THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY MONDAY, MARCH 2, 1914. THE LOAN PROPOSALS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 2 March 1914, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY MONDAY, MARCH 2, 1914. THE LOAN PROPOSALS.

The ratepayers of M'ustertou have tho important duty cast upon them this week of determining whether the borough shall make a forward move, or shall remain stagnant. That iy, in reality, tho issue involved in the poll to be taken on Thursday. Two separate proposals will bo submitted—one for raising a loan of £16,500 for improving the water service, and tjie other for a loan of £IO,OOO for providing new .municipal buildings. In reference to the lir'nb proposal, we do not apprehend that there willbo any serious opposition. Tho water service is at present quite inadequate for the. requirements of the town. It has been proved that, in times of emergency, thei'c is auj msufifcient pressure of water, and so unfavourable have boon tho reports of I»Hpector Hugo that tho Insurance Companies have revised their tariff and demanded increased premiums from householders. -Some people may argue that it would have been better to take a poll on the combined water and drainage proposals. Possibly it would. It must bo remembered.- however, that the water question is one of pressing urgency, and that further delays might result in enormous loss of property. The Borough Council has already von instructions for the preparation of a report on the drainage .question, and wo have no doubtthat when this is brought down a I'rosh proposal will be submitted to the ratepayer's. Tin* water Kf-heine has lieetr so Arranged that it will not prejudice sniv i'uture /.jctheme 'for drainage, ami we we no reason why a poll shojild not tic taken on the sowcr-

age issuo before the improvements to tho waU'i - supply have been complek-d. Tlie ratepayers have only one immediato question to consider in re<#iru to the water, i.e., ia improvement necessary? If it is, could any advantage be derived by further delay? In thi.s connection, it nm-t lie re—membered that the-market is favourable to borrowing just now. It may not be so in twelve months' time, and tho cost of delay may be very considerable. Tho proposal in regard to the municipal buildings is on a slightly different footing. XevertlieleMs, it is of very great Jmportaiu-e. The present buildings have been in use for over thirty year-', and arc in a very dilapidated condition. They cannot bo said to do cnxlit to a town which prides itself on its public, institutions. In recent yeans wo have had a fine new PostjOflice, railway station, Oourt-liou.se, police station, and Technical School erected. Our banking institutions aro coming into line. Handsome brick buildings have been provided by tho Trust Lands Trustees and private individuals. Are we pjoing to allow the home of our civic fathers,, the library and readingroom, to remain a disgrace to tho town? It is well to point out hero thai the Borough Council is already paying half tho interest on a. loan of £IO,OOO in rent for a show-room for its gas ;fittin£fl. With new buildings this could be saved. Moreover, tho hall connected with the building would bring in a substantial revenue. It may safely be said that of tho £SOO required annually in interest, the ratepayers would have little, if anything, to pa\\ The Mayor will probably tell us on Wednesday evening that the lease of the Borough reserve ■near Eketahuna is about, to fall in, and that ho anticipates an increased annual rental from that source of £2OO or £3OO. He may also tell ua that the liability in connection with tho widening of certain streets has been extinguished, thereby relieving tho Council of an annual expenditure. It will bo urged that these moneys could be better employed in metalling streets in the outskirts of the town, in forming footpathsi and in improving tho lighting. Wo have no doubt that, after the in tho Town Hall had been pa'd, there would be a, aubstantial f>um available for street works without a penny increase in the rates. Tho same argument applies to the Municipal Hall as applies to the water proposal, that a delay might mean a higher rate of interest and a consequent loss to tho town. This is an of the question that should not be overlooked. Oil looking up the Official Year-Book we find that Masterton, compared with other townships of .its sfzoj -is not over-rated. We have 193G rate--payers, who pay £5012. a year in general rates,, and £4225 in separate and special rates. Palmerstoh North has only 1827 ratepayers, who contribute £9804 in general and £8923 in separate rates; Lower Hutt lias. 1133, who pay £8463 and £4816 respectively; New Plymouth 1220, who pay £3183 and £8131; and Nelson 1573, who pay £7143 and £15,861. It cannot be claimed, therefore, that compared with other townships we are excessively rated. And we may safely say that there is no township possessing «uch growing assets as wo possess in our gasworks and endowment. Taking all things* into consideration, we should say that the ratepayers of Masterton would be blind to their own interests; if they did not approve both of tlie Council's proposals on Thursday;