MAYOR'S COURT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 3246, 2 July 1872, Page 3

MAYOR'S COURT.

Monday, Ist July. , (Beforo His, Worship the Mayor.) D«u>fKK?iKESS.-:-.Tohh Glad wick begged to be let off free, as lie had been iri gaoL since Saturday evening. Sergeant Mallard said it was the firei; time ho had - beevt brought up. His Worshi]) knew accused had been brought up a number of times before, and addresmng him said ijt is a great ,pity ,to uee a man like you giving way to' drink. 1 cannot overlook tnis case ; I must' do justice to all. He was fined sa, or failing payment sentenced to be imprisoned for 24 noura. > . ' Maiktbkakce.—Thomas Esplin was summoned to contribute to the roairitenance of his two children in the School. Defendant said be had always kept thorn nutil they were taken from him. Sergt. ' Mallard: He kept them in a brothel, and , treated them most revolt!Dgly.' Defendant: Since the scandal has gofc onfc against me iv tho Pre«s, I cannot get employment. The defendant, it appeared, could earn 12s per day at his trade as a atone : mason. His Worship recomraendtxl Kirn to reform, saying he would then be able to earn an honest livelihood, and ordered him to pay r>s per week towards the support of each child. Defendant said he would not bo able to do so. His Worship told him that if he did nofc do so, proceedings would be taken to compel him. Insufficient Reins. ~ John Harding, Peter Fi«kin, and Robert Young, for driving on the Afain Road, at O.versh'am; witji insufficienfc reins, were each, fined 20s ami costs.. Turning Street CojiNEiis.-rSamuel Mercer, George Beid,' and Timothy1 Dclahunfcy, for driving, and Roger Furlong, for riding, round the corners of ■ Princes' -and otlier streets at' other- than a walking pace, v/ere each fined 2s 6d, Furlong was, in addition, mulcted in costs. His yvprehip rcmarkwl that if the practice continued bo common, he woul(l inflict nrnch heavier fines. - Mi«cku.ANKODS.—P. P. Allen, for allow-_ ing water supplied to Win by the Water \Vorks Company to run ,tp waste, and George Ma^kaj', for driving nia dray without his name being painted thereon, wore each fined i 2a 63.'; and Michael Moore, for removing gravel from the Water of Lcith without permission, X(te and costs,. ,-■•'-. ••

, GAS! . •' '. ■■ TO TaX BPllttß, t , 'I . | ' Sir—There ,lias be*n develojwd, and is yet in process of evolution, in Kew Zealand, a theory of Government that most have & most prejudicial influence 'on 'oar future social well-beings D*y by. «l»y tl*%ide» that the Government or ruling authority should look after, not only the, security, ,of the citizens' lives and property, but actually assunje the responsibility of carrying out the whole j functions of <*ar -social jorgamsju, is fining; ground. We, see it iv the atteuiwte usadeby the Parliatassttf to regalatfe ; our -coasting j trade—to 'utatrt manufactures-^io',force tn,c production of certain articlee,' &c. We: behold ijb in the eißForts of our Provincial Councils to do*-everything an Jimpovcrle^fed Treasury^ wiU, allow; t aiid,. s la»tly, we ace- in +he at-' tempts of our, City Council to regulate the supply of water and gas to the cifchsens an exhibition'of fcheijaxne tendency."' It in quite, hopeless at presenti while o«f cretlit is gooj^ onr population, ,jn cpinpftiij^m with out' lands, lLmtei,. anA'.'bnr' taxation, not very' heavy and nofc direct, tomUiUttbin craving for Government interference;' A piia*e, howeverV in t&a/Sum. to the seemtngTy ever^tp-bo-'' ; deba^«dg^sq«€«rtioii »fFot;4« au example fb© extent to which tbe citixvnji will allow t&i«<'^terfermo«^?wp*»«iitly for theiroenefifc, to be extettd/id^.ttat may briipgipnt.fiome it theabmirdities of onr weakness for Govern mental aid. ' ■■ '*"J ■"'" *" : ' Wliether Hr! H*tikey>3 ftttorney or .life | Committee- of th« City Conncil « in tte | ligbi%«>f jio«o6m«nt.tomß Ido not intend | io^'ehter'iiitothe^ineritf:of * ? voi6pute that, bids fair to be torted before obt tribaaals— the attempt iff WOa^-iOWtfdl-te control j the priceof &Mi» «U that I would refer tc. Ab I understand it> the City Council de- ■

