The Star. FRIDAY, APRIL 18,1890. The City Expenditure.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6830, 18 April 1890, Page 2

The Star. FRIDAY, APRIL 18, 1890. The City Expenditure.

The City Fathers, in their wisdom, have postponed, as far as in them lies, the evil hour for the ratepayers of Christchurch. At Monday's meeting they declined to accept, mi tolo, the recommendations of the joint Committee. No one is likely to take them to task for their merciful consideration for the pockets of their constituents. At the same time, it has to be borne in mind that the evil day is but postponed. The City accounts must be adjusted sooner or later, and until they are there is the heavy payment of interest to be annually made. The merciful party, however, do not object to the sweeping away of the overdraft; they direct their efforts to the reduction of the working expenses of the Council. There is a possibility that retrenchment in this direction may be carried too far, for it may mean the throwing out of employment of men whose families would with difficulty find support in any other way. The work of cutting down the estimated expenditure was undertaken by Councillor Reese, whose first effort was the deduction of .£361 from the sum of JE1422 set down for broken metal. This, however, ia more a nominal than a real reduction, inasmuch as we believe the estimate, tow provides for only a ifl6 monfchß instead of twelve. Councillor IReWs ns*t at^einpt was a motion " That; the" it^tfe d MBob, ioi plint and repairs, be reduced by £$00}" b£fr for this no seconder could be found, and nothing came of it. In no way" da'tinted, I Councillor Beese returned to the cliarge late? in the evening, and move's "That the items bgle*f 'plant and tepaitd and horse feed,' be reduced by £iiV T £Tere he was more fortunate ; he not only fount! a seconder, but also induced the Council to adopt his proposal. Ab reported, this motion appears very indefinite. We are in a position 1 to be able to give the details, The itotaa to which the proposed retrenchment apply » re the following :"—•'• Gas and repairs of public j lamps £$804, gas' for office £25, rep*i" n S abridges w8215;' wages £3822, iron culverts i}3o, working road roller .£llOO, contingericier<£2oo. fS/ The" reduction, to a large eatent, must tf» fear, if mod© ' at all, be made in the iteni ! for wages; A3 the other iteiibhave, no dotfbfc, been 1 esfcfiro ated from data' riot subject to 1 ' mucli' • variation. We presume that tiKe •w'a^es" . are paid for valfl&' received, and?" tha.tf ttiwu. afore the reductibtf of the anjtfuntf 22 wiU mean a corresponding falliifg-' offi i Q tbe ordinary 'attention paid to" tHe" * unitary requirements 'and ' comfor£? f of f thY oi tizens. We fear thafrah'ould thia be'th^-cawj, there will, during tUe 'heit' twelveiA'cattiOj fee a considerable "ambuhti 1 of grtJm'blill^, an * not altogether' urireasbriabie" grUhrib. n S> from thoße who 'fotve'b'eco'nie' adiit&tdttl* *° the Ber vices of late 'performe'd"b^'tli^i employees.