THE NEW AERODROME.

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 21 February 1935, Page 6

THE NEW AERODROME.

(To the Editor)

Sir, —I wish to call the attention of th'e ratepayers of Hawera to the attitude adopted by all those councillors except one who were present at the meeting on Monday night, when the matter of a new aerodrome in Hawera came up for discussion. Should we, as ratepayers, be so apathetic as to be quite content to sit idly by and see our money wasted in such a manner as suggested without a word of protest ? If there is to be any objection | by the ratepayers to the council spendI ing money on this new aerodrome, now . is the time- to make a noise about it, not when the matter has got beyond their reach. We will remember how we were all caught napping over the Patea Harbour Board rates, and how awfully wise we became when we woke up. However, this aerodrome matter should provide food for serious thou/ght on the part of the ratepayers. Sir, •in the first place, are the councillors 1 justified in trying to vote this money (£2OO a year for ten years) away without the consent of the ratepayers? It is true it has not yet passed the test, but it may not require much stringpulling to get a clause put in the Local Bodies’ Empowering Bill to give .them power to do so, and then we would get a £2OOO mill-stone tied round our neck for nothing in return. My personal objection to spending £2OOO on this aerodrome is on at-epunt of the money being absolutely lost as far as the ratepayers are concerned; if it was to provide in any way an asset to the borough, it would he quite a different matter. If our councillors are so eager to spend other people’s money, let them spend it in a way that the other people will derive some benefit. Our water supply is a long way from being efficient; we [•have a case in point in last night’s “Star” re the “buoyant fluid” ourj 1 children have to contend with in the baths. Then again, when our hand got into financial difficulties and our unemployed needed a little more assistance, were our councillors so eager in granting a .little help? Oh, no! The cry was, we are the guardians of the ratepayers’ and we must protect same from being wasted. I trust that these few line will arouse the apathy )o0 the [ratepayers and cause them to look into the matter and see whether it is a justifiable expenditure of their money. I am etc., LOOKING ON.