Arrowtown : April 2, 1896.

Lake County Press, Issue 702, 2 April 1896, Page 2

Arrowtown : April 2, 1896.

It appears to be an established fact that the local Borough Council is now indebted as regards the Waterworks Sinking Fund, to the tune of £2lO, at least, that is the amount that ought to be paid this financial year, if the £l2O left unpaid for the year 1893 is to be made good, and the Corporation’s finances properly adjusted by those who happen to bo in the unenviable position of councillors ot the present time. How the Borough Council intend to provide for the deficiency is not at all clear to us, nor do we think the councillors, as a public body, we very clear on the matter themselves. It is pretty certain that the fact of the Sinking Fund being one year in arrears is not a discovery of yesterday, but that it was explained in 1894 by the then Town Clerk, and pretty freely discussed at the time. As several members of the present Council were representatives of the ratepayers in 1894 and took part in the discussion re the unpaid Sinking Fund, it appears somewhat strange that the councillors in question feigned ignorance of the Borough,s liability in this direction when the Town Clerk brought the matter under their notice quite recently. However the unpalatable fact remains that the amount is owing, and, if Cr Reid is anywhere near the mark, the Council is at present something like £SOO to the bad. This is a nauseous pill for the ratepayers to swallow, especially when we come to consider that a fifteen-penny rate was struck in’94 and Is each succeeding year. Oar streets have been allowed to fall into disrepair and the public works of the Borough neglected. At no time during the past fifteen years can we remember the public thoroughfares of Arrowtown to have presented such a neglected appearance. The present system of paying the dayman to devote a portion of his time to looking after the water and lighting the lamps has proved a failure in every sense of the term. Nor do we think that the proposition to appoint a permanent dayman at a salary of £BO per year wiil prove a sufficient remedy. What we would advocate is a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work, and £IOO a year is little enough if the Council expect to secure the services of a good man who can be relied on to faithfully and concientously carry out the duties of dayman, for he will find more than enough work to occupy his time for some considerable time to come. It was quite apparent lately when Mr Bcgbie’s small goods shed caught tire, that the hose-reel, fire-hose, hydrants, etc., wore not in the best of order, and the incoming dayman ought to be made to pay some attention to these. It is not to be wondered at that property owners are dissatisfied when they are called upon to pay a heavy rate year after year, without seeing some portion of the money expended on improving our thoroughfares, and imparting to the highways and byways of Arrowtown a decent appearance. We know that it is u thankless task without emolument or remuneration ofanykiudto serve the public in the capacity of a Borough comaillor in this or any other small up-country town, but havirg undertaken the responsibility of controlling the public purse, councillors ought at least to bestow more care aucl attention to their public duties than our local councillors have lately been in the habit of doing. The Corporation’s present financial position is discreditable alike to the present Mayor and councillors, their predecessors, and the community as a whole, and we hope to see a more healthy state of things prevail

Tho Arrow Borough Council.

in the notfor-distant future. The present Town Olerk certainly deserved the £6 6s voted to him at the Council's last meeting for collecting back rates, because Mr Webb was carrying Jout a disagreeable duty that former town clerks had neglected to perform, and the remuneration was not a penny too much, but we do not approve of Or Butler's notica of motion to pay the clerk 2J per cent on all general rates collected, and we very much doubt if the Auditor would pass the same.