PARNELL RETRENCHMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9026, 12 April 1888, Page 3

PARNELL RETRENCHMENT.

TO THE EDITOR. Bra,—ln answer to a letter from "Onlooker," in your paper of April 7,1 would like to inform him that if he had been a Parnell ratepayer for some years, he would, no doubt, have taken - a very different view of the efficiency of our town officials. Mr. " Onlooker" ought to know that) the Town Clerk, coupled with the Foreman of Works, in all boroughs, are the real managers, of affairs and advisers of the Council. ' If the Town Clerk honestly perforins his

duties, he will not let the Council do any illegal act, or enter upon, or begin any illegal work without informing the Council of it first. ; If our officials had done so, it would have saved the Parnell Council a great deal of money, and the tax of Is 3d on general account would not have been imposed. I would like also to remind " Onlooker " that what was deemed poor pay three or four years ago is very high pay now, and that it is a well-known fact that town officials are much better paid than the majority of the taxpayers who find the money. The Parnell ratepayers hardly realise that the extra taxation will fall very heavily on the working men, who are hardly earning enough wages now to keep themselves, ana certainly as this tax becomes payable in the middle of winter, they will not be able to pay it. The tradespeople and propertyowners will suffer, as the stigma of being the heaviest taxed borough in this part of New Zealand 1 will have the effect of reducing the value of their properties considerably. The only way out of this difficulty would be to join the city. I feel, Mr. Editor, that it is . a necessity that the Parnell Council should put away all sentiment and act with practical common sense, and carry out a thorough retrenchment as regards salaries and combination of offices and in all other unnecessary expenditure, in order to pay off the greater part of the bank overdraft this year. And the councillors ought to pledge themselves that they (if they are in the Council) will only strike a Is rate next year. The Parnell ratepayers ought to form a Ratepayers' Association to help to bring this about. The question of discharging the borough officials was brought up some years ago, when the same difficulty arose that was felt last Council meeting, viz., the great indebtedness of the borough, and the large amount of money owing to the town clerk. The indebtedness of Parnell would be a great hindrance to our joining the city.lam, &c., John Savage. Parnell, April 9th, 1888.