BOROUGH BORROWING.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LV, Issue 14132, 11 February 1910, Page 6

BOROUGH BORROWING.

(To the Editor.) Sir, —1 was glad to hear a voice—even if only that of a small ratepayer —raised against the proposal to load up the borough with still another loan for the purpose of supplying suburbanites with cheap water and electric light. Goodness knows wc have borrowed enough already, and if those people who have gone outside want borough conveniences let them pay for them themselves, not obtain them _at opr cost. Councillor Browne, who is chairman of tho Electric Light Committee, is ho not ? says his department is making n jrrofit of £IOOO o year. 1 sincerely hope it is, but 1 am not quite satisfied that he is charging everything up against the works that ought to be charged against them, or that ho is making sufficient allowance for depreciation of plant. However that may be it me as being poor business to supply current to suburbanites, who have taken no share of tho borrowing, at the same price as those who arc responsible for the loan. To my mind they should pay at least twenty-five per cent, more, and they can well afford to, for they can’t light their houses so well and so cheaply any other way._ Even if they could and stopped taking tho light, well, what would that matter ? There are plenty of customers in the borough for it; at least, the engineer dr the committee, say the machinery is carrying its full load and more current could be sold if it was available. That is why they want to borrow. I didn’t mind borrowing for the Huatold bridges, because they wore ' necessary for the borough, but it seems to mo to be dead against our interests, to borrow for our neighbours, oven if there is a chance, not a rosy one, of making a bit of profit out of thorn. If you will got “A Small Ratepayer” to communicate with me I will help him to organise opposition to any further borrowing, except for our own needs. — I am, etc., ANOTHER RATEPAYER.