OUR CITY LAMPS.

Evening Star, Issue 10400, 23 August 1897, Page 2

OUR CITY LAMPS.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —In your Saturday’s issue there ap* peared a letter, signed “ A Ratepayer,”-in which, reference is made to the street lamp lighting, and it is stated that, Judging by the way the contract is being carried on of late, it seems, that: the Corporation do noh exert themselves very much. I should likCt to ask " A Ratepayer” to explain himself. When he makes publicly an : allegation such as that-it must not bo without 1 proof,' I challenge him, if he can prove his remarks, to do so, and also the next time to sign hia name, and also to state facts and not false-, hoods. “ A Ratepayer ” also says that if a, contractor had made the mistakes that the Cerporation are now making the result, would be to fine him according to the speoU fications or forfeit his' deposit, i'our cor, respondent must surely have had the contract some time or other, sinco ha seems to know all tho ius and outs. As regards mistakes, I think that the boob, is pinching on the other foot. .“A Rate, payer ” also states that our worthy gas. engineer is a little to blame in respect to this work being done under the present, system. I should like to know what right he has to dictate to our worthy gas engineer; surely a gentleman holding that honorable position knows a little more than “ A Rate, payer.” He also states that he (the gas engineer) made a previous occupant of ; th® mayoral chair and . all the councillors believe that he would effect them'a grpat saving by a change of the system. But, ha goes on to say, it has turned out a failure. 1 would like to know, Mr Editor, in wbpt way. Then it L stated that the City lamp, lighting contract is costing far in excess of the tender system. ; I beg leave,-Mr Ed .tor, to contradict this statement, 'as ' 1 - can " prove it 1* absolutely false, and' an exaggeration ia the extreme. The Corporation paid" the contractor a gbod price, and he made a'good profit. By what means? Why, sir, by not paying a living wage. - Further, we know there was never a' week without complaints regarding dirty lamps and broken and cracked glass, and some of them never lit at all. lam sure that the . majority of the ratepayers will agree With me when I state that the lamps, taking them in all, are clean, and worthy the name of lamps, And I may also mention—as I would not have “A Ratepayer ” Ignorant of the that our City Council and bur gas engineer have never been guilty of paying such wages as the contractor did. It is all very fine for “ A Ratepayer ” to talk about his contract system; it ia well seen that he is an interested party. The contractor gets the benefit ,by employing boy labor, or else making men work for boys’wages. I think “ A Ratepayer ’’ knows a little more about cabs and horses than contract system or any other system,regarding street lamps ; and it would be better for him if he has any complaints to mako to lodge them at the headquarters, and not be writing incorrect statements to your paper, as. it is a mean action to stab any person or persons in the dark. As you are aware, Mr Editor, some folks are never satisfied, and it would be impossible to please them in any shape or form ; and I take it that “A Ratepayer” is of this class. Last, but not least, he states that this system is costing more now than when the Corporation took ihe work over. I may inform “A Ratepayer ” that the gas engineer was the first to raise tho men’s wages, and. he is to be congratulated upon so doing. It speaks always better for a man when he is willing to pay his employes a fair wage, and not pocket all the money and give the men just the name of wages, for you cannot call it, anything else. And I am sure, sir, that our City Council can do their work as cheaply as any contractor, and get the work done properly, and pay their men a fair wage—namely, 30s per week. This the contractor never paid, but, as I said before, was the reaper Tiimself.

And where' do the failure and mistakes that “A Ratepayer” speaks of come in? Now, I should like this correspondent to state what will satisfy him.. The men work nearly all day and all night up till a quarter to two a.m. What more'does he.want? And, in conclusion, I hope next time that he writes he will know what ho is speaking about, and also that he will not make personal remarks. I hope, Mr Editor, that you will pardon me for trespassing to such an extent on your ,columns, but as it is in the defence of honest rights I trust* that you will publish this letter.—l am, etc.; - j. - A ~ John T. Kbul. Dunedin, August 23. ’' „ . TO THB BDITOB, ° IB > — y° nr issue of Saturday there apP'ared a letter signed “A Ratepayer,?.'in which the writer made several uncalled-for remarks regarding the present ' system of street lighting, and blamed the City Fathers for not exerting themselves over the matter. Ine letter amazed me, and I was specially surprised that one who claimed to bo a ratepayer should' have indulged in such extravagant assertions. Your correspondent' Bays

that the / failure is dtie to the gas engineer, who, he declares, promised to effect a big saving if the change ho recommended were made. Now, what are the facts ? Tho lowest tender received by the , Corporation was £964, while the cost to the 1 City under tho present system has been £624. And the City pays eight men. 30j a week. What did the contractor pay them ? Will “ A Ratepayer” answer that? The City Council are to bo complimented instead of denounced on their determination to give to a deserving though humble class of something like a “Jiving wage,” in the place of tho too often starvation pay they received before. Tho gas engineer Ought to receive the thanks of every honestminded ratepayer for tho persistence with which he has fought this question, and for the results he has achieved. Depend upon it he has the support of right-thinking citizens who know the difference between the two systems, and will not sanction a return to the old order of things. The work is better done, the property of the City batter looked after, and the men are treated with some show of consideration. Ask the worthy mayor’s opinion on tho point-, and I dare say that ho will confirm my statement. I may give, in conclusion, my own experience. Under tho contract system tho lamps in - rny part of the town were often with most of the panes of glass broken, and they were not often lit, whilst it was no uncommon occurrence to find the locality in utter darkness before midnight. Now the lamps are well looked after—kept clean and in good repair, and it rarely happens that they are extinguished before the regulation time. These are decided advantages, and if they cost tho ratepayers a little more there is compensation in tho knowledge that the men who perform the duty directly benefit by the change. The Gas Committee of the day who accepted Mr Courtis’s proposals rendered the City a signal service, and when the whole facts are known I am confident that tho ratepayers- will not go back on the reform that was adopted nearly four years ago.—l am, etc., Ratepayer Ng. 2. Dunedin, August 23. .