BUILDERS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12415, 26 July 1902, Page 8

BUILDERS.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,-It seems to mo thnt our Citv lathers are deteriorating, or. they would not act on information from the man in the street, as they apparently do, It'mil 1 be readily inferred from, Cr Lawrences report and his defines that i am tlio offending contractor who TnllJ f Pa> ", S? tcr , nntl str ™t licenses, in this it would liavo been much better to have given the name at once, and save me tu ff9w! ? lett6r> N'»v. what are the (acta, When I commenced: Mr Taylor's building the first erected) there was no water laid on ( to any of tlio ground, «o when I got my permit to build I had to get '• a water service, and as there had been - ™'-'°nat one time to the tramway liatcr trough, I was allowed to. connect with it. Jt was .therefore my service that Or &<?,.»« using. When I commenced Messrs Nimmo and Bla r's building I had another service laid' on'by the corporation With which I connected,>as before, at my own •. expense, There aro four buildings on this' spot and three contractors. Mr Lawrence and the other ramtraetof. (whoso name I do not know) aro both using my water service and if anyone is not paying, he is the transgressor. The man in' the street told' Air -Lawrence that it was tho tramway service and he. (Mr Lawronce) ■ took it for . granted. Howovcr, the council's sen-ants are not so careless with their water services. Immediately the paying,, for the service by tile .tramway, Company and the using of ', it stopped it-was cilt off. as I-found •«" Aow. as to-Cr Jluir'e assertion that-builders coast-.of-using the corporation -water and ry to break the bylaws This must be - taken with the proverbial grain'- of salt. JJic JJunodin builders, as I know them, aro oi a much higher order, than that, and on their behalf I resent the imputation. If anyone ever did say so, he must have been getting at" Cr Muir. Now; Sir, furtte w.to the deteriorating of our City Fathers. •' Having had some municipal experience, • I was shocked when I read the report of the council, in which were allowed openly the charges against the new engineer, unless the matter had been refused to be heard in committee In British fairnlay, surely a man should have a chimco to defend Kimself, and I am pleased to notice that you published his defenc,?. Citizens watch the actions of their council more than the council sometimes thinks, and I have often » heard tlio remark that since " the new engineer came , his time has •been taken up with waterworks and weirs and tramways; and other matters' for which Noj-m Bros v are being paid take un 1113 time. No time is allowed bim for •his municipal duties. My exnerienco tells me that the cost of labour and materials of nil kinds has materially increased,' and ; is increasing year by year. Therefore, it is ; 'by, no nieans fnir to compr.ro one veav'a | work with another without making allow-' - ance.for this increase.. .Let us see that ihe engineer gets, fairnlay, and if a mistake has boon made in allowing private to be discussed m open council wherebV otheis stuffer, let it not :jje repeated, and I hope his Worship.will; not allow private' citizen* and defenceless',j servant* in w. «L' dragged before the Dublir u

. '•—I am, etc.. | July 25. AMES ANXAKD ' 3ui!d3l "