NAPIER CITY FINANCES.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 59, Issue 55, 5 April 1930, Page 6

NAPIER CITY FINANCES.

WILLIAM HANNAH.

To the Editor.) Sir, — The vital part which the Mayor of Napier overlooks in the finances of the borougli of Napier is that the ratepayers have a right to request and demand if necessary, full value for every, £1 of public mouey spent on their behalf. The following are> the Mayor's own figures, and I leave it to the readers of your journal to determine whether the finances of the borougli are being controlled to the best advantage for the whole borougli. We are told that 7 miles of permanent roadway cost £5114 per mile. That the increased cost of'road maintenance in 1929 (after £35,800 had been spent) over the cost in 1919, was nearly £3000. The Mayor and council asked the ratepayers to earry the loans in February last so as to reduce tlie cost of "maintaining and patching streets.'' The Mayor of Napier stated, in liis letter of the 20th March, that the increase of motor traffic and the tonnage of same since 1919 is responsible for increased road maintenance charges. This inference means that, notwithstanding the spending of more than £5000 per mile on 7 miles of roadway, that more patching and repairing is required. and if the spending of £5000 per mile has not reduced patching costs, why spend more money on similar work, at.such heavy capital cost? I again state that the profits made out of water charges should have been put aside, in like manner as the profits from the electricity department, and if this had been done, the £13,000 would not now he wanted for new capital in waterworks extension. I claim, sir, that until the ratepayers can be assured that some attempt is being made to run the several trading departments on a -business basis, no further loans should be voted by the ratepayers. The borotigh. council

n— ■ —Wl !■'" Bg should make some attempt to do with less capital, and try to do more permanent work out of the general rate and profits accruing from trading de-: partments, and by so domg then will a real progress begin to show itselH Thanking you for your valuable spacC I am. etc..

Napier, April 4, 1930.