CITY FINANCES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXI, Issue 269, 14 November 1890, Page 2

CITY FINANCES.

THE MAYOK*S WARNING.

Ponsonby Ward and the reports of ite members occasioned a good deal of talk, lasb evening afe the City Council meeting. On a petition from the residents o£ Prospect- ', street re its condition, the ward members recommended that a concrete channel be constructed on the north side of the street) from the commencement* of the existing open channel to Blake - street, work to be done by the Ward workmen. It was mentioned that the cost would be £18, of which £9 would be for material. Considerable disscussion followed as to whether such small works, being construction, should be charged to ward allocation or general account. A numberof Councillors expressed the opinion ■ tha,t the work should be charged to the general fund and done by the Council workmen. " V The. Mayor said he was distinctly of opinion thab they should be charged to ward allocation. They must be more careful about their finances. The general account was in a very healthy state. During; the six months ended on the 30th September last, the expenditure had been £600 less than in the corresponding half of the lasb year. Ac the same time, the in-' teroab account was getting worse and worse. > In the yeair before last the loss on thaO account was between £500 and £600; lash. y«jar the loss was £2,500, and this year ib would be £3,500, and possibly greater.It was nob probable that the saving on the general account would amount to £3,500, co thab there would be a deficit at the end. -■ They should therefore remember that everypound spent mpon a woVk which was onnecossary, or -which coula be delayed, increased the debt, as did every pound out of general account instead of ward allocation. The whole pos&tible saving on the general account was only £1,750, so that every pound unnecessarily spent disturbs the ac-' Cqunts. This £18 was nob really needed. Cr. Paterson spoke in the same strain. j Cγ. Goldie pointed onb that a motion in > his naimi had already been carried by the. * Council j " That the ward members shall determine-, what work the ward workmen shall do;." Cr. CJooper said there had been none of \ this hubbub abouc the general account and overdr/ift when the Arawa-streeb work was It epokeo, of. Work was being done in this way ioi Eden-street and in Eorb-street. ' Aftfir a little further discussion the/ clause was adopted as ib~ stood, so that the work/ will be charged to general account, •;. '•' Tbe following clauses were also carried re Vermont-street:—" Thab the Engineer be Instructed to cleanse and repair the ■ existing channels where necessary; petk \ tiori from tho residents of Curran, Einraefci and Satefield streets, regarding drainage; tha.t the petitioners be informed that there ' a«j no funds available for this work." The Karangahape Ward membera im-. U mediately after fired theirshobatthe general account. By permission, a report was pub in by them, recommending the drainage of . the g;ully between West and Edwin-streets, bhe .existing drainage being destroyed by jj the recent rains. The pipes had been pufr ; m by the residents, and were nob -worth putting back. The total cost of the work! : : would be £70. t question herealso arose as to whether : the should be charged to ward alioca- : ; tion or nob. ,Cr. Garfatt and the othor ward inembere thought not. Other Councillors thought ift should, and eventually ib was decided to charge £50 to the ward and the rasb to general account. Cr -, protested, on behalf of tha JNorth Ward, against bhe way in which it, made to pay everything out of ward : tunas. Hβ ehoulti like to see a principle established that all wards should be treated alike. The Mayor said he should like to propound the principle thaj) while the Council ■ was in debt and Ha income falling, they should undertake ni? new W p r k s and opiy • neceoeary repairs.