NAPIER NEWS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXX, Issue 3459, 26 February 1912, Page 3

NAPIER NEWS.

THE NEW FIRE STATION. A CITIZEN o’ GENEROSITY. (Special to Times.) NAPIER, Feb. 24. At a social lield last .evening by >ne Napier Fire Brigade to celebrate the opening, of the new station, special remade to the great (generosity of Mr 11. D. D. McLean who had presented three very valuable horses for' tiro service. It was jocularly remarked that if there were many more Douglas McLeans in the town there would be no need to raise the borough rates—they would probably be reduced. LOANS AND ESTIMATES. STRONG STATEMENTS BY THE town clerk: Speaking at the Fire Brigade social the Town Clerk (Mr M. Murray) referred to the fact that the amount of loan moneys being exceeded by expenditure on authorised work was not peculiar to Napier, as during his ten years’ service as County 'Clerk at Waipawa there were 20 or 30 loans raised, some small and some big, and, as far as his memory went, there was a deficit in •each case. This was customary throughout the Dominion, and was caused by small-estimated costs of works being prepared by the engineers, who were” afraid' that if the cost were truly presented the councils would not authorise the work or vote for the loan. An engineer who wanted work- carried out always would under-estimate the cost. There had been a good deal said lately about shortage in Napier, but he could assure his audience that sucJi results were not in the least peculiar to Napier, or its Borough Council. There was shortage on another loan proposal in Napier. The £IOOO raised foj- the new fire station had - been over-spent, y.ot by a large amount, but still overspent. The alterations and removal of the fire station had cost £B9O. The out-station jin Hastings Street South had run the Council into £lB5, .and the new horse cart had cost £lO3 to place in the station. These sums made, a total of £llBB. Yet fresh proposals for further expenditure are being introduced to the Council's notice almost daily. Many believe that the Council would do good service by closing down for a couple of years in order to let accounts balance themselves, for they will never do it with the assistance of councillors.