The Daily Times. The oldest Manawatu journal Established 1875. FRIDAY, OCTOBER, 5, 1883. THE NEW BOROUGH LOAN.

Manawatu Times, Volume VIII, Issue 377, 5 October 1883, Page 2

The Daily Times. The oldest Manawatu journal Established 1875. FRIDAY, OCTOBER, 5, 1883. THE NEW BOROUGH LOAN.

We learn that the real matter which the Borough Council discussed on Wednesday night, m Committee, was the proposed Borough loan. Before we go on any further, we desire to supplement our remarks of yesterday. It appears to us that the Coanoil altogether misunderstands its position as regards the ratepayers. There appears to be a feeling m the minds of some Councillors that when elected they become a sort of superior beings, and that it is at once their duty to work m a quiet, secret way, m order to keep the Press, and through the Press the ratepayers jjts ignorant as possible of the Coun» ell's doittgti, As a proof of this we may mention that no tender* gre. erer opened gr 4ealfc fti& » JPI& '

lie, the outward correspondence is neVer read, and" nearly the whole of the business is done m Committee, with the result that, the newspapers are compelled to either ferret out the information, which is not always an easy matter, or leave the ratepayers m ignorance. The Committee on the loan is a case m point. On Wednesday night, the Mayor laid a set of proposals before the Council, proposing a loan of £30,000. Surely this subject was of sufficient importance to warraut the Press reporting every word the representatives of the rate payers said on it, involving, as it does, a very large expenditure of money and a very large increase of taxation. Yet the reporters were asked to ; withdraw, and the whole of -the pro* posals were discussed pr i vately . We may of course be told that it is necessary these proposals should be matured and perfected, and so forth, before the ratepayers and Press are allowed to criticise them. But what does this mean ? It means this— That all the Councillors are asked to endorse a scheme first, and then whoever comes forward to criticise that scheme has to face the whole body of Councillors, and oppose them, — a position very few care to assume. Besides, there is a large Pbdy of ratepayers outside the Council, possessing average intelligence at least, who are surely competent to form opinions on matters m which they are . interested, and whose private advice to Councillors should 'be regarded; as well as the opinions of the Press, which is surely able to take a common sense view of the floating of a big loan ? Tet, if the (Council's proposals are matured and perfected — if, to quot e Or M'Neil, the "incubation" is per* fected-rwho would care to come forward and slaughter the cluck ere it was even fledged ? Yet this is the unpleasant position m which the ratepayers and Press will be placed if they attack the loan scheme after it has been perfected. Surely it would be much better for his Wpr* : ship the Mayor to lay his scheme m full before the open Council; then let the ratepayers and Press discuss it at length, and as the result of the . discussion, and o£ their own., v&ws, let the Council decide the question so as to achieve the greatest good for the greatest number: As regards the scheme laid before the meeting on Wednesday we are m possession of certain of the details; of the proposals, bpt pending one or two further enquiries refrain from publishing them for a day or two.