CONTRACT WORK V. DAY LABOUR.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 8801, 10 June 1890, Page 2

CONTRACT WORK V. DAY LABOUR.

MR FOOKES' MOTION At the meeting of the Borough Council on Monday night, Mr Fookes moved, " That as soon as the necessary arrangements can be made for effecting the change, the present system of employing horses and carts be discontinued and thereafter all carting be done by contract." — In speaking on the question Mr Fookes reviewed the figuers in the estimates passed at last meeting. He said the estimates had been passed rather hurriedly, and he had a motion also in connection with that. After reviewing the figures he said that if the Council wanted to come out with a clean sheet this year then it would require that the rates would have to be raised Gid. The rates were high enough now, and the only alternative was to go in for reduction of expenditure. The best way to make reduction he contended, was in discontinuing the dray and horse system and go in for contracts. The drays and horses could be'sokl and by the contract system being substituted he considered a material saving conld be effected. The work done by the -present system was not equal to the coat of it. He pointed out that something would have to bo done as the Council's finances had been going to the bad lately. Four years ago they had a surplus in the Bank of £724 11s, and they had an assets in arrears of rates amounting to £771 Is Bd. Then four years ago they had these two Bums added together as an available asset. Now at the beginning of this year what had they ? There was an overdraft of £393, and the available asset in arrears of rates had decreased to £490. This was on March 31 last, so that it would be seen how the finances of the Borough had gone to the bad since four years ago. It amounted to the fact that for the last four years the Council had been spending £349 9s 2^d a year in excess of income. The prospect for the current year was equally if not more gloomy than the past four years, and the only way to bring the Borough on a sound, financial footing was to raise the rates, or go in for economy. The latter course he preferred, and thought that a considerable Having could be effected in the direction indicated by his motion. Mr Fookes then went into the cost of the drays and horees on the present system, and held that a considerable saving could be made by going in for contract. He compared the cost of the system of the Clifton County Council in this direction, and mentioned that none of the horses belonging to that County were broken-winded. — [The Mayor: Who bought the broken-winded horse ?] — Mr Fookes replied he could not go into that question then. He then said that he had received letters from seven boroughs, six of which did all their carting, etc., by contract. [He read the letter he received from the Masterton Borough Council on the question.] If the Council did not think this was a good way to economise, then he hoped that saving could be made in some other direction. The speaker quoted figures extensively to prove that contract was cheaper. Mr Corkill seconded the motion. He stated that he moved in the same direction, but in a more sweeping manner, some timo ago, and he really believed in the resolution, and considered the contract system should be tried. Mr Collis said he would like to hear the opinion of some of the older members of the Council on the subject. Mr Small said that Mr Fookes had not arrived at the cost of the present system in a proper way. He contended that in the present condition of the Borough there was plenty of work for the horses and drays to do, in fact more than could be got through by the staff, There was a good deal of selfishness, he thought, in some who had good streets to their properties, and now begrudged other people a like benefit. The cost of horses and drays only amounted to under Id in the £, and with the driver added it only came to 2£d. To do away with the horses and carts was a questionable saving, and 2£d in the £ would be the redaction, and it was a question i£ another system would not cost as much or more. In answer to Mr Small's remark about selfishness being displayed by some who had work done near their properties, Messrs Corkill and Fookes said that they never asked the Conncil to do any work near their properties. Mr Dockrill said he believed the deficit which they anticipated at the end of the year could be met otherwise than by doing away with the horses and carts. He maintained that the Borough should be improved throughout, as it was only fair to all ratepayers, and under the present system this improvement was being carried out. If the work was done efficiently it could not be done more economically than under the present system. The men were giving satisfaction, and good work was being done by them, and he wanted to know where the advantage came in to dispense with this system. He would lika to hear Mr Fookes give some experience of the matter, as he understood that it was during Mr Fookes' term as Mayor that the contract system was done away with and the present horses and carts purchased. An ounce of practical experience was worth a great deal of theory, and he would likej therefore, to hear Mr Fookes give an explanation on this point. During the last three years £2,800 in rates had been saved to the Borough, and other reductions made, so that the Borough had practically improved instead of going to the bad, aa stated by Mr Fookes. He saw nothing tangible to make a change of the present system necessary. Mr Cock said he would not be in favor of selling the horses. In the old Council several contracts were let and an accurate account kept of the cost. One result was that the cutting at the entrance to the Recreation Grounds was done by the Council's men 25 per cent cheaper than a job done by contract just before. He also instanced that they could c»rt gravel for Is 6d per yard off the beach, while contract price was 2s 3d. He could not see that any saving could be effected by doing away with the horses and carte. Mr Collis said he had come to the meeting open to conviction on either side, but he would have to get more information from Mr Fookes before he could see his way to a change. He said the Taranaki County Council had not apparently found the contract Bystem a good one, judging by reports. The Mayor said that contract for repairing was a total failure, and one had only to go down the South Road before the tollgates were put up io see this. He was surprised at Mr Fookes not coming forward with some definite scheme. He then criticised Mr Fookes' figures, and said that they were fallacious. The Council had been doing their best to reduce rates and make things meet. He Baid that this contract question had been now before them for four years. Mr Covkill when he brought in his all-round reduction scheme aimed he believed at the getting rid of the horses and carts principally. — [Mr Corkill: No; fair play. I went in for economy all round.] — He added that that influential paper the Herald had hammered away, and con* tended that the carts and horcea should be done away with. If the horses and carts were dispensed with, then they would have mud holes to their homes. — [A Voice : We've got them now. The Ma yob: Then you -will have worse ones.] — In continuing he added that comparison with woi k clone in Wanganui was not right. — [Mr Kings Like Mastertoo. The Mayob ; Yes: like Manterton, I bare been there, 9,w Ge4 ftr^ Niw Plymouth should, ovir bi lijsf

