MUNICIPAL SIATTERS.

Colonist, Volume LI, Issue 12483, 9 March 1909, Page 3

MUNICIPAL SIATTERS.

To- the Editor of "/'The Colonist." Sir.— You wili perhaps excuse my trespassing on your space to review some of the doings of the majority of . the present City Council, and the sayings of some or the members of that majority firstly: as regards drainage of the, city for. sewerage purposes, and probably if time and space permit ex- ; press some views . as to their dealings in regard to the city's finances, as compared with the majority of the previous Council. It can hardly yet have, escaped the' menTory of the citizens that nearly a year ago considtrable doubts were held by many, and expressed by some that the laying of the. drains^ was then not being done in accordance wibh the specifications prepared by the designer, and that^ in consequence, grave : doubts were _ expressed as to — eir probable efficiency for'the purpose, for which they were intended, viz., to convey the sewage to-the septic tankj'an integral part _ of the' scheme-as .devised by the designer^. A meeting was convened, anda deputation appointed to interview ; the: City. Council, asking that body to . have the work then done, and in process of; being done, inspected by Mr Mestayer, the Consulting . Engineer. TJiis request, however, although the .deputation were led to infer that it wou'd he conceded, was' not' granted, and at a subsequent_ meeting, of this august body, was rejected, because it was held- by the. majority that the cost of bringing Mr Mestayer to Nelson (probably, £20; or £25) would not bo consistent with the economy. Now, however ; after the work in that dis- [ triot has been presumably not only icbmpleted but some of the streets -been very "efbcieutly-relaid at considerable cost to the ratepayers, the designing and Consulting Engineer has at last been asked to inspect tie work, and having done so as far as time and "circumstances will ' permit, he has found that the laying of the drain pipes in the area under discussion twelve months ago was. not ;doiie in a satisfactory manner, and that portions, if not the whole .'-.of* * several sections of streets* in the Wood -will liave "to lie examined. Now this , :inay cost anywhere from several hunf dreds to a thousand pounds, and I : would ask you and the ratepayers of : ;the city to consider whether true econ-omy-consists ih saving twenty pounds or so twelve months ago, at the risk of spending or being compelled to .spend probably a thousand pounds now, in correcting what could then have been avoided, had not the ma- ■ jorlty of the Council been convinced that" they were: perfectly. capable of being the judges and that the irrespdnsible people who were- then making an- outcry, were not worthy to be taken into consideration, at least one of" the majority so frequently introduced the. "irresponsible"- into his speeches in_the Council that the conclusion was forced on one that -he must be enamoured of its sound rolling from his tongue and . throat. It is now proved that the "irresponsibles" were after. all the better judges, and the Councillor ref erred to may not in future be so anxious to introduce tlie word into his orations. Now, as regards the economy" of _ the present Council, as compared with its immediate predecessor, it is refreshing to remember: that the head of the -present Council brough a severe indicment* against the majority of the last Council for their extravagance in so augmenting the overdraft; and as a result of his energy several of that, majority were rejected at the polls and replaced by men more after their leader's heart Now; as regards the last Council, although they spent a lot oi money on general account, every work they: carried out was absolutely necessary, Haven Road, and Wakefield Quay were scarcely passable, Halifax street by the time the Post Office was. finished was in'the same condition, Hardy street from Waimea street to. Coilingwood street was , not only necessary but really forced on them by the property owners. From Coilingwood to Alton, streets,; your contemporary stated in ono of its articles was only fit to be let as a Chinaman's garden Then as a result of so much metal 'carting Brook 'street which never was in high class condition iad to be remetalled. In all this work being absolutely necessary there was no extravagance, instead they ought to have been highly?..commend. od "Now, to-day after: two -years -of an "economical" Council the overdraft will be as large, if not larger, 'than when they took office, and in addition;the gasworks (as the result of the gas reticulation loan .earned in spite of the utmost efforts of the Mayor) has during the two years repaid something like five thousand pounds 'to general- account - all _. of which "has disappeared. So .much for two -years of "economy." Surely the citizens will next month reward the Mayor and the majority of the present' Council according to their desserts, .and not as . to the professions they will likely make as* to their desire for economy. "By their works ye shall know thera." . Yours etc., __ ■ . . : •-., G. STH.WART. March Bth. . •-. ,- :