Correspondence. THE WATER SCHEME.

Timaru Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 1899, 30 November 1877, Page 3

Correspondence. THE WATER SCHEME.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMABU HEBALD. Sik, — I shall feel very much obliged if you will publish tbo following letter m your columns : — To the ratepayers of the Borough of Tiniaru, • Gantlemen, — On Wednesday noxfc you will be called upon to decide whether the water is to be brought into tbo town or not. Now, gentlemen, nothing but the importance of the subject would induce mo to troublo you with a few facts and figures to show you thut it is your duty at any cost to resist the action of the Council m thrusting upon you a tax we are unable to bear; a tux that is far too henvy to be borne by tho handful of ratepayers m Timaru. . The Borough Council, have; at a cost of £1300, prepared plans, &c, of a scheme to bring m water to supply .your wants. They have spent this money on preliminaries, and without consulting you, and now that this largo sum is, I was going to say squandered, .but ufc any rato expended will) little to show fßr it, pxeept the plans and Mint voluminous report that was not rend, the Council come out, and say m effect, We have spent so much of your mouey, and would like to got rid : of some more, but tho law will not allow us without your sanction 5 if you refuse to grant . us the power to borrow the modest sum of £40,000*, the £1360 already expended is entirely lost. Better I say it should be lost than to commit us to an undertaking that, is far beyond our means, and would involve the ratepayers of Tiraaru : m worse than Egyptian bondage. Xho Council have put tha matter before you m as an attractivo a manner as possible, and endeavored to show the mnny advantages that will arise by adopting their water scheme. But I now tell you, gentlemen, that the estimate of 2,i m the £ is ftillncious ; it means doublo this sum beyond a doubt. Many of you remember being rated last year for twice tho value of your property. When redress was sought did you get it ? Wo ; the Timaru Borough Council would not listen to your appeal for justice, but simply told you their Town Clerk had assessed your property at so much, nnd you must pay, or be brought into the Police Court, whore every device was taken advantage of to make wrong appear right ; the end of it was you had to pay through some informality or another. Now, gentlemen, these samo Councillors, with one or two exceptions, couio forward and ask you to let them pledge your credit for £40,000. With the experience you have, had of the past, will you place implicit confidence m them for the fulure ? ' Don't be gulled ; their 2s m tho £ is baaed upon the present assessment roll — tho Tory one that caused so much discussion. Moreover, what guarantee have we that the sum asked for will supply the town with water, or that the scheme is practicable? It may be faulty : miscalculations made that would end m the water business costing £60,000. Even if we had an abundance of money, at an ens'y rate, it is a serious matter, and one that should not be undertaken upon the ijise dixit statement of tfny one man. One of the arguments brought m support of it is that the population m the town is increasing, and will so reduce the rate. Has it increased during the last year ? Indeed, I may ask, has it not simply decreased, and the earnings of every class correspondingly so ?. and yet the working man is asked to contribute what will amount to nonrly one-twelfth of his wages for municipal rates. If the population is going to increase bo rapidly as represented, then carefully lock up the plans, &c, until there is more sign of it than at presont, when the greater number will make the burden lighter. Now, let us take a glance at the present slate of our finances. When Ml 9 present Mayor took office there was a credit balanca of some £-mA What is it to-day ? £1750 on the wrong side ; and what, X ask, has been done commensurate with the coßt ? The rates amount to £1600 a year, to which add £600 for fees, &c, m all £2200, if all obtaiuod, and there is an expenditure going of £2000 or more m salaries alone. Ib it any wonder, then, there is no money left for the improvement of tho town, and that for any email matter wanted, a special voto has to be struck, oven for a water-cart ? Now, gentlemen, the Borough Council are most anxious you should pass their water scheme. They are more anxious forthe money than tho water, two or three thousand of which would be gobbled up m less than no time to put rail tors straight. Interest would be pud out of principal, and I your first year's rates to mako the pill more palatable, and . m a short tiino it would bo found tbafc this pawn -broiling system of finance would break up, and you would have to submit to yet further impositions. . On Wednesday be sure and poll your vote againßt this water scheme. I am, &c, Pro Bono Publico. TO THE 'EDITOR OE THE TMABU HERAXD. Sib, — Ab your oolurans are always open for the ventilation of all public quostions, I hereby beg a few lines m your valuablo space, regarding the late public meeting and the opinions expressed by ratepayers who attended it. Allow me to state without the. least hesitation, that everyone who opposed the £40,000 loan, would be only too glad to see water brought into Timaru within the reach of everyone who requires it. Bnt when those ratepayers who can scarcely mako both ends meet, during the present dull times, know that they might have to pay three times the sum that (hey ore paying at present for rates for an article they can do without at present, it can hardly he wondered at that the meeting took such a turn. Most of the statements made were m every way feasible ; for instance, the statements made regarding insufficient drainage were m every way m keeping with the present state of the town. In the name of common-sense, I would ask, where would be the use m letting water into pools such as exist at the Bank of New Zealand, without having an outlet for the water ? The cure would be worao than the disease; but I would further ask, why

not form a joint-stock company, as they form m other places, and put the saddle on the right horse ? Let shareholders m connection with insurance companies, hotelkeepers with a limited supply of water, and all those that are alike situated, go m for water as inuih as they like, but do not oppress and compel those who are already supplied with water (at considerable expense) to support your pet scheme. I would here remind ratepayers that, plurality of votes being the orJer of tho day m Tim ru, they will have to see to their rales being paid, so as to be qualiQed to vote on Wednesday next against such an extravagunt expenditure, and also to become members of the proposed Reform Committee. I am, &c, A Ratepayeb.