BOROUGH WORKS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3107, 3 February 1909, Page 5

BOROUGH WORKS.

ACRIMONIOUS DISCUSSION AT THE BOROUGH COUNCIL. "TOO MUCH WORKING IN THE DARK." ! ARE THE ESTIMATES EXCEEDED? At the Masterton Borough Council meeting last evening, Or Hunter moved, pursuant to notice:—"ln future, before any works are commenced, the Borough Engineer be mstiucted to prepare, a detailed statement of such works, with plans where practicable, to be submitted to the Council for its approval." In moving the foregoing, Cr Hunter said that his action was actuated by the fact that in Kuripuni Street the Council had been I'urnisl e 1 with an example of how necessai*y his motion was. The Engineer had set down the estimate for the work to be done in this street at £BO6, whereas it was going; to cost the Council about £920. The Mayor contested the accuracy of this assertion. Cr Hunter said he was speaking on a basis of details supplied to the Council. The speaker said that as a matter of fact a resolution similar to that now being moved had boen passed by the Council, and yet it was not on the books. The Mayor: Do you imply that it was purposely left off the books? Cr Hunter: Perhaps so. The Mayor: That is a grossly unfair and unwarranted remark. Cr Hunter continuing, said that he had supported the motion himself, Cr Elliott being the mover. The Council was working altogether too much in the dark. When £IOO was the excess on one road alone, it was time something was done. Personally, he only desired to absolve himself from any responsibility in the present methods of the Council. Cr Ewington seconded the motion, saying that he himself, he believed--if not, then Cr Elliott—moved a motion in the direction of the present one. Had the Council known the work done in Kuripuni Street was to be carried out he thought they would not have sanctioned it. The Council was now to the end of its tether, practically, and work intended to be done under the loan schedule was not carried out, nor was there any money left with which to do it. Had a schedule of proposed works been prepared, . the Council would have known its position more clearly. Cr Ewington affirmed that what Cr Hunter had taid about the previous resolution being passed was correct, and even now might be found on the books.

Cr Hauahey supported the motion. I-Ie thought it was not too much to ask what was set out in the motion. The Engineer had estimate;! that the work in Kuripuni Street would cost a certain sum, and the speaker believed it would be exceeded. The Mayor contended that the motion as worded we a little too far, and practically <■ > scituted a vote of no-confidence in the Engineer, which the speaker had no sympathy with. If the motion were passed it would mean that plans and estimates would need to be prepared for every trivial work in the Borough—a proposition not only ridiculous, but. impossible. His Worship moved, as an amendment, that when any work was intended to be done by the Council by contract, plans, specificatiors, and estimates be submitted to the Council for approval. The Mayor said he was not aware that in the

past an elaborate or important work had ever been done by the Engineer without the Engineer reporting to the Council first very fully on them. To 1-ty down a hard and fast rule such as was intended in the motion was oot in accord with the speaker's view, and he would not support it. Cr Pauling seconded the Mayor's amendment. Cr Elliott said hj" could not support the amendment, and averred that if the Council had had proper plans before it it would not. have supported the putting in of a 70ft culvert in Kuripuni Street, and the gravelling of the whole width of the roadway, when such was not necessary. Personally, he thought the motion was now of little use, as it had arrived tbo late in the day. The Mayor: It's coming near election time, Cr Elliott, and it may do some good. (Laughter). Cr Ewington pointed out that the motion distinctly said that plans were only to be prepared where practicable, and it was not aimed, as the Mayor had said, at every small and unimportant work to be carried out. Cr Yarr said he was surprised to hear old Councillors, whose "economical" administration had resulted in an overdraft of £7,000 talk as they were when, under the present administration this overdraft had been reduced to £3,000 Cr Ewington. "Bunkum!" Cr Yarr: That's a nice gentlemanly remark. Cr Ewington: I did not mean it disrespectfully. Cr Hunter, in reply, said he wan surprised to hear the Mayor construe the motion as he did. The fact was plain enough that the Engineer had said that a certain work was to cost £BO6, and now it was going to pan out at £920 or so. Continuing, Cr Hunter said he objected strongly to the Mayor's remarks about electioneering. If the Council was going on bungling in its present way, he was going to disassociate himself from its methods. If a slipshod manner of carrying out works was to be adopted, the Council would not find the speaker on it after April, as he would not be associated with such a want of policy. In fact, no one in the Council was allowed to have a policy but the Engineer. So long as Crs said "Yes" or "No" that was all they were expected to do. Cr Pauling here,rose to object to such an imputation so far as he was concerned, and asked that Cr Hunter be called upon to withdraw the re- ; mark. Cr Hunter: "What I said was a i fact, anyhow." Continuing, the - speaker said that the Mayor'." 1 amendment was simply "soft- : soaping" the whole business again. The Mayor: "Your remarks are ■ most insulting and objectionable, i Cr Hunter. Since ever you have - been in the Council you have been the same."

Cr Hunter; "I think that at least I have a right to object to the dirty insinuations about the electioneering." The Mayor: "It seerns that you come here to air your eloquence and talk rubbish. I hope your prophecy about April will be correct." Cr Hunter: "But is what I am alleging rubbish? That's the ques- , tion." Cr Prentice said he thought that Cr Hunter snould not insult the chair by making use of such an expression as "dirty insinuation," especially when the remark was directed at the Mayor himself. Cr Hunter replied that at least he had spoken what were his honest convictions. It was necessary for some one to speak out to prevent the Council landing the Borough in the insolvency Court. The Borough Engineer (Mr W. T. Mansfield), by permission, made a few remarks. He declared that it was all not sense about the Kuripuni Street estimate being exceeded, and as for the speaker being said to "have a policy," he would like to know what was meant by such a remark. All along he had, at considerable trouble, prepared reports and estimates of various works now fulfilled. His experience had been that the Borough staff could do the work better and cheaper than it could be done by contract, and he would like to know where any extravagance had been practised. The Mayor at this stage said the matter had received very full discussion, and His Worship put the amendment. The voting was: For —Crs Pauling, Prentice, Pragnell, Yarr and the Mayor; Against—Crs Elliott, Haughey, Ewington and, Hunter. The matter then dropped, the Council adjourning shortly after.