmodic fits of economy, which occasionally..attauk some of our city fathers. The Mayor twitted Cr Eeid j with having one of these seizures the other evening, but if we mistake not, Hiß Worship has Buttered from the same complaint, as lor instance when he made hia notable appeal to the Council to cut down the Borough expenditure owing to the state of the funds. We are all agreed that the careful management of the Borough funds is one of the first duties of the Council. But there is apparently a considerable difference of opinion as to what constitutes careful management ; what is judicious and necessary expenditure, and what is not. We are amongst those who believe that to assist m the maintenance of technical classes m a Borough is a very ; important duty of the Council. The legislature of New Zealand evidently took that view when it inserted a clause m the Municipal Corporations Act, 1900, to provide for the establishment and maintenance of Technical Schools ; but there is no provision m that, or any other Act, for some of the expenditure for which the Borough Gouncil is responsible during the past year or so. We have no desire to criticise the Council m a general way, for there is no doubt its members have endeavoured conscientiously to do their duty to the ratepayers, but it is only fair to remind them that there is an impression amongst the ratepayers that some of the Councillors exhibit a tendency to strain at a gnat, while they have shown that they have no objection to swallow a camel. j