STREETS AND FOOTPATHS.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXXIV, Issue 12750, 22 April 1909, Page 5

STREETS AND FOOTPATHS.

Mr Mackay combatted Mr Muir's statements that the streets and footpaths had been neglected during the former's term of office. He held that Mr Muir was eoually to blame for their condition, for though not" on the Works Committee, he could have stood up in open Council and drawn attention to their condition. He was also at liberty to be present at any of the committee meetings. He had not done soj and suddenly, on the eve of an election, had discovered that things had been shamefully neglected for two years. During the speaker's term of office 267 chains of footpaths had ,been formed, 620 chains of footpaths asphalted, 102 chains of new streets had been formed and metalled, and 246 chains of drains laid, while over 600 houses had been connected with the drainage. This, Mr Mackay claimed, was not a bad record. Mr Muir's statement that the speaker had had more money to spend on streets than his predecessors was also incorrect, as the latter had had the benefit of the £16,000 streets and drainage loan, and a good part of an £11,500 loan, while during Mr Mackay 's term barely £2000 of loan bad been spent on streets. It was impossible, while the trams were being laid, to use metal for the streets, as it would have meant stopping the trains and the destruction of the metal laid in carting tram metal, etc., over the roads. Now that the trams were completed and the metal available, he urged the speedy metalling of the streets. Before making a statement that broken metal ought to be obtained for the streets, Mr Muir should have been cognisant of the place to get same. Mr Mackay had made enquiries re Mount Egmont metal, and also New Plymouth metal, but these were not so good as local metal, and to get the metal once mentioned from Lyttelton, would cost £1 per yard. Mr Mackay denied Mr Muir's statement that the upper end of the town had been neglected, and claimed that it had received more attention than during any previous Mayoralty.