it. Mr King: Yes; and I have been there.] The Mayor then went into detail as to the cost of the horsea and cares, and said that the figures he showed cou-.d not be controverted. Mr Fookes said one item the Mayor overlooked was the original cost of the horses and drays, namely, £175. This money was provided for by overdraw, which was paid off by part of the £4000 loan. Therefore they had at 7 per cent, been paying £12 15s a year on this £175, part of the loan, for years. The Mayor continued, and added that if snch a thing was done it wa3 illegal. He sftid the only question was whether they could get hired carts to do the work for less than 9s o^d, the cost of a team \ jr day of tho present system, including the pay of the driver, or 13s 9d for the whole lot. After eleven years' experience he was convinced the present system was best. Mr Fookes, in reply, stated that he knew before he came into the Council that there was a majority against him, but he would like to see the matter sifted. He contended that the cost per day of the horses, etc., was 16s Bd, and not 13s 9d, as figured out by the Mayor. Ho refuted the insinuation that he had something to do with tho bringing in of the present sytem when he was Mayor, and added that a Mayor was not responsible for what was done during his time of office; and as a matter of fact he was not in favor of the contract system being dispensed with. Ho went very fully into the remarks passed by those who opposed his motion. On division the motion was rejected : — Ayes (2), Messrs Fookes and Corkill ; Noes (8), The Mayor, Messrs Dockrill, Small, Cock, Cottier, Goldwater, CoWs, and King. THE ESTIMATES. Mr Fookes then moved " That the resolution passing the estimates at last meeting be rescinded." He said the estimates should be reconsidered in order to see if reductions could not be made to bring down the expenditure. They had, he contended, been passed too hurriedly, and it was only right that they should be again considered. This was not asking much of the Council, and was a perfectly right course to pursue. Mr Cock seconded the resolution. On division the numbers were, even : Ayes (5), Messrs Fookes, Cock, Corkill, Goldwater, and Collis ; Noes (5), The Mayor. Messrs Dockrill, Small, Cottier, and King. The Mayor gave his castin* vote with the " Noes " and the motion was lost. This closed the discussion.