RICCARTON “BOOST” LEAVES HAGLEY STREET RATEPAYER COLD.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17879, 22 June 1926, Page 7

RICCARTON “BOOST” LEAVES HAGLEY STREET RATEPAYER COLD.

To the Editor. Sir,* —I was highly amused to read in last night’s " Star ” the column and a half of Riccarton advertising propaganda. Presumably, the councillors having carried out all necessary works in the borough, are. having a hard time of it in disposing of that £7OOO credit, and have hit on a means by which they may pat themselves on the back and spend money at the same time. I have no doubt, however, that spots could be pointed out—purely isolated ones, of course—which are in need of a clean up. For instance, Flagley Street is, to put matters mildly, in a mess, and I know of other places which also deserve a little consideration. The hearts of residents in Ilagley Street j were uplifted a short time ago by the j appearance in the street of several j drays, a grader and some men, but 1 after removing long grass from a place I where to a great extent it was not I necessary, they evidently became dis- j couraged, and departed for pastures i new. The result is that for some chains I the road on one side presents a shaven I appearance, while on the other carts sink in many inches, leaving deep ruts which quickly fill with water. Ybur statistics, too, sir, interested me much, and I have pleasure in submitting a few more figures which show why this “ ideal borough ” has “thrived and prospered.” I quote from the “Municipal Handbook” of 1924, the most recent one in the reference library, where I find that there arc

sixty-nine boroughs and cities which rate on the unimproved value. Of those sixty-nine, only seven strike a general rate higher than our vaunted Borough Council, and they are:—Runanga'Si, Masterton 6£d, Hokitika 6£d, Featherston 6d, Geraldine s*d, Thames did and Waimate just under s§d. It causes me pain to deprive our councillors of the pleasure they must have received from publishing their little article, but I think I am voicing the opinion of many other ratepayers when I say that it. would be better to spend rates on the purposes for which they were levied than to build up a large credit balance.—l am, etc., HAGLEY STREET.