The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1912.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 3654, 15 October 1912, Page 4

The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1912.

When the ‘'City Fathers'’ ultimately

A Report: And its Cost.

agree to have a little more lightthrown on the position of tlie Bo-

rough and its various undertakings it is sincerely to be trusted that there will not be a repetition of the conditions which marked the obtainment of, and the treatment accorded, the reports of Air Metcalfe, of Auckland, on local municipal matters. It will be recalled that some 12 months have now elapsed since lie was engaged by the “City Fathers” to furnish a report on the question of water supply and later requested to extend tile scope of his inquiries to embrace matters relating to several other undertakings. Now, from what was made known at the time, together with what wc have since gathered on tne subject, it is not quite clear how the ‘‘City Fathers” came to offer suett <1 high fee for what no doubt amounts to a good deal of information, but was certainly not all the information which tho ratepayers then wanted and still want with reference to these matters. For this position of affairs the “City Fathers” we think have only themselves to blame. If one takes the list of matters with which Air Aletcalfe was required to deal it will be found that it included, in addition to water supply, sewerage, electric light, electric tramways, bridges and roads. As regards sewerage Air Aletcalfe, it now appears, was merely required to supply an estimate -of the probable cost of finishing the work. The ratepayers arc still in the dark

(as it were) as. to liow much lias been lost on acccgifnt of the fact that only part of thjp work has been done under the conrfact system. It would also liavo ejren them a, great deal of satlsfaetic* if tho opinion of Mr Metcalfe, or same other outside expert,.had been objJFined with reference to the prospsPts of the scheme as it now stands. 'Mien we come to the question of olecRric light in regard to which tho "City Fathers” also seem to have l>een most concerned at the time about getting a further loan to help the concern along. What they wanted to know from Mr Metcalfe on the subject was merely what he thought of the method which was being adopted with a view to meeting the ascertained demand for current. Mr Metcalfe, it may be remembered, opened his report on the matter by saying “so far 222 customers have applied for connection i and further applications for at least i as many more again are expected, etc.” Now, in this regard, it would bo interesting to know from whom he got his information, for Mr Buswell, as wo have previously pointed out, reported 8 months later that the number of connections which bad been made was only 64, while the number • of other applicants in, view was at the I time only 48. No wonder that Mr j Metcalfe was led to the conclusion ! that an additional unit of at least 200 i kilowatts was needed at once! .so! far .as his report is concerned Mr j Metcalfe did not include any cypres*- j ion of opinion (which he was also in- j vifced to do) as to now far the pre- \ sent system might be extended before j hydro-electric generation should be j | seriously considered Coming down j ! the list to the passenger tramways it j seems that what the “City Fathers’’j wanted from Mr Metcalfe was a re- | port on the method of laying the track and tho probable cost of the 4-mile j town section and also the cost of exI tending the service? to Kaiti and Wha- | taupdko, inclludi.ng the cost of strengj thening the bridges if required. Curi- ] ously enough Mr Metcalfe, in dealing with the laying of the track. ! merely discussed what was proposed to be done without apparently offering j any opinion upon the wisdom of the ! methods. His estimate of tho cost is, i however, bound to be exceeded, as be could not have imagined that work would be proceeded with in such a piecemeal fashion. 'What is also interesting to note is that Mr Metcalfe was not invited to express any opinion with reference to the prospects of the system of trams to be used. Is it not significant, however, that he recommended the acquisition of two steam units in addition to the already purchased rolling stock ? The matter ] still remains shelved, but must loom ] up again in the immediate future. As i to the bridges Mr Metcalfe submitted j a report in which it will be recalled Ihe practically condemned the Kaiti j bridge and recommended extensive alj terations to the 'Whataupoko bridge, j Whether his design for the Waimata bridge, prepared 12 months ago, has been adopted lias, however, not yet been made known. Now we come to deal with his report on the roads, etc. M hat the “City Fathers” asl ted him |to do was to report on the quarry, gravel pits, plants, etc., also the best method of construction of roads with the materials available, and the probable cost of same. As this report only took up IS lines it could not posj silly do justice to the subject. Some suggestions, it is true, were made which might well be adopted. The other matter which Mr Metcalfe was j asked to deal with was that of the waj ter supply. In this connection lie enij phasised inter alia the advisableness j of at once placing a service reservoir j on the hill upon which the new hosi pital now stands. The *• City Fathers'’ did not apparently appreciate i the value of such a utility and nothJ ing more has been done'in tho mat- ] ter. Nor has anything been done, as i far as we know, to deal with Mr Met- | calfe’s suggestion re the urgent ne- | eessity of supplementing the present? water supply. In view of the fact, then, that tho time is considered ripe by so many people for the whole of the Borough’s affairs to bo now fully reviewed, and especially the matter of tho cost of administration, it is impossible to believe that the ratepayers will lie over-joyed to ho informed that £250 was necessary to meet the expense of these reports, which were obtained only a year ago.