CORRESPONDENCE CONDENSED.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12403, 12 July 1902, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE CONDENSED.

The Old Un, who writes from Evan's t, ' * vnnls to know why old schoolmates and Komahapa residents have allowed Trooper Ledmgliam to return from the war without giving him a deserved welcome. TWiP' ®. c ?S, ul 'Sf that the bill before the How wlncn has for its object the registraon, a "d inspection of products should "in-' c udo importations, and [sap that toono want k ' mi . ivcrsal consumption, ' wants attention. He gives his reasons for obeying that a good deal of tea of an If i , t i llah F to Australia and New the f\li', 2 111 i 1 1™? bef " rcjerted at t"0 Calcutta, sales and purchased for export Ratepayer sincerely thanks Cr Lawrence for informing the ratepayers at tho last council meeting how tho city funds a-e being administered. One of tho present councillors says that the public should understand that the'council iiad no money to repair the streets with. ?°w. , '} f=how that tho council ha.i about £18,000 moro money to spent! than they had four years since on the require, nenta of the city. They collect-a temporary rate of 9d, which still exists: that equals £9000; th'en we have a sewerage rate of 4d, which will realise £4000 for work winch the City Council previously attended o; then we have at least saved about £5000 trom tho high interest loans that have fallen 111 (6 and 7 per cents.), about two-thirds or which was paid out of tho City Sinking J! Una- and the balance borrowed at 3A per cent., I think. Santas" considers it quite unnecessary to give his name to "Ratepayer," as lie has difcussed tho question at issue solely with the view of forwarding Dunedin's interests. He says " there 13 only one alternative to public competition—tlay work; arid as an almost necessary consequence, patron--age and spoils to the victors at election 0" board members, Tho power, of individual members to favour applicants for employment will, as a matter of course, add-largely to the chances of that individual's election, such a principle should as much as possible be kept out of our municipal politic?. • This danger is very great indeed. The engineer will to a great extent be guided by tho board, and the board should have one object only-in view-viz,,-a successful and economical drainage scheme for TJunedin and suburbs. " Justice " replies to the hoii. see. of the, committeo which promoted the social at liomahapa. to Lance-corporal Ledinglum. and maintains that the public who attended tho social certainly thought that any surplus funds were to be devoted to tho pmehase of a memento for the returned trooper. —[The re3t of the letter we do not publish, and the correspondence is now closed.— ED. O.D.T.]'