MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11537, 23 November 1900, Page 3

MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS.

TO TIIE EDITOR. Sir,— was extremely pleased to read Mr. Murdoch McLean's very "plain letter on this subject and your strong leader in reference to it. There can be no doubt that reform in the methods of our City Council is urgently wanted. Mr. McLean asks, What do a body of men, composed of chemists, drapers, grocers, lawyers, etc., know of the works necessary to keep Auckland in a fit state to live in? While thoroughly supporting Mr. McLean's contention that we should havo st skilled adviser of undoubted ability, I maintain that a man who is fit to occupy a position on the City Council should have a good general idea as to how publio works should be carried out, and if our councillors only possessed this, our municipal affairs would not bo in the deplorable muddle which now exists. - For instance, I do not think it is too much to expect, oven of the overage city councillor, that lie should know that impure milk and dirty dairies are a fruitful source of typhoid, and that he should make it bis business to see that the milk and dairies are subject to inspection. Yet this is not done, and for nearly a year, if not, indeed, more, there has been no inspection of dairies or milk, and probably will not be until wo have a typhoid scare. Ho ought also to know, especially in these days of elaborately scientific sanitation, when the life of the elusive microbe must be hardly worth living, that wooden fluming or open drains through bush and clay country are not the right channels through which to bring a water supply to a modern city. It should not be too much to expect of him that he should know that there are better foundations for a people's park and recreation ground than silt, road scrapings, with a necessarily large admixture of organic matter, rotten fruit, and general garbage. He should certainly be deemed capable of suspecting that in the near future a mixture such as this will "assort itself" very much to the detriment of those using a " park" built on these lines, or living in its vicinity. I think, without being unduly fulsome, 1 might accuse some of the Council of knowing that pebbles weighing anywhere from 71b to 101b are not the best possible material wherowith to form a road surface, and I might also —without giving offence, I hopesuggest that some of them should have sufficient observation to see that the size of metal used on our roads is perfectly ridiculous. Little things such as these are obvious to outsiders, and when the matter of our disgraceful roads was brought by the Auckland Cycle Roads League before the Council, in such trenchant terms, that they dare not disregard it, the councillors were unanimously of opinion that an inquiry was necessary. Why, then, did not one, at least, of them take it up and have it attended to? Why should it devolve upon outsiders like the Auckland Cycle Roads League, Mr. McLean, and myself, at the very great risk of being styled public nuisances, which the City Council cannot deal with, to force such matters on our civic fathers?

The fact is that everything we do in Auckland is of the " temporary" order. As you say, one would think that we were liable to sudden extinguishment. When the present little supply was first proposed, I wrote strongly against it. I said then, and repeat now, that the work should be undertaken in n manner befitting a city such as Auckland, and not in a way which ensures tinkering with it for years. As it frequently happens, littlo interest was taken in the matter at the time, and the result will be, as :n the plague fiasco, which I also strongly deprecated, that the city will waste, thousands of pounds in works which will ultimately prove of little value.

With our Council there seems to be a wonderful amount of apathy. They jog comfortably along until the public gives them a sharper " prod" than usual, then they seem to "rush" some scheme hysterically, as though to show that thoy are at least doing something, when it might be better to do nothing than adopt a scheme without the fullest consideration and examination.

As 1 pointed out at the time the auxiliary supply was decided on, the water of mountain streams running through bush country, although to the eye and palate all that can be desired, is frequently very impure. I have not seen or heard any information as to the quality of the proposed supply. _ This is a matter which should have received first and most; earnest attention. ■ Possibly it has, and the published results Juiv-; oeca.no 1 me. If not, the ratepayers are ontitlecl m it. and should have it without delay. I am informed by o«e of our leading ongiusers iihat the filtration area of the proposed nupply is totally inadequate Tn most ol those matters J speak as one of tho cAant referred . to by Mr. McLean, but I think 1 have said enough • to show that the average city councillor should bo able to render valu-

able services to the ratepayers, if he only exercises as much observation and business acumen ast one would expect of a successful member of any of tho trades or professions; mentioned by your correspondent. * I sincerely hope the publicity this matter has received will result in a little more activity, intelligence, and enterprise being shown by our Council, for there cannot bo a shadow of doubt that it is urgently needed.— I am, etc., I'. A. Vaile.