PROGRESS OF CITY WORKS

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 151, 23 December 1929, Page 10

PROGRESS OF CITY WORKS

Speaking at the Mount Victoria tunnel ceremony, the Mayor and the chairman of the Council Works Committee b( th emphasised the inability of the council to carry out bi<* enter-! prises without raising the rates. Both suggested also that the time had now come to call a halt with such works The Mayor enumerated the improvements carried out in recent years or now in progress. The list was quite impressive, and should certainly be taken into account by ratepayers who say, as they often do, that they have no value for their money. We have never agreed with such critics, and Iwe have never denied that the pre-

sent Mayor and council have carried forward a progressive policy with marked perseverance. Much has been accomplished, and, taking the work as a whole, it has been done well. Wellington, indeed, may rank with the foremost cities of New Zealand for the progressiveness and soundness of its administration. When we sound a critical note we do not desire to see stagnation substituted for progress; but we do wish to see the yardstick of value laid upon works both now and in the future.

There are numerous works which the council has been urged to undertake, and some to which it stands committed, which would be well worth while if there were a buoyant revenue. Their work when finances are straitened is questionable. The test then must necessarily be not "Is the work desirable?" but "Can we afford to do without it?" We would interpret this test liberally. There are many things which'the city cannot afford to do without, when the present economy may entail a measurable annual loss and a heavy ultimate cost. These things must be considered. We do not wish to see the ! council spend up to the limit and then shut down suddenly on every-

tiling, good and bad. The better plan is to keep a tight hold all the time, especially on that expenditure which is not subject to ratepayer check by loan poll. This necessitates methodical planning, which we have always urged. If there is method, the urgency of works can be demonstrated to the ratepayers, and, though they may continue to grumble, they will not refuse the necessary finance. Without method the ratepayers are apt to. accuse the council of "going on a spending bout," and, with this idea in mind, they may apply a check at the wrong time and in the wrong place.