TUAPEKA COUNTY COUNCIL MEETING.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 5962, 20 July 1912, Page 3

TUAPEKA COUNTY COUNCIL MEETING.

(To the Editor.} Sir,—ln reading' over your excellent report in Saturday's issue of the above, meeting, I was, ami still u m, puzzled to know the why, and the wherefore oi the following letter from Simpson and Hart (Ltd.), advising the payment of ttH) to the Tuapeka County— X3O a s a donation, «v.e. lias the County got so far ir.to the " depths " that it is driven to make arj appeal (or donations tr help it out of its diilioulties ? Jf not, what is the explanation of the proffered donation 7 1 offer no apology for askin-vyou, sir, a s editors are supposed to know everything. ;l nd of course you. will bo able to answer my qiistion withouJL any trouble. Cr. Rose, ever watchful, was. 1 am sorry to note, doomed to disappointment in connection with what was shown as being an unexpended balance in his riding, which balance had iu reality no existence, so the Engineer said, and was only to he found on paper. Also the vigilant Cr. Alclnerney must be credited with bringing to light information respecting the payment of a. voucher to the exchairman which drew from Cr. itose the suggestion, which is worthy of consideration by the Council "That a list of all monbsi paid between meetings should be shown on a separate list at the meetings." The payment, specified, had been mado in the regular course, the councillors had heard nothing of it. In conclusion I must say that I do not envy the Engineer tih B taste that has been imposed upon h m of ''weeding" out all " iuit|ualiiicd " surfacemen from among those who have applied for a rise in their wages—or are there, more than 13 to be dealt with '!— l am, Ate., 15/7/12 W.

(The explanation of " W's..' first query is simple. The £3O slated in our report as a " donation" was merely a contribution by Messrs Simpson and Hart towards tire completion of the metalling of theWothei'stones road—a work winch was of great benefit lo the firm owing to the heavy traffic from their'brewery. It is not an unusual thing for Courty ratepayers desirmjj work of particular, benefit to themselves carried out by a public body to contribute a portion' of the cost.—Ed. T.T)