sires that Mr Hankey, while ho arranges wit&it for. the price of gas to the city lamps, should also bind himself to supply the citizens with gas at a certain rate. ' It demands this under the threat of competition —by ed^fcibjj'iiew gas works out of city functei or ra&ier 'out of Imi^s raised on city credit,. It is not pretended ifovt Mr, Hankey will not supply gaa atthe'price it asks : tho councillors wish to have "his bond." The question.at once arises, what right has the Council to demand this ?■. Isj it because tbo supply of.jgas is at present a monopoly? Granted that It is a monopoly, will it follow that, therefore, their-interference-is joatifiable? Clearly,, if i^be^tho duty ; of the City Council to'interfere "^when' ihonoJKJly or monopolists hold sway,, its ,cannot stop ati the supply ofgas. 5 Sot long ago sonic of its most influential members believed that Ffre Insurance was a monopoly—a monopoly that was Be'rionsly rotarflmg trade and injuring ttie citizens. On- this aasninption the City Council would hatve been bound to opena fire insurance department... There are many thinga in Dunetlin.inoaopolics, and necessarily so* Few havethe'capitaladequate to enter into competition with some others who may have established themselves in a large business.- Fo? example, \', is asserted that at present the setting, of one of our most necessary articles of life—-coal— is a monopoly. Ought not the City Council to start a coal business, or fore© the coal" merchants, by the threat of competing'with them birth? coal trade, to flcll to the citizens coal at a certain rate per ton1? Ido not think m.wy will hold" that it is the .duty .of .the, City Council to interfere 'whenevet' a monopoly exists. Some whqdefttnd the action oh'tbegasques-' tion may urge, but the City Conncil ia a large consumer- of gas, therefore, as a con--1 sumer, it ought to*protect the citizens. This position is also untenable. It is no doubt one of tile ftSncfcions of' the City Council, ao long as lighting .the streets isnnder its care, to get lighting' done cheaply. It has the. right to screw, down tho gas monopolist, whoever he may he, to the lowest farthing. To do more than this would logically entail on the City Council- tho duty of forcing.any seller to fix his rates for his goods for the citizens, as a necessary part of any contract ha might malic with the Council. At one time, kerosene Was extensively used in-street? lighting; can it be contended for a moment that it waa tho duty of the k city authorities to insist upon the sellers of kerosene boing bound to sell-at'a- certain rate per gallon to tho citizens who might choose to buy ? - And. if not, .-w;here ia the distinction ? If the Gas Works had1 been like tho Water Works, maintained liy a special rate, and r therofore a aorfc of semi-official undertaking, there might have been some excuse ' for demanding the fixing of iflio price ; but no one is asked to pay for the gas unless he consumes it. | But. unsound1 as this action' of the City Council is from a political economy point of view, it is still'more from a consideration of ; the position of city finauces. Last year the rate at Is Gd fn tho pound—a very heavy I rate—yielded the sum of £9080 8s 1 Id. This year the deficiency to be made up by rat™ is £12,000, or about 33 per cent, above last year's rates. The interest and sinking fund to be paid this year amount to £4,9SG — more than half the amount of last year's rates. The liabilities of the- city were on | 31st December, 1871, £515,012 9s. I find by the statutory statement that for interest, sinking fnnd, salaries, contingencies, fire brigade, law coatß [exclusive, I suppose, of the Hankey action], advertising, stationery, and sundry liabilities, the city h.'is to pay £12,772, leaving for day labour, road metal, and new city works and street lighting, the I sum of £6825. This is surely not s healthy ' state of things. Our rates aro" already far [ too high ; indeed one shilling in.the pound 1 ought to be ample. But this statement docs | not show what the citizens will have to undertake. .-protest,.-an,; amended Ordinance has been passed by the Provincial , Council, which will enable the City Conncil Ito assess property at ita, present annual I value. lief ore, the value that it would be in 21 years was taken as the basis of assessment —this ; of,itself will be,. I believe, equivalent to a rise of tbreepejiQe in \ the pound in the rates. Then we are to have the Water Works, and instead of<the water rates being less, I fear they ..wilt have .to be greater, or else the other city rates will have to be furj thcr raised. In face of all these facts, howi ever, the City Council must get the price of j gas fixed for those who may chooso to be- ; come Mr Hawkey's customers. Verity its liberality with citizens' funds is great.—l anij &c., Loju.