The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1909. HOLE AND CORNER WORK.

Gisborne Times, 1 October 1909, Page 4

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1,1909. HOLE AND CORNER WORK.

Whenever the Gisborne Borough Council has any work of real importance on hand it s members make valiant preparations for dealing with the multitudinous obstacles that ever bestrew the path of progress. First they set aside a special night for its consideration,' thus ensuring that no unseemly interruptions shall mar the concentrated stream of thought which is to be brought to bear on the troublesome subject. And then they shut out the “press” so that of the wrestling and travail whereby they produce momentous results, there shall be no irreverent or unsympathetic witnesses. The idea is inspiring, but unfortunately there are aspects of the subject which fail to justify even so heroic an attitude. On Wednesday night ,tho Council held a meeting to consider the report on a metal supply from Gentle Annie quarry that had been furnished by, Mr J. G. Jarrett. A majority of the Council followed the lead of the Mayor and decided that the “press” should bo excluded. Why this step should have been taken passes our comprehension. The matter to be discussed was a public one and of the utmost importance to the Borough. Before long the ratepayers will be asked to sanction a loan of from £40,000 to £50,000. for road works, and

*y willy ip® want nw whatV re co .get for th. N uoney. It w» ;t be sufficient to assure them, as j Mayor did prior to last poll, that <Aery road in town and suburb is to be properly formed and metalled; the more cautions section will demand further particulars. In a matter like this there should be nothing to hide; in fact the Council has no right to hide anything. It should bo its business to assist in educating the people in regard to the subject matter of these municipal road loans; but hole and corner meetings are certainly not ideal methods of attaining such an object. In all probability the next loan proposals will contain provision for obtaining me- | tal from Gentle Annie Quarry. In such an event the public is entitled to know whether the expenditure under that head is likely to prove economical. So far we have had Mr Jarrett’s report and at Wednesday night’s meeting the Council decided to adopt the report, or rather a portion thereof. The bare resolution on tho matter has been made public, but of the criticism which took place we are kept in ignorance. As a matter of fact three of the Councillors present objected most emphatically to the adoption of tho report. They are not satisfied with Mr Jarrett’s conclusions and said so. Mr Lysnar and his majority may be .right, but on tho other hand the minority may be right, and most certainly it is in the public interest that their views should bo made known. Fortunately the decision to obtain from Mr Marchant a criticism on Mr Jarrett’s report should ensure the whole matter being again open for discussion, and when it is reconsidered we trust that the Councillors will seo their way clear to take into their full confidence the ratepayers who have elected them to carry out their work, and who will have to pay the piper in connection with any expenditure that i s incurred. Before leaving the matter we should like to congratulate the members oh the good sense ultimately displayed in deciding to obtain Mr. Marchant’s advice. One would have imagined, however, that it would have been much easier to have obtained Mr Marchant’s report direct in the first place and left Mr Jarrett, whose qualifications are not known to Gieborneites, out of the matter. As a matter of fact we believe* It was the original intention of the Council to obtain a report from Mr Marchant; hut our energetic Mayor, during one of his jaunts abroad, discovered Mr Jarrett in Wellington and, figuratively speaking, brought him home in his pocket. Hence Mr Jarrett’s report and Mr Marchant’s proposed report on Mr Jarrett’s report. Truly the ways of our Mayor and Council are at times marvellous beyond conception!