The Loan Proposals.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 6487, 14 September 1915, Page 3

The Loan Proposals.

(To t«xe Editor.)

Sir,—The poll to-morrow will decide whetbe we are to continue the borrowing policy which has proved so disastrous or not. Tha present proposal has certainly something to recommend it, but be the merits or demerits what they may, are we justified in voting for it at the present time? I believe we are not. The present Council, who in the main are left overs from the previous one, have not shown any greater ability under* tbe present Mayor's guidance than under that of the last, nor has the Mayor come up to his platform utterances by any means. Wha* has become of the reorganisation of the staff? Where is the engineer? Has any attempt been made to retrench in the face of the present parlous state of the finances, which of course can be laid solely to the happy-go-lucky-led-by-the-nose-policy of the Council's predecessors. Our rates have as a result gone up to breaking point, and notwithstanding the fact that the Wharf windfall, or rather nest-egg, from the earlier Council's operations,of some thousands of pounds (a credit balance to start with), and the steady increase in values until a year ago, and consequent increased revenue, the present Council have been landed in such a hole that they have borrowed practically to the bank limit some £4000 odd to finance past mistakes. The Council—or at least the new members —deserve our sympathy in their present dilemma, an empty exchequer and naif-pie roads, but until the Mayor and Council wake up to the fact that they must retrench in every way, it were fo'ly to vote any more cash, no matter what the object may be. Property owners and ratepayers should therefore not fail to express their opinion at the poll to-morrow.—l am etc., , >

SCUTATOR Tauranga, Sept 13, 1915.