MOSGIEL AFFAIRS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22259, 11 May 1934, Page 6

MOSGIEL AFFAIRS

TO THE EDITOX Sib, —As there has been no reply to my previous letter, I assume that silence is consent, and the Mayor admits that the figures quoted in his report are not what thev should have been. " Suffering Ratepayer " must surely be slumbering, and cannot have had many lucid intervals if he thinks ratepayers will swallow the obvious inaccuracies contained in his recent letter. Similar propaganda was exposed in your columns some 12 months ago, and it is useless for "Suffering Ratepayer " to try to put it over again. Ratepayers now know that the old council left the finances in such a good position as to enable the present council to reduce the rates and service charges for the financial year just closed. The balance now announced only goes to show that a much greater reduction in rates could have been made. As a matter of fact, the credit of £1273 now disclosed by the Mayor is actually several hundred pounds in excess of the total amount estimated to be raised from the general rate of 3id in the pound levied last year. This rate was. according to your press report, estimated to produce £948 10s. The surplus now announced is £1273. This proves that the rates could have been reduced by at least 3d in the pound and still have left a credit balance at the end of the year. These are facts that cannot be refuted, even by " Suffering Ratepayer," and are' concrete evidence of the good state of the finances as left by the oid council. i Your correspondent states. that " the present Mayor has had years of experience, knows his job, and does it,'' but what puzzles me is the way he docs it. Twelve months ago he publicly admitted that he had been misled in regard to the state of the finances. He has now submitted a report which, in my opinion, is, in respect to material figures, not in accordance with the facts. One can hardly imagine that hiR Worship would deliberately misrepresent the position. Yet one is tempted to think that there is some ulterior motive in presenting the figures as has been done—probably a desire to discredit the old council and magnify the work of the present council. But whatever the reason, this writer will take every opportunity to squelch such propaganda.—l am. etc.. Elector.