THE HUTT AND ITS GAS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 6623, 12 September 1908, Page 8

THE HUTT AND ITS GAS

Tho resolution passed by the mooting at Lower Hutt last evening will be a powerful reminder to tho Mayor and certain councillors of the borough to walk a little more warily on the pathway to indebtedness. Tho ratepayers very rightly roscut having liability for over 1110,000 of loan money placed on their shoulders without being permitted to say something about it. Fortunately for the community, it was kept in touch through the newspapers with tho game of hide and seek that has been going on around the gasworks question, and the hole and corner was never in darkness. The contemplated aqtiou of a section of tho Council would have involved the local body in a serious moral breach of tho trust placed iu its hands. That much is certain. On the face of it, the reckless step it wanted to take would, seemingly, have laid it open to heavy penalties—and it would have richly deserved them. Some two years ago tho ratepayers sanctioned a loan of £11,500 for water supply and gasworks—£lo,ooo for the former and £4500 for gas. The money was called up for the water and spent. Tho gasworloa loan was uot, because an agreement was arrived at to continue getting supplies from Potouc. Tho unexpended part of tho sanctioned loan should then have lapsed, but the Council wanted now to revive it and to get another £2OOO on overdraft to put up gasworks, ns it bad a dispute with Petono about prices—and had come to somo novel conclusions about “by-pro ducts.” The vicious aspect of iliese proceedings was that the old vote of the ratepayers, given under an entirely different sot of circumstances, and never acted on, was being taken by tho present Council as autliivity to go on with a now scheme, long afterwards, and not even to appeal to the ratepayers for tho rest of the money 1 Mr Lanrenson had some caustic things to say in the House of lleprcspu'.atives the other day about local bodies gi mg on a financial “drunk,” but milling bo gave utterance to would have net such a case ns this. It the Council had the slightest sense of civic uutriotism, it would have immediately trlen tho people into its confidence - n this important departure it proposed to take from previous arrangements. As the case stands now tho most seemly course for some of tho Council to pursue is to resign their seats without delay. Their policy is opposed to the best interests of the district in which they live, and as strong supporters of municipal enterprise, wo canuot look upon them ns reliable guides iu that direction of activity. The aim of pub-lic-spirited men should be to put nothing in tho way of tho ultimate fusion of Hutt and Petone, which are peculiarly well-situated for future amalgamation. "When amalgamation is brought into tbo region of ncoomxilished fact there will bo possible a: considerable economy in administration, and progress on rational linos, for tbo district has a very great future before it. A separate gas establishment at this stage would bo a distinct chock to the development of the amalgamation ideal, for it would impose serious financial loss on Petone and would create very undesirable friction in other ways. The need of an electric tram service is bound to become acute within a few year's, and the joint boroughs have now a Bill before Parliament seeking authority for such a scheme and for public and private electrio lighting. If the Hutt Councillors have any eyes for tho possible sequence of events, what do they suppose would be tho position of tho boroughs with two municipal gasworks and an electric light plant? It is absurd to think of. One, perhaps both, of the gasworks would bo useless,’ or would have to charge a prohibitive tariff. On the other hand, tho electrical enterprise might be made an impossibility by reason of tho other undertakings—superfluous because of their plural number. Tho ratepayers of tho Hutt will bo acting wisely to keep an eye on gent emen they solid to the Council-table, for their eccentricities may lead to serious complications and do the place much damage.