CORRESPONDENCE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXI, Issue 18916, 19 January 1924, Page 12

CORRESPONDENCE

THE BOROUGH COTTAGES, (To the Editor.) Sir, —Re the correspondence published by Messrs Bassett and Co. on this subject, we think it would have been as well had they confined themselves to the outstanding facts. Our main contention is that the Council, without any expense to themselves, could have got competitive prices in other materials, and we are informed that Bassett and Co. quoted 6/- per hundred feet more for “Nonka” on this occasion than they did on the last when there was competition. In the whole of Messrs Bassetts ’ letter there is not one word refuting this position, though they can find room to inferentially inform me that if I don’t “shut up” they will publish some awful circular, and then heaven only knows what would happen. I fancy every decent-minded individual who has read this correspondence will resent such obnoxious and contemptible tactics as the use of veiled inference and innuendo, though Messrs Bassett and Co. may think otherwise. Now that the tenders have been made public, let us compare them with the last. Taking the prices on an average they are £lO9 per house higher than “Nonka” houses as tendered for on the first occasion, and £l6 per house higher than the cost of the present brick buildings. For the present proposed work, five firms put in a tender, as against fifteen firms last time. A local architect called for tenders for one house only a week ago, and received fifteen tenders. As large ratepayers, we are entitled to criticise the expenditure of borough funds, and, to say the least, we cannot commend the Council for their business acumen over this matter. However, the workers who buy the houses must pay.—We are, P. J. JACKSON, Wanganui, 18th January, 1924.