The Inangahua Times. PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLY. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1884.

Inangahua Times, Volume IX, Issue 1358, 6 February 1884, Page 2

The Inangahua Times. PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLY. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1884.

' At the last meeting of the Inangahua j County Council a resolution was carriedton the motion of Mr W. Williams seconded by Mr M. Feehan that the whole of the printing and advertising of the Council for the term of twelve months should he. given to the pro- i prietor of the Inangahua § Horald. Each year* in the past since the establishment of tLe County system of local government tenders have been called for the work, which, with the exception of , last year was always given to the lowest tenderer. Last year, however, owing to the elasticity of the specifications the proprietor of the Inangahua Herald managed to draw full rates from his friendly councillors, and this y«ar, in order to effectually stifle all competition, in the matter, the contract has been renewed without reference to tendering at all. This was done at the first meeting held in the present year, and thns a sura of £100 or J6150 a year will be taken from the County cofters to pay for Work which we performed for about £5. For seven years successively the proprietor of this paper held the Council contract, tenders being caUed regularly at the end of each year for the work, and onr tender, being the lowest on every ocaasion, was accepted. On no occasion was an attempt made on onr part to secure the work without tendering. We were kept always strictly to the specifications, and neither sought nor obtained the slightest advantage or concession from the Coun« cil during the whole term. The relation may . not have been the most profitable, but . it was at all events honorable. Since it could not be said that this paper was in any sense " kept " by the Council, and that too with public money, or that we were paid for being sile.nt when the public interest demanded that we should speak. Our connection with the Council as tenderers was perfectly legitimate and untramelled, and we' were, careful that it should not be otherwise. So mnch foi* the question as far as it concerns ns personally, but it has to be viewed in another light. The ratepayers have a ristht to be considered in matters of this kind. If County work to the value of £100 or £150 yearly is to be quietly handed over to a Press partisan without competition, the Council had better at once abolish the whole system of tendering and go in for rewarding all their patrons in a similar manner. That this has been done to a great extent of lato we know by experience. It was at the very same meeting of the Council to which w« have already referred that the, same hi.ch-Bouled Councillor WifHams curried a vote of .£ls to ■•; srtpne •t.« i t* of hi? in thn Antonio's r>: ' J m2 "".'.•■rs'bly fo 1 * 'kefr' 1 /; :•- certain T"Vc.- c- rc.i:l in repair. Thia portion! u.r piece of rc:<d originally cost j .iha. County abcr'it £-iCO to K-r.r.tra:t. ■

tt . lea&H^'om the main Grey road to a -3|r W. C. Mirfin's farm, and as this Mr ;-.>lirfin "'happens, also to bepar ;? ticnlarly " souhd on the goose here-' ceives at Mr Wi?H&m-s instigation £1-5 for "kf eping the! road to his own property in repair. Of course we know' that there is a Councillor Williams in every corporate association — ai particularly large : hearted public man who iB everrendy to doalofty philanthropic act — shed the last drop of his brother's blood, so to speak, ..in rewarding "deserving" cases, but, the ratepayers Who pay the piper have a right to say that there shall be a limit to this kind of thing. Some three or four yoars ago Mr T. Gallagher, one of the most honorable and. useful members who eversatin the Council, managed, not without difficulty, to get a motion placed on the minutes of the Council that no County work involving an expenditure of more than £10 should be let otherwise than by public- .-tender. He? saw the necessity even at that time of placing anvholesome restraint upon philanthropic tendencies of the Councillor Williamses, but we all know how persistently that resolution has been ignored. Since that time scores, probably hundreds, of jobs have passed at the magic word of. cojrmnand without reference to public competition, until, what with gifts of this kind and the secret determinations of the "Executive Committee," the public body has been reduced well nigh to a nullity. It is not, however, in. the nature of things that this condition will last for ever. Th-- Council may with their newly acquired bue hundred and ten miners' right voters consider themselves well ballasted for the coming Storm, I 'lit the best laid schemes of mice and men go oft ary, and before the day of election comes round Councillors may Be called upon to give an account of their stewardship in a manner they perhaps don't expect