THE CITY COUNCIL AND ITS GREAT MONOPOLIES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 145, 13 March 1908, Page 5

THE CITY COUNCIL AND ITS GREAT MONOPOLIES.

■■ Sir 3 '_ —Tlio.City Council,,- not satisfied.l with. , ; grasping the.'.yrJiolc.'of' tho elcctric liglit sup- . J plz :<£vthirty, ' also.. of; the whole ; (.services; •? are i-'now reaching I . outr : theirigrasping:"hands.:for. the Gas ; Company's! property,' and are also talk-'j y. ins-.'of-petting, bylioolro'rbycrook the Kelburne'Tr&mway- Company's .- plant, - business, \(,-" etc. '.If .tms is not a sample-of^centralisation - of:: ; tho;mqst--;hateful'Vand--oppressive-.'kind,'-•thenj'l do ? _hot.;knoV/. what' is.;-Every person . who'-requires •■' employment:-'or-■ work ■ in< any>.(-capacity;, whatever will have to' win (.the; of ; " His ' -Worship" the Mayor,"-or of the heads"of•'tho great'Tra'dia l ' (and (Labour/ Trust,., before he will have the( - slightest .-'chanceVof getting " work ,in - any -of "(-■'; thfeseS big (overgrown "departments or mono-. ' .■■ ■o , P-°' l i e ?v' ; . 'All'-doors'-and avenues will be found; closed- to . all' except of 'the -right colour, or .who! make' themselves-extremely useful to thei-powers;that' I 'be' at 'election arid other ■ timeso Thetpoor;('.long-suffering ratepayers .. will havo yto'* bear (the,(whole(burden; and :.. make up , all '"deficiencies 'of revenue. - : The • Citjr Council, by "their high-handed methods aiid policy, are fast driving all 'private' enterprise, except -on a very -small scale, out of (.City.'arid (.country i'v No : enterw I a largo scale has been taken up by the pen-. ■ ; .'(ple>for' aJ6rig'vtimeipast, and -is not likely- ( to.be-under . .'".'-Lwould like'to'ask;'if.;th'o"'dity Gpuueil are V i; paying; into' (the(-'Municipal■'Treasury the (same ■--'■■'1 :■ amount( r of : 'rates- 6n' ! the,'electric".light""plant \ ( varid iprbperty.. as. the'companywere :doing,. v . if not, then why not ?One-half of tho ratepayers( do-not^isp;(_tho^light,- ? !hnd : ■(; (to- consumers,-"(and " they have'no right to bo compelled to make good tho loss of rates' on the electric light I ; -(-'■. plant.. ■ (.' ; '< '' :;((v((-•' .. ', ■' Again, Iwould like :to ask,; whjt is the;• amount of urates levied by the Council on . / the Gas (Company-; every "year ? - and 'if tho; - , - Couricil I ;'"succeed (in' : grabbing-.(th'o.' property,. (who'is'going.tojmake goqd'the: heavy, loss of' rates ?. ; The (ratepayers', or- tho' Council?. I'suppose that .we cannot get;at' , a.fair. idea.of the'amount'of rate's that would'.

h'ayo' been demanded ,'frbm a company if . they . ownM Vthe'elcctric ' trams in Wellihgtpn : as' ■* they do- in Mclbourno, Brisbane, Auckland, ; aiid other places? arid, tlio loss.of'which is a crushing load on the downtrodden ratepayers of tins City; - many , of jwhom do not . others use them ' but very little.: Yet again,_ I want to kriow wh'y : tho wealthy, and .magnificent Government, of New Zealand do not.;pay the usual rates 'on'

th'o . unimproved : value of .their - properties. - They-own the pick'of all; the best sites in \ the' City, .and, they.sneak- oiit of paying a singlo penny in .rates to the Council. In •Sydney, tho .Goverament; spends tens of ; thousands of pounds out of the consolidated . revonuo on the up-keop and beautifying of the City. I : : do liopo' your many readers will get an honest,: straightforward answer to tho abovo queries.—l am,, etc., RATEPAYER. - Wellington, March 11, 1908.