Borough Administration.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 8141, 15 November 1905, Page 5

Borough Administration.

(To .the Editor).-

Siii, —Speaking for myself I imagine Councillors will welcome remarks'either from the editor or correspondents upon the question of Borough administration, especially if such remarks are fair and reasonable, as a Council if honest, though it may make mistakes, should have nothing to hide from those whom it represents ; and a good healthy public opinion is certainly the thing to make the public servants toe the mark. But, I think it is desirable that the public should, to exactly-'realise the

losition, possess a little fuller informa-

tion upon the subject of your correspondent's letters, and as a Councillor who in committee opposed Mr Jickell being allowed to accept the position of gasworks engineer to Woodville, and who had I been in Palmerston would have opposed it in Council (on the ground that the work of this town at present required all Mr Jickell's^time and engineering skill), and hence I think having no need to defend n% action in the matter, perhaps sir, you will allow me space to place before your readers M'hat information I possess on the matter.

With" Ratepayer " I quite agree that Mr. Jickell has been appointed constructing engineer for the Woodville gasworks, and, passing on to the question of expenditure in the engineer's

department, would ask "Ratepayer", has he considered that there are considerable schemes of .borough improvement now being carried out.?.. In the past-the salary of the inspector was, of course, only comparatively modest, but any extra works meant the einplojnnent and heavy remuneration of outside engineers. Does " Ratepayer" remember that Mr Jickell has on hand the town sewerage, extension of waterworks, Hokowhitu protection, ILiwau

improvement and the question of street maintenance? Which owing to the very large increase of traffic is a very much larger question than it was a few years ago. And this brings me to a remark of "Ratepayer" about experimenting with road metal, the position with respect to which is as follows';—Cn the motion of the Mayor a Committee Was set up to report on the quality of the metal at present used on our streets, and if it could be improved upon, either by obtaining metal from the river, from the Tiritea, from Paikakariki ■ or, elsewhere ; and. the: committee, of whom Cr Armstrong is : chairman, and myself am a member, after examining the metal in the pits, at the river, and the Tiritea, instructed Mr Jickell to submit samples.from each place to a somewhat severe test to obtain the comparative wearing qualities of each, to enable vs —having in mind the cost of getting and transporting to our streets —to. arrive at a conclusion as to the most suitable metal to recommend.

" Bill Hawkeye," the administration of Borough affairs shall be, as far as I can manage it, andl believe is, at present, clean, honest, and economical, and I can, I think, enfighten you upon the question you ask: —Mr Smithies, I have heard, is engineer or something of the kind to the firm in Wanganui who manufacture spiral rivetted steel pipes. Mr Jickell has hot urged the Pahnerston N. Council to use these pipes, but has consistently reported against them in favour, bf cart-iron pipes, notwithstanding their considerably less cost.

■ 1 apologise for trespassing such length on yourl space, but as it is unusual tor public servants to reply to newspaper correspondents, as a believer in fair play I have considered it only right to place the position fairly before your readers.—l am, etc.,

Wa. Stubbs,

Church-street, Nov. 14th, 1905