"Noara Onixa Datty News."
8in,—The letter of your correspon-dear "8," of September 23 should hare attracted more pablic attention than was evinced by the only letter with reference thereto, that appeared in your columns, viz., that of E.R.' support of the Electrical Department's action was so evidently based on the tinuance of past favours lo conviction, The question of how far Manicipsl Trading is to be carried on is one of great importance to this commanity.
tem of Manicipal ownership of Electric, Water and Gas andertakiogs may possibly be advantageous in purely residential towns, bat in a business have evclred some if such is possibi Committee will donbtlese another general meeting of shareholders in order to perfect an organization.
This movement cannot hope to be successful unless shareholders generally shake off their spathy and give their active support in their own interests. If the meeting is poorly attended, that in itself will be interpreted to' mean thst the shareholders do not desire action such as is now contemplated.
T desire at this point to add a brief community sach should only limits as ensure that no injustice br done to existing and legitimate in from the interests of those directly affected by the "state sided opposition, the diversion of the public credit into one chsonel, to the neglect of other public matters of equal or more importance, is a question for serious consideration.
Being. owing ta my connexion with the local undertekiog most directly affected (which undertaking farther personal statement so that there may contribu rely to the rates and ion on the subject. taxes,) naturally g: interested, I
I personally have neither bought nor sold any shares in any Rubber Ca, made close inquiry into the prevailing opinion regarding the line of action being at present followed by the Eleotrical Department of the Manicipal Council, with the result thet I am convinced that a large proportion of the community views it unfavourably, and this is confirmed by the fact that the Ratepayers have at two mostings signified their disapproval of Manicipal Trading. Unfortanately, 60 closely are al and business interests of connected, that most prefer to leave the sctions or policy of the Council ancriticized rather than risk bringing themselves ander the ban of their displeasure.
Let us consider what is legitimate Maicipal enterprise and how it being followed by the present Cou! Were the fanctions of the Electr Department confined to the geners. tion of current and the thereof to such ratepayers as required on equal terms to all in respect of cost, no one woold cavil or complain, that is their legitimate business, and this was the view undoubtedly adopted by the Ratepayers on the occasion of their first refusing to allow the Council to extension of the Department's privileges to the extent of the aale of lamps, such lamps being obtained by tender through the local firms, What has that led to? The establishment of a showroom where the goods of " certain section of the are advertised, at the ex-pablic fands, io emp tition with and to the disndvantaga of other Ratepsyere, is andoabtedly Municipal Trading in its most debased form. Io fartheraccs of the schemes of the Elec tricity Department, methods of e: my tion with existing suppliers of heat, light aad power are adopted, which can only be viewed with foolings of indignation by all those against where business interests they are clearly directed. These questionable trading methods have undoubtedly brought them an increase of business, and, to meet that the extearions of plant foreshadowed in Jane, 1909, have to be pussied on, It is an open secret that the Electrical Engineer is about to proceed to England at very short notice, in order that be may study the mort recent methods and arrange for the purchase of the machinery. It is rumoured that the amount involved is not one of a fiw thousands of tael: of large amounts, No doubt the Electrical Engi the fall authority of the Council in the matter, bat has the Counci? obtained the necessary authority of the Ratepayers to pledge their credit, or are they pursuing '8 cooree, not without precedent, of spending the money firs: and trusting to the complacency of the Ratepayers to ratify their procedure? The money in Shanghai is question "ge amount of the public fonds la one undertaking wou'd meet the general approval of the Ratepayers, whilst such matters as the widening of the principal roads
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.