THE NEW MAYOR.

NZ Truth, Issue 99, 11 May 1907, Page 6

THE NEW MAYOR.

Some of George Payling's Little Schemes.

When George Payling, the merchant Mayor of Cnristchurch, donned a woman's gown and the dog chain of office at his installation the other night he got off quite a long sermon en things m general, and on his own ideas m particular. None of the iatter were original . but one m particular will need a great deal of hatching. George advocates that m uture necessary municipal works be .aid out of loan money instead of but of revenue. This is an' old Parliamentary dodere, and is the cause of so many fictitious surpluses, or Things .bay call surpluses. It is the. R-'me old dismal squeal ; don't send the rates un by constructing works Mrt tf MVnitw •; til* pe&tMity pay tht

bills years hence wlien the loans' ffall due, and dam the consequences. Posterity is going to have a big bill to face m this colony if ,Mayors like Payling are allowed to bave their way- His system of finance will have to be condemned m an unusually loud tone of voice. The borrowing disease has got Maoriland m an iron grasp, and even if money is raised by the issue of local debentures, or from the cormorant Cohen m Hingland. there would be so many loans (required m the course, of the next few years tbat the inter est. would be sick ening, and posterity would rise up and call us accursed. The tombstones would rock for sure. Yet George Payling, Mayor, pjrgues with the sodden gravity of a drunk delivering, an oration m a horse trough,, that his scheme would be a wise one m every way. Well, at first glance the proposal looks as ?nnoceat as a sheet of white notepaper, but inspection of its innards reveals that __ particular class of people only are to be benefitted. So long as rates are kept down, . and things are to be straightened out by borrowing tbev donVfc care a match. But this s o rt of bushrariiging won't do. The Council will shortly have so many ..Obs mouldering, on its lily-white hands "•that it will constantly be walking up the street to see if it can meet a man. who will lend half-a-crown to Carry it on with. The absorption of tbe Gas Company by the city was alluded to by the Mayor, but he only, dwelt on the fiubject m a half-heart-ed way ; toe thinks- that this gigantic monopoly is opening its mouth too wide, m the way of cash. Well, now is the time to buy. In a lew years hence that month will be a capacious cavern Of appalling dimensions, and citizens should have the coipmon sense to ses it. The establishment of a public market m Cbristehurch has -.been mooted for some time, but the moot hasn't been much of a moot ; the pitiable ineptitude of tlve old gangs of municipal muddlers bas been responsible for no move being made m, the direction of giving effect to the wish of the people. A Bill will have to. be* put through Parliament making it compulsory that all fish should come through the market, but that is a detail easily settled. The Council should also give attention at once to the question of providing a high pressure water supply. It is something _oT a that' this desirable work wasn't done years ago. But the Ordinary Christcburchian is apathetic m such matters. He depends uron chemical engines to put out his fires, and so long as he was sufficient water to wash his mug with m the morning nothing matters.