The Chronicle. PUBLISHED DAILY TUESDAY, JULY 4, 1911. MUNICIPAL PALTERERS.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 4 July 1911, Page 2

The Chronicle. PUBLISHED DAILY TUESDAY, JULY 4, 1911. MUNICIPAL PALTERERS.

When an editor lias a ropiitati',i< for stubbonioss ho needs must he careful in 'his condemnation of 4.bat vitality as displayed by othfr folk. Yet wo " must" record our recw-t at tlic Levin Borough Council's n> affirniatioii of its dotorniinsitioii to reject tbo proposal to oroct niunicipnl liaMifi tliis year out of general rates and Govormiiont .■urbsidyDojrjrpdnops is ;-\ .a.ooil exility, but u-lion it is rosortiMl to merely to bolster up a majority of councillors in an cemiomicnlly untenable position its use is re.aro.ttalilo. It would ibavo been better by far liad tbe Hiistakou six admitted tbat tbcytiad inisintcrproted pnlilic opinion on. tbo matter of tbe batbs, and have reversed 111 oil , original votes against tbe proposal. Tbcrc ivas one l)asic principle tbat should .hnvo boon acted upon in .eoniinp; to a decision: nanielv. aio batbs desirable or are tliov not? Evpry councillor but ono of tbe .six objectors lias said till at batbs - 'are" de-iraViie. but all six bar; , objected- tbat at |)resent w:cannot afl'ord to pay for tbeni out of nn-eniie. in otber words, tbat tbey sbould Uc (:rect(Hl out of loam nion<\vs. and ;\,[. >omo future date. As tbe Government subsidy was only

available for present expenditure, iind of gener.il aceo'imt moneys a.c tl'iiit, the deferring of the work mea-iis tlvat THE BATHS AUK TO BK IMICCTED IX fiOMK KUTUHK YICAK AT A COST TO THE BOHOC'GH OK €800 IX PRINCIPAL AM) IXTERKST, instead of a prosont expenditure by tlio borough of C'ioO. A pretty set of economists! Councillor Lancaster, wlio seems to l»o the chief man behind the gun, remarked last night ill ut the nice-tin. , ; , of protesting ratpp.iyei'.s held last week was worked up liy a.iiitators and assisted liy "'a hullyinic -pa-poi'.' * If to oxpn.se iallaeioiis arKinnonls and unsound tinance on the ])ait of a half-dozea of councillor-; constitutes us a newspaper 'u'lly. then we (•■heerl'ully don the liaircl. And, as left-handed compliments aio being d'oalt in, wo retort that lh: opposition to tlie municipal baths proposal was born of the fmaiiiicial cowardice of an unnecessarily alarmed sextette led by a t-lMn-skinaiod councillor who apparently resents our dusiiiteivstod criticisni of Ins fallacious ;>.s.-ortions as to fclie linancial .poverty of this borough. It is well tl.at Councillor Lancaster and everybody clsy should know that The tforowh: ;iua Chronicle- xta.nd.s primarily I'iM - Midepc'iul'ence nH thought and action, and tluat 'liis <'ov(Mt sneers at this newspaper will not affect its policy of ness one iota. Councillor Lancaster is in public life-, and he nuist learn to take public criticism in a proper way, instead of showing open reeontme'i)t in the way itihaifc ilie luae done over this bathe question. Weare not to be publicly brow-beaten nor intimidated by any ot'lior means, and we will continiue to speak with no uncertain sound whenever wo see the public 'nterests jeopardised by any section of the council. Tlno real bullying that is going on is the bullying of a coin muni ty by six headstrong councillors. Wo say ■now, without reservation, that the decision to reject the promised subsidy of £250 iow.-mls public : bat'lis is a piece of municipal paltering.