MUNICIPAL METAL.

NZ Truth, Issue 59, 4 August 1906, Page 4

MUNICIPAL METAL.

• The City Council seems to be gradually awaking, tfo the fact that it is liijrh time it exhibited a lot of real horse-sense when dealing with the ratepayers' affairs. At its meeting last ThursdtV week, the Council seemed to be m a serious mood, and its seriousness was manifested by the manner m which it fired out the report of the metal committee which dealt with the leasing of lands at Tinakori Road to an individual named Langlands. He was to 'drive a tunnel through the hills ; fix up bins and supply the Council with metal at a cheaper rate per yard than that paid at present? Langland's hands were to-be so tied that nobody but the Council were to be supplied with metal and (if he failed m his contract he was to be subject to all sorts of pains and penalties. The report drawn up by the metal committee was a ponderous thing which it is doubtful if any lawyer could understand clearly. As a conseciuence few Councillors read it, and none pretended, except, of course, the metal committee, to understand what it was pronosed Langlands should do, or what the Council was to do m its tun:. This paper does not know Langlands from a bar of soap. He, it seems, is a Napierite and saw a possibly food "spec" m offering to contract for -the Supply of metal to the WellinFton Corporation, and he proposed to tunnel portion of the town belt for his metal supply. He laid his scheme before the Council and the metal committee was formed to consider Langland's proposals and the committee seemed to be enamored of the scheme and -with an earnestness which, to say the least, seemed peculiar, strongh- .recommended the Council to accept the offer. But there was more/than Langlands to be considered. Claims, schemes and offers from others, which were just as enticing as Landnnds'. were at once poured into the Council, and consequently, m order thai justice might be done, all : the schemes were shelved. Just as well too !. . Why cannot the Council itself undertake the work of tunnelling. Tinakori and supply its own metal ? It can be done, and figures recently published prove conclusively that m the lone: run the Council could take the work m hand, be assured of a first-class metal supply, and eventually show a profit. ■